The entry-level "prosumer" all-in-one market (that's a mouthful!) is feeling more and more crowded as time goes on, but LELIT's Anita All-In-One Espresso Machine still stands out from the crowd. Let's discuss how!
Design
The design of the Anita is genuinely unique among all-in-one machine offerings. First of all, it has a fully chrome case that will appeal to many over the plastic look that most all-in-ones project. It also has a surprisingly compact footprint despite combining machine and grinder, and with the grinder's low profile your visitors may not even realize it is an all-in-one. The Anita achieves this without sacrificing functionality or performance, making its design all the more impressive.
Another unique element of this machine is its built-in tamper. Instead of a separate tamper that can be misplaced or that you need space for, the Anita has a tamper that's integrated into the work area. All you have to do after grinding is lift the portafilter into this tamper and apply some pressure. We were initially concerned that the need to press up instead of down might effect shot quality and consistency, but have not found that to be the case in testing. Even pulling several shots in a row yielded consistent tamps and results.
Performance
The LELIT Anita features a single boiler instead of the thermoblock or coil that we tend to expect from all-in-one machines. Thankfully, the performance of that single boiler is really top notch, and while this setup can lead to delays between brewing and steaming (as the boiler comes up to temp) we found that this wasn't a noticeable issue. A traditional boiler will take more time to heat than a thermoblock, so this machine isn't quite as fast as competitors from brands like Breville, but we do find that performance is more consistent and you get finer control with a boiler.Ā
The other benefit from a more traditional design is steaming performance. We actually recommend that users set the steam temp to 130c, lower than its maximum, as they learn to froth milk, because it's quite powerful at full temps. This is really great to see in an all-in-one as steaming performance is usually one of the things you sacrifice from a machine in this configuration.Ā
So What's the Catch?
This machine isn't completely perfect - for starters, we do wish it came with a more standard size portafilter instead of its 57mm design. This does limit the accessories available for the portafilter, but it's far from a deal breaker. We have also found that it can be tricky to clean just because everything is so compact. We'd have liked better access to the grind chute for this very reason.
With all of that said, we're fans of this machine. The caveats here are livable to get such great performance out of a machine in a category that usually sacrifices it for convenience. You'll get used to cleaning around its tighter workspace and fewer accessories isn't the end of the world. The only thing we do really recommend for users of this machine is to keep a scale nearby to weigh your doses. You can learn to use the Anita's dosing by feel, but a scale will help with consistency.
Ultimately this is a quality machine with some great specs at its price and category. It's definitely worth considering for anyone looking to get started with home espresso!
Check out our video review for more insight (plus a comparison with the Breville Barista Express) and let us know what you think in the comments here!
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