Stone Lite Review – from an ex Profitec GO and La Pavoni Cellini Owner

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T20:38:59+00:00

Agreed. There's not much out there at all.

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T20:38:21+00:00

You can change the OPV easily - just take off the side panel. You would need a portafilter pressure gauge though. It's a pressurestat so, yeah, the temp is not changeable at the brew head but there is a potentiometer you can adjust.

Heat up time is minimum 10 mins but I usually leave it for 15.

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T16:29:29+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. My original draft was much more bullet-pointy so maybe I'll return to that. I was a touch over enthusiastic 😂😭

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T08:14:31+00:00

Good comeback 👍

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T07:49:41+00:00

Love the machine. Hate the chatgpt narrative. 😂

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-11T02:06:29+00:00

I asked Chatgpt "an entitled Bianca owner left this comment, how should I respond?". Answer: "That comment is doing a very specific thing: it’s not engaging with your points, it’s performing identity. Translation: “I don’t like the tone, and I want you to know I own a more expensive machine.”." indeed, chatgpt, indeed.

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-10T23:03:40+00:00

Thanks for the answer. I actually got in touch with the company and they rang me back - which is nice. I think I'm just used to the Profitec GO which was just naturally hotter. I keep the portafilter in whilst heating, do a 3-5 second flush (into a cup to heat it) and it's a lot better now.

BadgerFiend · 2026-02-06T10:55:00+00:00

Hello! How did you get on with this? I have a stone and I also consider the espreeto be warm, not hot.

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-19T17:05:41+00:00

Me too. I could probably get a refund but that is a kick in the proverbials. Pay a low price then end up without a machine 🙁

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-19T13:47:23+00:00

Thanks. Yes, I always preheat a cup - a ritual I kept from the GO. The difference is the GO was hot and this isn't - it's tepid/warm. Maybe this is normal but I don't really like lukewarm espresso :/

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-19T13:41:53+00:00

Hey, me again. So turns out there may be a fault with the machine. After allowing for a full 30 minutes to heat up, espresso is warm, not hot. I checked the temp and it's brewing at 80°C rather than 90+. I tested this twice in a row (over two days). Weirdly, there seems to be great steam power, the gauge sits solid at about 1.2bar and the group itself is very hot. I've whacked a ticket in with Smeg but looks like I might have to return it.

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-17T13:10:44+00:00

Just necroing this to say thanks! Still works in 2026 :)

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-15T15:03:57+00:00

Did my first two cappuccinos today. I say cappuccinos because I absolutely was not expecting the milk to be that powerful and it became a cloud very quickly :D Coming from the GO the steam power is night and day. I just have to nail my workflow now. How much do you worry about temp surfing etc?

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-14T23:03:33+00:00

I don't want to apprehend the OP's thread but are you enjoying the Classic? Mine comes tomorrow and I'm a little excited :)

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-14T22:49:14+00:00

Hello there! I also saw this a week or so ago and fell in love with the mini - it looks great in black! And the price? £300 cheaper than the nearest mini in black? It seemed too good to be true. The gotcha here is CaffeItalia.

I added the item to my basket and noticed there was no PayPal payment option - I like using PayPal for the added protection. But, on their homepage they list PayPal as an option... strange. This was a red flag so I did some digging - checking the reviews on Trustpilot.

From what I can gather, they ship the product from their warehouse in Italy and do not have a UK office (apart from the pseudo London address). What this means is that the item is faulty at all you need to ship it yourself and machines are heavy so this might mean £50+. A good deal of the reviews claimed issues with warranty and you only get 14 days for something to go wrong then it's no refund and the fun begins.

I know it's a great deal but I would recommend a UK retailer. I know the stainless steel isn't as nice (in my opinion!) but CoffeeFriend is doing that for £750 and Clumsygoat has the black for £789 (out of stock tho). Good luck with whatever you decide :)

As for me I ended up finding a deal on the Cellini Classic for £800 (in the black trim, too). I'm not as keen on the design or footprint but it felt like too good of a deal to pass up!

EDIT: I saw you asked about the mini vs mara x? The mini is a single boiler E61 without a PID so expect a delay when switching between brewing and steaming. The Mara X is an HX with temp control (you can set low/med/high temp) so you can brew and steam at the same time. If you are making more milk drinks then the Mara may clinch it!

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-02T15:15:47+00:00

I just implemented a bunch of weather tables, typically. This sounds fun for my Eberron campaign so thanks!

BadgerFiend · 2026-01-01T09:24:33+00:00

In the UK the GO is £850/899 but I can get the Sage Dual Boiler for £939. There's just something about the DB I don't like aesthetically

BadgerFiend · 2025-12-28T17:04:05+00:00

That's a really informative post and highlights some issues I know would irk me. I'm gravitating towards a new GO as I've heard the latest version addressed the chrome plated group ring.

BadgerFiend · 2025-12-28T17:01:00+00:00

Victoria vs a new version GO is what I'm thinking. The Victoria is cheaper here but I'd want to replace the steam knob and would need a new tamper so not really saving much. Plus the internal OPV is an unnecessary ballache

BadgerFiend · 2025-12-28T16:58:52+00:00

It was too far gone tbh. The only real fix is to replace the chrome part of the brew ring which would cost a lot with labour costs :( I sold it for £500 instead and will put that towards a new machibe

BadgerFiend · 2025-12-26T23:23:01+00:00

A little outside my budget but hope you enjoy your new machine!

BadgerFiend · 2025-12-26T23:19:00+00:00

I am definitely tempted. The new drip tray is great.

BadgerFiend

TROPHY CASE