kfiatos
Yeah I have the Mini. The Micra wasn’t out when I got mine but I always suggest people go for the Mini if they have space. If I was buying now with the Micra budget I’d look for a used Mini.
Whilst you’re still getting the build quality from the Micra, there are some compromises. Much less headroom under the group meaning some cups won’t fit under with a scale.
As @MediumRoastSteam pointed out the steam wand on the Micra is quite short so steaming smaller quantities of milk can be tricky in certain pitchers.
The water tank is also less accessible from what I hear.
I love the Mini. I haven’t regretted it for a second. It may be limited in features but it does what it’s suppose to do very very well;
Warm up quickly (about 8 mins) steam milk very quickly and most importantly pull consistently excellent shots. As above, temp consistency is a factor I hadn’t appreciated as much until I experienced how conducive it is to good output.
Sounds a bit silly but you realise why it’s so simple when you start using it, because it just seems to make good coffee, so you worry about the variables less. I know it’s still just a machine and can’t fix terrible grind/prep but it’s forgiving enough that it seems to matter less. This has to be tried to see what I mean.
The build quality really is excellent. It all feels very solid and sturdy, no sharp edges and panels are an heavy gauge. You can be quite heavy handed with it. I also just like the geometry of the LM portafilters.
Minor thing but wiping out/cleaning a water tank that is shallow and rectangular with the whole lid off is a lot quicker and easier than the tall deep tanks used on most other machines.
It’s still a very expensive machine but it’s the only one I’ve had that I feel like I won’t change. No interest in a Slayer and the GS3 is too big.
You’ve also got a machine from a 100 year old company that’s been basically unchanged for nearly 9 years and access to the LM service network should you need it.