Gaggia woes

Pretty sure the lelit of has a flat spout so it rests on the work top.

dndrich I have decided to add some knowledbase articles with links to them

When do you plan to order?

Meh

What did you want to know?

They have really good email response usually

Eureka scales, do you have a link

I use the yuaga scales there cheap and reliable

DrForinor I’ve seen a few posts online about people having problems with their Elizabeth. I understand it’s always the bad cases that are published on the internet and usually the good ones don’t get the publicity they deserve, but I just wanted my mind put to rest, to make sure it’s a sound investment

The best place to ask for that is users, not sellers… apart from any vested interest, they also tend to see the ‘bad cases’, as those are the ones they get asked for help on, or do repairs on.

A quick search on the forum here does not seem to show too many issues - other than the recent “OPV getting stuck”, which should be factory fixed on anything ordered now - and quite a few satisfied users, some of whom have already posted here.

DrForinor I don’t think it’s particularly naive, and they have a great rep - it’s just that I don’t think any single seller sells nearly as many as would be necessary to get a statistical view of ‘reliability’, and I don’t know to what extent they track them. You run the risk of getting an ‘impression’ to which you attribute more weight than it’s worth.

I bought a Lelit Elizabeth about 6 months ago from Bella Barista. The OPV is set out of the box at about 9.5-10 bar. I haven’t seen any need to adjust it. I have one of the coffee buttons configured to deliver about 3 seconds preinfusfion using the pump to gradually increase pressure to 9 bar. The other is set for 4 seconds preinfusion using steam to hold the pressure at 3 bar for approximately 6 more seconds then up to 9 bar for the rest of the shot. I can switch off the steam boiler and alter the way the second button works at the press of a button on the controller. I drink mainly espresso or long black so if I’m not using the steam preinfusion I keep it switched off for economy. If I want steam milk it takes minutes to be ready from switching the steam boiler on. The machine has had its default controller settings adjusted according to the documents that Dave C has produced and I’ve been extremely happy with how the machine has worked without me needing to play around with it.I am constantly changing the coffee beans I use and have found I get really good drinks by just adjusting the grinder settings (Niche Zero) and keeping the machine set - only changing one variable if at all possible. Life is too short to mess around seeking perfection in a drink if what I’m getting is good. Bottom line is I would happily get another Elizabeth if the one I have failed although I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. I also drink coffee using other methods (see signature) but that’s not relevant to this topic.

The Liz was nearly on my shelf

I should have also said I have the machine powered through a smart switch to switch on about 30 minutes before I’m likely to use it although it takes just under 20 minutes to actually be ready to deliver a shot. If I want to make multiple shots, the brew boiler is back up to temperature before I’ve had chance to fill and tamp the portafilter basket ( single dosing the grinder takes the time). The portafilter is an interesting design. Whilst some may not care for the dual spout looks, the handle is shaped so the portafilter sits with the basket horizontally on a level surface to aid tamping. Steaming is great when I use it as it is easy to control the amount of steam going into the milk and produce really smooth micro foam. Unfortunately I’m absolutely rubbish at latte art so I can’t show off any of my results! I backflush the machine frequently both with water and cleaner and also remove the showehead to give it a good clean. Both tasks are easy to do if you follow Dave C’s youTube videos. I don’t use the Lelit water filter as I live in a very soft water area and can see no sign of any scaling (my kettle has been in use for nearly 3 years and has no trace of scaling on its heating element). If I lived in a harder water area I would definitely use some form of water treatment to reduce or prevent scaling.