Lelit MaraX (PL62X) settings for espresso
Espresso machine Lelit MaraX (PL62X) Grinder Baratza Encore ESP (standalone, not built-in) Roast date
Your recipe
- Dose
- 18g
- Yield
- 38g
- Time
- 25–32s
- Temp
- 92°C
- Grind setting
- setting 15
- Basket
- To the rim
- Tamping
- Firm, level
- Grind setting
- setting 15
- Shot time
- 25–32seconds
Freshness of your beans
Your beans are in their peak window. Most of the CO₂ has left the beans, which is why your espresso runs nearly the same every time. You don't need to change anything. Use the starting point for your grinder's setting below as it is and only adjust by taste.
This is your tailored dial-in guide for the Lelit MaraX (PL62X), matched to this bag of EasyEspresso coffee beans. The steps below move with whatever you choose above.
Tip: a scale around €15 is the biggest step toward better espresso.
How to set up the Lelit MaraX (PL62X) for espresso
One time only, before your very first cup
Getting your Lelit MaraX ready to use
Brand new out of the box? Then the MaraX first has to fill its boiler before you can make coffee. All in all that takes about half an hour, so don't start this right before your guests arrive.
Fill the water tank through the lid on top with room-temperature water, up to the maximum mark. Leave the water filter in its box the first time. Switch the machine on with the main switch. The pump now fills the boiler, which can take up to four minutes. After that, the ‘machine ready’ light starts flashing.
Now lift the lever on top of the group head all the way up. Within half a minute, water comes out of the group. Let it run for another half minute, then put the lever all the way down again. Then wait until the machine is up to temperature.
The MaraX comes with a Lelit water softener. Soak it in water for three minutes to get the air out, and only then put it in the tank. Replace it after fourteen full tanks or after four months, whichever comes first. The tank handles have small sliders to keep track of how many times you've refilled.
Which baskets and accessories should you use?
The MaraX comes with three baskets: one for one cup and two for two cups. For 38 grams of espresso from 18 grams of coffee, use a two-cup basket. On the latest version, a basket for 14 to 18 grams is already in the portafilter, and a larger basket for 18 to 21 grams is included. Both work with 18 grams. If the coffee touches the shower screen after tamping, switch to the larger basket.
You also get a blind basket, a basket without holes. You only use it to backflush the machine (step 8).
The portafilter has a single open spout that you can place over one or two cups.
Let the machine warm up properly
Switch the machine on and lock your empty portafilter into the group head straight away, so it warms up too. The MaraX is ready when the ‘machine ready’ light, the water light and the frame of the main switch are all steadily lit. According to Lelit, that takes at most 24 minutes.
The MaraX has an E61 group head: that thick, chrome block with the lever on top. That block has to be fully heated through before you make coffee. That's why warming up takes longer here than on a small machine. Put it on a plug timer if you don't want to wait in the morning.
Just before you grind, run water through the group for a few seconds with the portafilter out. This rinses away old coffee residue.
This is completely normal: some water runs into the drip tray while the machine warms up, and later on the pump also kicks in briefly every now and then without you doing anything. That's how the machine keeps the water in the group moving.
The machine goes into standby by itself after a while
If you don't use the MaraX for half an hour, it goes into standby. You wake it up by lifting the lever once and putting it down again.
Setting the water temperature
Behind the drip tray there's a switch with three positions: 0 is 90 °C, I is 92 °C and II is 94 °C. It ships on 0. For our EasyEspresso coffee beans, set it to I (92 °C). That position moves with the roast date you enter at the top. Beans in their peak window belong on I. Once they're past their peak, more than five weeks after the roast date, we recommend II, because warmer water gets more out of older beans.
If your espresso still tastes sour after that, go one position warmer. If it stays bitter, go one position cooler.
Next to that switch there's a second one, the Xmode switch. Leave it in its factory position. In the other position (Xmode Coffee), the machine turns the heating off while brewing. That's meant for very light roasts, and it makes your steam weaker. On the first version of the MaraX the positions have different names. If in doubt, check your own manual.
