# Lelit MaraX coffee / steam priority switch error?



## jimbob1011

Hi - I was having issues in Mode 1 with every couple of days the machine locking into a boiler pressure of 1.5 bar and priming every 2-3minutes - proceeding to empty the entire tank into the drip tray.

I understand that the OPV discharge is to the drip tray and the machine is expected to control temperature via priming, but having the machine dump the whole tank if it's having a bad day seems like a technical issue.

My dealer advises that Lelit got the manual wrong and that Mode 0 is actually coffee mode and I should leave it in mode 0. They say Lelit are refusing to correct the manual. In mode 0, changing the temperature switch adjusts the boiler pressure to 1 / 1.2 / 1.5 bar - that looks to me like it's in steam priority mode when set to mode 0. Mode 0 also requires cooling flushes which suggests its in steam priority. Adjusting the temperature switch in mode 1 doesn't seem to impact the boiler pressure - the temp light flashes when changing the temp switch in mode 1, which suggests the thermosyphon is adjusting to the new temp target - implying mode 1 is coffee mode.

Has anyone else had this issue and/or think that Lelit have the manual wrong and that mode 1, switch up is steam priority?

Am at a bit of a loss with the advice I'm being given which contradicts every review and video I've watched on this model.


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## MediumRoastSteam

Can you take a photo of your switch for us to check, and let us know the position you believe it's in?


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## jimbob1011

Picture attached, in what I understand is setting 1 being Coffee mode but am told is actually Steam mode by the dealer.

Link to image of switch in position 1

Interestingly I see another post where a forum user has been told the same -

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/57033-marax-did-something-scary/?do=embed&comment=806787&embedComment=806787&embedDo=findComment

And in fact, you replied to this post and clarified that in steam mode the pressure should be stable and in coffee mode (aka brew priority) the pressure will vary. Seems odd that the dealer is advising to the contrary.

Machine is less than a month old - am inclined to ask for a refund to wrap the issue up quickly. If I were to be a pessimist then I suspect some MaraX have issues in coffee mode so the dealer is telling customers to just use steam priority (and telling them it's coffee priority) on the assumption they won't be the wiser and it saves dealing with a repair. I hope I'm wrong though!


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## DavecUK

Coffee priority is as per my review, it should only be different is the switch is physically installed upside down.

It should also behave roughly like the review machine although the software was revised for production machines I now believe.

HX mode or steam priority should be obvious and Lelit did a video about how the lights flash when you switch modes to confirm what mode you're in. There is a link to it on here...but also check the Lelit insider YouTube channel.


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## jimbob1011

Thanks Dave - I had watched the same video from Lelit insider showing the flashing light when changing temperature in coffee mode which led me to believe my dealer was either ill informed or trying to fob me off by suggesting using mode 0 as coffee priority.

The lights flash when switching temp in mode 1, as per the lelit insider video.

Dealer is BB and they get a good rep on the forum so a bit surprised to be honest. Not sure where that leaves me if they refuse to acknowledge its faulty and say lelit have got the manual wrong.

In fact, BB use your review in their marketing /website which contradicts how they say it works which adds to the irony. My lelit maraX continues to prime in the background....


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## MediumRoastSteam

jimbob1011 said:


> Thanks Dave - I had watched the same video from Lelit insider showing the flashing light when changing temperature in coffee mode which led me to believe my dealer was either ill informed or trying to fob me off by suggesting using mode 0 as coffee priority.
> 
> The lights flash when switching temp in mode 1, as per the lelit insider video.
> 
> Dealer is BB and they get a good rep on the forum so a bit surprised to be honest. Not sure where that leaves me if they refuse to acknowledge its faulty and say lelit have got the manual wrong.
> 
> In fact, BB use your review in their marketing /website which contradicts how they say it works which adds to the irony. My lelit maraX continues to prime in the background....


 This has been discussed before in another thread too, snd the consensus was that the manual is right, and your machine is fine. It seems that their interpretation of position "I" is the switch been "depressed", which contradicts the actual switch drawing. Unless you are having problems, just go as per the manual.


