Lelit Kate PL82T – espresso machine with integrated grinder and 38 mm conical burrs

Lelit Kate PL82T – espresso machine with integrated grinder and 38 mm conical burrs

One appliance on the counter instead of two: the bean hopper on the left, the group on the right, and in between, one move and the puck is in the portafilter.

The Kate asks a question many kitchens have been asking for a long time: why two appliances when one will do? The grinder sits in the same housing as the machine, works with conical burrs 38 millimetres in diameter and can be adjusted micrometrically and steplessly via a knob on the side. The bean hopper holds 350 grams and sits on the outside so the beans aren't warmed up by the machine – heat lets volatile aromas escape faster, and whatever is lost before grinding never reaches the cup. The grinding times can be set, so your usual dose comes at the push of a button.

Grinders are like car engines: subjective, and there's no single best one. Conical burrs often give more body and roundness, flat burrs tend to draw a clearer picture. What counts in both cases is how even the particles are – the fewer outliers in the grounds, the calmer the extraction runs. And because freshly ground coffee loses its volatile compounds within minutes, the short way from grinder to portafilter is worth more than it looks.

Heating comes from a 300 millilitre brass coffee boiler – a single boiler. That means espresso and steam come one after the other, not at the same time. Anyone who thinks a single boiler is only for espresso drinkers has never seen how calmly you can make a cappuccino with it once you've got the order down. Pull the shot first, then froth, done.

You operate the Kate via the LCC, the Lelit Control Center, with a high-resolution OLED display and PID function. You see coffee, water and steam temperature as well as the running shot time, and you activate pre-infusion, stand-by and the cleaning cycle. At the front sits the LELIT58 group with a three-way solenoid valve that pulls the puck dry after the shot. Add to that a backlit manometer, backlit stainless steel buttons, a wide cup warmer, a multidirectional steam and hot water wand and a brushed stainless steel housing.

At a glance

Who the Kate is for

For kitchens that lack the space for two appliances but not the standards for the cup. For everyone who wants a short path in the morning: beans in, press the button, tamp, pull the shot. And for everyone who'd like to start with a machine without having to choose a grinder at the same time – you can still add one later, and the Kate won't sit idle because of it. No budget is just a beginning, and every path to coffee is valid.

If you'd like to add a separate grinder later, our coffee grinders include the Varia VS3 and the Comandante C40 alongside the Varia VS6, the Weber Workshops EG-1 and the Option-O Lagom. For dosing by weight, the coffee scales are worth a look: Normcore for compact and reliable, Acaia for app and flow rate display. Because there'll be plenty of milk involved here, you'll find the Normcore Pitcher in our milk pitchers as well as the jugs from Rhino and Weber Workshops. And if you're unsure which heating system to choose, our comparison and advice tool guides you through the question step by step.