Lelit: all espresso machines and grinders in our test

We have tested eleven Lelit machines so far: the single-circuit Victoria, the dual-circuit Mara X in three generations, the dual-boiler Elizabeth, Elizabeth 3, and Bianca, plus four espresso grinders. Except for the Elizabeth 3, we purchased each of these machines ourselves, because independent espresso machine tests are the foundation of our work. We received the Elizabeth 3 before its market launch, when Lelit couldn't yet issue an invoice. We donate the purchase price to a social project in Brazil.

On this page, we compile what we've measured: which Lelit suits which needs, where the brand is strong, and where it fails to deliver on its promises.

We are a coffee school in Basel and the Ruhr region, with our own roastery, three cafés, and deeply integrated work with coffee farms on different continents. We measure espresso machines and grinders according to our own protocol: heating time, temperature deviation over multiple shots using KM and WBC protocols, power consumption in kWh, and for grinders additionally retention, grinding speed, dosing consistency, and particle distribution in a laser diffractometer. Exactly how that works is explained in the Test Protocol for Espresso Machines and the Test Protocol for Espresso Grinders.

Lelit: from steam irons to prosumer portafilter machines

Lelit is not an old espresso machine dynasty. The company was founded in 1986 in the province of Brescia by Maria Bellini and her husband Edoardo Epis. The name is an abbreviation of "L'Elettrodomestico Italiano", and initially produced steam ironing systems. Lelit still makes irons today, about 30,000 units per year.

The founding date is also not definitively documented: the English Wikipedia names 1986 and Baitella near Brescia, the Brescia daily newspaper Bresciaoggi names 1986 and San Vigilio di Concesio, while Breville's acquisition announcement names 1985 and Castegnato. Castegnato is the current location.

Coffee machines came as a second business field, developed by the founders' sons. The sources conflict on the exact timing: Bresciaoggi dates the entry into espresso machine development and production to 1992, while the English Wikipedia names 2002 as the beginning of focus on semi-automatic portafilter machines. Both can be true if you distinguish between initial machines and strategic direction.

For us, a later date is what matters. Only in 2017 with the Bianca and 2019 with the Mara X did Lelit enter the prosumer market, the segment between household appliance and commercial machine. Precisely these two models establish the brand's reputation to this day.

After that, things moved quickly. Revenue rose from 13 million euros in 2019 to 39 million. In 2020, Lelit sold 48,000 espresso machines and expanded its workforce from 80 to 230 people within a month to meet demand. Today the company employs just under 200 people, and the Castegnato plant ships over 50,000 coffee machines annually.

The acquisition by Breville

On March 11, 2022, Australian Breville Group announced it would acquire 100 percent of Lelit. Purchase price: around 113 million euros, half in cash, half in Breville shares at 27.64 Australian dollars with a five-year holding period. The transaction was completed in early July 2022 after the previous parent company Gemme Italian Producers srl transferred the coffee business to a new Lelit srl.

The founding family and parts of management went to Breville. At the time of acquisition, Emanuele Epis was CEO of Lelit; according to Wikipedia, his brother Mauro Epis now leads the company.

Breville CEO Jim Clayton put it this way, in our translation: "The acquisition of Lelit brings together the two great coffee cultures of the world, the Italian and the Australian." Marketing speak, certainly. What matters in practice is something else: Breville also owns Baratza. This means espresso machines and grinders from the specialty segment sit in the same corporate group, and Lelit gains access to distribution structures outside Europe as well as numerous patents from Breville. This shows up, among other things, in the Pagaia control, which builds on patents from Sage.

Production continues in Castegnato. Whether that stays the same remains to be seen. For buyers today, that means: Lelit is Italian manufacturing with an Australian owner, not a rebadged outsourced product.

How Lelit sorts its product lines

Lelit's model names are first names, and the type designations are PL numbers. This seems arbitrary but follows a logic based on the group head. Three lines stand side by side:

The 57-millimeter line with in-house group includes the entry models Anna (PL41), Anita (PL042, with built-in conical burrs) and the discontinued Grace (PL81). Common features are a 250-milliliter brass boiler, a three-way solenoid valve, and an adjustable overpressure relief valve. We're currently testing these machines. Testing is more involved because we had to develop our own temperature sensor specifically for these machines.