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## MediumRoastSteam

jimbob1011 said:


> Hi - I was having issues in Mode 1 with every couple of days the machine locking into a boiler pressure of 1.5 bar and priming every 2-3minutes - proceeding to empty the entire tank into the drip tray.
> 
> I understand that the OPV discharge is to the drip tray and the machine is expected to control temperature via priming, but having the machine dump the whole tank if it's having a bad day seems like a technical issue.


 Irrespective of the switch position.... you do have a problem if the machine is dumping the whole tank into the drip tray.


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## jimbob1011

Thanks for your guidance - the input from yourself and Dave has been v.helpful, it sounds like I have a correct understanding of how it should work - I notice tonight it settled back to 0.5 bar after an hour of on/off priming every 2-3minutes, which whilst annoying isn't going to flood the drip tray.

On a good day it shoots up to 1.5 bar after a shot (so is in good shape for steaming) and then pressure drops fairly swiftly back down to 0.5 bar. I had hoped this would be consistent behaviour.

When it gets stuck at 1.5 bar it tends to deliver a shot thats too hot. I guess I could confirm this definitvely by running a serial connection to the MaraX control board to monitor the thermosyphon temperature roll-off, since I don't have a similar group head probe to what Dave used in his review. Seems like quite an endeavour though to persuade BB that something is amiss - it may also invalidate the warranty. Or maybe just an hour long time lapse video is a better solution.

Wonder if others also experience this prolonged return to idle and/or variable return to idle times.


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## MediumRoastSteam

@Doram ^^^ - that doesn't sem right does it?


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## Doram

MediumRoastSteam said:


> @Doram ^^^ - that doesn't sem right does it?


 I only have experience with my machine, and the description of the fault is a bit confusing as it seems that sometimes it behaves as it should, and other times it doesn't.

First re the position of the switch: mine is in position 1 - the same as the position shown in @jimbob1011's pic. This is definitely brew priority mode on my machine, and corresponds with @DavecUK's review and Lelit's manual. I don't know where BB got the idea that position 1 is steam priority. Maybe it is on other machines (I doubt it, but I only have my machine, so that is all I know).

In brew priority (position 1), my machine works like clockwork: I turn it on and it goes to rapid heat cycle. This brings the pressure to ~2.75 bar, and then it goes down and settles at ~0.5 bar, where it stays until I pull a shot (the whole heat cycle takes about 24 minutes).

As soon as I pull a shot, the steam boost cycle starts. By the time the shot is done (or a few seconds after) the pressure is ~1.5 bar, ready to steam. If I leave the machine on (and usually I don't, because I just turn it off), it will go back to ~0.5 bar and wait there for the next shot.

This is how my machine works, and my understanding is that this is how it should work in brew priority. If it doesn't - I would think something is wrong.


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## jimbob1011

Hi Doram - Thanks for your input.

Regarding the switch - I think it is in coffee mode (or brew mode as some call it) given the pressure variation and temp light flashes when changing the temp switch per the lelit insider video which Dave mentioned.

As you say - it is a bit confusing as it behaves as I believe it should on some days. For example this morning, the pressure is back down to 0.5 bar 20minutes after pulling a shot and its idling normally (i.e. not priming every 2-3minutes, in fact after pulling the shot and steaming some milk the pump didn't prime at all in its return to 0.5 bar transition).

I only make one shot a day which makes it even less of an observable - I'll make more shots to get a better read on the proportion of times and duration the machine gets 'stuck'

For what its worth, the machine works fine as a conventional HX machine in steam priority - there's no prolonged intermittent priming issues, so sth specific to do with the coffee priority mode.

@fitzgerald91 - Regarding your query, I was using Volvic mineral water.


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## jimbob1011

I shared an image of the switch with the dealer - they still think that position is steam priority.


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## Browdo

Hi all, I would like to add to the discussion. I have had my Mara X for around 12 weeks and have been taking my time to observe the machine whilst making a good number of shots and steaming milk.

I had the issue where after a couple of weeks the temp shot up over the limit and went into the safety pressure mode. Having spoken to the dealer they advised regarding the switch being incorrect in the manual and that it was actually 1 for Steam mode and - 0 for Brew temp mode.

They advised I changed the setting to 0 (brew temp) and I have been using this for around 9 weeks.

