The release of the Lelit Mara X in 2020 marked an exciting development for fans of Lelit espresso machines. While Lelit is not as widely known as giants like Rocket or ECM, it has built a loyal following in the specialty coffee community—thanks in large part to the success of the Lelit Bianca.
The Lelit Mara X continues this trajectory as a fascinating E61 heat exchange espresso machine. It is remarkably compact, considerably more affordable than the Bianca, and introduces a number of unique features that aim to overcome the traditional weaknesses of heat exchangers. For espresso enthusiasts looking for a prosumer machine with modern refinements at a competitive price, the Mara X is a strong contender.
Lelit Mara X Overview
The Lelit Mara X , in a nutshell, is a heat exchange espresso machine with a small footprint, affordable price, and PID-controlled water temperature. It is a heat exchanger with a difference that manages to sidestep many of the common pitfalls that come with this model of machine. While its ability to change brewing parameters is fairly minimal, this is an espresso machine that nails the basics for excellent coffee.
Lelit Mara X Review
The Lelit Mara X is an E61 heat exchanger. This is reflected in both its look and basic functionality. Also in line with the previous Lelit models, this continues to be an intentionally compact espresso machine. These are about the smallest E61s on the market, and so are of particular interest to those with limited space.
Before we get into the review proper, it is worth saying up front that this is an espresso machine with an excellent price-to-quality ratio, and that, simply put, it can make superb espresso. There is a reason E61s have been loved and trusted for so long.
Specs
Design and Build Quality
The Mara X is classic Italian in its look and feel, designed as one of the smallest E61 machines on the market. At 14 x 9 x 16 inches and weighing 42 lbs, it manages to pack serious build quality into a small footprint, making it attractive for those short on counter space. A quick peep inside the machine itself will confirm that this is not appliance quality, but instead the excellence we expect of a prosumer espresso machine.
It is available in stainless steel, black, or white, with the latter two versions featuring premium wooden knobs for the steam and hot water taps. The black and white finishes carry a slight premium, but the visual impact is striking.
Key design elements include:
- 58mm E61 group head with manual lever operation
- 1.8L insulated stainless steel boiler paired with a 2.5L rear water reservoir (with handle for filter changes)
- Dual pressure gauges monitoring steam and brew pressure
- Cool-touch, fully articulating steam and hot water wands
- Large stainless steel drip tray with cup riser
- Silent vibratory pump for notably quiet operation
Build quality is further reinforced by the thoughtful accessories included in the box. Unlike many competitors, Lelit supplies premium items such as a 58.55mm stainless steel tamper—comparable in heft and feel to a Pullman Big Step—as well as three IMS filter baskets, a blind basket, a cleaning brush, and water filter. These are items you would typically need to upgrade on many other machines, so having them included is a significant bonus.
One of the more unusual aspects of the Mara X is the seeming lack of legs. It does, in fact, have legs, but these are so small that they are easily missed. This seems a surprising design decision in my mind because, practically, it means that the machine is very hard to move. You can’t easily get your fingers under the machine, and if you drag it, the small rubber protectors will come off and the legs will scratch your benchtop (which a number of users have discovered to their chagrin).
Functionality
Overall, the Lelit Mara X is a pleasure to use, particularly if you have endured some of the struggles of heat exchangers before. Like the Bianca, the Mara X uses a Vibration Pump. Now, these beasts can be loud. However, a selling point of Lelit machines in general is that they have some of the quietest vibration pumps around. So, in terms of day-to-day use, this is a huge advantage and just increases the general pleasure of using it (much like the Niche Zero Grinder).
This Lelit comes with a cup warming rack with a small ledge. It is not a huge heating rack, but it is fine for the home setting. The drip tray has a similar wire grate and slides out easily for emptying and cleaning. There is a pressure gauge on the front of the machine, which initially looks like a single gauge, but upon closer inspection, can be seen to have two gauges. The top part is a boiler pressure gauge, while the lower one shows the pump pressure.
The power button is located at the front of the espresso machine and is a push button with a ring around it that lights up when the machine is turned on. This is a nice wee addition.
