Glad you like the MaraX, I really feel they created one of the best HX implementations out there. It's great to use it and get accurate temps with no flushing and a cooler running machine overall. Produces tread shots too.
Thank you for the series of videos about the MaraX. I'm a total espresso noobie. I recently started getting into espresso making and went with a Breville Barista Touch. Total failure as the brew temperature could never reach 200F. So I tried a full auto Phillip machine which surprisingly turned out decent espresso. Definitely better than the sour espresso coming out of the BBT. A friend said that I should like at "real" espresso machines. So here I am trying to learn about E61 HX machines, which appear to be the best combination of quality and price. What is the effect of having the MaraX in either the steam or brew temperature priority? Does one mode offer an advantage over the other? Thank you.
If my beans require 92 degrees and I want to have steam priority. When at warm mode(92 degrees) the pressure really doesn’t go to 1,5 bar at standby. Do you recommend just to rely on the flushing to try to lower the temperature to 92 and at the same time have the setting on “hot” to have more steam? Don’t know which is best… I mean by changing to steam mode you are really also changing the temperature at standby… so is then the temperature setting very “picky “ when choosing beans?
If yours is a later machine, I had them remove HX mode and have 2 different modes. Coffee mode which gives you stable brew temps and no, or very little boost when a shot is drawn, just to warm the HX water up again and then I think it's called X-mode coffee, which was the old coffee mode which boosted up for steaming after a shot. The pressure in either mode shouldn't be 1.5 at standby.
so are there 2 sensors for both temperatures? NTC TEMP. PROBE 9600092 at the bottom for brew and STEAM BOILER LEVEL PROBE 9600088 at the top for steam? i have the issue in brew mode that i get steam in the overpressure valve (after anti vaccum valve is closed after heating up)
There are two probes, one in the HX thermosyphon at the bottom and one in the main boiler for "steam" temp. It balances both with clever software to achieve the results. I'm not sure I understand the problem exactly...the over pressure valve (as in Expansion valve) or the safety valve on the top of the boiler. You would do well to visit our forum and people can help walk you through some tests. coffeetime.freeflarum.com/
Thank you Dave, really clear explanation 👌🏼👍🏽. May i know in brew priority is the standard steam pressure? Or will they change as well when you choose high temp brew?
Steam pressure/temperature is not set higher by the programming for the brew temperature you choose in brew priority mode. However, as a consequence the machine will work harder and more agressively to maintain brew temperatures the hotter you set it, so as a consquence the steam pressure may be boosted a bit more. It really makes little difference to steaming power in BTP mode though. The main limitation is the steam tip hole size..
Question Are the settings of steam and brew mode the same in version 1 and 2? Ive had mine now for over 2 years and am uncertain if I have v1 or not. What are the differences anyway? Now when set on 0 on the right side it has a steady pressure of 1 bar. When extracting water it doesn’t move up When having it set on 1 the bar lowers to 0,5bar and then as normal goes up to 1,5bar. Why doesn’t it go up In pressure when in steam mode?
The Guy is wrong, 1 is brew. 0 is steam. He is also wrong on the temperature switch. 1 is low 0 is medium 2 is high... The Guy didnt read the manuel lol
I've never felt the need to use Steam priority, the steam pressure is always more than enough in any coffee mode. I guess if you were trying to bang out drink after drink with no regard for temperature and having the machine maximise the running of the heating elements? Personally, after using the machine for some time I feel the mode is not hugely useful to me and I am not sure it's going to make a huge difference to simply making coffee after coffee in coffee mode. I can understand why they included it because if they had not, it risked people saying, yeah but my pure HX is better because..." I am having some conversations with Lelit about the 2 modes,as I have some other ideas in that area..
A very clever Hx design. How we hate the long cooling flush in traditional Hx machine. On the other hand, isn't it more worthwhile to have the Lelit Elizabeth instead for just extra 200 pound? If MaraX is 400 cheaper than Elizabeth, it would be a great differentiator.
I think the machines are aimed at different types of people. I guess it depends on what you like. I thoroughly tested the MaraX and for me it's proven itself to be the last word in small footprint HX machines. I have not enjoyed using a new machine so much in a long time.
On second thought, the fresh water from a hx system is a big advantage, especially one as refine and gound-breaking as the MaraX. I wonder if they will convert this technology to the commercial Hx machine?
Hi.. I have owned the the Mara x.. Can I know if use steam priority mode.. Its will effect the brew temperature.. And need the cool flush when need to brew..
I have not used that specific grinder but I have used grinders within that class. No, it won't be suitable and will not get the best from the machine...you may have a lot of trouble getting decent pours and shot times as well when making adjustments. You will need to be looking at grinder like the Eureka Mignon as a Minimum e.g. the £280+ class of grinders. The better the grinder the better the results...the law of diminishing returns starts to heavily kick in at around the £500-£700 mark. As for whether you want conical or flat, that's personal taste, preference and for some people bean type.