The other day I decided to change it back to setting 1 because I was unhappy with the steaming and wanted to compare the difference. (the warm up over-pressure issue hasn't returned yet).

My thoughts so far are:



The pressure for steaming milk in setting 0 is not good enough for me. If I use a little jug with 150ml milk its ok. If I use the larger jug with 300ml of milk it can't give me enough creamy milk to make 2x decent flat whites/ cappucinos. The steam power is moderate. It reads under 1 bar mostly. I would say 0.75.


Having switched back to setting 1 recently the Steam is much stronger (certainly over 1 and nearing 1.5 bar) and I can steam the larger milk / jug to a better consistency. The steam pressure is also visibly higher.


I can't comment on the temperature of the shots as I have no way of measuring this. They certainly didn't taste bitter in position 0


My assumption based on what I have experienced is that the dealer is correct regarding the settings being wrong in the manual.

And to be honest the manual is ambiguous. (eg it says a cooling flush is not required in brew mode but does not say it is required in steam mode. It then doesn't tell you how to do a cooling flush on this machine even if you knew what one was?! etc.)

Does anyone use this with a cooling flush?

Perhaps people can test my thoughts on their machines.

PS Despite all this it does make incredibly good coffee drinks!!


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## MediumRoastSteam

Browdo said:


> They advised I changed the setting to 0 (brew temp) and I have been using this for around 9 weeks.


 When you say that, do you mean the switch on the right hand side of the machine or the only under the drip dray? As per picture above (quoted below)



jimbob1011 said:


> View attachment 56648


 That, according to the manual (and my understanding of how the machine behaves) is position I ("I" is pressed) and that is in Coffee Mode.

when you say you are not happy with the steam abilities of the machine:
- What position is the switch on the right hand side of the machine AND
- What position is the switch under the drip tray?

If your machine is in Steam priority and the brew temperature switch (under the drip tray is in the lowest setting "0", middle position) then I can understand why you are saying all of this. Otherwise I cannot. 🙂


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## Browdo

Hi Medium Roast Steam,

I am referring to the right side switch that has a 0 and 1.

The switch under the drip tray at the front is set at 0 (with - and = as the other settings).

I have not touched this other switch. Perhaps this is what I need to try next?

Thanks.


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## MediumRoastSteam

Browdo said:


> Hi Medium Roast Steam,
> 
> I am referring to the right side switch that has a 0 and 1.
> 
> The switch under the drip tray at the front is set at 0 (with - and = as the other settings).
> 
> I have not touched this other switch. Perhaps this is what I need to try next?
> 
> Thanks.


 Ha. So, that adds up.

Re: Pressure going over board... That should be looked into. Potentially a faulty probe.

Re: The rest:

Let's avoid all the confusion and establish convention:

Position "I" - Which is Coffee priority Mode (When the machine is "clever") is when that "I" is physically depressed. As per the picture above. According to the manual and Lelit. 
Position "0" - The inverse of the above. I.e.: When "0" is depressed. That's Steam priority mode.

The switch under the drip tray is called the Temperature Switch.

If you are in position "0" (Steam priority mode, i.e.: Machine working as a dumb HX) with the temperature in its lowest setting, then of course your pressure will be low and the steam will be far from ideal. You will also require some level of cooling flushes.

If you are in position "1" (Coffee priority mode, i.e.: Machine is working with its clever hat on), then, irrespective of the temperature switch position, the machine will boost so you can start steaming. It will go up to 1.5 bar. There's a Lelit Insider Video on that.

PS: Have you seen the review? https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2020/03/10/lelit-marax-review-in-progress/

It's worth a read, and a second parse.

Hope that makes sense. @Doram, please validate my sanity here 🙂


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## Doram

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Hope that makes sense. @Doram, please validate my sanity here 🙂


 Yes, what you said is exactly correct (at least on my machine): Position 1 on the switch on the side of the machine - as pictured above - is *brew/coffee* priority mode on my machine (and in @DavecUK's review, and in Lelit's manual).

Some people have said Bella Barista told them position 1 is *steam priority* mode. This is certainly not true on my machine (but I didn't buy it from BB, lol).

