Which of those two would you recommend as first espresso machine?
I prefer mid and dark roasts and drink 2-3 coffees (espresso and milk based drinks) per day. I chose the DF64 Gen 2 as my grinder. My Budget is 2.000€ but im not sure if the Bianca is worth the double price of the Mara.
Any suggestions?
Right before I touch the wood in the morning - for some tasty espresso shots ofc!
Hi guys,
Im planning to buy my first lelit bianca espresso machine. What Equipment do I need next to it and the grinder?
WDT Tool, distributor, tamper, …
What is really necessary and what not?
Do you guys have any recommendations for me, I dont need the high end premium stuff and dont want to spend that much on these tools.
Let me know your oppinion, thanks
Morning!
What timings are people running their shots at? Due to the “pre infusion” my machine seems to run for about 8 seconds before kicking in to full pressure of about 8.5 bar. The standard 26-30s shot time I’m used to on my old Gaggia……would that be 34-38 for example now that it’s not pushing out pressure for the first 7/8 seconds?
I know it’s all subjective to taste but I wondered how others are dealing with it
Cheers
Hi everyone,
I have a Lelit Victoria PL91T, which I’ve had for about a month. I’m still struggling to get consistently satisfying shots, and I’m trying to understand whether this is still a skill issue or whether I’m hitting a limitation of the machine/setup.
With a blind basket, my machine reaches about 12 bar. I contacted a local service center that works with Lelit, and they told me that 12 bar is normal for the Victoria. However, I’m wondering whether this is really ideal for espresso, or whether the OPV might be set too high and therefore limiting the usable dial-in window.
My issue is that, if I grind coarser and/or reduce the dose to stay around 9–10 bar, the shot runs very fast. If I grind finer or increase the dose to get a more normal flow/time, pressure goes up to 11–12 bar, and I sometimes get unstable flow, possibly because the puck is being stressed too easily.
I know some people will say that brew pressure is not set by the OPV alone, and that puck resistance strongly affects both pressure and flow during extraction. That is actually my point: if a puck can make the machine reach 11–12 bar, is that necessarily desirable? Could the same puck perhaps extract better if the OPV capped the pressure at around 9–9.5 bar, instead of allowing it to climb higher?
In other words, I’m not trying to avoid dialing in by grind and dose. I’m wondering whether allowing the machine to reach 12 bar is narrowing the usable process window. Otherwise, why not set the OPV even higher, for example 15 bar, if puck resistance is supposed to control everything?
Would you recommend adjusting the OPV to around 9–9.5 bar with a blind basket?
Or do you think 12 bar with a blind basket is perfectly fine/normal on the Victoria and should be left as is?
I’m asking also because I assume that adjusting the OPV myself could potentially affect the warranty, so I would like to understand whether this is actually worth pursuing before doing anything.
Thanks!
Hey everyone,
I have a Lelit Bianca v3 and decided to lubricate the E61 lever. Unfortunately, when putting the lever shaft back in, I accidentally tore the small internal O-rings, and now water is leaking straight from the lever.
I'm having a surprisingly hard time finding the exact replacement right now.
I've attached a photo of the damaged gasket. Could someone please help me identify this gasket/part number?
So I initially had a leaky steam wand that would constantly drip while pulling shots. I decided to try replacing the steam valve rod, which seemed to work. However I think this has increased the pressure within the boiler itself, which now appears to be leaking when the group head is engaged.
What should I do, if anything? Is this something for a professional to deal with? Any recommendations for repair places in/near Vancouver, BC?
Thanks!
I made this set for my Mara X last week! It's not functional yet since I got the wrong threaded inserts haha But I like the natural oak look a lot. Suits my kitchen. Now I'm thinking of doing the Grinder as well to have all in the identical wood...
Hi all, is this due for replacement or has it got some life left in it? Mara X gen 1. Once a week I'll do a water only backflush. Every 3 months I'll do a backflush with cafetto. Straight after I will disassemble and reapply Molykote. Still works as it should.
