It was mentioned in the Micra thread that maybe we should have a LM thread now that there’s more than just one of us!
A space to share photos/findings/tips/tricks and other observations about the joys of owning one of the frankly brilliant yet totally marmite machines.
I’ll start with a few things I’ve noticed after about 6 months of owning the Linea Mini.
Firstly the joys of ownership haven’t faded one bit. It’s still an absolute pleasure to own and use.
Coffee - It’s so unbelievably forgiving. I’m not sure if it’s the temp/pressure consistency or what but even shots that I fully expect to be terrible are often great. There’s been times my tamper has had a drop of moisture on and ruined the puck but the shot still extracts fine.
Build quality - Seriously, this thing is just so rock solid, no flex on the panels, everything feels robust and weighty and there’s something special about the polished stainless PF over the chromed brass I’ve had before. I also really like having a machine that isn’t chrome/stainless - no more fingerprints, smudges and smears!
Warmup time - I have mine on a smart plug and it’s steam ready in well under 10 mins, even less for just coffee.
LM App - I’ve never used this or felt a need to.
Steam - I set this to 1.5 and find it to be the perfect balance of power and ease of use for 2 flat-whites worth of milk. The factory setting is 2 I think and I found it a handful with smaller pitchers.
Water tank location - It’s really great to be able to leave the tank connected and just pour water in. I think because of the location of it, I’ve also never had the fishtank smell I’ve had on machines where the tank ends up at a higher ambient temperature due to it being closer to the boiler.
Maintenance / cleaning - I never really minded the cleaning and maintenance of an E61 but it’s definitely quicker/easier on the LM.
Modifications - I bought the wood kit originally but ended up returning it and now just have the LM walnut PF handle. I think in it’s standard guise, it’s just a great looking machine and doesn’t benefit from the wooden accents. It can look amazing if you go full Specht but otherwise I think it looks great as it.
Rotary pump - It’s no quieter than the Bianca but still a huge plus.
