Lelit Elizabeth PL92T V3 Dual Boiler Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine | Made in Italy

This home espresso machine belongs to Lelit’s Vip Line series. It packs all the demanding requirements of a professional machine into a compact design.

1. LELIT ELIZABETH HAS 2 PRE-INFUSION MODES

Elizabeth is the only machine in the world with this unique feature. It has both steam pre-infusion using boiler pressure and bloom pre-infusion using only residual pressure after the pump stops. Quickly activate by turning the steam boiler on or off before extraction.

• Steam Preinfusion: After the pump stops, the steam boiler’s solenoid valve opens and transfers pressure to the brew boiler. From there, pressure continues to the group head and pushes water through the coffee puck. The infusion pressure (ranging from 1 to 3.5 bar depending on boiler temperature settings) remains nearly constant during the infusion time.
• Bloom Preinfusion: After the pump stops, the steam boiler’s solenoid valve stays closed. The pressure acting on the coffee is the residual pressure from when the pump ran, which gradually decreases to zero during infusion. Therefore, the pump time for this profile usually runs 3-5 seconds longer than steam pressure infusion.

However, the more important question is: when should you use Steam Preinfusion versus Bloom Preinfusion? Do these 2 profiles affect coffee flavor differently?

• For Steam Preinfusion: The coffee puck experiences constant pressure during infusion, leading to gradual drip extraction from the basket whether you want it or not. Since it can’t be extended long, it’s only useful for medium or medium-light roasted beans. These beans don’t need excessive soaking time before extraction.
• For Bloom Preinfusion: This is optimal for super light Nordic-style roasted beans that need finer grinding for espresso extraction. The infusion time can be extended very long—slow and pressureless, allowing the coffee to fully absorb water, release internal air, and minimize under-extraction or channeling issues.

The hardest part is determining whether coffee is light or dark roasted. Therefore, for each bean type, try different infusion profiles and evaluate which approach best affects the flavor.

Always remember there’s no single best brewing profile—only the most suitable solution for each coffee type and individual preference!

2. LELIT ELIZABETH CAN STORE 4 DIFFERENT BREWING PROFILES SIMULTANEOUSLY

The machine has 2 independently programmable automatic extraction buttons. Combined with 2 pre-infusion methods (by turning the steam boiler on/off before brewing), you can program up to 4 different brewing profiles on the Lelit Elizabeth.

In the advanced settings, users can separately program pump run/pause times for both steam boiler on and off states. This is a unique feature only Elizabeth has!

The total brew time and total infusion time don’t change between pressurized and non-pressurized infusion.

These 4 profiles can provide different experiences to enrich the user’s enjoyment depending on their purpose. For example:

• Button 1 profile with steam boiler on: Pump runs 3 seconds, steam pressure infusion 7 seconds, pump runs 20 seconds and stops with total brew time of 30 seconds (Total preinfusion time 10 seconds)
• Button 1 profile with steam boiler off: Pump runs 5 seconds, bloom infusion no pressure 5 seconds, pump runs 20 seconds and stops, total time 30 seconds (Total preinfusion time 10 seconds)
• Button 2 profile with steam boiler on: Pump runs 4 seconds, pressure infusion 11 seconds, pump runs 30 seconds. Total brew time 45 seconds
• Button 2 profile with steam boiler off: Pump runs 6 seconds, bloom infusion 9 seconds, pump runs 30 seconds and ends at 45 seconds

Additionally, setting the brew time parameter to “OFF” on either automatic button switches that button to manual mode with unlimited time. The pre-infusion function still operates normally.

***Suggested optimal brewing profile settings based on actual use (IMS 18g basket):

• Button 1 setting for steam boiler ON, used with medium to dark roasted beans: Pump runs 3 seconds, pauses 6 seconds, runs 20 seconds. Total time 29 seconds
• Button 2 setting for steam boiler OFF, used with light roasted beans: Pump runs 6 seconds, pauses 10 seconds, runs 20 seconds. Total time 36 seconds

For dark roasted beans, you can completely disable the pre-infusion function in the LCC screen. The pump will run continuously without stopping during extraction.

