I’ve had this Lelit for almost 10 years and it has been an absolute work horse. I’ve saved up enough to buy either a micra, mini next year. That said my current set up works great and while I have a strong compulsion to spend £3-4.5 k on a machine the rational part of me is getting in the way. Really the only annoying thing about this set up is the time between making two coffees. My partner’s goes cold or is almost finished drinking before I am finished the second
Please talk me out of this…into it… or a different option. Also just felt like posting this picture , as for some reason I appreciate seeing other people’s coffee too.
by Latter-Release-2918
25 Comments
Too late, you are already thinking about upgrading. You are going to upgrade, it’s inevitable!
Upgrade your grinder, with a 3rd of that money, keep the rest for inflation and rising coffee prices.
Linea micra will only make the workflow easier, but you will not taste the difference. The task of pushing water through a puck of coffee.
But if the crash is burning in your pocket. You can’t really go wrong with a LM.. but it’s for sure upgrade-itis.
Clean your steam wand first, please
If you’ve enjoyed the Lelit I’d go for a Bianca. Dual boiler with paddle. Small and quick to heat up. And almost half the cost of the Micra. Plus they do some nice colour combos on the Bianca as well now.
If you want to upgrade, don’t go for the Micra. Profitec Move or Ride, or even ECM Technica vi are better value and have increased heat up times. I like the Micra, but it’s way too expensive and the coffee defining taste is the grinder, not the machine.
A lot of crazy negative takes here… I don’t see a problem with upgrading, I’m no coffee guru, but my heat exchanger machine keeps up with the speed I can output milk drinks no problem and it might save you a grand or two.
You don’t need a LM linea to improve speed between shots. A HX or a Dual boiler will improve the workflow a lot.
Home espresso is such a plague. As soon as you start really thinking about upgrading, its too late haha. Nice set up but 10 years of ownership of machine seems fair enough to treat yourself.
For me, I splurged recently and enjoy having all my friends and family over for coffees as much as possible.
no point in upgrading to a LMLM other than you need that LM look.
If you dig the look, a Lelit Bianca is all you need dual boiler wise, and if you‘re a nerd just buy the Decent DE1 Pro. Source: I own a Bianca and a Decent.
If you are making milk drinks, then you might want to invest into a Dual Boiler (or something similar), because it will make your workflow a lot easier.
Do you need a Linea Micro or would a more affordable Dual Boiler do the same job…hat is for you to decide.
Easy, make two shots THEN steam your milk so you’re not screwing around for 4 Minutes and having cold drinks. You’re welcome and I just saved you 4K 🫠.
On a more serious note I’d personally upgrade to something smaller like a pro 300 or a rancilio Silvia pro x, you keep the PID and 2k still in your pocket cause If you are only making 2 drinks and if your Still at the stage where making 2 lattes ends up with a cold one at the end a micra might not be the investment yet.
Edit:fixed the typos
Upgrade. It doesn’t have to be a micra or mini. You’d be able to get most of that functionality without spending that much. Buy 2nd hand. So many excellent dual boilers out there. Lelit Elizabeth? Being able to steam straight away is so nice. But you dont have to spend that much just to do that.
Orrr make the espressos first and steam enough milk for 2 coffees?
Sounds like the problem you have would really only be solved by having two groups so you could pull both shots at the same time. I don’t think the mini/micra is gonna do it for you, gotta get something bigger…
Another solution might be to make both shots and then steam both milks. That way you aren’t waiting for the temp to rise and drop for steaming the first cup before you can make the second shot, and you don’t need to wait as long for the steam to come back up to temp before making the second cup of milk. Then you’d have the two drinks ready at about the same time
I’ll take the Niche off your hands!
I have the same Lelit and hated the weak steam wand so i bought the morning dream to steam milk independently, therefore negating the single boiler drawbacks
I had this machine. For milk based drinks it was fine. Two shots of espresso then switched to steaming and doing a big jug of milk for both of us (me and my wife) was pretty fast and drinks were hot enough for us.
What are you expecting? If you just want something new, buy whatever you want.
This whole upgrade itis thing is just consumerism. If you want that and thing this sub will hype man you, go for it. No worries.
