The Coffee Lab
I'm Erin, and welcome to the fourteenth episode of The Coffee Lab, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!
One day, I aspire to have a really, really nice espresso machine. Don't get me wrong, I love love love my Breville Bambino Plus, but at some point, I want a machine that pulls out all the stops. I'm talking dual boiler or heat exchanger, walnut flourishes, 58mm portafilter, commercial-level steam wand, custom everything.
So when I tested the Lelit Mara X3, I thought I'd died and gone to coffee heaven. This beautiful prosumer machine has it all, and more. Did you know you can customize water temperature, steam pressure, and pressure? And it looks that good while doing so? Oof, sign me up.
The Mara X3 is definitely one of the best espresso machines I've ever tested. And, luckily for the Americans reading this, it's finally out across the pond! As of July 1st, the Mara X3 is available for purchase from Seattle Coffee Gear and Lelit direct, for the very — checks notes — "reasonable" price of $2,000. So... is this $2k espresso machine worth it? Let's get into it.
@tomsguide ♬ Relaxing lofi music(1014185) - Akase
Hidden coffee nerd settings galore
As you might expect from a machine that costs almost double my monthly rent, the Lelit Mara X3 is replete with high-tech coffee-snob-approved features.
The Mara X3 has three main standouts: 1) custom steam pressure, 2) Pagaia pressure paddle, and 3) water temperature control.
It doesn't take a genius to guess what all these features do. The steam pressure can be increased or decreased depending on your preference (so you could practice with lower pressure before ramping up to commercial-level pressure). I kept this on 'Max' to mimic commercial espresso machines.
There's also a temperature switch hiding under the drip tray — this is for different coffee roasts. Light roast requires a higher temperature, dark roasts a cooler, and medium, well, medium.
The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed I omitted the 'Pagaia' paddle — fear not, because that requires its own section.
Pressure paddle for perfect performance
When you start getting into espresso aficionado territory, you start hearing things like "pre-infusion". Pre-infusion is when you saturate the grounds at low pressure before ramping up the pressure for a normal espresso extraction.
Varying this pre-infusion can bring out different flavors in your coffee. If you're using great artisanal beans, you'll start noticing things you've never noticed before. Cherry, biscuit, whiskey, lime — coffee can and does taste like all these things. I promise you.
Of course, you need to experiment with this to get the best performance. No, you're not going to start tasting bubblegum in your coffee on your first try. You really need to play with it.
You can customize pre-infusion on Breville machines — Bambino, Barista Express — but the Pagaia paddle takes it up a notch. You can put the machine on low pressure, then high pressure, then low pressure again. It's what coffee is all about — having fun!
I had a whale of a time playing with different pressures and noticing all the unique flavors in my espresso. Trust me — you'll get obsessed. The Mara X3 makes seriously delicious espresso.
So... is it worth it?
Ugh, I hate this. But yes. Yes, it's worth it.
However, I know I'm never going to have $2,000 to spend on an espresso machine, and that's fine. I've made my peace with that. Although I want one of these gorgeous prosumer models, unless I win the lottery or fall into a pile of cash, I know it's not going to happen.
But if you do have $2,000 lying about and you're extremely into coffee, then you should definitely buy the Lelit Mara X3. You will not be disappointed at all.
Obviously, the Mara X3 is gorgeous. I mean, just look at it. Everyone in the office made oohs and aahs when they walked past. The walnut flourishes are eye-catching, the cream body screams high-quality, and the overall aesthetic is simply perfect.
I'll leave you with this: When you're scrolling coffee YouTube/TikTok/Instagram, just look at what machine most influencers have. Yep, it's the Lelit Bianca. This brand has a cult following for a reason — and the Mara X3 is one of the cheapest ways to be inducted.
More from Tom's Guide
- I tried this ridiculously cheap bean-to-cup espresso machine so you don't have to — and it's a total head-scratcher
- Non-plastic coffee makers are trending — and this low-plastic Ratio model is my favorite for coffee snobs
- Do you need a WDT tool for barista-quality coffee at home? I put the controversial coffee tool to the test