3. LELIT ELIZABETH IS A DUAL BOILER MACHINE WITH INDEPENDENT PID CONTROL

Looking at Elizabeth’s very basic design, it’s hard to imagine this is an independent dual boiler machine! This is also one reason Elizabeth is popular in Europe but less so in Asia (Vietnamese consumers prioritize aesthetics when spending 30+ million on a home espresso machine, while Westerners are much more practical).

• 600ml steel steam boiler with 1000W power: Strong steam that can continuously froth 3 lattes very easily.
• 300ml nickel-plated copper brew boiler with 1200W power: Moderate capacity heats up quickly and ensures continuously fresh water is pumped into the boiler.

Dual boilers mean the Lelit Elizabeth can steam milk simultaneously with espresso extraction. Many online analyses say: Home users don’t have the skills to control espresso and steam milk at the same time. But with Elizabeth, the espresso profile handles everything automatically. So while waiting, just steam milk and prepare your latte!

The advantage of dual boiler machines is precise temperature control for both brewing and steaming via PID technology.

• Set brew water temperature from 80-115°C: Light roasted coffee may need higher extraction temperatures to balance acidity, while dark roasted coffee should use lower temperatures to avoid over-extraction and bitterness.
• Elizabeth can set steam boiler temperature from 115-145°C, suitable for all user skill levels: Professionals prefer powerful steam, while beginners need moderate steam power to have time to adjust during latte frothing. Steam boiler temperature also directly affects steam pressure and steam pre-infusion pressure, thereby changing espresso extraction.

4. LELIT ELIZABETH USES A SATURATED GROUP HEAD

Saturated group heads are widely used in home espresso machines. The 300ml copper boiler sits directly on and forms one block with the brew group. Therefore, the group head heats up at the same rate as the boiler. The temperature difference between the group head and boiler is minimal because water doesn’t lose heat traveling through pipes like semi-saturated or purely mechanical E61 group heads.

5. ELIZABETH’S SPECIAL SLIM DESIGN FITS MANY SMALL SPACES

The Lelit Elizabeth’s slim 27cm depth allows it to fit even small kitchen shelves.

One of Elizabeth’s most distinctive features is its depth of just 27cm—the smallest in the world of dual boiler espresso machines. This means the machine will fit most shelves with surfaces around 30cm wide, without needing a large table.

This strength helps Elizabeth easily fit into many small counter spaces. It takes up little room but delivers many delicious cups of coffee daily.

Size comparison between the Lelit Elizabeth dual boiler and Mara X heat exchange boiler with E61 group head (41cm deep)

6. HOT WATER SPOUT WITH MIXING VALVE ON LELIT ELIZABETH

A beloved and truly useful feature on Elizabeth is the extremely smooth hot water flow. No steam spurting or splashing like on E61 machines (Lelit Bianca or Mara X).

The machine’s hot water mechanism simultaneously mixes water from the boiler with cold water from the tank to create a smooth flow at about 85°C.

Even more special: even if the machine’s steam boiler is off, the hot water spout still works normally because the machine uses the electric pump to draw water from the brew boiler. This never happens with E61 machines.

7. LELIT ELIZABETH’S BRUSHED SATIN FINISH IS EASY TO CLEAN

There are 3 common metal surface finishes for espresso machines. This isn’t about technical aspects but purely aesthetics, as each has its own pros and cons:

• Mirror polish: Beautiful and shiny like a mirror. Comes with easy scratching and fingerprint smudging, requiring frequent cleaning. Profitec Driver, Lelit Bianca, Gemilai 3035… have this finish. This finish suits careful, gentle, meticulous people.
• Slight satin: Modern matte steel surface finish.
• Brushed satin: It tends to maintain its appearance over time, collects less dirt, and is easy to clean. Perfect for people who like beauty but want minimal maintenance.

Elizabeth’s simple design with few corners and its brushed satin coating allows easy cleaning and maintains beautiful appearance for many years.

