A great all rounder

By: Rae on 6 July 2022

I bought this machine back in March, after doing a LOT of research and chatting to the lovely, lovely staff at Jet Black several times. I'm in Melbourne, so decided to buy the Barista Course booklet as well. I didn't feel up to trying an in person training course after so many lock-downs. I decided to write a review only after a few months of daily use. This machine replaces my old Saeco Via Venezia, that died a few years ago and I never replaced... because I didn't want an external grinder and machine on the bench. I really, really love the in-built coffee grinder. In practice, it does a great job. The problem with it is that coffee powder is sprayed everywhere. A dosing funnel is essential! I waited 2 months before buying a cheapie and should have just bought one straight away, it makes a huge difference to the mess. The stainless steel drip tray is very deep and full metal grill make clean up a breeze. I bought it, thinking we'd be doing lots of milky drinks over winter, and have ended up doing lots of long blacks, so using the steam wand for the hot water. The steam wand works brilliantly for both hot water and making hot milk. I make 3 large, frothy hot chocolates regularly heating All That Milk and it does a great job, just chugs right along. It's worth noting that heat up time is about 5 minutes. You can start using the steaming wand about half way through the heat up cycle - once you know how to, this really helps to keep things moving along quickly. The portafilter handle it comes with is a lovely one - nice bakelite type handle, glossy chrome piece - and it fits really well in our vintage, 1930's style kitchen. I did buy the bottomless porte-filter as well, this has been helpful in learning how to dial in coffee. The cup warmer on top does keep a few cups warm, though a proper warming drawer does the best job. On the subject of coffee: I read in another review the suggestion to buy a large bag of some cheap coffee and play with the grinder settings. I did this, and highly recommend it for the learning experience of just getting the hang of watching the dials and getting the output to weigh the right amount (dial - in instructions are in the course booklet I bought). I use this machine every morning, very early, to make a long black. Sometimes I'll drink it at home, other times it goes straight into a travel cup for the drive. Yes, the grinder is a bit noisy, but with the door shut, it doesn't really disturb them. I've just finished a lunch coffee, it tasted great, no more burnt coffee, or dish washer type coffee, and I've avoided spending a LOT of money on cafe type coffees. Now that I've learned the basics of dialling in coffee, I'm enjoying ordering bags of beans from different suppliers. Cheers, and once again, thanks to the lovely Jet Black staff who were so helpful and able to educate me about coffee.

(5)

Dream machine

By: Mick Northwood on 26 September 2021

The Lelit Kate has been fantastic. Kate looks beautiful and has made beautiful coffee every time. The PID on Kate has made espresso-making so much easier and timer on grinder and shot-pour has definitely helped my coffee making. We are so pleased we bought our Kate and are enjoying our coffees at home more than ever! Thank you Jet Black Espresso!

(5)

First purchase

By: mark on 26 August 2021

We've been looking at what machine to purchase as our first foray into home coffee machine market for some time and can confidently say that talking with the Jet Black team made this experience a pleasant one. They were professional, friendly and understood what we wanted, within the budget we had in mind. Would highly recommend anyone looking for their first, second or other generation purchase of home machine to talk with Jet Black. A great crew and their Royal and Espresso roasts are on point also.

(5)

Most worthy purchase

By: Desmond Chow on 27 March 2021

When I walked into Jetblack my mind was the Rancilio v6 with the PID upgrade. But then Amber told me it would be better off with the Lelit Kate. It already has a build in PID and grinder as it can steam more milk if I do multiple shots unlike the Rancilio which would not have enough steam to keep up with multiple milk frothing. It has timer shots, pre infusion on/off, and temperature setting. Well it sure does the job well even though it is a single boiler. The steamer was powerful enough. It is indeed value for money if you do not have a grinder and wants a good upgrade. The Kate lives up to my expectation. Sales service from Amber was excellent and helpful. Definitely will recommend the Lelit Kate.

(5)

Compact and good looking machine, and without comp

By: Kym on 2 May 2020

This machine is perfect for someone who makes 1-3 cups at a time and wants a compact good looking setup on their kitchen bench. Things I like: - 300ml boiler is big enough for everyday use but small enough to heat up rapidly, like 5min or so, - Grinder is powerful, I regularly grind 20g in under 10s, - Boiler is mounted directly to the grouphead to ensure great thermal stability (as also found in the $6k La Marzocco Linea Mini, - Single boiler setup is ideal for the home user in my opinion, as it allows you to have PID control directly over espresso and steam while also keeping the unit compact. The machine heats up to steam temperature in the time it takes me to knock the grinds out of the portafilter and pour milk into the jug, about a minute. You can cool it down in the time by flushing it with water, but the home users rarely makes so many coffees to have to do that. - All stainless steel compact construction with modern styling. - Compact enough to easily put in the back of the car for holidays. Things I don’t like: - The steam dial is a bit unnecessary as you typically want full steam pressure, should just be an on/off switch or valve. I had Jetblack modify my machine. - It’s a bit tricky to open the machine up and change the pressure setpoint but most people won’t need to do that anyway.

(5)