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La Marzocco Linea Mini - 6-Month Review!




This is the La Marzocco Linea Mini. I’ve had it as my primary machine at home for nearly half a year now. I’m going to share my thoughts on this as a home machine, the pros, cons, quirks, nitpicks, and of course, whether or not I think it’s worth it.


You can also watch my first impressions and unboxing experience of this machine linked here


Shortly after receiving this machine, they launched a new iteration of the Mini - this is not that new version. You can tell by the lack of an integrated timer.


So with that out of the way, let’s first talk about the build quality.


 

BUILD


This is the Linea Mini in white, spec’d out with the walnut trim and upgraded steam wand. It’s arguably La Marzocco’s primary focus when it comes to the home espresso machine market with features constantly added to this machine. Leaving others like the GS3 and even the newer Linea Micra, in the dust.


In this configuration this machine retails for about $7,000. Probably a bit less now with the introduction of the new Mini with the default upgraded steam wand which was previously a $700 upgrade.


Starting with the actual size of the machine. It’s both a little bigger and smaller than you might imagine it to be. It’s not too far off from the width and height of other prosumer home machines out there, but it’s definitely a lot deeper.


The machine is also heavy, a decent amount more than your standard prosumer machine, weighing in at about 70lbs or 32kg.


The panels are mostly steel with a smooth gloss white finish with no visible defects. The drip tray itself uses a unique combination of plastic and steel to give off a more premium feel and one pro to the black plastic interior versus the steel on many other machines is you can’t really see a lot of that nasty coffee drip water, but of course it is still just plastic. 


The machine features two prominent knobs and a paddle that are plastic on the base configuration but are made of a combination of steel and walnut wood on this upgraded version as you can see here. These components are made by a third party company, Pantechnicon design, and it looks really great.


While deceptively looking like a flow control paddle, this switch is literally the equivalent of an on/off switch. It just activates and deactivates the pump, no flow control without extensive modification, which is possible but more on that later.


The left knob which I almost never use is for a hot water spout which is adjustable, and the right knob is for steam for the also fairly adjustable steam wand.


This rear panel of the machine has a mirror polish and 2 dials, one for brew pressure and one for boiler pressure. (CHECK). 


The drip tray at stock has no scale cut out, and the additional drip tray lid with the cut out is obscenely expensive, so I just took a dremel to the lid and bought this insert so the scale sits flat with the drip tray. This allows for some taller height cups, but does also mean you’ll want to remove the scale for flushing. Not a big deal since that’s what you would have needed to do with the standard drip tray and scale anyway.


And this is the Acaia Brew by Weight scale for the Linea Mini which I also have a full review on separately you can find linked in the description.


The water tank is accessible from the bottom behind the drip tray rather than on top like a lot of other machines, this makes it great to store under some kitchen cabinets without having to pull the entire machine out to refill the tank. It is also plummable for higher volume commercial environments or if your home has that capability.


Shortly into my ownership of this machine I did notice this section of the machine start to get loose. Not sure how it came loose but luckily it was an extremely easy fix by removing the top panel and tightening the screws. 


Speaking of which, I can see how this machine is very easily serviceable with just a few screws allowing you to gain full access into the machine’s workings while on something like the Rocket Appartamento, it was extremely difficult to deal with all the various screws in different positions to remove the housing.


From a build perspective, this thing practically ticks all the boxes. Everything feels super premium and well put together, and is a stark difference from the classic E61 chrome box on most other home machines. 


From friends of the industry, I’ve heard that technicians enjoy working with La Marzocco machines far more than any other brand.


Aesthetically the Linea Mini is something of an icon, featuring strong boxy shapes, complemented by a front face quite different from the 2 knob, 1 lever face on many E61 boxes.


I think it looks good! It’s got a nice big surface area on top for placing a ton of cups, the rear offers a nearly blank canvas for custom decorations if you’re into that or perhaps using this in a commercial environment.


The sides are also magnetic leaving room for some creative storage solutions. 


But with the build quality and aesthetics out of the way, let’s talk about the actual usage.


 

USAGE


The Mini is not so different to use from any other espresso machine. Perhaps the biggest noticeable change was the steam power. Even compared to other top tier espresso machines like the Lelit Bianca or Profitec Pro 800, the steam power here is on another level. It took me a while to truly figure out how to steam for silky milk and even then I’m still getting thick foam quickly here and there.


The trick I’ve learned to try to steam for silkier milk on this machine is to really give the steam a nice long purge. Getting to that really dry steam seems to help a lot.


In terms of the actual usage you prep your portafilter like normal, lock it in, and move the paddle to actuate the on/off switch of the machine. You can simultaneously steam milk with no issues. 


There are some lights that kick in to help you see your brew as well. 


By default, the machine aims to pull a very standard traditional 9-bar shot. You can adjust this setting with a long thin screwdriver inside the machine to pull something like a 6-bar shot if that’s what you want.


Sometimes, I forget how loud a traditional vibratory or rotary pump can be. The Linea Mini is really, really quiet. Especially noticeable when I’ve been using this to host local coffee meetups and people would be pulling shots and steaming milk without really even making enough noise over the casual conversations everyone was having.