They will be variable as the machine will have to be flushed down to temp. Usually a flush of 90 ml is required to get a brew temp of 94 with a boiler pressure of 1.3 bar. Check out the old Mara review as I am sure I did some work on it there. I personally didn't find HX mode useful on MaraX and recommend you keep it in coffee priority.
@@danzore Unfortunately only you can make the decision. They are both great machines, re-read the reviews, watch the videos again and go with what feels right for you.
Thanks for the series videos about the MaraX. Please help me decide between Mara and MaraX. I like having the PID and control in the Mara but MaraX seems more ahead of it's time. Which one would you recommend? Thanks
MaraX is more advanced, unless there is a good discount on a Mara, I would personally go for the more advanced MaraX with no need for flushing to get correct brew temperatures.
This will still be working decades later with only minimal maintenance. You can buy spares and repair it yourself, for the BDB in the UK this is not the case.
@@ahmadhusaini8420 I don't know how stable or accurate the BDB is. It takes several days to do full temperature testing and I know MaraX is good. It produces a great shot with it's gradual pressure ramp.
@@DaveCorbey think to take I'm to answer my questions :) The marketing on the Mara X is very awesome. With all yours reviews I read, I going to change my chose on the Elizabeth v3. But I have a last question: the brew boiler in brass compare with the stainless steel boiler of the Mara, it is a reel big difference?
After following your very clear explanation and walkthrough I got myself the Lelit Mara x. Absolutely love it ! Tx again !
Glad you like the MaraX, I really feel they created one of the best HX implementations out there. It's great to use it and get accurate temps with no flushing and a cooler running machine overall. Produces tread shots too.
Thank you for the series of videos about the MaraX. I'm a total espresso noobie. I recently started getting into espresso making and went with a Breville Barista Touch. Total failure as the brew temperature could never reach 200F. So I tried a full auto Phillip machine which surprisingly turned out decent espresso. Definitely better than the sour espresso coming out of the BBT. A friend said that I should like at "real" espresso machines. So here I am trying to learn about E61 HX machines, which appear to be the best combination of quality and price. What is the effect of having the MaraX in either the steam or brew temperature priority? Does one mode offer an advantage over the other? Thank you.
I really only use brew temperature priority as there is no lack of steaming power for me. Also no cooling flushes needed.
When brew temperature mode , my LED is always on. İs this a problem?
Probably not.
If my beans require 92 degrees and I want to have steam priority.
When at warm mode(92 degrees) the pressure really doesn’t go to 1,5 bar at standby. Do you recommend just to rely on the flushing to try to lower the temperature to 92 and at the same time have the setting on “hot” to have more steam?
Don’t know which is best… I mean by changing to steam mode you are really also changing the temperature at standby… so is then the temperature setting very “picky “ when choosing beans?
If yours is a later machine, I had them remove HX mode and have 2 different modes. Coffee mode which gives you stable brew temps and no, or very little boost when a shot is drawn, just to warm the HX water up again and then I think it's called X-mode coffee, which was the old coffee mode which boosted up for steaming after a shot. The pressure in either mode shouldn't be 1.5 at standby.
so are there 2 sensors for both temperatures? NTC TEMP. PROBE 9600092 at the bottom for brew and STEAM BOILER LEVEL PROBE 9600088 at the top for steam? i have the issue in brew mode that i get steam in the overpressure valve (after anti vaccum valve is closed after heating up)
There are two probes, one in the HX thermosyphon at the bottom and one in the main boiler for "steam" temp. It balances both with clever software to achieve the results. I'm not sure I understand the problem exactly...the over pressure valve (as in Expansion valve) or the safety valve on the top of the boiler. You would do well to visit our forum and people can help walk you through some tests. coffeetime.freeflarum.com/
Hi Dave. I would like to know what scale you are using. I saw it in some of your videos. Thank you!
Scale is by Smart Weigh and no longer in production. It's a shame because I like it a lot.
Yeah. It’s a pitty. It looks great. Thank you for your reply!
Thank you Dave, really clear explanation 👌🏼👍🏽. May i know in brew priority is the standard steam pressure?
Or will they change as well when you choose high temp brew?
Steam pressure/temperature is not set higher by the programming for the brew temperature you choose in brew priority mode. However, as a consequence the machine will work harder and more agressively to maintain brew temperatures the hotter you set it, so as a consquence the steam pressure may be boosted a bit more. It really makes little difference to steaming power in BTP mode though. The main limitation is the steam tip hole size..
@@DaveCorbey Thanks. What's the standby pressure of the steam when BTP set to 0 position..? Thanks.
@@timzlow About 0.6-0.7 Bar
@@DaveCorbey is that good enough for steaming milk?
@@timzlow No, which is why when you pull a shot, it boosts to 1.5 bar+ for steaming milk.
Question
Are the settings of steam and brew mode the same in version 1 and 2? Ive had mine now for over 2 years and am uncertain if I have v1 or not. What are the differences anyway?
Now when set on 0 on the right side it has a steady pressure of 1 bar. When extracting water it doesn’t move up
When having it set on 1 the bar lowers to 0,5bar and then as normal goes up to 1,5bar.