8. LELIT ELIZABETH V3 USES THE NEW GENERATION OLAB SILENT GREEN VIBRATION PUMP—EXTREMELY QUIET

The new generation Olab Silent Green vibration pump used in Elizabeth operates much quieter than regular Ulka vibration pumps. Operating intensity ~45 decibels feels almost like a rotary pump.

New generation Olab Silent pump used in the Lelit Elizabeth espresso machine

The Silent Green pump’s mechanism gradually increases pressure smoothly and slowly—extracted espresso will have more depth and complex flavor compared to pumps that work “vigorously” from start to finish.

In reality, the Silent Green pump costs nearly 5 times more than the Italian-made Ulka vibration pump used in regular espresso machines. That it delivers significantly better quality is beyond dispute.

9. LELIT ELIZABETH HAS A COOL-TOUCH STEAM WAND AND PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL STEAM POWER

• Setting steam boiler temperature at 145°C can create up to 2 bar pressure. This is very high steam pressure that makes frothing strong and fast: Just 15 seconds for Elizabeth to steam 240ml of cold milk to 60°C. The steam is also very dry and only increases milk volume by 5-10% after frothing.
• Double-layer cool-touch steam wand design: Users can hold and adjust by hand during milk frothing without any difficulty.

10. AUTOMATIC BACKFLUSH CLEANING MODE FOR GROUP HEAD ON LELIT ELIZABETH

Typically, users need to clean the espresso machine after about 1 month of use. The usual method is installing a blind basket in the portafilter, adding cleaning powder, and pressing the extraction button to run the pump for about 5 seconds. Turn it off and repeat many times until the cleaning powder is completely flushed through the internal machine lines.

Elizabeth simplifies this with automatic backflush mode. Of course, you still need to install the blind basket and cleaning powder in the group head, then press and hold the extraction button 1 (top) and hot water button (bottom) sequentially. The 2-minute backflush process will continuously cycle about 11 times then stop. If you want to stop earlier, press any button. Check that the cleaning powder in the portafilter has completely dissolved and you’re done!

During the wait time, you can freely clean your coffee corner!

11. LELIT ELIZABETH’S CONVENIENT LCC ELECTRONIC CENTRAL DISPLAY

• Press the “-” button to access the settings menu. Keep pressing to cycle through different settings
• Press the “+” button to edit settings
• Press “+” and “-” to change parameters (add/subtract, advance/return through options)
• Stop pressing for a few seconds for the machine to auto-save settings (stops flashing)
• Press and hold the “-” button for 3 seconds to turn the steam boiler on or off (enter active Eco mode)

ADVANCED SETTINGS IN LELIT ELIZABETH’S LCC DISPLAY

Elizabeth’s settings screen has an advanced menu for users to intervene deeper into the brewing process. This section fine-tunes certain parameters. Most important are the pump run/pause times for pre-infusion in different brewing profiles. You can reference Dave Corbey’s article for more details.

Turn off the machine, press and hold both + and – buttons while turning on the machine to access advanced mode:

