Lelit Mara X 1-Year Review: The Honeymoon is Over

The Lelit Mara X is often recommended as one of the best choices for home baristas who are ready to step up into the world of prosumer espresso machines. With its attractive price and claims of being easy to use, it seems like the ideal balance – somewhere between entry-level and the way more expensive so-called “end-game” machines.

And this is while still being somewhat close to the latter category in terms of looks, heft, and construction.

But after using this machine every day for one full year, I have formed some strong opinions that might not match what you usually read online.

Most reviews out there are full of excitement from people using the Mara X for a brief honeymoon period, where issues are unlikely to be noticed.

This is not that kind of review. This is the honest experience from someone who bought the Mara X with their own money and used it through hundreds of morning espressos, weekend cappuccinos, and yes, also many troubleshooting sessions.

Heads up! If you’re expecting validation for your Mara X purchase or considering buying one soon, you might find some of my conclusions uncomfortable. But if you want honest insights from a long-term user about what this machine is really like to live with day after day, keep reading.

Understanding Heat Exchangers: Why the Mara X Matters

Before diving into my experience, let’s take a step back and understand why the Lelit Mara X generates so much interest in the first place.

The espresso machine market essentially offers three main types of machines: single boiler, heat exchanger, and dual boiler. Each represents a different point on the spectrum of price, convenience, and performance.

Single boiler machines are typically where many home baristas begin their journey. They’re relatively affordable and compact, with one significant limitation: the same boiler handles both brewing espresso (90-96°C) and steaming milk (around 125°C). This means after pulling your shot, you’ll need to wait for the boiler to reach steaming temperature—perhaps 45 seconds on a Gaggia Classic or 90 seconds on a Rancilio Silvia. Once you’ve steamed your milk, the boiler is then too hot for brewing another espresso, forcing you to purge water to cool it down. This workflow becomes especially frustrating when making multiple drinks, and the constant purging feels wasteful, particularly if you’re using specially treated water for coffee.

Dual boiler machines solve this problem by dedicating separate boilers to brewing and steaming. This allows you to pull shots and steam milk simultaneously or in quick succession without temperature adjustment periods. It’s the setup you’ll find in most commercial machines and high-end home units like the Breville Dual Boiler. The drawback? They’re typically large, power-hungry, and expensive.

Heat exchangers attempt to bridge this gap. With a single large boiler (the Mara X has a generous 1.8 liters compared to the 100-140ml in entry-level machines), they maintain water at steaming temperature while using a clever system to mix in cooler water for brewing. The goal is to offer dual boiler convenience in a more compact and affordable package. Traditionally, heat exchangers struggled with temperature precision, often brewing at inconsistent or excessively high temperatures.

This is where the Lelit Mara X enters the conversation with its unique selling proposition: a heat exchanger with dual temperature sensors designed to maintain brew temperature consistency. In theory, you turn on the machine, wait about 20 minutes for proper temperature stabilization, and then enjoy cafe-quality espresso with reliable steaming power—all with the slightly more compact size compared to a dual boiler.

The Mara X has earned a reputation for being one of the most affordable yet user-friendly E61 machines on the market, making it a compelling option for those ready to make the significant investment in a prosumer espresso setup. Its promise of dual boiler performance at a more accessible price point is what initially drew me in.

Why I Chose the Lelit Mara X

Since the Lelit Mara X has been on the market for a while, there are already plenty of reviews covering the specs and details. Instead, I’ll focus more on my personal experience using it for exactly one year.

I was initially drawn to the Lelit Mara X because of its reputation. It’s a heat exchanger machine with an E61 group head—both somewhat old-school in design (the E61 dates back to 1961), but the Mara X has been praised as the most modern interpretation of this type of machine. Many users claimed it delivered dual boiler performance from a heat exchanger setup, which piqued my interest. I was eager to see if the Mara X could truly replace my regular dual boiler machine.

For context, I strongly prefer dual boiler machines because they eliminate waiting times and the need to purge hot water to adjust temperatures. They typically offer better temperature stability compared to other designs. Similar benefits can be found in Breville machines with thermojets or other devices with thermocoils.

