Back again. I thought I had narrowed down my choice of machine between Mara X and Bezzera Crema for my first machine to pair with a Niche grinder however after looking into water and cleaning / maintenance required for these machines I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering whether a Robot would be worth considering as an alternative? It looks far easier to maintain and less daunting. Or would I regret not getting an HX machine?

Does anyone own a Robot and recommend it as a first machine?

Does anyone own a Robot in addition to their machine? What is the reason for having both?

We do mainly have milk drink so would have to stick with heating milk and frother if we went the Robot route.

    CoffeeShakes - because you mainly have milk drinks I would disregard the Robot.

    What’s the issue with those machines in terms of maintenance? An Elizabeth does not have any maintenance apart from backflushing every week or so and removing the shower screen every couple of months.

    But yes… you need to make sure you use good water.

      Good water and maintenance shouldn’t put you off

      I can understand that maintenance can be daunting, but its super simple, and once you have done it, its really easy to do again.

      Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

      @MediumRoastSteam

      The more I read the more daunting espresso is becoming. In terms of maintenance advice differs from the owners manuals to advice on forums in terms of frequency. So I’m really unclear as to what I would need to do if I made 2 drinks every day E.g backflush with water every day and clean around the shower screen then backflush with cleaner once a week? So would the cam on the Mara X need regreasing once a week? Then the question on how do you know when is the time to descale?

      I’m worried about doing something wrong and causing damage to the machine where as the robot just looks simple and also lower cost as well.

        CoffeeShakes - usually you backflush with water every other day, clean the shower screen every other day, backflush chemically every 6 weeks and clean and lube the cam every 6 weeks.

        Minima and Elizabeth and Silvia pro etc don’t need lubing cam and can be backlushed chemically all the time.

          I own a Robot (currently selling) and an Elizabeth. Also mainly milk drinker - so feel qualified to answer!
          If I was to use the Robot every day to make milk drinks I think I would get fed up quite quickly - and def wouldn’t enjoy making coffee as much as I do currently.
          It does have a lot of pros, some of which u have touched on, but it’s the milk steaming that will have u wanting to upgrade to something better in no time.

          Niche Zero

          Niche Zero

          CoffeeShakes The more I read the more daunting espresso is becoming. In terms of maintenance advice differs from the owners manuals to advice on forums in terms of frequency.

          @MediumRoastSteam has given you some great advice here and, really, the maintenance is no harder and takes less total time than the same effort you might put into rinsing your cup every day. Don’t let this put you of getting a machine, which sounds a much better fit to your needs. The only real decision, is which machine/how much.

          Contact me

            Remember, it’s just coffee!! I have an Elizabeth, and the machine is wonderful. Maintenance is minimal. I back flush here and there, and use a bit of the Cafiza cleaner every week or two. So simple, it is automatic! I just drain the drip tray here and there and clean it. With regards water, don’t stress. If you live in an area with reasonable water just use an inline filter. I have the Lelit filter in my Elizabeth, and the water is nice and soft. And the machine is just fun to play with. Enjoy it! These machines are well made, and fun to use. Don’t be intimidated. Before this machine I used a Breville Barista Express for the last two years. Trouble free. Easy to clean and maintain. Embrace it! You won’t wreck your machine. They are built to take it.

            2 years later

            Discovered my Robot’s pressure gauge wasn’t working so took it apart to find some scale on the mesh and entry to the guage (this was after several years of using Brita water with it). Cleaned it up and works a treat again, so a reminder to use non scaling water even on machines without a boiler!

            Even though it was an easy fix I’ll use my remineralised espresso machine water mix going forward.