Why doesn’t it go up
In pressure when in steam mode?
The Guy is wrong, 1 is brew. 0 is steam.
He is also wrong on the temperature switch.
1 is low
0 is medium
2 is high...
The Guy didnt read the manuel lol
Hi Dave, thanks for the explanation. But when would I use the steam priority? Usually I use coffe priority to make cappuccino or espresso, right?
I've never felt the need to use Steam priority, the steam pressure is always more than enough in any coffee mode. I guess if you were trying to bang out drink after drink with no regard for temperature and having the machine maximise the running of the heating elements? Personally, after using the machine for some time I feel the mode is not hugely useful to me and I am not sure it's going to make a huge difference to simply making coffee after coffee in coffee mode. I can understand why they included it because if they had not, it risked people saying, yeah but my pure HX is better because..." I am having some conversations with Lelit about the 2 modes,as I have some other ideas in that area..
A very clever Hx design. How we hate the long cooling flush in traditional Hx machine.
On the other hand, isn't it more worthwhile to have the Lelit Elizabeth instead for just extra 200 pound? If MaraX is 400 cheaper than Elizabeth, it would be a great differentiator.
I think the machines are aimed at different types of people. I guess it depends on what you like. I thoroughly tested the MaraX and for me it's proven itself to be the last word in small footprint HX machines. I have not enjoyed using a new machine so much in a long time.
On second thought, the fresh water from a hx system is a big advantage, especially one as refine and gound-breaking as the MaraX. I wonder if they will convert this technology to the commercial Hx machine?
@@KFChan It's difficult because the commercial machine does not have such an agile steam boiler at 10-30 litres.
The Mara and Bianca are in Lelit's pro line, and have generally better fit and finish than their other models.
Hi.. I have owned the the Mara x.. Can I know if use steam priority mode.. Its will effect the brew temperature.. And need the cool flush when need to brew..
In steam priority it runs as a normal HX and will need flushing
Thanks for the video. Do you think a graef 702 grinder williams be ok for this machines? Any other sugestion? Thanks
I have not used that specific grinder but I have used grinders within that class. No, it won't be suitable and will not get the best from the machine...you may have a lot of trouble getting decent pours and shot times as well when making adjustments. You will need to be looking at grinder like the Eureka Mignon as a Minimum e.g. the £280+ class of grinders. The better the grinder the better the results...the law of diminishing returns starts to heavily kick in at around the £500-£700 mark. As for whether you want conical or flat, that's personal taste, preference and for some people bean type.
Hey Dave. Thanks for your videos on the Mara X. What is the steam pressure when in brew temp prio? Still good enough for b2b milk drinks?
No problem at all, I have never had to use it in pure HX mode and don't think I ever will.
@@DaveCorbey thanks Dave! Look forward to getting my mara x
Yes, it's about 1.5 bar, no problem.
love your reviews! could you maybe check brewing temps when in steam priority? i could not find any values online
They will be variable as the machine will have to be flushed down to temp. Usually a flush of 90 ml is required to get a brew temp of 94 with a boiler pressure of 1.3 bar. Check out the old Mara review as I am sure I did some work on it there. I personally didn't find HX mode useful on MaraX and recommend you keep it in coffee priority.
Dave Corbey thanks a lot. after watching al your videos about the Mara x i dicoverd your elizabeth reviews and now i can not decide 😅
@@danzore Unfortunately only you can make the decision. They are both great machines, re-read the reviews, watch the videos again and go with what feels right for you.
Thanks for the series videos about the MaraX. Please help me decide between Mara and MaraX. I like having the PID and control in the Mara but MaraX seems more ahead of it's time. Which one would you recommend?
Thanks
MaraX is more advanced, unless there is a good discount on a Mara, I would personally go for the more advanced MaraX with no need for flushing to get correct brew temperatures.
@@DaveCorbey thank you very much!
Thanx for your explanation!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Glad it was helpful!
should i go with this or breville dual boiler?
This will still be working decades later with only minimal maintenance. You can buy spares and repair it yourself, for the BDB in the UK this is not the case.
@@DaveCorbey for the taste wise, does the bdb temp stability due to dual boiler can make espresso taste better on that regard?
@@ahmadhusaini8420 I don't know how stable or accurate the BDB is. It takes several days to do full temperature testing and I know MaraX is good. It produces a great shot with it's gradual pressure ramp.
@@DaveCorbey what about lelit Elizabeth? Ever tried that to compare?
@@ahmadhusaini8420 I'm testing and reviewing Elizabeth with future software at the moment.
Are you still using coffee priority mode?
It's the only mode I use, apart from testing HX mode as part if the review.
@@DaveCorbey think to take I'm to answer my questions :) The marketing on the Mara X is very awesome. With all yours reviews I read, I going to change my chose on the Elizabeth v3. But I have a last question: the brew boiler in brass compare with the stainless steel boiler of the Mara, it is a reel big difference?
@@sebastrem05 Both don't seem to impart any taste to the water...so it's OK
@@DaveCorbey thank, I finally chosed the Elizabeth. Thanks you a lot 😊