Both single boiler machines and heat exchangers come with workflow challenges. They require careful attention to the heating cycle since they fluctuate up and down in temperature. Espresso demands precise temperatures – typically around 93 degrees Celsius. Since steaming occurs at much higher temperatures, machines that handle both brewing and steaming with a single boiler require more intensive thermal management.

First Impressions

When I unboxed the Mara X, my initial impression was quite positive. The packaging was impressive, and the accessories were genuinely premium—three nice IMS baskets and a proper solid tamper included.

Its footprint is relatively compact—not the smallest machine available, but certainly not the largest either. It’s still a heavy, substantial unit that occupies more counter space than something like the Breville Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic, yet smaller than most dual boiler machines.

Design-wise, it features the classic E61 aesthetic: two knobs for the steam and hot water spout, the iconic E61 group head, and a drip tray. It offers decent capacity, so you don’t have to be emptying it constantly. However, the design is somewhat polarizing—it’s very exposed with its thin grilles, making it easy to monitor when it needs emptying, but some might find its openness unappealing as you’ll be able to see a big pool of potentially dirty-looking water.

I purchased the Mara X in the classic steel version, though in retrospect, I would have chosen one of the colored options, as fingerprints and coffee splashes are extremely noticeable on the steel finish. There’s a new gold version with wooden details that looks particularly appealing.

One design feature that honestly feels quite frustrating is the lack of proper feet. The machine only comes with four small rubber pads, which are kind of awkwardly attached to the body. These pads are really tiny, so it’s impossible to get any leverage underneath the machine.

The machine doesn’t have any real handles or grips. Because of that, I often find myself awkwardly hugging the whole machine just to lift it. It feels a bit ridiculous, to be honest. And that also means you definitely can’t move the machine when it’s hot. You have to wait until it cools down completely.

The steam wand is a no-burn design, meaning it doesn’t become too hot to touch—a welcome feature. It’s fully articulating, allowing movement in any direction, and I’ve found the steam power more than adequate for creating excellent microfoam for latte art. You do need to monitor the pressure gauge to ensure it hasn’t dropped too low. In brew mode, you typically get around 1.5 bars of steam pressure, which is still sufficient.

One important note, especially for those unfamiliar with E61 machines: everything except the steam wand gets extremely hot, so caution is necessary to avoid burns from the exposed components.

The Lelit Mara X also comes with a relatively quiet pump and built-in preinfusion. Both are valuable additions—preinfusion, in particular, makes the machine more forgiving when pulling shots.

The Daily Experience: Where Things Get Complicated

Now, let’s delve into what truly matters—the daily experience—and this is where things become more controversial.

One of the Mara X’s most intriguing features is its dual operating modes. It can function as a traditional heat exchanger, delivering substantial steam power but potentially resulting in espresso shots that run too hot. Alternatively, it offers what they call “coffee mode,” which prioritizes brew temperature.

A heat exchanger generally contains a large boiler that heats water to steam temperature, with an internal chamber where brew water mixes with cooler water to maintain a lower temperature. What makes the Mara X unique is its dual PID temperature controllers, one of which is located inside the brew tube.

Theoretically, this helps the Mara X behave more like a dual boiler machine, with stable group head temperatures specifically optimized for brewing espresso.

You can select from three temperature settings designed for dark, medium, and light roasts, corresponding to approximately 90, 92, and 94 degrees Celsius, give or take a degree. However, when using coffee mode, you sacrifice some steam power since the system prioritizes brewing temperature before ramping up steam after the shot.

On paper, this is an innovative solution. But in practice, I began noticing some concerning issues.

When the Problems Started

During my first few months with the Mara X, I had a generally positive experience and felt I was getting good performance for both brewing and steaming.

But over time, I realized the machine was running hotter than expected. I particularly noticed this during a day of extensive espresso testing when I pulled numerous consecutive shots. After that intensive session, the machine never quite seemed the same again—though I’m unsure if something actually changed or if I simply became more aware of the issue.

