Including tips & tricks

The best dual boiler machine for starters. To grab this title, the Lelit Elizabeth PL92T is competing. Lelit has really put in the effort and her concept is working. The machine impresses in many respects and you can tell that the Lelit company, as before with the Lelit Mara X, is doing a lot of things right.

Lelit Elizabeth in a quick check

The machine has a rotary pump and is delivered with a PID control. It also has a pump pressure gauge. With its 32.2 cm width, 38.2 cm height and 26 cm depth, it weighs 12 kilos. The drip tray can hold 1.4 liters and the water tank can hold 2.5 liters. The steam boiler has a size of 0.6 liters and can be switched off. A 0.3 liter brewing kettle is available for brewing. The machine is made of brushed stainless steel all around.

Strengths of Lelit Elizabeth

The Lelit Elizabeth exploits all the strengths of a dual boiler machine at a very reasonable price. The machine can be adjusted very precisely thanks to the two separate boilers. Both the steam temperature and the brewing temperature can be adjusted precisely and contribute to an excellent taste.

A second big advantage is the temperature stability. Once heated up, which takes about 20 minutes, it maintains its temperature very reliably. Heating up will be discussed in more detail shortly. The electricity consumption is also low at 0.13 kWh for 5 espressos including heating or 0.24 kWh with the steam boiler switched on. Many other dual boiler machines achieve higher values. The Lelit does well here. Speaking of steam boilers. The steam performance of the Lelit Elizabeth also impressed us.

The shot timer is very practical and shows the processing time of the espresso. The clear LCC (Lelit Control Center) is rounded off by programmable buttons that can be used to set flushing or a cleaning program. The included screens are neat and don't need to be upgraded.

Weaknesses of Lelit Elisabeth

During intensive testing, we noticed some weaknesses in the machine, which should not go unmentioned despite its many strengths.

The stainless steel body feels a bit thin and therefore not as high quality as other machines. There are some places that even have sharp edges. This isn't very nice and can lead to unpleasant cuts. The portafilter wasn't quite successful either. This is plastic on the handle and not really well balanced. The steam wheel is made of plastic and doesn't really feel high quality either. The plastic tamper can be disposed of immediately after unpacking.

If the water level in the water tank is low, the machine will be very noisy. The water in the container is not drawn from below, as with the Mara X, but from above via hoses. This seems like a system from an earlier time and is not well thought out.

The machine heats up time is around 20 minutes. The machine says in advance that it is ready, but according to our measurements it is still too cold. It is important that you know your machine well and develop a feeling for when it can start. The machine's buttons sometimes don't respond well and there is still room for improvement.

Heating time

We measured carefully and imagined everyday situations that the Lelit Elizabeth would be confronted with. After just 10 or 15 minutes, the machine shows that it is ready for the first espresso. The PL92T is actually not ready yet. We recommend waiting at least 20 minutes. After precise measurements using the WBC protocol, it seems to us that the machine's truly optimal range is reached after one hour. It seems as if it was designed for long-term use, for example in a small coffee shop or at a catering event. But in domestic use it seems rather out of place. Who turns on their machine an hour before brewing? If you don't want to let the machine preheat for so long, you should set the brewing temperature in the LCC by 2 degrees too high, then according to our measurements it will reach a good, solid value, even after preheating for 20 minutes. The LCC really makes sense here and in combination with the PID control you can really make a lot of fine adjustments.

Pre-infusion and espresso quality

The machine delivers good espressos. However, as described above, they get a little better if you keep an eye on the temperature and set the machine a little higher for short heating times.

The pre-infusion can also be adjusted. With the steam boiler on, we can use the steam in the pre-infusion to apply gentle pressure to the coffee cake for 3 to 20 seconds. Another variant is to set a so-called blooming pre-infusion. The coffee puck is then briefly wetted with water and then, after a short break, brewing continues.

But do you actually notice a difference in the cup if you can adjust the pre-infusion? Clear answer: yes. The possibilities are huge. We achieved some of our best results with vapor pressure pre-infusion. Light roasts are a bit more balanced and very tasty. For example, we tested our Toca Espresso here, with whose cooperative in Mexico we are working on a process for regenerative coffee cultivation. Our Robusta Espresso Mamy , on the other hand, tasted very good even without pre-infusion. As you notice. The possibilities are huge.

Foaming behavior

In the basic setting, the steam pressure of the Lelit is a little low. Since you have so many setting options in the LCC, we turned up the temperature in the steam boiler to 145 degrees. This made foaming really fun. There is a great rolling phase in the jug without the milk getting hot too quickly. The long rolling phase enables a perfect milk foam result. Only the steam wheel isn't really nice. But hopefully there will be nice upgrades from hobbyists soon. Maybe something made of wood?

Conclusion and further tips

The Lelit Elizabeth PL92T is a really interesting espresso machine. The price is a statement to the competition and the various pre-infusion modes set new standards. Even with the basic settings, you can make an espresso that tastes tastier than many more expensive models. Thanks to the sophisticated setting options that work deep into the machine, you can experiment endlessly. We will also continue to work with the Lelit Elizabeth and share our new achievements with you.

You can find a more in-depth blog post on our Swiss site ( here ).