Coffeetime Pals:
I have owned my Lelit Elizabeth for 2 weeks now, and I am delighted. It delivers on all of the needs I have for the user experience. First, it makes great coffee. That is of course a key thing. I have it paired with a Niche Zero, so that helps. As a dual boiler the temperature stability is fantastic. The software controls the small but mighty boilers extremely well. That was a key issue for me. I was not interested in the HX dance despite how lovely the machines are, and that would not work well at all for my wife, who is much less interested in process than me. The rapid heat up time and ability to leave the machine on during the day is great. The steam is really powerful. I have read some of the threads about the MaraX and I am glad I chose the Elizabeth. I guess if you want pressure profiling you have to look elsewhere, but I have no interest at all. Pre-infusion and great temperature control are enough for me.
Living with the machine is easy. It sips water, so I fill the tank much less than I did with my Breville Barista Express. It is so easy to clean it. Today I did the Dave method hybrid back flush. Nothing to it. I will empty the service boiler and refresh monthly. Again, nothing to it with the great programming.
And, I gave my wife the lesson on the new machine. I have programmed the #1 button for a 3 second pre-infusion and a 30 second pull, and with my dialed in coffee that will be sufficient for her. She may get the occasional over or under extraction, but with her latte milk it makes much less difference, and she will be happy. So, she can use the machine with ease. Yay. I left button 2 for me. I am currently with a 6 second pre-infusion and weigh the shots while looking at the color too. I have a naked portafilter coming where I will play with the shots for skill. We shall see.
I have felt feet on the bottom that make moving the machine simple, and it then becomes so easy to fill the tank. The Lelit inline water softener is doing its job well. I tested the water coming out of the machine today, and it is below 25 ppm. Water going in is 120 ppm.
In short, this has been a great choice so far. My machine runs perfectly. I have no OPV issues like some have had. Mine goes right to 10 bars and stays there. I have mine programmed with Dave’s advanced settings also. So, hard to beat this machine, I have to admit. Very easy to live with and enjoy. Nice small footprint on the counter helps too.