Set the grinder to setting 15
The grind setting is the most important setting for your shot time and your taste. For our EasyEspresso coffee beans, start at setting 15. That starting point adjusts to the roast date you enter at the top. For beans in their peak window it's setting 15, the starting point Baratza itself recommends for a medium roast with 18 grams of coffee.
You set the grind by turning the hopper until the indicator lines up with the right number. A lower number is finer. Settings 1 to 20 are for espresso: each click is a small step there. Settings 21 to 40 are for filter coffee and make bigger jumps. So for espresso, always stay below 20.
Note: only adjust the grinder while it's running or when it's completely empty. Turning it with beans inside while it's stopped can damage it. Adjust one click at a time: in the espresso range, a single click already makes a difference.
Today: use the starting point above as it is.
This is completely normal: in the first few weeks you'll need to set the grinder a touch finer for the same result. The burrs are breaking in. After that, the grind stays stable.
What if it's still too coarse on setting 1?
Does your espresso still run through in under fifteen seconds on the finest setting? The grinder comes with shims to calibrate it finer. One shim shifts the whole range by about five settings. How to fit them is explained in the manual.
Grinding and dosing
The Encore ESP has no timer. You grind with the on/off knob on the side, or by holding down the pulse button on the front. It then stops as soon as you let go. Grind into the dosing cup that comes with it.
No scale? Grind until the coffee in your basket sits slightly domed, with a small mound in the middle. With this grinder a scale is extra valuable, though, because it doesn't stop by itself.
The easiest way is to weigh the beans. Weigh out 18 grams of beans, pour them into the hopper and grind until the grinder is empty. Then weigh the ground coffee: a little always stays behind in the grinder.
Place your portafilter upside down on the dosing cup, flip them over together and tap the cup empty into the portafilter. The cup has a ring for 58 millimeter portafilters. If your portafilter is smaller, take that ring off.
Tips against static and clumps
At a fine espresso grind, the coffee from this grinder is often a bit static and clumpy. Add a drop of water to the beans before grinding: that helps against static. Less coffee stays behind in the grinder as well. If you've changed the grind a lot, grind a few grams first and throw them away.
Have a WDT tool, a little tool with thin needles? Stir the coffee gently with it before tamping. That breaks up the clumps.
How do you clean the grinder?
Unplug the grinder first. If you use it every day, brush the burrs clean about once a month. Turn the ring all the way anticlockwise, lift out the outer burr and brush away the residue. Never use water: the burrs will rust. Grinder cleaning tablets are fine to use.
Distributing the coffee and tamping level
Before you tamp, you want the coffee to sit flat and evenly in the basket. Tap the side of the portafilter a few times with the palm of your hand so any gaps disappear.
Rest the portafilter on a flat, sturdy surface. Take the tamper, keep your wrist straight above it and press down evenly until the coffee stops giving way. You don't need to press hard. What matters most is that you press level and use the same force every time.
The MaraX uses 58 millimeter baskets and tampers, the size used on most café machines. So if you want a different tamper or a better basket later on, you have plenty of choice. Do make sure a tamper fits exactly: a tamper that's too small leaves a ring of loose coffee along the edge.
Common tamping mistakes
The most common mistake is tamping at an angle. If you press harder on one side, the coffee ends up sloping in the basket. The water then takes the easiest route, through the thin side. You get an espresso that tastes sour and bitter at the same time. So always check after tamping that the surface is nice and level.
Never knock the tamper against the side of the portafilter after tamping. That breaks the edge of your puck loose, so water leaks down along the wall.
Pulling the espresso
Lock the portafilter into the group head until the handle points straight towards you, in line with the padlock symbol on the group. Put your cup underneath and lift the lever all the way up. Put the lever all the way down again when you want to stop.
Start a timer as soon as you lift the lever. For the first few seconds nothing comes out yet: the machine gently wets the coffee first. Then the first drops appear, turning into a syrupy stream that looks like honey. After about 29 seconds, put the lever down.
