Rocket Appartamento vs. Lelit Mara X: Best Compact E61?

The Rocket Appartamento and the Lelit MaraX are both compact heat exchanger (HX) espresso machines with a 1.8 litre boiler and a 2.5 litre water tank, so they make the same kind of drink. The real difference is temperature management. Rocket lists the standard Appartamento with no PID control, so it behaves like a classic HX that needs a cooling flush before brewing. Lelit sells the MaraX with a double probe system that, according to Lelit, keeps brew temperature constant and avoids the overheating typical of classic HX machines. If you want the brew side managed for you, the MaraX is the closer fit; if you want the classic HX routine in Rocket’s design, the Appartamento is.

This comparison is built from Rocket’s and Lelit’s own product pages and catalogue, plus the Wikipedia overviews of HX machines and the E61 group. Daily Home Coffee has not tested either machine, and no prices are given because they change often; check current retailer listings.

Why These Two Machines Get Compared

The E61 is a brew group invented by Ernesto Valente and introduced by Faema in 1961. According to Wikipedia, the Faema E61 was the first espresso machine to use automatic pre-infusion, an electric pump and a thermosiphon for managing group head temperature, and the thermosiphon plus more than 4 kg of brass gives E61 machines thermal inertia that helps keep brew temperature stable across shots. The name is also used generically for machines with this type of group.

Both machines in this comparison sit in that family. Wikipedia’s espresso machine article illustrates an E61 semi-automatic “prosumer” machine with a 2019 Rocket Appartamento. Lelit calls the MaraX group the L58E, with mechanical pre-infusion, and lists thermosyphon circulation in its double probe HX system, similar to features Wikipedia credits to the original E61.

Both are also heat exchanger machines. Wikipedia describes an HX as a single boiler kept at steaming temperature, with brew water passing through a heat exchanger inside it. That water is still too hot for proper extraction at first, so a classic HX needs a cooling flush of 4–6 seconds before the first shot, repeated after the machine has been idle. The espresso boiler guide explains how this design compares with single and dual boiler machines.

Rocket Appartamento: Classic HX in a Compact Body

Design and Build Quality

The Appartamento’s recognisable feature is its circular side inserts, which Rocket calls an “iconic design” and now offers in several colour options. Rocket describes the current version as having a deeper drip tray for larger cups, RGB LED indicators, an improved internal structure and updated steam and water wands.

Rocket’s published specifications for the current Appartamento:

• Heat exchanger boiler system, boiler capacity 1.80 l
• 220–240V, 1350W
• Width 274 mm and height 360 mm; Rocket’s product page lists depth as 439.5 mm, while its domestic catalogue lists 425 mm
• Weight 20 kg
• Water tank 2.5 L, with a tank level sensor (catalogue)
• PID pressure control: no. Shot timer: no. Reservoir only, no plumbed-in option

Performance and Daily Use

Rocket lists “Manual Control allowing to start and stop the flow of water manually”, so you start and stop each shot yourself. The tank reservoir sensor is described as letting you “finish the shot even with low water”.

Because Rocket lists no PID on this model, it works like the classic HX in Wikipedia’s description: a cooling flush before the first shot and again after idle periods. Wikipedia also notes that many HX users install thermometers to help them dial in brew temperature, and that the temperature stability of HX brewing is debated. The PID controller explainer covers what electronic temperature control changes on a machine.

If you want adjustable temperature from Rocket, it also sells the Appartamento TCA, which it describes as the next generation of the Appartamento with a modern aesthetic and rounded sides. Rocket’s catalogue describes a “hybrid PID-driven temperature-control system” with boiler pressure settings from 0.9 to 1.2 bar across four presets, a 1.8 L copper heat-exchange boiler and a redesigned E61 brew group. Rocket lists it at 22 kg.

Lelit MaraX: An HX With Managed Brew Temperature

Design and Controls

Lelit lists the MaraX PL62X with a brushed stainless steel body, a cup warmer rack, a drip tray with wire grate and a double manometer showing pump and steam pressure. Lelit’s published specifications:

• Boiler: 1.8 l with an AISI316L stainless steel heat exchanger
• Water tank: 2.5 l
• Dimensions (L×D×H): 22.5 × 52 × 35.5 cm
• Weight: 18.5 kg
• L58E group with mechanical pre-infusion, compatible with LELIT58 barista tools
• Silent pump, steam boost and a stand-by function

Lelit says the machine reaches “the right temperature in just 24 minutes”. It ships with single and double LELIT58 filter baskets (9–11 g, 14–18 g and 18–21 g), a blind filter, a tamper and a water softener filter.

MaraX Modes: Xmode Coffee or Xmode Steam

Hidden buttons set the two things that make the MaraX different from a classic HX. A mode button chooses Xmode coffee or Xmode steam, and a temperature button chooses Warm, Hot or Extra Hot. Lelit’s description of the double probe system (patent pending) is that it “keeps the brewing temperature constant, eliminating the long waits between each coffee and avoiding the overheating typical of classical HX systems.”