• KPc: PID proportional value for brew boiler hot water. Don’t interfere with this parameter
• KIc: Integral value for brew boiler in PID calculation, also shouldn’t change as it belongs to the programmed PID calculation formula
• KDc: PID derivative value for brew boiler. Don’t change this parameter
• Bc: Temperature range where PID will reactivate in the brew boiler. Coefficient 5 = 1 degree actual change. Smaller numbers make PID operate continuously at smaller intervals
• KPs: PID proportional value for steam boiler
• KIs: Integral value for steam boiler in PID calculation
• KDs: PID derivative value for steam boiler
• Bs: Temperature range where PID will reactivate in steam boiler. Smaller coefficients make PID reactivate continuously
• Ec: Setting to calculate and display hot water offset in the boiler versus temperature exiting the group head. If you increase/decrease this parameter, the temperature display also increases/decreases correspondingly (Elizabeth has an actual difference of ~10 degrees, so setting 93°C brew temperature equals the boiler being at 103°C)
• Es: Display value for steam hot water temperature compensation. No need to change as it will cause on-screen parameters to not match reality
• F01: Turns on switch light if set to 1. Setting to 0 turns off switch light and gauge backlight
• TR: Value 0 allows screen to display set temperature. Setting to 1 displays real-time temperature (Should change this value to 1)
• ToT: Counter for number of brewing cycles. Cannot be changed!
• EVS: Setting to close and open solenoid valve in steam boiler. Coefficient 1 opens valve during pre-infusion to bring boiler pressure into group head. Coefficient 0 closes valve so infusion only has residual pressure after pump runs. However, you don’t necessarily need to access this to adjust because it can be changed by turning the steam boiler on or off right before coffee extraction (Press and hold – button for 3 seconds)
• BLS1: Setting for pump run time before steam boiler valve opens to proceed with pre-infusion step for extraction button 1. Default is 3 seconds but can change depending on coffee quantity in basket. Shouldn’t set less than 3 seconds as too much steam pushing in can cause temperature to exceed threshold
• BLS2: Pump run time before stopping for extraction button 2
• BLP1: For extraction button 1. Pump run time in infusion mode without using steam boiler pressure. Followed by bloom infusion with residual pressure after pump runs (after pre-infusion time setting)
• BLP2: Pump run time in infusion mode without using steam boiler pressure (Bloom) for button 2
• PRG: Pump run time in group head cleaning mode with cleaning powder (with blind basket). Setting value at 6 (maximum) means when pressing extraction buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously, pump will run so water flows from group head for 6 seconds and stops

OTHER FEATURES OF LELIT ELIZABETH PL92T ESPRESSO MACHINE

• Backlit pressure gauge: Lights up after pressing extraction button, displays optimal green pressure zone for espresso
• Active Eco mode: Press and hold “-” button for about 3 seconds to turn steam boiler on or off. It directly affects the brewing profile programmed on the machine (pre-infusion with steam boiler pressure or without)
• Energy saving mode: Auto-shutoff after 30 minutes of non-use (Can disable this feature if you want the machine always ready)
• Professional 58mm portafilter handle: Compatible with many popular espresso accessories
• Has OPV pressure limiting valve: Controls maximum pressure during extraction—however must remove machine cover to access this component
• Large 2.5L water tank: Fairly comfortable for 1 week of use if making 2 cups of coffee daily

ACTUAL WARM-UP TIME FOR LELIT ELIZABETH ESPRESSO MACHINE

For a home espresso machine, faster heating is always better than waiting long. E61 group head machines should use a timer switch as they need over 20 minutes to stabilize temperature. Elizabeth doesn’t need this accessory because it heats up relatively quickly:

• ~7 minutes if machine is in steam boiler off mode: Suitable if user only makes espresso or uses super light roasted beans with Bloom Pre-infusion profile without steam pressure
• ~10 minutes in both boilers on mode: For users making lattes or who prefer Steam Pre-infusion method with steam boiler pressure (for dark or medium roasted beans)

The machine will increase power and push actual temperature in the brew boiler to about 115°C. It will need about 5 more minutes for the machine to stabilize down to the set water temperature (90-93°C). If brewing right when the LCC screen displays “OK,” users should flush water for about 5 seconds before installing the portafilter in the machine (Press extraction buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously)

Should install the portafilter in the group head during machine warm-up

DISADVANTAGES OF LELIT ELIZABETH PL92T ESPRESSO MACHINE

• Minimalist design is selective about users: At first glance, it’s easy to judge Elizabeth as just another ordinary home espresso machine. After hearing the machine’s price, a feeling of disconnect arises. You must truly understand the value the machine brings to feel this is an excellent machine and why it’s popular in Europe while quite uncommon in Vietnam. Vietnamese highly value aesthetics and if comparing beauty, clearly Elizabeth loses to Mara X or Bianca!
• Steam wand knob is too small: The size is disproportionate to the machine and turning it doesn’t deliver a complete experience. Replacing with a larger diameter knob would help balance the machine and make operation easier
• C13 power cable plug protrudes from back preventing flush wall placement: Solution is to buy a C13/C14 converter cable (left or right angle depending on specific machine placement) to reduce gap between machine and wall to about 2cm
• Included tamper is plastic: A machine priced higher than Mara X doesn’t even include a steel tamper. It should and needs to be replaced with a more effective tamper!