EDIT: Added more info
Hi just realised there is an advanced menu for Bianca
Basically I have set temp at 97, with offset of +5. I also have a temp meter installed at group head. I notice that after turning machine on 30mins, the resting temp is usually only 84-87. I have to flush for almost 10-15 second to get up to 92-94 but temp drops fast once level is pulled off.
Any setting that can help stabilise the group head temp around 93-94? Thanks
Hi everyone,
I had quite a scare with my Mara X yesterday. It was sitting in standby when I suddenly heard the entire boiler dump its pressure. At first I thought the boiler safety valve had opened, but after taking a closer look today I found that the brass fitting for the hot water outlet had cracked completely.
The problem is that half of the fitting is still threaded into the boiler, and I’m not sure how to remove it without damaging the threads.
Has anyone dealt with this before? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I got mine last week and not without the issues.
If your drip tray metal mesh and metal stand do not fit together, instead of sending it back to Lelit, you could put the stand into the freezer to reduce metal size and it will lock in place.
To reduce the vibration during the extraction, I pull the drip tray metal mesh towards myself, if its close towards machine I get more vibration.
On newer machine ( made on 03/2026 ) opv valve is not glued but covered with some material to prevent water leak, I used the fan to make it warm and moved the opv valve with 4 - screw.
Adjustment is needed at 9,5 bar as if you backflush you get 0,5 extra bar pressure, regular pressure during normal extraction will be exactly 9 bar unless there is issued with you puck or its too fine, you will get peak at 9,5 bar.
Before you take the machine apart, make sure to be gentle with the top cover of the machine since they stopped using glue or tape to hold the rubber gasket in place, it will fall appart and its a huge pain to get it back as it was in stock, I had to trim it and use tapes myself to hold the gasket in place.
I had issued with water leaking as I was too gentle with machine and portafiler was not properly sealed, I suggest locking portafiler as hard as you can to the point when machine starts moving.
Bought the Lelit Elizabeth from Clive Coffee. During setup I noticed that the portafilter spout looks like it has something like a layer of calcification over it. I tried scrubbing with a pipe cleaner-type brush and also picking it off with a toothpick but it’s very stubborn. Is this a sign the portafilter has been used before?
I’ve been busting my head on this issue. I recently started using RPalvis, to “avoid scale”. However, I noticed the boiler water taste horrendous!
Now I barely use it, however the fact that it can taste so bad, it makes me even wonder how it affects the steam.
Wondering if any Mara X users have tasted their boiler water recently? Whenever I drain the whole boiler and add fresh water it’s tasted OK for 2-3 days but after one week, back to a horrendous taste.
Any Mara X users have exp tasting their boiler water?
Which of the following grinders would you recommend for around 500 € for the Bianca v3. I like drinking medium to dark roasts and prefer milk based drinks like cappuccino.
Varia VS4 - I heard it has some bad dead space, but is very very easy to clean
Niche Zero - hard to get + import costs
DF64 Gen 2 - maybe overhyped?
Let me know your suggestions and experiences, Thanks!
Are there any negatives at all? Did they set it so high just so the machine can be compatible with ese pods
Hey guys,
im planning on buying a Lelit Bianca v3, but can't decide which colour I want. I struggle between the black or the white version. I prefer the black finish, but don't like the light wood handles. I know there are kits to buy other wood types. So I would love to see some Bianca pictures here, maybe with the other wood types upgraded.
Thanks, cheers
Here is some real-life video footage of the new Victoria and Elizabeth "3" machines, as the Lelit site has video renders and pro produced glamour shots.
Frankly, the Victoria is looking real good! The new LCC, display, lights, legs, new water tank, and up to five stage pressure profiling at "half of $2,000" price point.
NEW LELIT Elizabeth 3 & Victoria 3 | Christina Explains Brew Profiling (English) | WOC Brussels 2026
My partner doesn't drink milk drinks anymore, and I'm a ice americano with splash of milk year round drinker. I'm thinking of downgrading to the Victoria from the Elizabeth and daily driving that for a year or three.
Available October 2026.
Howdy, recently bought the Bianca v3. Few hours old and loving the investment. How often are people Backflushing with and without chemical backflush?
