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Mara X is a heat-exchanger machine: a single boiler makes the steam and heats the brew water as it passes through. That is the design that lets you steam milk while the shot is running, in a machine only a little over 20 cm wide. The classic weak spot of a heat exchanger is brew temperature, which is hard to hold steady: Lelit hands it to an automatic control with two probes, which keeps it stable with any blend from 24 minutes after switch-on.
It works like a café machine in miniature. One button chooses between three brew temperatures, another tells the machine whether to favour coffee or steam, and there is an extra boost for milk. The group is the café-standard 58 mm, with mechanical pre-infusion. The box already holds a tamper, three baskets for single and double doses, a blind basket for cleaning the group and a softener filter for the tank water. On the front, two gauges show pump and steam pressure.
It needs switching on about twenty minutes before the first coffee, and wants a counter that is deep rather than wide. It is for someone who wants the full espresso ritual and to steam milk without waiting, without going up to the footprint of a dual boiler. Anyone who wants coffee without learning to grind, dose and tamp, and without buying a separate grinder, will be happier with a bean-to-cup machine.
The lowest list price among semi-professional Heat exchanger machines: €1399. (Excluding manufacturer or retailer discounts.)
How we assign awards →| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Machine dimensions | 22.5 × 52 × 35.5 cm (8.9 × 20.5 × 14.0 in) | manufacturer website |
| Weight | 18.5 kg (40.8 lb) | manufacturer website |
| Power supply | 230 V / 50 Hz | manufacturer website |
| Boiler architecture | Heat exchanger (HX) | Declared by the brand |
| Portafilter diameter | 58 mm | Declared by the brand |
| Pre-infusion | Passive spring | Declared by the brand |
| Group head type | Proprietary | Declared by the brand |
| Boiler material | Stainless steel | Declared by the brand |
| Water tank capacity | 2.5 l | Declared by the brand |
| Steam wand | Manual steam wand | Declared by the brand |
| Pressure gauge | Yes | Declared by the brand |
The group diameter has no tolerance: only what is declared for 58 mm will fit.
Seven grams, twenty-five seconds, twenty-five millilitres: Italian espresso has a written specification, and this is it.
The same dose as an espresso, less water in the cup. No institutional source fixes its volume — so here you will only find what is documented.
25 ml of espresso and 100 ml of steamed milk, in a 150–160 ml cup. The cappuccino has a specification too.
An espresso and a stain of milk. How much milk, exactly? No source declares it — and we do not invent it.
An espresso lengthened with hot water. The amount of water is set by no standard: it changes from country to country and from bar to bar.
Double espresso, sugar syrup and ice in a shaker. It has no specification: it has a house recipe.
Scelte dalla fascia d'uso e dall'ingombro dichiarati, non dal prezzo: i prezzi non li pubblichiamo.
Simpler, entry level
The step up
Same tier, different manufacturer