If it’s a double boiler then there’s lots of more cost effective machines than la Marzoccos home/hobby/toy machines.
Unsure why anyone is saying upgrade your grinder. It’s the time between coffees that’s the issue.
I have the exact same machine and use it with a Eureka Zero.
I love this machine and don´t really understand why it takes you time to make two coffees?
Brew two shots, then steam milk, go.
Even after brewing i get the temp down pretty quick by letting water out the wand.
The only thing that needs time is to get the machine up to steaming temperature, but this is also only a minute or two.
Well upgrade to light roast coffee and there’s the rest of your life
No. Don’t.
Love seeing this post, and good for you, friend, for enjoying your equipment for so long. While I don’t have direct advice for you, I’ll share the story of my own decision making around upgrades, which may or may not be helpful.
I got into the hobby in 2013 after a friend introduced me. I obsessively researched grinders and machines for weeks (which was part of the fun for me) and then pulled the trigger on a QuickMill Anita HX machine. Simultaneous brew/steam was important for me since I almost exclusively make milk drinks. I found a used Mazzer Mini (with doser…) on Craigslist and drove an hour to pick it up. This was my first “luxury” purchase after starting my first job out of grad school, and I absolutely loved everything about it. I loved the manual workflow each morning, and I learned to make damn good coffee with the gear and to pour latte art better than most cafes.
Single dosing with the doser always bugged me on the Mini. I took it apart and made little sweepers out of duct tape for each of the blades so that most of the grounds could be swept out, but it was just annoying to spend about a minute with a brush to dislodge the grounds and then thwacking away to remove them. The Niche came out and claimed to revolutionize the workflow around single dosing, and I was intrigued. After five years using the I saved up and waited until I had a milestone to celebrate with my job back in 2018 and then tried to order one…and failed. Back then, they were harder than concert tickets to snag, they sold out so fast. It took me three tries to get one, spaced six months apart. When I finally landed one, I loved the workflow improvement, but did seem to notice a “muddiness” in lighter roasts. It was mild, but it was there. Flavors just always seemed to lean toward chocolate and earthy flavors and I missed some of the acidity and floral notes I had gotten with the Mazzer…but I did love the workflow and the difference was mild so I just enjoyed what I had for another 6 years. The Anita kept on trucking, only needing two new pumps and a new OPV along the way. I learned to do the repairs myself, which was satisfying and made me feel even more connected to the machine.
Then this year I sold my business and decided I would celebrate by getting my dream setup: a machine I had looked at when I first got into the hobby and thought “wow…imagine having that machine in your kitchen…too bad it’s ridiculously expensive.” It was a Marzocco GS/3. I loved the look of it and loved how robust its reputation was. A machine you buy for life. I wanted to go back to a flat burr grinder and decided on a Kafatek Monolith MAX.
When I got the GS/3, I didn’t yet have the Monolith and so was using the Niche…literally couldn’t taste the difference from the Anita. Like another poster said: pushing water through a puck of coffee. Steam pressure was insane, and I had to relearn how to texture milk just as I like it for my flat whites. But while the taste of the coffee wasn’t necessarily better, it felt special using the new machine every morning. To me, that feeling is worth something, but it’s also there because the machine is tied to an important milestone in my life.
The Monolith definitely improved the flavor of light roasts compared to the Niche. It was noticeable on day one. The coffee was brighter and actually reflected the tasting notes on the bag. I honestly liked the Niche workflow a bit better, but it’s a marginal difference that’s well worth the flavor improvement.
Anyway, this got longer than I expected, but for me, the upgrade path has been a journey that has marked milestones in my life and professional career. The coffee has gotten better, the workflow has changed, and my daily routine has given me a sense of satisfaction that is a pleasant part of every morning. If you want to upgrade in a way that will change/improve your coffee, definitely focus on the grinder. But just don’t underestimate the pleasure you can derive from finally acquiring that grail machine you’ve always wanted. It just may not be in your mouth ☺️
I must say those are some nice knives. Why would you upgrade them? Just sharpen them bud
Whatever espresso machine you buy will not make you better coffee, only your improved skills would do that. instead of buying a new espresso machine, buy a coffee roaster
Upgrade those knives first