NOTES WHEN USING LELIT ELIZABETH PL92T ESPRESSO MACHINE

• Lelit Elizabeth is a home segment machine. Don’t use for a coffee shop. Machine stability is limited to 4-6 espressos or 4 cappuccinos continuously. After that the machine needs 2 minutes rest to continue operating effectively
• Should use RO filtered water with TDS parameters around 50ppm. This will limit or almost completely eliminate scaling in the boiler and machine lines
• Should periodically use cleaning powder for backflushing at the group head after about 50-60 brewing cycles (Press and hold extraction buttons 1 and 2 simultaneously to backflush for 5-6 seconds)
• Completion time for automatic extraction buttons will include pre-infusion time. Normally literature shows standard espresso extraction in 25 seconds, but Elizabeth might be 35-40 seconds or more depending on user settings
• Although both buttons have automatic brewing parameters programmed. But if users want active control, they can set brew time for one of the two buttons to “OFF.” At this point brew time is unlimited and manually stopped, still keeping the pre-infusion profile
• Machine has active Eco mode that auto-sleeps after 30 minutes of non-use. Can disable this feature if you want the machine always in ready mode by holding extraction button 2 while turning on the machine. Hot water button flashing means ECO mode is on, no light means ECO mode is off

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LELIT ELIZABETH V3 VERSUS V1 AND V2

• LCC screen updated with latest firmware 5.05 or 5.06
• Reserve mode: Allows completing espresso extraction even if machine indicates empty water on LCC screen during brewing
• Added Eco mode: Machine sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity
• Added non-pressure infusion mode (Bloom pre-infusion). Machines produced before 2020 won’t have this feature
• 58mm group head internal gasket is metal (V1 and V2 used plastic gasket)
• 2 new generation temperature probes with higher accuracy
• New Olab Silent Green pump is quiet, nearly reaching rotary pump level (V1 and V2 versions use Ulka pump)

WHO IS THE LELIT ELIZABETH V3 ESPRESSO MACHINE FOR?

Someone new to high-quality home espresso will never use Elizabeth. The machine is only for those who meet at least 3 of these 4 factors:

1. Good palate, can distinguish small changes in different brewing profiles
2. Love tinkering and experiencing new extraction techniques
3. Understand why certain beans should use certain brewing profiles versus other extraction methods. Meaning they already have extensive experience using espresso machines
4. Strong finances and iron psychology to ignore doubts from people around them when bringing home a machine that looks ordinary but the price is… However, as someone who meets factors 1, 2, and 3, the Admin confirms this machine is expensive but not overpriced! Performance is excellent! When hubby brews me an espresso in the morning and makes wifey a latte, the affection is so sweet. Money that buys daily joy is actually…cheap. Say you use it lightly for 10 years, that’s only half a banh mi per day!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: LELIT ELIZABETH PL92T ESPRESSO MACHINE

• Brand: Lelit
• Model: PL92T
• Dimensions: W31cm x D27cm x H38cm
• Machine weight: 12kg
• Material: Stainless steel
• Water tank capacity: 2.5L
• Steel steam boiler capacity: 600ml / 1200W power
• Nickel-plated copper brew boiler capacity: 300ml / 1000W power
• Default pump pressure: 9 bars – maximum 15 bars (Adjustable via OPV valve inside machine)
• Integrated digital display can program brewing profiles: Temperature, timer, pre-infusion notifications…
• Voltage: 220V
• Made in Italy
• Warranty: 12 months

LELIT ELIZABETH ESPRESSO MACHINE PACKAGE INCLUDES

• 1 Espresso machine
• 1 double-spout 58mm portafilter handle
• 2 IMS filter baskets: 9-11g and 14-18g
• 1 metal blind basket
• 1 plastic tamper
• 1 plastic coffee scoop
• 1 water softener filter set
• 1 metal cup stand
• General user manual (CAN DOWNLOAD SOFT PDF VERSION HERE)
• LCC display parameter setup guide

REFERENCE SOME COFFEE GRINDERS TO USE WITH