I must say, using the Elizabeth is an absolute pleasure, day after day. Bearing in mind that within reason, I could have bought almost any machine that I wanted, why did I settle on an £1100 bargain basement model? I have long said that a skilled person can make a brilliant cuppa on a reasonable grinder paired with a Gaggia Classic. What you cannot do though with that set up, is make two or more brilliant drinks. So, I wanted something more basic. It had to have twin boilers, not be an E61, have a PID, a smaller footprint than the Evo. Those were my starting points. I had had a brief encounter with a Mara when I bought my son one but it did nothing for me. A Sage Dual Boiler was on the very shortlist having owned several before but I am aware of the issues these machines carry with them. That said, a lot of the issues have been solved by removing O rings and using compression fittings. SO, I took a chance and let my wife choose!
This morning I made a shot with some beans a friend gave to me. I am still learning the Mythos and the shot pulled too quickly, around 23 seconds for 34 gms but……an absolute wow with fruit of some sort punching me in the face. Now, I am not suggesting that no other coffee machine could have done this, far from it. What I am saying, is if your budget is £1200 or so, and the Lelit Elizabeth is not a machine that you have considered, have a quick look