The 58-millimeter line without E61 group includes Victoria (PL91), Kate (PL82), the discontinued Glenda (PL41PLUST), and the dual-boiler Elizabeth (PL92). The Victoria has a 300-milliliter brass boiler, the Elizabeth a 300-milliliter brew boiler plus a switchable 600-milliliter steam boiler. Since October 2026, the Elizabeth 3 and Victoria 3 with Pagaia join here. The Elizabeth 3 has a brew boiler reduced to 200 milliliters, with the steam boiler staying at 600 milliliters.

The E61 line with a 58-millimeter group based on the Faema E61 model consists of the heat exchanger Mara X (PL62X) and the dual-boiler Bianca (PL162T). The Bianca runs an 800-milliliter brew boiler and a 1.5-liter steam boiler, the Mara X a 1.8-liter boiler. What makes this group technically special is explained in our article on the Faema E61 Group Head.

Model overview: what we've tested

We haven't yet tested the Anna PL41TEM, Anita, Kate, and Victoria 3. Anna and Anita are currently in progress. The Bianca V4 and Victoria 3 have further measurements coming in late 2026 and early 2027.

Which Lelit should you buy?

The question "which Lelit is the best" is misleading. The models differ primarily in the drinking habits they're built for. We therefore organize by need.

You drink almost only straight espresso, one to three per day

The Victoria PL91T suffices. A single-circuit with PID, 10.9 kilograms, 23.5 centimeters wide, for around 800 euros. Using the WBC protocol, we measure a standard deviation of 1.28 degrees over 14 shots, which is acceptable for this type. What you accept in return: 23 minutes warm-up time and a mode switch if you want to steam milk afterward. Steam power is low, but typical for a single-circuit. That works for a cappuccino on the weekend, but not for four in a row.

You regularly make milk drinks and don't want to wait

Then you need separate circuits. The Elizabeth PL92T is a true dual-boiler with 300-milliliter brew boiler and switchable 600-milliliter steam boiler, available today for around 1,000 euros. The steam boiler can be adjusted down to 145 degrees, rolls powerfully, and heats slowly in the process. In 2022 we considered 20 minutes warm-up time sufficient. In our 2026 retest, with the same now three-year-old machine, it needed 25 to 30 minutes. For heating and one espresso, we measure 0.171 kWh with steam boiler, without it was 0.082 kWh.

In 2022 it was our best entry-level dual-boiler machine measured. The price for that is a thin stainless steel chassis, a plastic handle, plastic steam knob, and a water tank that's awkward to fill. On retest, temperature stability is also stricter: within a shot it rises by four to five degrees.

Those who can spend more get the Elizabeth 3, the more modern successor. It reaches temperature in 20 minutes, the first shot at the set 94°C is 93.6°C, it steams significantly faster, and operating parts are wood instead of plastic. In exchange, the brew boiler is smaller: pulling five shots a minute, it loses about 2 degrees, with two minutes between shots it stays stable.

The alternative is the heat exchanger Mara X. It's up to 10 decibels quieter than comparable dual-circuits and at 22 centimeters unusually narrow for an E61 machine. In Switzerland the list price was 1,490 francs, in the EU we found numerous offers under 1,000 euros. In exchange you need to understand the brew priority modes, otherwise the machine brews too hot.

You want to save and repeat pressure profiles

At Lelit so far only the Elizabeth 3 can do that, at 1,649 euros in stainless steel and 1,699 euros in black or white. On two buttons you each save a profile with up to five pressure stages, for example eight seconds at 3 bar for preinfusion then 8.5 bar. Additionally you can regulate flow by hand with the Pagaia lever and save a shot running too fast. At 56 decibels it's quiet, at 0.075 kWh for heating and espresso in espresso mode it's economical. In our overall KM assessment it scores 61.7 of 100 points, held back by 20 minutes warm-up time, time control instead of volumetric, and temperature loss during multiple back-to-back shots.

You want to dial in extraction profiles

The Bianca V3, for over 2,000 euros. It has a mechanical paddle and additionally an electronic low-flow mode, a rotary pump at 8 to 9 bar, which we measure at 61 decibels. Via the paddle you regulate flow from about 2.5 grams per second in the 6 o'clock position to just under 6 grams fully open, the electronic low-flow is at 1.5 to 1.7 grams per second and 3.1 bar.

