Lelit Mara X3 Black Espresso Machine

It is Lelit's patented flow control: the wooden lever on the group electronically adjusts the pump power during the shot. Turning it clockwise raises the power gradually up to 100%, turning it anticlockwise lowers it. More power means more flow and more pressure, and you can see the pressure changes on the double gauge: this way you give the extraction the profile you want, cup by cup.

The flow control kit you can fit on the Mara X works differently: it is mechanical and acts directly on the L58E group, changing the water flow that reaches the coffee. The Pagaia controls the pump instead, so it adjusts the flow from the pump to the group.

The Mara X3 takes 15 minutes: by then it is at the right temperature for steam and hot water. For coffee it is worth waiting a couple of minutes more, so the whole machine reaches an optimal temperature. A light tells you whether it is still heating up or ready. The Mara X, by comparison, takes up to 24 minutes.

The Mara X3 has two hidden switches, which you reach by removing the drip tray.

Xmode sets the priority. In Xmode Steam, the factory setting, the heating element stays on during the shot and for up to two minutes afterwards: you get more steam, and it is the right choice if you make several coffees in a row. In Xmode Coffee priority goes to the coffee temperature and the heating element comes on for 120 seconds after the shot. To see which one you are in, switch off and on again: if the switch ring flashes 5 times you are in Xmode Coffee, if it stays lit you are in Xmode Steam.

The three-position temperature switch selects 0 Warm (88 °C, factory setting) for dark roasts, I Hot (92 °C) for medium roasts and II Extra hot (96 °C) for light roasts. It works in both Xmodes.

For more steam, about 30 seconds before using the steam wand or hot water, lift the group lever fully and lower it again. If the boiler gauge has dropped to 0.5 bar, make a cappuccino this way: first a flush from the group, which switches the heating element back on and brings steam up to 1.3 bar while you grind and prepare the portafilter, then the coffee, then the milk. You can also make coffee and froth milk at the same time.

They share the same base: a 1.8 litre stainless steel heat exchanger boiler, the L58E group with mechanical pre-infusion, the dual probe system with thermosyphon circulation, a double gauge for pump and boiler pressure, the Xmode and temperature switches (Warm, Hot, Extra hot), standby and steam boost. What the Mara X3 adds:

• Pagaia: Lelit's patented flow control, which electronically adjusts the pump power during the shot. The Mara X does not have it.
• Faster heat-up: 15 minutes for steam and hot water, against up to 24 on the Mara X.
• Pump: a new silent CEME pump; the Mara X has a silent Olab pump.
• 3-hole steam tip; the Mara X tip has 2 holes.
• Portafilter with a longer wooden handle and a metal core: it gives you more leverage when you lock it into the group.
• 70 litre water softener in the box, instead of 35.
• Details: wooden knobs, lever, Pagaia and high feet, a redesigned gauge, a drip tray that is easier to clean and a discharge nozzle above the tray.

The box includes the Lelit 70 litre water softener, which goes in the tank and softens the water to limit limescale. Before fitting it, leave it in a jug of water for 3 minutes so the air comes out. Replace it every 28 full tanks or after 4 months, and straight away if the machine has stood unused for a month: use the sliders on the tank handles to count the fillings. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) guidelines point the same way: clean, odour-free water with a low but not zero mineral content.

Yes, that is standby: after 30 minutes without use, the ON/OFF switch ring flashes and the pilot lights are off. To wake it, lift the group lever fully and lower it again, then wait for all the pilot lights to stay lit before using it.

If you prefer, you can turn it off: switch the machine off, lift the group lever and switch on. After 5 seconds, if the ring flashes (one second on, one off), standby is off; if all the lights flash briefly instead, it is back on. Then switch off, lower the lever and switch on again to save.

It depends on how much you use it, but as a rule:

• after every espresso run a little water through the group (flush): it clears coffee residue from the shower screen;
• every day backflush with the blind filter and water only;
• every 1-2 weeks, more often if you use it a lot, backflush with espresso machine detergent.

Do not overdo the detergent: even in small amounts, over time it strips the grease from the gaskets and O-rings and dries them out.

To backflush, turn the Pagaia fully clockwise, put the blind filter from the Mara X3 box in the portafilter, lock it in and lift the group lever for 10 seconds, then lower it for 10 seconds; repeat 10 times. If you used detergent, rinse the portafilter with water from the group and do 5 more 10-second cycles without detergent.

Not this version: the Mara X3 PL62X3-2Q is rated 220-240 V and 50 Hz, so it is for 220-240 V, 50 Hz mains. For 60 Hz mains Lelit makes versions with different model codes.

Before ordering, check the voltage and frequency at home: if your mains is 60 Hz, even at 220 V, the PL62X3-2Q is not the right one. Choose the version that matches your mains from those on sale on this page; if the one you need is not there, write to us.