When in *brew priority mode* (position 1 for me), the machine will boost to steam pressure (~1.5 bar) when a shot is pulled. This 1.5 pressure will be reached *regardless of the position of the temperature switch *(the one under the drip tray). It might take longer to get there from the coldest position (0) than it would from the hottest position (ii), but as the original temp difference will be 2-4 degrees Celsius, time difference will be marginal. Personally I haven't noticed any difference in the time it takes to get to steam temp if the temperature switch is set to 0 or to i (I never used the hottest position ii): by the time I finish pulling a shot, or a few seconds after that - I always have ~1.5 bar of pressure and have no problem steaming. That said, I don't steam buckets of milk. For what I need for 1-2 flat whites - steam pressure is very good and steaming is easy and quick.

As for behaviour in *steam priority mode* (position 0 on my machine) - I have no clue, because my machine was never set to that position, and I see no reason to use it.


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## jimbob1011

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Hope that makes sense. @Doram, please validate my sanity here 🙂


 @MediumRoastSteam I sent the picture of the switch in position 1 (as per my earlier image on this thread) to Lelit and BellaBarista.

Lelit said that is the Brew Mode or (Coffee Mode as described in the manual).

BellaBarista said that is the Steam Mode.

I read your review (which convinved me to buy the machine) and watched all your videos and many others on the MaraX prior to purchasing and have no doubt in my mind that you and Lelit are correct. I am at a loss as to why BellaBarista seem to adopt the view that Lelit are wrong. It's also odd that BellaBarista have your review on their website in their marketing materials and a read of that review would make it evident that the manner in which the machine operates in position 0 is steam mode.

Furthermore, as you say, irrespective of the mode the machine shouldn't be continually (albeit intermittently) priming. BellaBarista also (so far) have suggested the observed behaviour is what happens in Steam mode. To give a sense of the issue, I made two 50ml shots and the machine proceeded to eject ~400-450ml of water (excluding the OPV discharge during the shot pull) into the drip tray over the next 2 1/2 hours which I recorded on video (in mode 1). By this point I just shut the machine off since that left me with no doubt the machine is faulty. This morning I made a 50ml shot which I again recorded (in mode 1) and the machine worked exactly as @Doram describes - settling back to 0.5 bar in ~25minutes. Clearly the issue is intermittent.

Lelit were helpful in that they confirmed that the priming I described is not normal and requested a video of the behaviour (but flagged BellaBarista would have to honour the warranty). As you can imagine it's quite frustrating that BellaBarista so far refuse to acknowledge any issue with machine. It doesnt' fill me with confidence that I can rely on the warranty. I really want to like the machine but think my best bet is to return and buy from another dealer, checking in advance they agree on how the machine works.

If BellaBarista are not convinced by the consensus on how the machine works I can't see why they don't either call Lelit or just read the serial TTL output of a MaraX in their workshop on a PC and verify that position 1 of the switch outputs a "C" for coffee mode and position 0 outputs "V" for vapour as I understand per https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/lelit-marax-data-visualisation-mod-t66187.html. It just seems they are not interested - I have the USB TTL cable which I purchased for a future project on the Lelit but at this point I think the machine has to go back so not worth invalidating my warranty to prove a point. Having had to make 3 hours of videos and make international calls to Lelit in Brescia I have run out of patience...


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## MediumRoastSteam

jimbob1011 said:


> I read your review





jimbob1011 said:


> @MediumRoastSteam I sent the picture of the switch in position 1 (as per my earlier image on this thread) to Lelit and BellaBarista.
> 
> Lelit said that is the Brew Mode or (Coffee Mode as described in the manual).
> 
> BellaBarista said that is the Steam Mode.
> 
> I read your review


 Not my review. It's @DavecUK. As Dave said, unless your switch is upside down, stick to the manual and be done with it. 👍 (I'm now going to read the rest of your post). 👍


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## jimbob1011

Posted in error


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## jimbob1011

@MediumRoastSteamThanks for the correction on author of the review. Regarding switch being upside down - I succesfully performed the Lelit insider test (toggle the temperature switch to check if the temp light flashes to confirm Brew/Coffee mode), so I am fairly certain the switch is wired correctly.