The temperature values are the best in the entire Lelit field: 93 degrees target temperature with a one-degree deviation, standard deviation 0.99 degrees in KM protocol after 17 minutes and 0.69 degrees in WBC protocol after an hour. And despite the E61 group, it reaches temperature in 17 minutes, so 8 to 12 minutes faster than the E61 average. On consumption the large steam boiler hits: 0.133 kWh for five espressos, but 0.43 kWh once the steam boiler is running.

The point of the Bianca is that you can run it in two modes: as a solid E61 machine without thinking, or as a profiling machine where you regulate flow on every shot. It grows with you, which is why we also recommend it to beginners. At 27 kilograms and 50 centimeters deep, though, it needs space.

You want flow profiling but cheaper

Then the Mara X3 at 1,699 euros is close. Flow control works well, the lever adjusts from 6 to about 3.5 milliliters per second, and the pump drops to under 50 decibels. In the KM protocol, which represents home use, temperature management is adequate.

In the WBC stress test over 14 shots, however, we measure a temperature window of 7 degrees. We clearly rated that as a failure. For a machine in your kitchen that weighs less than for commercial use; anyone regularly making many drinks back-to-back is better served by a dual-boiler. In the overall KM assessment the machine scores 50.2 of 100 points. So for a 500 euro premium over the predecessor you get flow control. Those who want to save profiles find it at Lelit only in the Elizabeth 3, not the Mara X3.

You're looking for a Lelit grinder

Here we must pump the brakes. The two Fred models PL044MMT and PL043MMI had the broadest main peaks at 336 and 349 micrometers in our first test field of 24 directly compared grinders. The best grinder there was at 180 micrometers. You taste that: the espresso tastes ragged, the acidity stands alone. For straight espresso we can't recommend the Freds.

The William PL72 is different. Its grounds are good, the coarse peak is narrow at 227 micrometers. The problem is adjustment: after changing grind size, you can't reliably return to it. That said, it has a property we haven't seen in any other grinder. It empties completely, 18 grams in, 18 grams out. If you already own a PL72 and like different coffees, you should run it exclusively in single dosing mode.

The Lelit Steve has been the successor to the William since 2026 and costs from 469 euros. It does several things better: 30.3 grams in 10 seconds, 81.8 decibels with pleasant grinding noise, a main peak of 243 micrometers and a fines peak of 39.4 percent, so lots of body and a distribution that works from dark to medium roasts. But two things got worse or stayed the same. Emptying no longer works; the grinder retains 5.2 grams of temporary retention, so single dosing is out. And the play in the grind adjustment remained: taking the same path through ristretto and lungo back to the original grind size, the same recipe runs through in 14 to 15 instead of 25 seconds. If you run one bean and refill it repeatedly, you'll do fine; everyone else won't.

If you can choose freely, check our overview of the best espresso grinders. We've now tested over 100 grinders, so the selection is significantly larger than when we tested Lelit. For milk mixed drinks the Freds are quite usable, because milk compensates for taste imbalance.

Distribution and specialty retail

Lelit doesn't sell directly but through specialty retailers, online shops, and Amazon. According to Bresciaoggi, the Amazon channel was a major driver of rapid growth, which is unusual for a manufacturer in this price segment.

For you as a buyer that mainly means: prices vary widely. For the Elizabeth at test time 2022, we saw prices in Switzerland between 1,100 francs on major online platforms and 1,600 francs in local retail, with a German entry price of around 1,050 euros. Today you can get it for around 1,000 euros. Price comparison is worth it here more than with other manufacturers.

We ourselves don't sell espresso machines. In individual tests we name specialty businesses where we'd recommend buying because they know the machines and do their own service work. If you buy through a marketplace, you don't have this contact.

Comparison table: our measured values

All values are our own measurements from the linked individual tests, not manufacturer data. A dash means we didn't take that measurement in this test.

* Prices at the respective test time and as guidance. Lelit prices fluctuate significantly in retail.
** Heating plus one espresso in espresso mode.
*** Each heating plus five double espressos. First value without, second with switched-on steam boiler.
**** Heating plus one espresso according to our current power measurement. First value without, second with switched-on steam boiler. Elizabeth PL92T: value without steam boiler from a 2023 measurement, with steam boiler from the 2026 retest.

Temperature measured values in comparison

Temperature management separates the field more clearly than price. That's why here separately:

Which protocol matters depends on use. The KM protocol measures home use: heat and pull individual shots. The WBC protocol measures sustained load over 14 shots, so it's mainly meaningful for commercial use. For a dual-circuit in your kitchen, therefore the individual shot is decisive, not the stress test. We explain both procedures in the Test Protocol for Espresso Machines.

