La Marzocco Linea Micra

The question is: Are you ready and suitable to bring an entire coffee shop home with the Linea Micra?

This isn’t just a machine you can simply buy with money – users need to meet certain requirements first. Understanding this will save you a lot of time.

PREREQUISITES FOR CONSIDERING THE LA MARZOCCO LINEA MICRA

Whether you’re a beginner, experienced user, professional, or enthusiast – none of these qualifications matter if you lack these 2 essential factors:

• Plenty of Time! La Marzocco represents a lifestyle. You should only own a Linea Micra if you have dedicated quiet moments in your daily life for the coffee experience.
• Plenty of Money! Only buy the Linea Micra with spare change. If you have to strain financially even a little, don’t do it. Compromising on this can destroy the free-spirited La Marzocco philosophy from within and limit your perspective of the Linea Micra to just an expensive object sitting on your counter.

When you have a great espresso machine, everything else is just a matter of time! Other factors like knowledge and experience aren’t critically important and can be developed before or after using La Marzocco.

MINI SIZE WITH COMMERCIAL-GRADE POWER

• Smallest La Marzocco espresso machine: Only 29cm wide and 34cm tall, allowing it to fit easily into various cabinet spaces.
• Dual independent boilers with PID: 1600ml steam boiler and 250ml brew boiler allow separate temperature settings accurate to 0.1℃. The internal component layout is incredibly scientific and precise.
• New-generation mini Italian rotary pump, ultra-quiet: Smaller pump size compared to large commercial machines but still provides stable brewing pressure, long lifespan, and quiet operation without maintenance needs. Pressure limits can be adjusted via the OPV valve on the pump.
• Pre-heating system for exceptional temperature stability: ~160ml of water runs through copper tubing wrapped around the steam boiler, heating to ~85℃ before flowing into the brew boiler. Therefore, even when brewing 10 consecutive cups, the Linea Micra maintains excellent temperature stability. If the steam boiler is turned off, 6 espresso shots is the thermal stability limit. This is one reason explaining Micra’s commercial-grade power.

3-IN-1 BOTTOMLESS PORTAFILTER

The included portafilter is bottomless style. Users can optionally attach single or double spout accessories depending on usage needs. These spouts are made from heat-resistant PPS plastic (Polyphenylene Sulfide).

From a practical standpoint, PPS plastic absorbs very little heat. This helps the portafilter handle heat up at the same rate as the saturated group head on the Linea Micra.

No long waiting required – turn on the machine, prepare coffee and milk, and you can brew several cups right away.

HEAT-UP TIME: JUST 5-7 MINUTES

Unlike machines using mechanical E61 group heads, the Linea Micra uses a saturated group head. The water boiler sits directly above the group head, helping the machine reach brewing temperature in just 5 minutes after turning on (including portafilter heating time). If both boilers are activated, the required time is about 8 minutes.

When friends drop by or you suddenly crave coffee, the Micra can deliver with the lowest latency in the high-end espresso machine world.

CONTROL EVERYTHING VIA LA MARZOCCO APP

• Daily on/off scheduling: Customize schedules for different days of the week. Weekend schedules can differ from weekdays.
• Boiler control as needed: If you don’t drink lattes or cappuccinos, users can turn off the steam boiler. Note that turning off the large boiler will affect water temperature stability after the 6th consecutive shot.
• Precise 0.1℃ brew water temperature setting: Adjust according to whether you’re brewing light or dark roasted beans. Dark roasts should use lower temperatures while light roasts need higher temperatures.
• Steam wand power settings: 3 levels allow selection of steam power suitable for your technique and preferences. The highest setting can steam milk in 10 seconds – faster than espresso extraction.
• Pre-infusion toggle: Requires direct water line plumbing if you want this feature. Obviously, plumbing isn’t included and must be purchased separately, installed by experienced technicians.

ESPRESSO QUALITY FROM LA MARZOCCO LINEA MICRA

Micra’s extraction mechanism uses flat pressure. Coffee grounds in the basket experience consistent pressure from start to finish during extraction. Therefore, you can think of Micra as a dedicated cupping machine. If your coffee is high quality, it will create an excellent cup. If your coffee isn’t good enough, it will show everything in the cup.

Micra is an honest brewing machine. It doesn’t have the ability to distort or exaggerate flavors like some machines that can change pressure profiles during extraction. Thanks to this, most conversations around Micra focus on coffee rather than machinery. People want to taste Ethiopian, Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Ugandan, Colombian beans… and many others brewed by Micra, rather than discussing which grinder or pressure profile brews best.

The entire process becomes simpler. Simple is right! This simplicity doesn’t come from lack of knowledge but from returning to the essence of coffee beans – something only experienced people recognize.

Therefore, coffee brewed by the Linea Micra will always be delicious if you have good beans.

Professional roasters confident in their quality can use the La Marzocco Linea Micra to introduce their coffee to customers. If you ever drink coffee brewed by Micra and find it delicious, buy that coffee to take home!