Put your cup on the scale and zero the scale. Lift the lever and start your timer at the same time. When the scale is a few grams short of 38 grams, put the lever down. A little more drips through afterwards, so you end up at around 38 grams.
The lever has only two positions: all the way up or all the way down. Leave it halfway and the group will leak. The pressure gauge has two scales: one for the pump and one for the steam boiler. While brewing, the pump pressure rises slowly and ends up between 8 and 10 bar. That slow rise is the pre-infusion, and that's how it should be.
This is completely normal: the frame of the main switch flashes while the pump is running.
Why doesn't the machine stop by itself?
The MaraX has no button that stops after a fixed amount of water. You decide when to stop. That feels unfamiliar at first, but it also gives you full control. With a scale under your cup, you stop at exactly the same amount every time.
Taste, judge and adjust
Always taste your espresso on its own first, without sugar or milk. Give it a good stir with a spoon, because the top and bottom layers of an espresso taste very different. Then ask yourself what you're tasting: does sourness dominate, is there an unpleasant bitterness, or is the flavor full, sweet and balanced?
Only ever change one thing at a time, and start with your grind setting. Only adjust the amount of coffee or the temperature if you can't fix it with the grind. That way you know exactly what each change did.
| What you taste or see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The espresso tastes sour, sharp and thin, and the shot runs faster than 25 seconds. | The water runs through the coffee too quickly because the grind is too coarse. | Grind one setting finer. |
| The espresso tastes bitter, dry and burnt, and the shot takes longer than 32 seconds. | The water runs through the coffee too slowly because the grind is too fine. | Grind one setting coarser. |
| The time is right, but the espresso tastes watery and weak. | There isn't enough coffee in the basket. | Check that you're really using 18 grams, and add a little more if not. |
| The espresso tastes sour and bitter at the same time, and the stream runs unevenly. | The water finds an easy path through the coffee (channeling) because of uneven distribution or tamping at an angle. | Pay extra attention to distributing and tamping level in step 4. |
Measuring with a refractometer? With 18 grams in and 38 grams out, a good espresso sits around a TDS of 0.1 to 0.1 percent. That corresponds to an extraction of 18 to 22 percent. If your extraction is lower and the espresso tastes sour, grind finer. If it's higher and the espresso tastes bitter, grind coarser. In the end, trust your taste: the meter helps you understand what you're tasting, but it doesn't decide for you.
What does the puck tell you?
After brewing, a puck of spent coffee stays behind in the basket. It tells you less than you might think. Whether it comes out wet or dry mostly depends on your machine and says little about the taste. If your espresso tastes good, there's no need to worry about the puck.
Do look out for small holes or cracks in the puck. They show that the water found an easier way through in one spot. You'll taste that as an espresso that's sour and bitter at the same time.
Write down your settings
Pulled a shot you love? Write down the grind setting you used, how much coffee went in, how much espresso came out and how long it ran. Note the roast date of the bag as well. With the next bag you can start from that setting and you'll be dialed in much faster.
Steaming milk
Fill the milk jug about a third of the way with cold whole milk. Cold milk gives you time to create fine, glossy foam before the milk gets too hot.
The steam knob is on one side of the machine and the hot water knob on the other. You open them by turning anticlockwise. Want more steam power? Lift the lever once and put it straight back down, without brewing coffee. Wait half a minute: the machine then gives you extra steam pressure for two minutes.
Hold the steam wand over the drip tray and open the steam knob for two seconds to blow out the condensation.
Hold the steam wand just below the surface of the milk, to the left or right of the center of the jug, so the milk starts to swirl. You'll hear a soft hissing sound: this is where you're adding air to the milk. Keep going until the jug feels as warm as your hand (about 35 °C). Then push the wand a little deeper, so you stop adding air and the milk just keeps spinning. Turn off the steam as soon as the jug is just too hot to hold. The milk is then about 55 °C and at its sweetest.
This is completely normal: the steam pressure needle wobbles a little the whole time. That's because the machine keeps topping up the heat in the boiler.