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## MediumRoastSteam

@jimbob1011 - I hear you and I feel for you. However, let's isolate the current problem, which is the machine dumping water into the drip tray like no tomorrow. Irrespective of what BB says, the machine should not behave like that. You could say to BB that Lelit has confirmed the machine has a problem. You can challenge them and compare two machines. They don't even need to make coffee with it. They just need to put your machine on their bench (test) with another one to compare with (control). They turn both on, in the same mode. According to what you say, your machine will start dumping water every two or three minutes, and the other one won't. It's that simple.

i just find incredibly frustrating they are giving you a hard time where, by what you describe, there's obviously a problem.

do you have a video of the machine "priming" constantly?


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## jimbob1011

@MediumRoastSteam Agreed - at a minimum I will share the video I made with both Lelit and BellaBarista, and share Lelit's response to the video (once received) with BellaBarista so they know I'm not being unreasonable. So far Lelit have only said it shouldnt be dumping water but I haven't uploaded / shared the video yet.


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## jimbob1011

MediumRoastSteam said:


> i just find incredibly frustrating they are giving you a hard time where, by what you describe, there's obviously a problem.
> 
> do you have a video of the machine "priming" constantly?


 Yes - it's the first time I've taken a video to upload to the internet so just need to work out how to do that today. In my video I also show the position of the switch, making a coffee, the lelit insider temperature toggle test to verify switch wiring and weighing the volume of water ejected in the drip tray so will put together some 'jump to' links as otherwise it's a pretty dull video to sit through (being 2 1/2 hours long...). I'll also share the video of this morning showing the machine working properly.

Many thanks for all your help on this.


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## jimbob1011

My long term plan once I have a working machine was to do the OPV re-direct and connect a raspberry pi with LCD to the serial TTL outputs to take the guesswork out of the temperature since the timing that @DavecUK describes in his review under the section 'How to hit specific temperatures between the 3 preset ranges' looks subject to variability. With those amends it would be the perfect small footprint espresso drinker's machine in my view.


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## jimbob1011

I made two coffees over the course of ~ 2 1/2 hrs and recorded both, the video below shows the second coffee being made.

I can summarise this video as showing priming at the following times:

3:16, 9:47, 10:41, 11:56, 14:45, 16:55, 20:34, 22:05, 23:34, 27:14, 28:44, 33:53, 37:43, 39:12, 43:02, 44:31, 46:51, 49:10, 56:10, 58:29, 1:02:18, 1:03:48, 1:06:08, 1:07:38, 1:13:47, 1:16:06, 1:20:46, 1:22:15, 1:24:35, 1:28:24, 1:30:44, 1:32:13, 1:34:34 , 1:36:02, 1:37:32, 1:39:02, 1:42:52

It would have continued in this manner but I stopped filming.

This is roughly 20 times an hour. The dealer (BellaBarista) so far advise this is normal behaviour since I have the machine in steam mode, however as discussed the machine is in coffee mode. I also filmed the following so there is no confusion that the machine is not in coffee mode:

1:34:21 - mode switch in position 1 shown

1:34:25 - temp switch in position 0 shown

1:35:00 - water in drip tray measured to be 512ml

1:43:02 - temp switch position changed, camera shows temp light flashes

This intermittent priming behaviour is not consistent however - the following morning I made a coffee and there was no priming at all and the pressure rose to 1,5 bar and then reduced to 0,5 bar. I understand this is normal behaviour in coffee mode.


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## DavecUK

@jimbob1011 I would imagine it's the machine reacting to the HX pressure not seeming to drop at all, which in coffee mode isn't right.


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## MediumRoastSteam

I feel your pain 😞

In coffee priority mode, the machine should not keep the temperature all the way up like that. Definitely not in brew temperature position 0!!!!! It's constant at 1.5bar, I wonder why the machine is doing what it's doing: The machine thinks the water is too hot and it needs to cool. The only way to cool is to dump the contents of the HX into the drip tray and replace with cold water.

The very fact that the machine is behaving erratically in the same mode: I.e.: Video above is in coffee mode (aka: BB's steam mode) and the next morning the machine was in coffee mode (aka: BB's steam mode) shows that the machine is misbehaving. Something is not right. Maybe the Gicar box, or a temp probe.