The Lelit Mara X takes around 20-25 minutes to heat up, as is common for Heat Exchangers. Lelit includes both a standard on mode, which keeps the machine running indefinitely, and an economy mode, which lowers boiler temperature after periods of inactivity to save energy. This can be changed easily depending on your preference.
Heat Exchange System With A Twist
As mentioned, the Lelit Mara X is a heat exchanger with a twist. Now, for those who may be a bit rusty on it, a heat exchanger is the common and usually cheaper alternative to a dual boiler. A heat exchange espresso machine uses a single boiler at steam temperature, with a pipe running through it to flash-heat brew water. While this design allows simultaneous brewing and steaming, it often requires cooling flushes and careful workflow management to avoid overheating.
Heat exchangers are generally more affordable and compact, since they use only a single boiler. The trade-off is that they often suffer from temperature fluctuations, making a cooling flush a common necessity.
The Mara X, however, is not a typical HX. It features two PID controllers—one for the steam boiler and one for the brew circuit—combined with a patent-pending double probe system that monitors brew water temperature twice per second, ensuring more consistent brew water temperature. Practically, this means that the Lelit Mara x can produce temperatures as accurate as the far more expensive E61s that are dual boilers.
If you remove the drip tray from this Lelit coffee machine, you will find a three-position switch, allowing you to select from three different boiler temperature ranges. 0 is 89C to 91C, 1 is 91C to 93C, and 2 is 93C to 95C. While limited, this allows the user to optimize brewing temperature for light, medium, or dark roasted coffee beans.
Even more exciting, to the side of the machine (also under the drip tray), there is a two-position switch, offering dual operating modes. This allows you to opt for either Brew Temperature Priority (on) or Steam Temperature Priority (off). The Brew Temperature Priority keeps the water in the boiler slightly cooler for the ideal brewing temperature. Steam Priority Mode heats the water slightly hotter, delivering stronger steam pressure, but requires cooling flushes like a conventional HX.
For what it is worth, I would always leave this on the Brew Priority Mode as brewing temperature will always trump steam pressure for me. While this lowers the steam pressure somewhat, it is still very usable for steaming and ensures a consistent temperature for extraction (a common problem on heat exchangers).
So the long and the short of this is that due to its innovative approach, the Lelit Mara x is able to provide the temperature accuracy expected of Dual Boiler E61s but with a significantly smaller footprint and cheaper price. Not bad, Lelit, not bad.
Like other E61s, the Lelit Mara X does have an inbuilt pre-infusion to help minimize channeling. The pre-infusion on the Mara X, however, is also unique in that it is far more linear and consistent than many other machines. It uses a small jet and stiff preinfusion spring to have a more consistent pressure ramping process that starts almost immediately and peaks after around 15 seconds. This, in turn, means that you are able to use finer grind settings, which is always desirable, particularly for light roasts.
Steaming
So, as explained above, the experience of steaming milk on the Mara X will depend in part on which priority mode you set the espresso machine in. With Brew Priority Mode, steaming will be slightly slower than normal with a lower pressure, but still very usable. It just won’t be as quick as some other machines.
On the Steam Temperature Priority Mode, the pressure will be higher, but you will have to do a cooling flush as with any other heat exchange machine. The Steam Priority will lead to higher temperatures for longer times, and so can be advantageous if you are intending on making multiple milk-based espresso drinks back-to-back. Similarly, as with any heat exchanger, the brew temperature setting (0,1, or 2) will in turn shape the brewing pressure.
The steam wand itself is more than fine and easy to use. It is a cool touch wand, which is always nice to save those burnt fingers.
So the steaming is adequate to good on Brew Priority mode and very good on Stream Priority mode. Certainly, if you know what you are doing, you can get velvety, well-textured microfoam in either mode.
Daily Workflow & Performance
In practice, the Mara X produces excellent espresso with stable group head temperatures, especially in brew-priority mode. Pre-infusion is consistent, reducing channeling and enhancing flavor clarity.
That said, workflow remains more demanding than on a dual boiler:
- Warm-up requires 20–25 minutes for the group head to fully heat.
- After pulling a shot, the machine prioritizes steam for 120 seconds, allowing immediate milk frothing.