In between shots, the Mini puts out a ton of water for rinsing and flushing. This also has led to a higher frequency in which I’ve found it necessary to refill the machine’s water tank. On average, pulling maybe 1-2 shots a day, I found it necessary to fill the tank every week and a half or so.


While using the machine for hosting a roughly 15 person coffee meetup, we did have to refill the machine once.


Speaking of the water tank, it is an absolute pain to remove it for cleaning. I found it easier to have the machine near a sink and not bother disconnecting the tube at all.


The rest of the steps taken to clean this machine follow a pretty standard backflush and group head cleaning process. One nice touch is the included La Marzocco branded cleaning solution that often doesn’t come with espresso machines.


Without going into the more technical aspects of the machine, the Mini has extremely good temperature stability. The machine stays on at consistent temperatures for hours and hours without overheating and without dipping noticeably below the set temperature.


I can see why this machine has commercial certification and is used at smaller shops frequently or for pop ups. Plumbed in, this machine just works extremely consistently without fussing with temperatures at all and without needing to worry about refilling the water tank.


 

APP


Now let’s talk about the app and the love-hate, mostly hate relationship I’ve seen with the app. Honestly, in my experience it hasn’t been too bad.


The UI feels pretty dated, and at times feels a lot more like an extended web app rather than a dedicated app to control the machine.


Through the app you can connect your machine to WiFi, this lets you set up a schedule for the machine turning on and off without the use of a smart plug, you can control the temperature of the boiler without using the dial on the left of the machine, you can turn on and off the steam boiler, you can enable pre-infusion which is basically just controlling how much water is dispensed and how long it waits in between dumping some initial water in and pulling the remainder of the shot, and if you have the Acaia brew by weight scale, you can control those settings here too.


Again if you want to see more of how that scale works, check out my full review.


The app generally does what it needs to do, I haven’t had too many issues with it besides the occasional firmware update which requires the machine to be put into firmware updating mode by flipping the switch off, paddle left, and switch back on.


I have heard of common issues of connecting to the machine, but can’t say I’ve experienced a lot of that myself.


In addition to those main key features, there’s a sort of stats section that supposedly will show you the shots pulled over time which I found just straight up doesn’t really work or track it properly. It also attempts to track flushes versus shots, which I don’t feel is accurate.


So, it’s time to summarize my thoughts on the machine. Is it worth the money? Is the Linea Mini worth the anywhere between 6 to 7 thousand dollar price tag that La Marzocco asks for?


 

IS IT WORTH IT?


Okay so for $6,000 - is the Linea Mini the endgame worthy, truly legendary home espresso machine? 


Eh. In my opinion, the Mini is too much machine for home, with very limited control over your actual shot. At stock it brews a fantastic traditional 9-bar shot, but - that’s all it does.


While it does have excellent temperature control, far better than any other home machine I’ve experienced, it just doesn’t offer enough other features that machines at half the price, like the Lelit Bianca, offers.


And to be fair, there are 3rd party customizations and mods available that do allow this machine to be pushed even further with slayer style needle valve mods and even turning the paddle into actual flow control. But, these come with risk of damaging the machine, voiding warranty, are usually pretty expensive, and honestly - just might not be totally worth it.


For a home machine, and if you want that La Marzocco brand, you’re better off with something like the Micra, even though it largely goes ignored by La Marzocco, being one of the newest machines yet not receiving the updates and features the Mini receives.


For a commercial, pop-up, or generally higher volume environment, this machine is absolutely fantastic. It’s a, relatively, low barrier to entry for commercial usage, it’s built like an absolute tank, the blank canvas on the back makes it a prime spot for customization for branding, and the serviceability makes it a no-brainer for a commercial machine. 


Paired with the brew by weight scale and you have a machine that can consistently pull excellent back to back shots while you prep the rest of the drink without worry.


I can’t deny that it’s an excellent machine with probably the highest level of consistency I’ve personally experienced, especially with the machine being on all day long.


But I also can’t deny that it just feels like too much machine for the home, unless you’re pulling a ton of shots throughout the day for a group of people. But even at that point, the Micra probably handles that level of demand for $2,000 less.


Yes, you’ve got the La Marzocco tax on the machine, definitely paying in part for the brand, but for such a hyped up brand and machine, the Linea Mini, for $6,000, is just so basic.


And this review can’t be complete without quickly mentioning that as of a few months ago, Delonghi has purchased a 41% stake in La Marzocco. Is this a sign of things changing for the better, or worse? I’m not sure, but a few of my industry friends certainly seem wary of this acquisition.


So, am I keeping the machine? No, I’ll be swapping back to a machine that I’ve adored since day 1, and has been patiently waiting in storage for its return to my coffee bar. It’s not necessarily the best machine out there, but it’s one that I’ve truly enjoyed using, and you can see what that is on my Instagram page where I post more regularly.


So that is my take on the La Marzocco Linea Mini, let me know if that reflects your own experience and hopefully my thoughts help you make an informed decision if you’re in the market for this machine in a home environment.



 

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