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## Doram

jimbob1011 said:


> This intermittent priming behaviour is not consistent however - the following morning I made a coffee and there was no priming at all and the pressure rose to 1,5 bar and then reduced to 0,5 bar. I understand this is normal behaviour in coffee mode.


 Your machine isn't working properly @jimbob1011, but in my opinion the focus should be on the pressure, not the priming (which I think may be the consequence of the pressure/temperature problem, not the cause).

Your switch is in the coffee/brew priority position. At the beginning of the video the pressure is correct for this mode (0.5 bar). Then you make a coffee and the steam boost brings the pressure to ~1.5 bar, which is also correct.

But then the problem starts: your machine gets stuck on 1.5 bar (steam pressure/temp) and stays there for the entire video, instead of cooling down and going back to coffee pressure/temp of ~0.5 bar. This is not how it should work.

Send this video to Lelit, focus on the pressure getting stuck on 1.5 bar after making a coffee (you can mention the excessive priming, but don't focus on it as it directs the attention to the wrong place). See what they say. My guess is the same as @MediumRoastSteam: gicar box (the control) or temp sensor fault, but I believe Lelit will know immediately what parts to replace to sort this.


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## jimbob1011

Thanks all for the help - in the end I agreed with BB to just have it returned and refunded. Lelit confirmed something was amiss but it looked to be too much of an endeavour to solve.

Repaired the old Gaggia and that will do for now, maybe a PID beckons....


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## MediumRoastSteam

jimbob1011 said:


> Thanks all for the help - in the end I agreed with BB to just have it returned and refunded. Lelit confirmed something was amiss but it looked to be too much of an endeavour to solve.
> 
> Repaired the old Gaggia and that will do for now, maybe a PID beckons....


 Well... At least they agreed and fully refunded you, which is always a great resolution. It's a shame it had to end like that though. Oh well, enjoy your Classic, and maybe keep an eye on other machines that might take your fancy. Maybe second hand? At least they are trialed and tested 🙂


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## DavecUK

@jimbob1011 Try a Minima...Dual boiler, low maintenance... @BlackCatCoffee sells them.


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## jimbob1011

Thanks for the tip - yes I went through your detailed review and some others on the Minima. The looks are fine for me which I think divides some. I wonder if the brew boiler being directly attached to the group (such as on the Lelit Elizabeth or Profitec Pro 300) results in a better outcome in terms of PID effectiveness and general temperature stability. I'm not married to the idea of having an E61.

From my limited use of the MaraX (and trying to exclude instances when it had issues), whilst consistentency of espresso on the MaraX versus the Gaggia classic was clearly in a different league, it's best espresso was not as good as the best from a classic. Hard for me to judge if this was due to absolute temperature level, temperature stability, different water (since I use hard water in the classic and volvic in the MaraX) or another factor. Grinder (Eureka Mignon Mk2) and shot preparation was the same. I tend to only drink darker roasts (and prefer a slightly lower temperature in cup post brewing) which on the classic renders quite a thick stable crema (like a pint of Guinness) which wasn't forthcoming on the MaraX. My guess is its the water. I found lighter roasts were better on the MaraX.


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## MediumRoastSteam

jimbob1011 said:


> Thanks for the tip - yes I went through your detailed review and some others on the Minima. The looks are fine for me which I think divides some. I wonder if the brew boiler being directly attached to the group (such as on the Lelit Elizabeth or Profitec Pro 300) results in a better outcome in terms of PID effectiveness and general temperature stability. I'm not married to the idea of having an E61.
> 
> From my limited use of the MaraX (and trying to exclude instances when it had issues), whilst consistentency of espresso on the MaraX versus the Gaggia classic was clearly in a different league, it's best espresso was not as good as the best from a classic. Hard for me to judge if this was due to absolute temperature level, temperature stability, different water (since I use hard water in the classic and volvic in the MaraX) or another factor. Grinder (Eureka Mignon Mk2) and shot preparation was the same. I tend to only drink darker roasts (and prefer a slightly lower temperature in cup post brewing) which on the classic renders quite a thick stable crema (like a pint of Guinness) which wasn't forthcoming on the MaraX. My guess is its the water. I found lighter roasts were better on the MaraX.


