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](https://spechtdesign.com.au) but otherwise I think it looks great as it. Rotary pump - It's no quieter than the Bianca but still a huge plus. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/9dEiOWN.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/9dEiOWN.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/lDDfsQA.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/lDDfsQA.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Well as mentioned I ordered a grey/silver micra on Wednesday and it should be arriving Monday morning. The space is setup for it - though I am hand grinders only at the moment 😂 [URL=https://i.imgur.com/xcxyk69.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/xcxyk69.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Found this about differences in screens - (short answer not alot 😂) https://youtu.be/-gLbnSzDvEI

And a guide to changing your paddle etc on the micra - good videos if you want to see it taken apart. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZKjP9MFOttsxnZLOWt14AehVGEk248_8

I hadn't seen that, not much difference at all! The LM screen is great and mine also looks new after 6 months. On that note, this is a really great little tool for making cleaning a little easier and quicker. Not at all crucial as a stubby screwdriver and group brush does the same job but it's a nice to have for sure! https://www.artpressodesign.com/product/espresso-machine-58mm-group-head-cleaning-tool/ I'd say give the stock screen and baskets a good go first. I've never quite understood it but there's a trend where people get a brand new machine and start changing the baskets and screens immediately. The standard stuff is very good in this case!

@"Ernie1"#164 In terms of upkeep/cleaning what schedule do you follow ? And if you are going away for a few days - do you do anything specific like emptying the boilers/tank as much as possible ? Cheers matt

@"MattH"#p42125 I've seen contrasting advice from LM on cleaning. I suspect the instructions might be aimed at commercial use as it advises flushes with cleaner every day... but my process is as follows - (I make about 2-4 espressos day and top up the water with Waitrose Lockhills once a day.) **Daily** - just briefly flush the group (not backflush) between shots and I'll rinse the PF under the group after the last shot of the day. Some people like to backflush with water each day but I've never seen the need or any negatives from not doing it. **Weekly** - Empty / wipe tank (whilst connected) with a damp cloth (no detergent). Remove screen/screw and wash with dish soap, also wash PF properly. Wipe group under screen and use brush to clean around the seal. Baskflush 4x 10 secs with water. Drain 500ml from steam boiler, run steam for 20 seconds and properly wipe down wand. We use oat milk exclusively so easier to clean wand. **Monthly** - Soak PF in Puly Caff (or LM cleaner), backflush with Puly Caff, remove water tank and clean with dish soap (NOT with Puly Caff!!), rinse everything properly and repeat weekly cleaning routine above. I'll also run a shot of espresso through and discard it after properly cleaning. **Yearly** - I haven't got to this point yet but I'll be replacing screen/gasket, removing lid to inspect, clean as above. Some more info here: https://au.lamarzoccohome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cleaning-procedure.pdf If I'm going away then yep, I just empty tank and drain boilers as fully as possible and then do a weekly style clean when I'm back.

@"Ernie1"#p42127 Thats brilliant 🤩 thanks.

'Nordic Edition' Mini announced. Nicely done! [URL=https://i.imgur.com/gVWJ73g.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/gVWJ73g.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/I1pTFpr.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/I1pTFpr.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/XEwGsfe.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/XEwGsfe.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I saw all the “live” streams on youtube and wondered what was going on as it seemed like a bunch of screensavers 😂 - makes sense now…. But 5.8k 🤩

@"MattH"#p42156 Yeah! Slightly odd way of revealing it but nice animation. Crazy amount of money but considering the regular mini with the maple parts is like £5100 I guess £700 for a good paint job and metal badges isn't too obscene.

La Marzocco Owners Chat (All welcome!)

HarveyMushman

Nice video!

Conscious of coming across like one of those Ferrari owners with their branded jacket and hat but there is something special about owning a La Marzocco, buying into the brand etc. I know it comes at a significant premium but I really like what they do. Obviously I’m biased but like buying a Harley, Porsche, Eames chair etc, it feels apparent when you see it first hand and use it that you’re buying something with a strong heritage.

To have effectively globally dominated the commercial coffee industry for decades and been well regarded in the home space, it’ll be interesting to see how they navigate the home market in the coming years. Personally I like that they’ve stuck to their guns and continued to just make no-frills, rock-solid machines that do one or two things very well. It will be interesting to see if they continue to do so or if we see some kind of Strada family machine enter the home space. Like a small GS3. Doubtful, but they’re obviously taking their home line more seriously.

I’m currently contemplating some Specht bits for mine. I’m not a fan of the LM branded customisation kits, but Specht do some amazing things and their custom Lineas/GS3s are works of art:

https://spechtdesign.com/

MattH

HarveyMushman I see the prices for the extras and just walk on… black plastic for me 😂

MattH

Well finally got round to watching the tour video…. Wow what a cool factory.. reminds me a lot of how Gold Note work (in a factory in another part of Italy)

Really liked getting to see the innards up close of the mirca… interesting that they complete (at the time) about 60 a day.

So and this is a question for the LM mini/micra owners - as we don’t have fancy flow controls - or on the fly programmed shot like the Decent… how to you go about dialing in a new coffee on your machine.

What’s your thought process workflow… I am after ideas being a newbie and all in making sure i dont waste too much coffee getting a good (milk based on the whole) cup.

Here my basic process so far…

Choose a starting point on the grinder (I have a vaguely set range where I know I can kill it or its so fast it over in seconds).

Pick a weight of coffee - usually 18grams - well it’s kinda the defacto standard right.

Go for the defacto 1:2 - 18 in 36 out in the usual range 28-32 etc.etc.

Now I will have a taste - I admit I dont think I have a palate to distinguish too much but depending on what I think then I will adjust the corse/fine ness of the grind and try again.

