Breville - Mara X V2 PL62X

Get a [Lelit MaraX ](https://majestycoffee.com/products/lelit-mara-x-v2-pl62x)it is a temp stable HX. 1699 USD This Rocket HX becomes super hot, then you have to do cooling flushes. IMO it is too much money for old tech, HX are too much guess work. Knowing the country would help, guessing US? On the MaraX they put a temp probe in the group head, to can choose to regulate the temp of the steam boiler via this probe. It will somewhat diminish the steam pressure at times, but it also has programming for this. Read up on it, it is very cool. There are also dual boilers, where it has separate boilers for steam and coffee water. More precise and stable. Then you have single boilers, but you have to switch the same boiler between brew water and steam. So a wait up to 2 minutes after brewing a shot before you can steam. [Lelit Elizabeth](https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/products/lelit-elizabeth-espresso-machine) How about a grinder? Baratza Vario W+ is grind by weight, 54mm flat burr (ceramic) good price point for those specs. If you want a design that fits the e61 gor for Eureka Specialita, 55mm flat burr timed grinder

We’ve had our Lelit Mara X V2 since December last year, and we wouldn’t trade it for any other machine in its class. Like you, we make coffee almost exclusively for ourselves (99% of the time), but we’re seriously invested in the home barista hobby. That said, if we ever decided to upgrade to a dual boiler machine, we’d most definitely stick with Lelit. They’re the reliable workhorse of the home espresso world… built tough, Italian craftsmanship, and consistently praised for performance in the prosumer segment. Will there be a gripe here and there about Lelit? Of course there will be, but the same goes for any and all manufacturers without a single exception. Lelit is a solid choice. https://preview.redd.it/n8j6fffctcjg1.jpeg?width=1636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78cae23bb713a8ee6952829b931ea9c3b3653600

While I think the common recommendation here of a Bambino+ is a very good one and I 100% agree with it, I would like to push back a little bit on the folks saying that quality differences in the espresso don't matter anymore once you add milk. While milk can cover quite a bit of bitterness and other bad qualities in a shot, a well done Latte does showcase some of the good coffee qualities nicely so a good bean and a good grinder will definitely show through. I moved from a super cheap 10yo DeLonghi to a Mara X v2 and from a Breville Smart Grinder to a K6 and I can taste both upgrades in a Latte with the same beans. I doubt I would taste the difference between a Bambino+ and the Mara - the Bambino has PID, better pressure control and a 3-way solenoid so on mid-dark beans, there is no reason why the Mara X is better ... all it does is it just looks nicer while making it ;). And the DF54 is already a pretty good grinder so I agree with most users here, I just don't like the snobby undertone of "once you add milk, you can use instant Folgers ..." :)

I’ve had my Lelit Mara X V2 for almost a year and love it. No issues and I pull a consistent shot every day. I’ll turn it on while getting ready for work and it’s ready in about 15 minutes. I had a modded Gaggia Classic Pro before but felt like I spent too much time tinkering and troubleshooting it. This feels like a proper reliable kitchen appliance with minimal fuss.

The built-in pressure gauge has made steaming very consistent for me. It pretty quickly comes up to 1.5 bars of pressure after pulling a shot and holds it steady while frothing. The wand itself is also more maneuverable and insulated compared to the Gaggia Classic Pro, so I no longer have to worry about burning myself and can get a better angle. I previously had a single-hole tip on the Gaggia and this comes with a two-hole tip but I haven't felt the need to change it because I'm getting the milk texture that I want. That being said I only make one flat white per day. I've only done back-to-back drinks a few times but it seems to come up to pressure and hold it fairly well in those situations. My understanding is that the machine isn't as fast when you're regularly making multiple drinks.

The Mara X is not overkill, but as I wrote in another comment, it doesn't offer the reproducibility you get from an Elizabeth or even a Victoria. I know many will disagree, but in my book a Silvia is an entry-level machine, not a mid-tier one.

I would swap the Mara X for an Elizabeth and the DF54 for a DF64. Both are pricier but worth the extra money. The Mara X takes longer to warm up and, IMO, provides less consistent outcomes. The Profitec Pro 300 is an excellent alternative too. While I don't love the DF64, it's a good grinder for your use case. You can't go wrong with it within this budget.

What you have here is a Ferrari vs a Malibu. Yes both will grant espresso but the quality and control with the Mara x is very different than the bambino.

I have a MaraX with a smart switch and a Mignon XL so I pretty much sleep walk my way through the first cappuccino in 2-3 minutes each morning. I don’t dial in new beans everyday, I start a bag and finish it and the roast level is generally medium to medium dark and close to the last bag so I’m not spending more than 3 shots to dial-in the next bag. I use a scale, the stock metal tamper, and sometimes a WDT tool. I don’t have any other home barista gadgets.

MaraX for me, added flow paddle and I don’t need anything else in a machine.

With MaraX I would only upgrade if it breaks.. thats actually my stance with anything which is good enough.

For same reasons I went for a good HX. Wanted flow profiling and good thermal stability inside of small footprint machine. I think at the moment MaraX rules these waters (when you add flow paddle onto it). Happy to learn about alternatives if there are any.

I think more or less the same. Grace has slightly smaller boiler and 57mm portafilter. The internals outside of that (and related sized parts) are the same. I used to own Grace, replaced the pump for the quieter MaraX version and the steam wand for Elisabeth’s cool touch one. It was decent machine, only moved on because I wanted better flow profiling. You can still do that on Grace by opening the steam valve while brewing but it causes temp stability issues. Now I have maraX and added flow paddle.

Same as MaraX.. this is not even dual boiler territory and steaming while brewing is just no bother

MaraX with flow control does the trick for me.. not really sure what else can be improved. Maybe reduction of water temperature for the second half of the shot.

Mara X owner here. Can confirm I can simultaneously brew and steam. Amazing performance for a single boiler HX. Cost me about $1,300. What’s cool is if I spent another $250, I can add on the flow control valve. At that point, I don’t really know how it’s really any less than a $6k LaMarzocco.

Id go for the Mara X of you budget can test it. It’s a while other bullgame. The only downside of the Lelit IMO is the warm up time that many people don’t have the time to wait (let’s say 15-30 mins) and energy consumption. Apart from that is superior in everything else IMO. If you plant to have a machine for a lot time, or even for life (with the obvious need of regular maintenance) go for the Lelit. The lifespan of the Sage tends to be way shorter and harder to repair due to the poorer build quality.