 Interesting. Ex Gaggia Classic person here 🙂

I'm somewhat with you in the sense that the Gaggia Classic produces a really nice beverage, providing the coffee you use is within the machine capabilities. I.e.: As the boiler is so tiny, the temperature drops quite dramatically through the shot, so that might favour darker roasts.

The Minima will be perfect in the sense the temperature stability will be spot on. Massive boiler, E61, PID. the boiler on the Elizabeth is only 300ml, so the Minima might be able to keep the temperature better managed. Although, the Elizabeth, given what I saw in videos, does a fantastic job in temp stability.


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## jimbob1011

Yes - I don't want to upset any MaraX users, so would add that my statement of "best" is very subjective. I can definitely see why many people would love the MaraX - for example, if you were conducting a review of different coffee beans a MaraX would be a much clearer window to the flavour - but that didn't equate to a better flavour experience for me.


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## Luke Marley

> On 19/04/2021 at 21:11, jimbob1011 said:
> 
> I made two coffees over the course of ~ 2 1/2 hrs and recorded both, the video below shows the second coffee being made.
> 
> I can summarise this video as showing priming at the following times:
> 
> 3:16, 9:47, 10:41, 11:56, 14:45, 16:55, 20:34, 22:05, 23:34, 27:14, 28:44, 33:53, 37:43, 39:12, 43:02, 44:31, 46:51, 49:10, 56:10, 58:29, 1:02:18, 1:03:48, 1:06:08, 1:07:38, 1:13:47, 1:16:06, 1:20:46, 1:22:15, 1:24:35, 1:28:24, 1:30:44, 1:32:13, 1:34:34 , 1:36:02, 1:37:32, 1:39:02, 1:42:52
> 
> It would have continued in this manner but I stopped filming.
> 
> This is roughly 20 times an hour. The dealer (BellaBarista) so far advise this is normal behaviour since I have the machine in steam mode, however as discussed the machine is in coffee mode. I also filmed the following so there is no confusion that the machine is not in coffee mode:
> 
> 1:34:21 - mode switch in position 1 shown
> 
> 1:34:25 - temp switch in position 0 shown
> 
> 1:35:00 - water in drip tray measured to be 512ml
> 
> 1:43:02 - temp switch position changed, camera shows temp light flashes
> 
> This intermittent priming behaviour is not consistent however - the following morning I made a coffee and there was no priming at all and the pressure rose to 1,5 bar and then reduced to 0,5 bar. I understand this is normal behaviour in coffee mode.


 Mines doing this aswell, i initially didnt notice untill all my shots were bitter. I actually pulled a 20 second shot, and was like what the hell, how is this bitter ( med roast setting 0 ) then realised steam pressure at 1.5 bar and opv constantly venting. Ive really had enough with the marax. I had a faulty temp probe and steam pressure would go to 4.5 bar and the thing would whistle like mad. and now this not to mention the mignon i had was also faulty taking 26 seconds to grind 18 grams. Oh well i suppose i better send BB another email.


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## Dorian

Hi everyone, just to add my comment on the coffee mode/steam mode switch on the right hand side of the machine as I have a MaraX myself.

On position 1, the machine is definitely in coffee mode...it does the steam boosts, the system is very smart in my opinion and it actually works very well.... I have never tried the steam priority, since I really have no need for it.

Of course I mean position 1 when the 1 is depressed, like any other flip switch in the world, from my point of view this should not be debatable.

I don't want to be disrespectful but I really cannot explain to myself how an extremely well established dealer can insist on saying the otherwise.

I suspect that since the coffe/steam cycle in coffee mode is an innovative feature, some buyers are not understanding in full how this is meant to work, not to mention the issues someone may have had with faulty temp probes.

As a result, the dealer would be considerably under pressure with the complaints on the machine, and they figured, let s tell everyone the switch is upside down, so that everybody will go back to steam mode and have a rocket appartamento instead of a MaraX, issues solved.

I m sorry but they really don t win my trust as a buyer.


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