- Following this, there is a 3–4 minute recovery period required before brewing another shot, unless a cooling flush is performed.
- Leaving the machine on for extended periods can result in temperature drift and overheating. It is better suited to being powered on for use, then switched off afterward.
Steaming is capable, particularly in steam-priority mode. In brew-priority mode, steam power is modest but still adequate for most home users. It does struggle with larger milk jugs, especially if the machine is set for lower brewing temperatures.
Overall, the Mara X excels at brewing one or two milk drinks at a time, but is less suited to making multiple back-to-back milk beverages, where a dual boiler would be preferable.
Quirks & Limitations
- Not designed to stay on all day—temperature rises over time.
- Steam power is limited in brew-priority mode.
- Small rubber feet make the machine hard to move.
- Tall, narrow proportions can look slightly disproportionate compared to other E61s.
- Warm-up and recovery times make it less convenient for rapid back-to-back drinks.
- Price point is high for a heat exchanger, edging close to entry-level dual boiler territory.
Upgrades- Flow Control Kit
One of the most popular upgrades for the Lelit Mara X is the Flow Control Kit. This accessory replaces the mushroom and knob assembly with a needle valve, giving you fine control over water flow and pressure throughout extraction. In practical terms, it lets you shape the shot rather than relying solely on the machine’s built-in preinfusion and pressure profile.
With flow control, you can experiment with techniques such as:
- Low-pressure preinfusion – gently soaking the puck before ramping up to full pressure to reduce channeling.
- Declining pressure profiles – starting high and tapering off for a smoother, sweeter finish.
- Flow-restricted shots – extending extraction to highlight delicate flavors in lighter roasts.
For espresso enthusiasts, flow control adds another layer of flexibility and customization. It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great way for the Mara X to grow with you. There are two main options available: the official Lelit Flow Control Kit and the LUCA Flow Control Kit, both offering similar functionality. Alternatively, Clive Coffee sells the Lelit Mara X with flow control already installed, if you are not a tinkerer.
Who Should Buy the Lelit Mara X?
So, who should buy the Mara X? Well, in my opinion, this is a superb machine for the espresso enthusiast with a limited budget. If you are into espresso enough to want optimal extraction, then an appliance espresso machine probably won’t do it for you. However, the premium espresso machines will equally be out of your price range.
The Lelit Mara X is an excellent middle ground. This espresso machine can pull a superb shot that will challenge an E61 Dual Boiler for taste and texture. However, it is smaller, considerably cheaper, and in many ways a heat exchanger that feels like a dual boiler.
So if that sounds like you, then this is a superb option. It doesn’t have the customization or flexibility of a shot profiling espresso machine, but it excels at the basics. It simply does what it sets out to do with excellence. It pulls a mean shot and enables the espresso enthusiast to make superb coffee at a price that is actually doable.
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The Best Alternative To The Lelit Mara X
The Rocket Appartamento
The Rocket Appartamento is a long-standing favorite in the heat exchange category, known for its striking design, strong steam power, and classic E61 setup. However, it behaves like a traditional HX, requiring regular cooling flushes to manage overheated brew water.
The Lelit Mara X, by contrast, offers a more modern take. With dual PIDs, selectable brew temperatures, and brew-priority mode, it delivers far greater temperature stability and quieter operation, though at the cost of slightly weaker steam in some settings. In short: if design and powerful steaming matter most, the Appartamento shines; if you value espresso consistency and ease of use, the Mara X is the smarter choice.
Lelit Mara X – In Summary
The Lelit Mara X represents one of the most innovative takes on the classic heat exchanger and has impressed me more than I expected. By combining the timeless E61 group head with dual PIDs, selectable modes, and refined pre-infusion, it sidesteps many of the drawbacks traditionally associated with HX machines.
For those who lack the space or budget for a full dual boiler but still want excellent espresso, thoughtful design, and compact size, the Mara X delivers. It won’t suit users who frequently prepare multiple milk drinks in succession, but for the espresso-focused home barista, it is arguably the most advanced and user-friendly HX machine on the market.
If you want dual-boiler-like performance without the footprint or price tag, the Mara X is one of the best options available.
