Lelit Elizabeth3 PL92T3 Stainless Steel Espresso Machine

The Elizabeth3 sits at the top of the Lelit domestic range. Dual boiler, 0.2 litres of brass for coffee and 0.6 of stainless steel for steam, a LELIT 58 saturated group and the same pressure control as the Victoria3, with independent steam on top.

The dual boiler keeps brewing and steaming apart: you pull and steam without waiting, with group temperature stable between shots. It is the difference you feel making several cappuccinos in a row.

Lelit built three ways to use it, and you can stay on one or move between them.

1. The two factory profiles. One coffee button each. Lever Shot opens at 3 bar for 5 seconds, climbs to 8 and then 9 bar for 25 seconds and eases back to 8 and 7: the declining curve of a traditional lever, recommended for medium and dark roasts, for a more intense and structured cup. Modern Shot starts with a 2 bar pre infusion for 15 seconds, peaks at 6 bar for 30 and then ramps down through 5, 4 and 3: medium and light roasts, for a sweeter and more balanced cup.

2. The customisation. Every profile can be rewritten: five steps, pressure from 0 to 10 bar in half bar increments and a duration in seconds for each. Set a duration to zero and the step is skipped; set the pressure to 0.0 bar and you get a blooming shot. Total time is set with the shot timer, from 1 to 299 seconds, and the fifth step adjusts itself to whatever is left.

3. Freestyle, with the pagaia. Here there is no profile: you turn the pagaia during the shot and pressure follows your hand. Clockwise raises pump power and with it flow and pressure, counter clockwise lowers it until the pump stops. The machine opens with a one second full power kick start, then modulation becomes proportional to the pagaia position, between 0 and 11 bar with automatic protection. The LCC display shows pagaia position from 0 to 100%, live pressure and time.

Profiling can also be switched off entirely to work at a constant 9 bar, like a traditional machine.

Underneath there is an integrated pressure transducer closing the control loop, a new electronic architecture with a dedicated pump driver, and a silent CEME vibration pump. The group is the new LELIT 58 saturated head with a stainless steel heating element, compatible with the whole LELIT58 tool set. It comes up to temperature in under 9 minutes.

The steam wand is anti burn and multidirectional with a three hole nozzle, fed by a new valve that gives steam more readily; hot water has its own fixed wand. The 2.5 litre tank is open, with automatic withdrawal and no silicone tubing to clean. LED lights sit in the extraction area and can be switched on or off from the LCC menu.

The design language belongs to the Pagaia line: gem shaped knobs in smoked oak wood, matching the pagaia, the portafilter and the pentagonal LELIT58 tamper. The portafilter has a round section handle with a metal core: it weighs more, clamps with more leverage and less effort. Redesigned drip tray with a wire grate, easier to clean.

What we love

That both factory profiles arrive dialled in: you pull good shots from day one knowing nothing about profiling, and the five steps are there for when you want them.

Real wood instead of plastic on knobs, pagaia, portafilter and tamper. You feel it in the hand, and it is the most immediate difference from the previous series.

Things to consider

If milk is half of what you do, the dual boiler on the Elizabeth3 is what you are after. If you drink mostly espresso and want the same control in a smaller footprint, look at the Victoria3.

This version comes in smoked oak wood. The upgrade kits let you switch to the other finish, zebrano or smoked oak, and fit both the Elizabeth3 and the Victoria3.