Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines

Makenna W.

Second time buying

I had this machine in Europe and loved it. It’s high quality, pulls a professional shot, and looks good doing it. This time I got black with wooden knobs and it’s very sharp looking. I like to put a paper filter over my puck when pulling a shot to prevent grounds from washing up into the group at the end, and it’s helped it stay much more clean. Tank is a good size. Top rack heats cups well. Steam wand is powerful and can texture milk very well - I don’t use alternative milks - cow milk is what I have done every day. I can make a good number of drinks (6-8) when I have a group of friends over with out lag time or having to pause and wait for the water to heat.

My girls like the hot water for tea, when they use it, it will pull most of the water from the tank and the temp light will start flashing- then I have to wait.

Lelit Mara X V2 Espresso Machine

Bob D.

Love my La Pavoni!

Thank you for your kind and quick service.

Comiso Coffee

But i.m.

Awesome service even for the low end

I like coffee, like I suppose anyone browsing here will attest. I’ve roasted my own beans for more than 25 years now and have brewed in everything from simple pour over, vacuum pots (still my favorite but the glass doesn’t last when you’re clumsy), French press, cold brew, and espresso. Unfortunately I chose to go into pure (research) science so I’m not blessed with a big paycheck, so I only purchase on the low end, price wise. Comiso had the model I wanted (Lelit Victoria) in stock and shipped quickly. Definitely will keep me coming back, especially if I win the lottery or my aunt chicklegroover leaves me a fortune! Highly recommended vendor.

Comiso Coffee

But i.m.

Great upgrade to 25 year old Silvia!

I’m coming from a 25+ year old Silvia that served me well until the boiler connection fried. Boiler plus updated bits were pushing $400, which is only slightly less than I paid in 1999, so I decided to take the plunge with the Victoria. The prices for the updated Silvia are outrageous for the lack of PID and adjustability, I should note. The wife used to joke about Silvia being my mistress, and now I’ve upgraded to a Victoria! The Victoria’s feature set makes it a bargain in my opinion, PID, adjustable temps, and solid build. Inside I wish it had braided power lines, given how long I plan on using it (‘til I croak or win the lottery). The portafilter is solid, although the cheapo tamper is an insult. I have a well worn Vivace Ergo that works fine, however. I did upgrade to a VST 18g basket, since I don’t care for tapering baskets. The included IMS baskets are good, although I have never used a single basket and don’t see the need for one. The science and pseudoscience for espresso is mind bogglingnow, especially with YouTube. Regardless, the Victoria was easy to set up, although I would have loved a simple cheat sheet spelling out in english what the icons mean. They are intuitive after a point. I’m just set in my ways, needing to having things spelled (IKEA instructions are the worst). I expected there would be a sample of cleaning product and water test strip(s) based on earlier reviews, but not a biggie, especially since I have plenty of cleaning powder. The test strip would have been nice, however. I can access my municipal values. At least the softener filter was still included, and easy to install (with written instructions!). The manual is impressive, save for my nitpicking on the icons, with a nice fold out section for setting it up. As for espresso, it tastes the same as my old Silvia. I home roast, which is what led me to the Silvia when I moved away from big city good Italian (American) espresso (and pignoli cookies…). Still working on my technique since I wimped out to Nespresso for a few years and forgot a few things, roasting and brewing wise. Anyway, the preinfusion and built in timer are things I’m really loving with the Victoria. It heats up quickly, and not having to futz with Silvia’s on and off brewing cycles to get to a mystery temp is so, so nice. I don’t drink milk, so I seldom use the steam save for the wife’s rare espresso request (she likes cold brewed vanilla flavored stuff I’d rather not gag on), but it does heat up quickly. Having the display and (intuitive, I admit) icons helps. The pump does kick on every so often when steaming milk, but u have read it is normal. The tank is the only real pain to the Victoria. Wish it was taller and did not have electrical under the metal baffle under the tank. It is cumbersome to remove. I know other reviewers have said they use a funnel but I’m not quite sold on the safety of that, see above. It is big enough to only need filling twice a week with 1-2 shots per day. The tank has a float sensor, although I have yet to run it down that low, an icon I’ll probably be muttering about. I have yet to run a clean cycle on it, but it looks to be a relatively simple and somewhat automated process, definitely a step up from Silvia. In all, I’m loving Victoria, nod to my wife and all!

Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine

Paul S.

Knowledgable and friendly!

Just what the review title says.

Comiso Coffee

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Lelit Victoria Espresso Machine

Jermaine E. (California)

Solid piece and great service!

A great buy for beginners, a solid machine. Great service from Nick and super fast shipping! We’ll definitely come back here for an upgrade later on.

Elektra Microcasa A Leva Espresso Machine

Timothy C. (North Carolina)

Outstanding Machine (But Takes Practice)

This is my first manual espresso machine after starting with a cheap full auto and later upgrading to a semi-auto BES870XL. I love the sheer amount of control that I have over my shots, from the pressure the machine brews at to the amount of water that goes into the shot (more so with a double), pre-infusion time, and flow of the steam coming out of the wand. It takes a lot of time getting dialed in right to produce a good shot, and I am still working on my technique, though it has improved greatly in the past few weeks that I've had this machine.

Out of the box:
I'll start with the most disappointing thing for anyone who reads this: The tamper this machine comes with is a cheap, flimsy, plastic 48mm disc that doesn't even cover the surface area of your 49mm portafilter. If you don't have one already, save yourself the extra wait and get yourself a nice, heavy 49mm tamper when you buy this (I got a solid stainless tamper by Silmur and it's perfect) and throw the plastic one into the trash upon arrival.
Now for the good: Everything was well-packaged in molded styrofoam to minimize the chance of impact damage. Everything came out looking shiny and beautiful with no damage. Assembly was pretty straightforward, and the owner's manual gives you just enough information to get started. Disclaimer: the manual does not tell the user how to adjust the pressurestat if you find that your machine is not in the right zone out of the box, or if you really want to fine-tune your extraction. But fear not: simple but tedious pressurestat adjustments are a quick Google/YouTube search away (butter knife and small ratchet with phillips and flat head bits to get the job done not included).

Brewing with this bad boy requires a ton of patience. If you're new to manuals, do not expect to pull amazing shots right away. Even semi-autos have their nuances, though not nearly as many. First, make sure that you can see the meniscus (that bottom line at the top of your water) in the sight glass. This will ensure that your boiler is neither under nor overfilled. It doesn't take long to heat up and get to pressure. Once it's ready to go, the rest is up to you (take lots of notes; it helps!). After a few weeks of active use, I've just about gotten it down (until I get different beans, that is). The steam wand is another well-designed piece of this machine, and produces the silkiest microfoam I have ever made. You control the output, and it is immediate steam on demand. Do let some out to get the wand up to temp and avoid it shooting straight hot water into your pitcher before frothing it up. Back to brewing: It does seem to run a bit hot, and I've read that the general consensus is that the ideal brewing temperature is right when it gets up to pressure, and then after that the user should to apply a cold cloth to the groupset to keep temperatures down and avoid burnt shots. I'll start following that advice and see how my extraction improves.

I've been having a ton of fun with this machine, and don't think I could ever go back to anything short of a manual espresso machine after this experience. It's definitely one of my favorite additions to my coffee-making collection, and I'll probably love it even more when I finally do pull that perfect shot.