Do you do something different.. do you tinker much with temperature or dosage dependent on the type of Coffee ?

Cheers

Matt

Cuprajake

Tbh you’re not limited without flow control.

While I’m not sure you have a gauge to show the pressure at the puck

If you got a high flow baskets say the Pullman 876 from square mile £20 del, and then a bottom paper, ground a bit coarser. You can do a turbo, it would just be bit hit and miss and dial by taste but I had success on the bianca and that’s the pump set at 9 bar but the machine just couldn’t get the pressure do to the grind setting 😁 so less limited than you think really

HarveyMushman

All this dialling in business makes me feel like a Luddite 😅

I literally never touch the temp control or use papers or screens etc. I use the stock 17g basket and always a ratio around 1:2. I dose 18g as a starting point and will tweak the grind to suit. Sometimes I’ll change the dose by .5g either side.

I’m pretty good at getting the grind close based on visual roast level by this point.

More variables than that and it just stresses me out. I’ve said it before but the LM is very forgiving and the sweet spot seems very large in that it makes a damn good coffee even if you’ve not got it perfectly dialled. Before the spec sheet warriors come at me, I don’t know why that is but you’ve got to own/use one to see what I mean.

I’m no super taster but having made espresso at home for the best part of 20 years and lived in London for most of the 00s/10s ‘third wave’ I like to think I know a good coffee.

I’ve no doubt there is a little more I could extract from the coffees but in my opinion ‘dialled in’ is the part between under/over extracted. Anything extra is personal preference.

When you’re paying £14+ for 200g bags it’s good to just get it dialled with as little waste as possible.

MattH

Hi,

I clearly wrote my post unclearly 😂 I am quite happy that the number of variables the LM gives me is limited -

So was just trying to see how others reach their own tasty coffee. I do agree the LM makes it easy to get a good cup - I was trying to figure what tastes good 😂…

HarveyMushman

Some (mildly) interesting findings over on HB. Some people (myself included) noticed the panelling on the new Linea Mini R looked slightly thinner than on the original Mini. Turns out it is a lower thickness (about 3 gauges different).

On the face of it this is completely irrelevant as it doesn’t impact the espresso output at all. However, it feels like it’s definitely a shift from LM. Having used a commercial Linea, the original Mini accurately feels like a small version of it, whereas the newer machines seem more like a home specific line.

Also, on a machine with a relatively limited feature set, the build quality was one of the biggest selling points… I wonder how much of this direction is DeLonghi’s influence. I’ve said it before but if I was buying again, I’d definitely go for a used Mini over one of the new ones.

MediumRoastSteam

HarveyMushman - Are you saying you would not consider buying a brand new Mini (say, if you couldn’t buy used)?

HarveyMushman

MediumRoastSteam

I don’t think I would. It’s only subtle touches but the newer models feel like a progression towards home appliances which would make the price tag even harder to justify.

For me, I like having the robustness and utilitarian simplicity of a commercial workhorse in my Kitchen. Kind of like how a KitchenAid mixer doesn’t do anything a £50 plastic own-brand mixer would but just feels like it’ll go on working for decades.

That was always the appeal. We know LM’s are comparatively never going to be value for money, and especially not feature-wise so to lose an element of what they do have seems a shame. I guess it’s good timing on LM’s part. Espresso is having it’s moment in the spotlight thanks mainly to influencers having a huge stage online, people with the kind of wealth where they just want the biggest brand name to show off to their friends regardless of cost or quality are probably a growing market at the moment.

Hopefully the actual reliability hasn’t changed. It’s probably mostly the same internally so really the thickness of metal panels is a non-issue in the grand scheme of things.

I’m just thankful I managed to get a new ‘original’ version.

AndyP

Here’s a pic of my recently acquired Micra. It’s an upgrade to the La Pavoni purchased from a forum member and I’m enjoying the simplicity of the dual boiler vs the art of temp control on the La Pavoni. Starting to get the hang of the steam power, and loving the the small foot print vs my last DB (a MK1 Alex Duetto). Will look to add an espresso focussed grinder at some point, but the options for those seem overwhelming nowadays!

HarveyMushman

Special edition LM for those who are special enough to order 😂

https://lamarzocco.com/journeys-with-rimowa/

Says you have to be ‘selected’ to buy which reminds of Rolex ‘wait list’ nonsense. Shame this kind of thing has crossed over into our hobby.

Rimowa, for those who aren’t familiar, make luggage to show people you’ve got £3k to spend on suitcases but aren’t classy enough for a Globetrotter.

BrewLiam

HarveyMushman I love the look of this.

However I will never be special enough, rich enough, or stupid enough to buy it over a standard one 😂

chlorox

HarveyMushman
I detest the practices that the luxury brands have introduced to try to get people to desire their products and to buy them for absurdly extortionate prices for aspirational social status symbolisatjon purposes instead of just selling quality products that work well and reliably for a long time. There was once upon a. Time that a watch and a bag was just a watch and a bag. I hope that a coffee machine and grinder will never represent more than the functional machines that they are.

Cuprajake

reminds me of this lol

https://bellabarista.co.uk/collections/outlet/products/synchronika-amg-version

HarveyMushman

Cuprajake

😂 literally stuck AMG stickers on the side of it.

Cuprajake

chlorox fool and money

MattH

I may have been shopping for my Micra!!

The sunken tray for the lunar scale has been released..

HarveyMushman

Saw this video earlier, love things like this.

MattH

HarveyMushman Custom micra tray is at UK customs so should be arriving soon !!

MattH

Its arrived….

HarveyMushman

MattH

Nice! Looking forward to seeing pics fitted to the machine with the scales!

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