I typically kept the machine set to the middle temperature mode, which should maintain the group head at around 92–93 degrees Celsius. However, the shots often seemed excessively hot. How could I tell? The espresso tasted bitter, reminiscent of diner coffee, and I observed the water foaming and bubbling as it emerged from the dispersion screen—not a good sign. This reminded me of experiences with cheaper single boiler machines when they overheat.

To verify my suspicions, I bought a thermocouple to directly measure the brew temperature at the group head. The results were disappointing, showing temperatures significantly higher than what the machine was supposed to deliver. If I’m using the medium setting, the machine should be around 92 degrees Celsius. I wouldn’t be concerned if it read 93, 94, or even 95. But when you’re seeing 98 or 100 degrees Celsius, something is clearly wrong.

This discovery led me down a troubleshooting rabbit hole.

Confusion and Troubleshooting

This situation almost drove me a bit nuts. I even started questioning if I was using the correct operating mode at all. The machine has a small switch on the side that lets you toggle between coffee mode (which is intelligent temperature control) and the more basic mode. But here’s the kicker: instead of clearly labeled buttons, these modes are just marked as “0” and “1.”

Since I wasn’t getting the temperatures I expected, I began wondering if I had accidentally been running it in the wrong mode the whole time. But trying to figure this out only made things more confusing. When you search for the Mara X manual online, the first one that pops up is actually for Version 1 of the machine—and on that older model, the modes were reversed. This has apparently tripped up a lot of users. Honestly, I get why.

Lelit’s explanation of this change is poorly articulated, and the subtleties of how the modes work would baffle anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with Lelit’s designs.

Let me try to clarify the logic: On the original Mara X, setting 0 activated heat exchanger mode, while setting 1 enabled coffee priority mode (offering less steam power but more precise coffee brewing temperature).

On the newer Lelit Mara X V2, coffee mode is still on setting 1, but setting 0 now activates a sort of “improved coffee mode”—which is supposedly even more precise than coffee mode on Mara X V1. Effectively, the Mara X no longer has a traditional heat exchanger mode, but two modes that sort of work in a similar way.

Confused? Yeah, so was I—and I’m not alone. A lot of other Lelit Mara users online have run into the same mess. Here’s the critical thing to understand: if you want the most precise temperature control, you need to use setting 0 on the V2 model. But on the V1 model, it’s the opposite—you have to use setting 1.

After spending literally an entire afternoon researching this topic, I finally confirmed I was indeed using the correct mode for my machine. But even on the correct setting the temperature issues didn’t go away.

The Search for Solutions

Next, I wondered if there might be a physical issue with my machine. Some online investigation revealed that others had experienced similar problems. It seems that mineral buildup or a thin film on the thermal probes inside the boiler can cause inaccurate temperature readings, leading to overheating.

I devoted another afternoon to opening the machine, cleaning the probes, and reassembling everything. Unfortunately, this didn’t resolve the overheating issue.

At this point, I contacted Lelit’s customer service for assistance. After several back-and-forth emails, they couldn’t definitively determine whether my machine had a problem.

Eventually, they shared a link to a video from their official channel explaining that the Mara X has a four-minute window after pulling a shot where the machine stays in brew mode. If you don’t brew your next shot within that timeframe, the machine enters an “overheat phase,” which can cause the group head temperature to climb for the next 20 minutes.

Heads up! If you’re looking for an easier alternative with consistent temperature control, check out the Breville Dual Boiler or more budget-friendly Miicoffee Apex that don’t suffer from these temperature management issues.

I was grateful for this information, which wasn’t mentioned in the manual. I then investigated whether my temperature issues were due to not pulling shots quickly enough. To test this theory, I experimented with brewing consecutive shots within the four-minute window, but the results didn’t align with Lelit’s description.

Even when pulling shots in quick succession, I still observed temperature increases. For instance, when I waited just 2 minutes and 30 seconds between shots, the temperature would continue climbing. With each successive shot, the temperature would increase, until by the third or fourth shot, it approached 100°C.

If you want to see me test this in real time, check out my full YouTube video.

Yes, it’s possible my unit has a defect.

But even after exchanging ten emails with Lelit’s customer service, they couldn’t determine whether my unit was faulty, and ultimately referred me to the retailer for further troubleshooting and potential repairs.