Frequently asked questions about Lelit

Is Lelit still an Italian company?

The brand and manufacturing are Italian, the owner is not. Since July 2022, Lelit has belonged to Australian Breville (Sage) Group. Production continues at the plant in Castegnato near Brescia, and the founding Epis family remains in the company.

Which Lelit is the best espresso machine?

According to our measurements, the Bianca V3, if budget and space allow. It has the best temperature management in the entire Lelit field and the shortest warm-up time among E61 machines. Those wanting saveable pressure profiles in a compact dual-boiler take the Elizabeth 3. For a tighter budget the Elizabeth PL92T remains an entry into the dual-boiler class if you accept plastic parts and longer warm-up time. For straight espresso on a small budget the Victoria suffices.

Elizabeth PL92T or Elizabeth 3?

The Elizabeth 3 reaches temperature faster (20 instead of 25 to 30 minutes), steams more powerfully, has wooden instead of plastic operating parts, and saves pressure profiles. The PL92T holds temperature a bit better over many back-to-back shots and at around 1,000 euros costs significantly less. All values in direct comparison are in the Elizabeth 3 Test.

Lelit Mara X or Elizabeth?

The Mara X is quieter, narrower, and works with the E61 group, so with thermal mass. The Elizabeth has two true boilers and is more impressive with steam, but has worse build quality and in our retest needs 25 to 30 minutes to really reach temperature. If you make lots of milk drinks back-to-back, take the Elizabeth. If construction, noise, and space matter more to you, the Mara X.

How long does a Lelit need to warm up?

Measured: Bianca V3 17 minutes, Elizabeth 3 20 minutes, Victoria PL91T 23 minutes, Mara X3 24 minutes, Elizabeth PL92T 25 to 30 minutes. The Bianca is thus fastest despite the E61 group because its brew boiler is insulated. Count on all machines that permanent temperature stability sets in later than brewing readiness that the display indicates.

What's the difference between Mara X V1, V2, and X3?

V1 and V2 are technically nearly identical, you recognize the V1 by the red logo. Differences exist in control logic, which is why some machines were shipped with instructions for the other version. The Mara X3 is a bigger leap; it brings Pagaia, so electronic flow control via a lever, and costs 1,699 euros. In temperature it behaves similar to the V2, but flow control adds another dimension that can affect temperature. Details in our tests for the Mara X and the Mara X3.

What does Pagaia cost?

The 300 euro premium mentioned in Brussels can't be verified against prices at market launch. The Elizabeth 3 costs 1,649 euros in stainless steel and 1,699 euros in black or white, the Victoria 3 according to Lelit 1,149 and 1,199 euros. The Elizabeth PL92T you can get today for around 1,000 euros. For the Mara X3, Pagaia is built in; it costs 1,699 euros, so about 500 euros more than the predecessor.

Are Lelit grinders recommended?

For straight espresso according to our measurements only with reservations. The two Fred models scatter too widely. The William PL72 grinds well but can't reliably be reset to the same grind size, and mainly makes sense for existing owners in single dosing mode. The Steve goes the furthest: its particle distribution carries a good espresso, but grind adjustment stays imprecise and single dosing doesn't work. Those who mainly drink cappuccino can work with the Freds too.

Is a used Lelit worth it?

For the E61 machines yes, because the technology is well documented and parts are available. Watch for scale, condition of group head seals, and which generation you buy. For the Mara X the version question isn't a minor thing but determines operation of brew priority.

Which Lelit haven't you tested yet?

Anna PL41TEM and Anita are in progress for us. Kate and Victoria 3 are currently still outstanding. More tests for the Bianca V4 and Victoria 3 follow.

Except for the Elizabeth 3, we purchased all machines mentioned in this article ourselves. For the Elizabeth 3, which we received before market launch, we donate the purchase price to a social project in Brazil. None of the linked tests were requested or authorized by Lelit. We haven't sold espresso machines for three years. The measured values in both tables come from individual tests of Victoria PL91T, Mara X V2, Mara X3, Elizabeth PL92T (retest 2026), Elizabeth 3, Bianca V3, Steve, William PL72, and Fred PL044MMT and PL043MMI.