Those are Lelit’s claims, not measured results. Lelit now also lists a newer model, the MaraX3 (PL62X3), with an “advanced patented Dual Probe PID system”, its Pagaia flow control lever and the same 1.8 l boiler and 2.5 l tank.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Rocket Appartamento	Lelit MaraX (PL62X)
Boiler	1.8 l heat exchanger	1.8 l, AISI316L stainless steel heat exchanger
Brew temperature control	No PID listed; classic HX	Double probe system; Warm / Hot / Extra Hot
Mode selection	None listed	Xmode coffee or Xmode steam
Brew group	E61 type (per Wikipedia)	Lelit L58E, mechanical pre-infusion
Width × depth × height	274 × 425–439.5 × 360 mm (Rocket’s two published depths)	22.5 × 52 × 35.5 cm
Weight	20 kg	18.5 kg
Water tank	2.5 L, level sensor	2.5 l, no-water LED and reserve mode
Gauges	Not listed in Rocket’s specifications	Double manometer (pump and steam)

Espresso Quality

Wikipedia credits the E61 group’s thermosiphon and more than 4 kg of brass with thermal inertia and a stable brew temperature across shots, and it identifies the Appartamento as an E61 machine. Lelit lists thermosyphon circulation in the MaraX’s double probe HX system but does not publish the L58E group’s material or mass on the pages used here. Neither maker publishes measured shot-to-shot temperature data in the pages used here, so there is no basis for a figure. The difference is in how you reach the right temperature: on the Appartamento you manage it with a flush, and on the MaraX the double probe system manages it to the setting you choose, according to Lelit.

Steaming Performance

Both use a 1.8 litre heat exchanger boiler. Wikipedia describes a classic HX as a boiler kept at steaming temperature, which lets HX machines brew and steam at the same time; Lelit does not publish how the MaraX boiler temperature changes between Xmode coffee and Xmode steam. The MaraX adds a steam boost function and an Xmode steam setting, which signals that Lelit lets you favour steam when you need it. Neither maker publishes steam output figures in the pages used here, so a ranking of steam power between the two would be a guess.

User Experience

Footprint is the most concrete difference. Lelit lists the MaraX at 22.5 cm wide and 52 cm deep; Rocket lists the Appartamento at 274 mm wide and 425–439.5 mm deep. On the makers’ published figures, the MaraX is the narrower machine and the deeper one, so measure counter depth as well as width and the space under your cabinets before choosing. On the MaraX, temperature and mode are set by buttons and both pressures show on gauges. On the Appartamento, the routine is the classic HX one: flush, then brew, with Rocket’s LED indicators giving visual feedback.

Who Is Each Machine For?

Choose the Rocket Appartamento If:

• You want Rocket’s design, including the circular side inserts and colour options
• You are happy to learn a cooling flush before brewing and after idle periods
• Your counter is shallow: Rocket publishes a depth of 425–439.5 mm and Lelit 52 cm for the MaraX; the makers may measure differently, so confirm the depth with your retailer
• You would rather have a machine without PID control (Rocket lists none); if you want adjustable temperature from Rocket, look at the Appartamento TCA

Choose the Lelit MaraX If:

• You want a temperature setting and a coffee or steam mode, with a double probe system that Lelit says avoids classic HX overheating
• Your counter is narrow: the MaraX is 22.5 cm wide
• You want pump and steam pressure gauges on the front
• You want Lelit’s listed accessories in the box: three baskets, a blind filter, a tamper and a water softener filter

Who Should Skip Both?

• If you want to set brew temperature directly and steam separately, a dual boiler machine does that with a dedicated boiler for each job
• If you rarely make milk drinks, an HX’s always-hot steam boiler does work you may not need
• If counter space is very limited, check both footprints above: neither machine is small in every direction

Practical Tips for Either Machine

Appartamento: build a repeatable flush. Wikipedia describes a cooling flush of 4–6 seconds before the first shot on a classic HX and says it needs repeating after the machine sits idle. A thermometer can help while you learn it; Wikipedia notes that many HX users fit one to help dial in temperature.

MaraX: leave the machine for the warm-up time Lelit gives, 24 minutes, before the first shot. Then change one setting at a time, the temperature button first and the mode button when you are making milk drinks, so you know which change made the difference.

Both: use the basket size that matches your dose. Lelit’s baskets are labelled 9–11 g, 14–18 g and 18–21 g.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Lelit MaraX need a cooling flush?

Lelit says the double probe system keeps brew temperature constant and avoids the overheating typical of classic HX systems, which is the reason classic HX machines are flushed. Follow Lelit’s manual for your unit; the product pages do not describe a flushing routine.

Does the Rocket Appartamento have a PID?

Rocket’s specification table for the standard Appartamento says no. The Appartamento TCA is the version with temperature control adjustment, which Rocket describes as a hybrid PID-driven system with four boiler pressure presets.

Is the MaraX an E61 machine?

Lelit names its group the L58E. Lelit lists mechanical pre-infusion for the group and thermosyphon circulation in its HX system, similar to features Wikipedia credits to the original E61, but Lelit’s own pages do not call it an E61.

Which one is easier for a beginner?

Lelit says the MaraX’s double probe system keeps brew temperature constant and avoids the overheating that classic HX machines are flushed to remove; check Lelit’s manual for any flushing guidance. The Appartamento, as a classic HX, asks you to learn a cooling flush. Both still need the usual espresso skills: grind, dose and shot timing.

Making Your Decision

Both machines are compact HX espresso machines with a 1.8 litre boiler and a 2.5 litre tank, so the decision rests on three things. Temperature handling: a classic flush on the Appartamento, settings and a double probe system on the MaraX. Footprint: on the makers’ published figures, the MaraX is narrower and deeper. Design: Rocket’s circular side inserts against Lelit’s brushed steel and gauges. If you want selectable brew temperature and Lelit’s double probe system, choose the MaraX or the newer MaraX3; if you want Rocket’s design and are happy with the HX routine, choose the Appartamento, or the Appartamento TCA, which Rocket describes as the evolution of the Appartamento with temperature control adjustment.