The Bigger Picture

So here I stand today, still uncertain whether this problem affects only my unit or is a general characteristic of the Lelit Mara X. I noticed that in Lance Hedricks’ review of the machine, his unit seemed to behave exactly the same way during live testing—the first shots were at the correct temperature, but after he talked for a while, when he attempted to pull the next shot, the temperature had climbed to 98 degrees Celsius.

Regardless of whether it’s just my unit or indicative of a broader trend, I’ve found the Lelit Mara X’s temperature stability to be quite different from the impression I’d gathered from discussions about this machine. I’ve seen claims that it essentially functions like a dual boiler, or that you can simply switch to coffee mode and it performs like a single boiler with a PID controller. In my experience, it’s more like a unique heat exchanger that requires strict adherence to its specific workflow.

The workflow looks something like this:

• Turn on your machine and wait 25 minutes for it to heat up
• Pull your shots in quick succession – you got around 120-150 seconds to prep the next shot (difficult if you’re single dosing)
• Steam your milk
• Wait 20 minutes (theoretically) for the machine to return to the proper temperature

I say “theoretically” because I found that even after waiting 25 minutes, the machine would still be too hot. The most effective way to bring the temperature down is to either:

• Turn the machine off completely, or
• Wait until it enters Eco Power saving mode, which activates after 30 minutes of inactivity

Considering all these factors, I wouldn’t describe the Mara X as an easygoing, plug-and-play machine. Nothing in the manual or on Lelit’s website indicates the specific workflow required. It’s only when you delve into forum discussions that you uncover these details.

As I spent more time with this device, I began to question whether all this hassle was worthwhile for what ultimately amounts to an inconsistent experience unless you adhere precisely to that specific shot protocol.

Personally, I dislike single boilers. I don’t want to purge water to ensure proper brewing temperature. But I find it even more frustrating to be forced into this “pull your shot within 3 minutes or wait 30 minutes” tyranny. It feels like espresso blackmail.

On a more philosophical level, all these complications arise because you want one machine to both make espresso and steam milk. I rarely drink milk-based coffee, but even when I do, I think something like the Breville Bambino does an adequate job of foaming milk with no warm-up time. In most regions, you could probably purchase both a Breville Bambino and a Flair 58 for the price of one of these large heat exchanger machines, and produce equally good or even better espresso with absolutely no waiting time for pulling shots or steaming milk, since you’d have a Bambino entirely dedicated to it.

The Reality of Ownership

Some might argue that my machine is defective and that I should review a properly functioning Lelit Mara X, but I think that misses the point.

Most users who encounter problems with a relatively new machine (I started notice the off behaviour after some months of ownership) will go through a similar process: First, they’ll question whether they’re using the correct modes, then they’ll search forums for answers and attempt to diagnose the issue, then they’ll contact customer service, and ultimately they may need to send their machine for warranty repairs.

And if, like me, you purchased the machine from another country, you then face the prospect of shipping a 25-kilogram device across borders—an expensive and time-consuming process. You might even worry about being charged VAT a second time.

Based on the confusion and issues I’ve read about regarding the Lelit Mara X, I don’t believe I’m alone in experiencing problems. There are numerous forum reports of users needing to replace either thermo probes or the internal computer (the so-called “Gicar controller”).

The Verdict

After a year with the Lelit Mara X, here’s my assessment:

Idea on paper: Decent.

Build quality: Solid.

Temperature stability: Problematic.

Workflow: Far more demanding than advertised.

In 2025, paying premium prices for 1961 technology wrapped in buggy modern electronics feels like a compromise, especially when machines from more innovative brands offer similar or better results with less hassle and at half the price.

Is the Mara X bad? No. You can definitely make some good espressos and lattes, when you somehow manage to get the thermal cycle right. But it’s a machine that demands you adapt to its workflow, rather than adapting to yours. And at this price point, I simply expect more.

For a more practical alternative at half the price, consider the Miicoffee Apex, which offers better performance without the headaches. Or go to a no-nonsense Dual Boiler like the Breville Dual Boiler, which just blows this machine out of the water.

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Looking for alternatives? Check out my guide to the best espresso machines