LATTE AND CAPPUCCINO QUALITY FROM LINEA MICRA

La Marzocco Linea Micra’s steam wand features a 4-hole design delivering power that contradicts the machine’s size. Super-dry steam heats cold milk to 60°C in just 10 seconds with ultra-fine microfoam (setting level 3 in La Marzocco app).

With low water content, high power, and short steaming time, the foaming process only increases milk volume by about 5%. Therefore, lattes or cappuccinos from Micra taste sweeter compared to typical machines (which introduce more water into milk during foaming).

What takes getting used to with milk steaming isn’t quality but the steam wand shape. The short steam wand works best with small 360ml pitchers. Optimal milk volume is around 140-180ml. More milk might overflow when volume increases.

LINEA MICRA DISADVANTAGES

• Flow control absence: Given the price point, lacking flow control is a drawback for those who regularly use brewing profiles with pressure changes during espresso extraction. Light roasted coffees would be better optimized with flow control.
• No automatic timer: This is also a feature many use to maintain brewing consistency. However, the La Marzocco app’s brew sync will display automatic timing if needed.
• Limited portafilter-to-drip-tray clearance: 7.5cm only accommodates espresso cups and low, wide-mouth cappuccino cups while taller glasses won’t fit. This is a trade-off for Linea Micra’s compactness. You can remove the spout from the portafilter to increase maximum height to 10cm.
• Short steam wand: Users might initially find this unfamiliar, but once mastered, it’s not a big issue. Just adapt your milk steaming technique because this steam wand creates exceptionally fine microfoam. The optimal pitcher is 360ml capacity. A 600ml pitcher would be difficult for Micra’s steam wand to reach properly.
• Shower screen has center screw: This doesn’t really affect world peace, but some OCD-prone individuals might feel like they’re being poked in the eye looking at it.
• No built-in water filter: La Marzocco probably assumes anyone using their machines also uses premium filtration systems (which is probably true). To prevent calcium buildup in boilers and lines, check and ensure TDS in your water is under 50ppm. TDS meters are easily available on Shopee for about 100,000 VND.
• Plastic knobs, portafilter handle, and lever: At this price point, default upgrades to walnut wood accessories would make the machine much more valuable. The company should learn from Lelit Bianca to make Linea Micra a more valuable decorative object. Currently, upgrade accessories are optional extras in a very… capitalist way, priced from 500-1000 Euro.

USAGE NOTES FOR LA MARZOCCO LINEA MICRA

• Two LED lights on top: Red flashing light indicates when machine is on and stops flashing when heated, green light indicates water in tank or flashes when refill needed.
• Micra has overflow float: When the red float rises, users need to empty the drip tray before it overflows.
• Built-in lighting: Two LEDs under the group head illuminate your cup during extraction.
• Large front lever is just an electrical switch: Looks very much like a lever that would support flow control but actually doesn’t.
• Hot water spout for americanos or tea: Accessed by turning the left knob.
• Turn on both boilers for busy entertaining: Water will be pre-heated before entering the boiler, allowing continuous brewing of multiple cups without affecting brewing temperature.
• Use portafilter stand when tamping or remove plastic spout if using tamping mat: The spout is plastic after all, and nobody knows how much compression it can withstand.
• To warm cups, place them on top of machine for about 20 minutes. Faster method is rinsing with hot water before use.
• Included tamper has curved surface: Only La Marzocco tampers feature this design. It’s suitable for home users with simple style who don’t use puck screens.
• Use small electronic scales: Acaia Lunar or Mischief Lunar are candidates for this position.
• Brew pressure can be adjusted: Remove top cover and use long screwdriver to adjust OPV valve above rotary pump. Remember to install blind basket to check pressure during adjustment.
• Includes cleaning powder: Perform backflushing monthly using blind basket.

WHO IS LINEA MICRA NOT FOR?

• If you want extremely light roasted coffee: Micra doesn’t perform as well as machines with pressure profiling like Lelit Bianca or Profitec Drive. Very light roasted beans need pre-infusion and staged pressure increases/decreases to enhance/limit the advantages/disadvantages of that roast style.
• Those wanting to explore all flavor variations of a coffee through pressure, temperature, and flow changes should find a different machine. Decent is a strong candidate in this case.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Brand: La Marzocco
• Model: Linea Micra
• Weight: 19kg
• Dimensions: 290mm W x 390mm D x 340mm H
• Material: Steel
• Brew boiler capacity: 250ml
• Steam boiler capacity: 1600ml
• Water tank capacity: 2000ml
• Pump pressure: 9 bar, adjustable via OPV valve **• Separate pump and boiler pressure gauges
• Power: 220-240V/50-60Hz
• Consumption:1850W
• Bluetooth connectivity via La Marzocco app (App Store and Google Play)
• Made in Italy

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

• 1 bottomless portafilter
• 1 x 14g basket
• 1 x 17g basket
• 1 blind basket
• 1 steel tamper
• 1 x 360ml milk pitcher with La Marzocco logo
• 2 conversion sets: single and double spouts
• 1 cleaning powder container
• 1 user manual

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