Lelit Victoria PL91T PID Single Boiler Espresso Machine
A great home espresso machine made by Lelit in Brescia, Italy. The Lelit Victoria PL91T has a lot to offer!
Firstly, the Lelit Victoria PL91T PID Control Center allows PID programming of the boiler in coffee mode from 176-230 degrees Fahrenheit and the steam mode can be programmed from 230-284 degrees Fahrenheit. The pre-infusion can be turned on or off, and when turned on, there is a ~ 3-second pre-infusion with a 3-second soak before the countdown shot timer starts.
Compact size allows a super quality espresso to be extracted.
Single boiler, dual-purpose system
- Brass – Boiler is made brass which retains heat better than stainless steel. Typically brass boilers are more susceptible to limescale compared to stainless steel boilers. We highly recommend utilizing the water softener included with the machine.
- Quick warm-up time – From a cold start, it takes approximately 5-10 minutes for the machine to reach its set temperature at 200 °F (93 °C). Before this time, the machine modes will not function. It will take another 5-10 minutes for the rest of the machine (grouphead & portafilter) to fully heat.
- Dual Purpose? This means there is one boiler inside. The machine heats and rests in coffee mode. When the steam switch is depressed, the same boiler heats up approximately in less than 1 minute to get to steam mode. One super nice safety feature is that when the steam switch is depressed to off, the Lelit Victoria PL91T will run the pump to get fresh water into the single boiler to bring the temperature down. More importantly, on many other machines that do not have this auto-refill process, As a result, the heating element can become damaged because it is not submerged in water.
The Lelit Victoria PL91T – Construction
- Wide, passive cup warmer.
- Stainless steel, push-button switches with backlights when engaged.
- Wide water tray in stainless steel complete with self-cleaning grate.
- Brushed stainless steel body
Grouphead
- 3-way solenoid valve to allow the portafilter to immediately be removed after the coffee switch is disengaged. This allows back to back extractions.
Vibratory pump
- Efficient – 41 watts, rated up to 15 bar with air valve bypass. Only 9 bar is needed to extract espresso, and wattage does not correlate with longevity.
- Cost-effective – Pumps will degrade in performance over time. Replacing a vibration pump will be less costly than a rotary vane pump.
Tank/reservoir system
- Particle filter – Protects the Lelit Victoria PL91T machine from any unseen particles from entering the pump and boiler. It can be removed if you are installing an inline water softener.
- Auto-shutoff – Prevents burning out the heating element. The water tank sits on a spring-activated plate. Once the water is low, the spring-activated plate lifts off the switch which turns off the heating element.
Steam / hot water wand
- Multi-directional – Allows for more movement and flexibility. The wand is equipped with a rubber grip which helps you position the wand without burning your fingers.
- 1-hole steam tip – Allows for maximum steam power without running out of steam that can happen on 2 and 3 hole steam tips on a single boiler, dual-purpose espresso machine.
- Rotational knob – Located on the right side of the machine. It allows for easier control of the intensity.
Pressure gauge
- Brew (pump) pressure gauge – Located above the LCC. Measures between 0 – 16 bar. The optimal range is between 8 – 9 bar, As a result, this is achieved by the amount of coffee in the basket, the tamping pressure, and the fineness of the grind.
LCC – Lelit PL91T Control Center
- Temperature adjustment – The temperature of the boiler can be adjusted to suit most espresso coffee blends through the LLC. The LCC will show the actual temperature of the boiler, not like other machines that show programmed temperature.
- Shot timer – The shot timer starts as soon as the coffee switch is engaged and can be programmed from 0-50 seconds. The shot timer does not stop the espresso extraction. The coffee button needs to be depressed to stop the extraction. It was set up this way in case a greater extraction was needed.
- Preinfusion – Pre-infusion can be turned on or off within the LCC.
- Fahrenheit or Celsius: AFTER the machine is powered on, the “+” can be depressed and held and then the ‘-‘ key can be depressed and held to convert which temperature scale is desired. Once the scale menu is shown, the minus key can be depressed to change.
- LCC Reset – Need to reset the LCC to original factory settings? This is easy! Just hold the “+” and ‘-‘ key depressed, second, power on the machine until it says “Preset Done” on the LCC. Power ff the machine, then power it back on. In addition, please note the machine will attempt to refill the boiler with water, so please open the steam valve open using the steam valve knob.
Accessories included
- Portafilter – 1 dual spout portafilter. The Lelit Victoria handle is designed with an angle that allows it to rest on a flat surface. This eliminates the need for a tamping station. The Lelit logo is imprinted on the portafilter head and handle.
- Filter baskets – 1-cup filter basket which holds approximately 7 grams. 2-cup filter basket which holds approximately 14 grams. Blind filter basket for backflushing. 58 mm in diameter.
- Tamper – A cheap plastic tamper, common for most espresso machines to keep the overall selling price of machine low. We recommend upgrading to a better tamper.
- Scoop – Simple plastic scoop if using preground coffee.
- Water softener – Helps reduce limescale buildup in your machine. Highly recommended to replace the existing particle filter and install this water softener. Instructions are in the Support tab.
- Instructional manual – Written in 7 different languages (English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Romanian, Russian). Instructions also work for the Lelit PL81T Grace.