How hot can the milk get?
Like your coffee hotter? Steam the milk two to four seconds longer. Don't go above 65 °C: beyond that, the milk gets thinner and loses its sweetness.
Keeping the steam wand clean
After steaming, purge the steam wand over the drip tray for another two seconds and wipe it straight away with a clean, damp cloth. Dried milk bakes onto the wand and can block it. Don't draw hot water while the lever is up.
Cleaning and maintenance
Knock out the puck into the knock box right after use, rinse the basket and lock the empty portafilter back into the machine. At the end of the day, brush the rubber gasket in the group head clean with the Lelit brush, and wash the drip tray.
On the MaraX, all the water the machine releases ends up in the drip tray. So check it every day, even if you haven't made much coffee.
Weekly backflushing
- Put the blind basket in the portafilter and add one sachet of cleaning powder.
- Lock in the portafilter.
- Lift the lever for ten seconds and put it down for ten seconds. Do this ten times.
- Rinse the blind basket and repeat five times without powder.
After backflushing, the lever may squeak a little and feel stiff. After ten to twenty shots that goes away by itself.
Descaling
Lelit advises against descaling the MaraX yourself, and recommends having a technician do it once a year instead. If you use the Lelit water filter and replace it on time, you'll prevent most scale.
This guide is written for the Lelit MaraX (model PL62X, first and second version) and the EasyEspresso coffee beans from Easy Beans Company.
Frequently asked questions
Where do these settings come from?
The machine specs, such as portafilter size and temperature control, come from the manufacturer itself and were last checked on 27 July 2026. The grind-setting starting point above was separately verified against the manufacturer itself, with its own verification date of 15 October 2026. The dose of 18 grams and the yield of 38 grams were set by our barista for our EasyEspresso coffee beans.
Do I need a scale to make a good espresso?
No. Fill the basket to the rim, tamp firmly and watch the color and thickness of the stream: that's enough to get started. A scale makes your recipe more precise and repeatable, which is why we introduce it at the "With a scale" level, but it's not a requirement for pulling a good shot.
My espresso has no crema, what am I doing wrong?
That happens to everyone occasionally, and it's rarely on you. A thin or pale layer of crema usually points to beans that are a bit older, or a shot that ran too fast. Check the roast date above first, and grind a fraction finer if the shot is still running fast.
Why 18 grams and not the size of my filter basket?
The dose belongs to the bean, not the machine. Our barista set 18 grams in and 38 grams out as the ratio that gets the most out of our EasyEspresso coffee beans, and that ratio is the same on every machine. Have a smaller basket (14 or 17 grams)? Pick your basket under "Your setup" above: dose and yield then adjust automatically, with the same ratio.
Can I set the water temperature on the Lelit MaraX (PL62X)?
Yes. This machine controls the water temperature digitally with a PID. Set it to 92 °C and leave it alone after that. Only adjust this if your coffee is structurally off: a degree up if the shot stays sharp and sour, a degree down if it tastes bitter and flat.
Does my water make a difference to the taste?
Yes. Water that's too hard makes your espresso flat and also scales up your machine. Filtered water or bottled water with a low mineral content works best.
Why does this recipe differ per machine?
Every machine has a different grinder, portafilter size and temperature control, so the same coffee needs a different starting point on two different machines. That's why we build a dedicated, verified recipe per machine rather than giving one general piece of advice that's not quite right for anyone.
Does the grind setting change as my beans get older?
Yes. Freshly roasted beans up to 6 days past the roast date want a slightly coarser grind, in the peak window of 7 to 21 days you use the base starting point, and beans older than 21 days want a finer grind. The freshness block above calculates this automatically based on the roast date you enter.
Should I adjust multiple settings at once?
No. Always change one variable at a time, usually the grind setting, and taste before going further. That way you know exactly what effect each change had.
That's it. From here, it's your recipe.
Print this page or bookmark it. If the age of your beans changes, open it again and the freshness advice moves with it automatically.