The La Marzocco Linea Mini is one of the best single-group espresso machines on the market. That much is clear. When it comes to precision and power, nothing can match this small dual boiler, which is modeled after the legendary Linea Classic. And yet the Linea Mini leaves some things on the table that would make it the perfect all-around machine.
This test report, along with a short and a detailed review, summarizes the findings of our two testers Michel Indelicato and Benjamin Hohlmann.
In the meantime, a test of the successor model, the Linea Mini-R has been published on our site. The Linea Mini-R replaces the previous Linea. The "R" stands for "Restyle".
Disclaimer: in Switzerland you can bei buy from us. You should know that. Nevertheless, and we stand by this, we analyze the machine's strengths and weaknesses without reservation.
Here to Perform: Temperature Performance par Excellence
It's a pleasure! Lever on, machine running and the performance is spot-on. The Linea Mini delivers temperature consistency both during extraction and from shot to shot. Because things were going so well, our tester Michel Aeschbacher didn't want to stop and pulled shot after shot. Following our classic temperature test protocol, the temperature consistency during extraction averaged 0.39 standard deviation. We based this on seconds 5 to 25 of the extraction.
Such low variation across 6 consecutive shots is really excellent! This allows every coffee to be brewed precisely. In our classic test protocol we brew espresso every 60 seconds. After the Linea Mini performed so well, we wanted to dig deeper and increased the frequency of shots. But even at one shot every 30 seconds, the machine's performance doesn't change. It remains consistent.
Also worth knowing: the Linea Mini gets up to temperature significantly faster than most dual boiler machines in our test series – though of course not as fast as a thermoblock. The Linea Mini is essentially up to temperature in about 15 minutes.
Weight and Dimensions of the La Marzocco Linea Mini
The Linea weighs in at a substantial 32 kg and brings together these dimensions: 35.8 cm in width, 45.3 cm in depth, and 37.7 cm in height. The dual boiler can be connected to mains water but needs to be prepared accordingly. The steam boiler holds 3.5 liters and the brew boiler 0.17 l. The water tank has a volume of 2.5 liters. The brew group is saturated. The boiler and housing are made of stainless steel.
During the first hour of espresso extraction, the Linea Mini consumes 0.47 kw/h of energy. That's quite a lot when compared to dual boiler espresso machines, which typically hover around 0.3 kw/h, or a thermoblock, which sometimes comes in under 0.1 kw/h.
The very good temperature consistency despite the small boiler has structural reasons. Temperature regulation only begins during extraction. The brew water is preheated by flowing through the steam boiler. The target is a temperature of 85 degrees Celsius, which is subsequently achieved by adding cold water when the machine has been idle for longer in the heat exchanger. With this temperature, the brew water enters the brew boiler, which sits directly above the brew group, and is brought up to temperature there.
Steam Power for the Masses
If 1000 guests stood in front of me and I could only choose a single-group machine for steaming milk, the Linea Mini would be my machine. The steam power would presumably not give up even on the last cappuccino. A 0.6 liter pitcher is steamed in just 15 seconds.
Since the steam power cannot simply be adjusted by the home barista, handling so much power needs to be learned. For a barista used to commercial machines, the Linea Mini will feel like daily business. For beginners, there's a learning curve to navigate. But you have to do that even if a machine has too much power.
It's important that too much coarse foam is not already formed when inserting the steam wand. Otherwise it's hard to get back under control. On the other hand, the powerful steam of the cold touch steam wand is also suitable for performing a good rolling phase. This means beautiful latte art is not out of reach.
Internet of Things and an Anachronistic Temperature Wheel
La Marzocco has arrived in the present with its new espresso machines. This means "Internet of Things", WLAN connectable and control via smartphone. What is natively implemented in currently released machines feels like a compromise on the Linea Mini – a way to make an older machine future-proof without too much effort.
Don't get me wrong: temperature control via phone is a really good step that makes the Linea Mini better. Nevertheless, the concept is not fully thought through. The old temperature control dial on the side of the machine doesn't move when you adjust the temperature digitally and therefore indicates a different temperature than the phone does. An accidental turn of the temperature dial overrides the digital setting. An adjustment of the digital control overrides the manual dial.
Clearly two worlds are at odds here and it's still not clear which direction it will go.
What's very practical about the app is that, for example, through a start timer you can turn on the machine at certain times automatically, or also remotely from bed.
Also, not all possibilities of the app are being utilized, but more on that later. Important: unlike what is said in the video review, there is a shot timer in the app itself (not extraction control).
The Missed Opportunity – A Machine for Small Gastronomy
Given the machine's impressive precision, its great consistency even under load – both when brewing and steaming – its large work surface and overall performance, we want to shout: the Linea Mini is perfectly suited for small cafés or restaurants with low coffee turnover that still have quality aspirations. The Linea Mini can basically keep up with its bigger brother, the La Marzocco GS3, and that for 2000 euros or francs less.
But… for that we would need water volume control and not an alibi lever.
Because no, the plastic lever on the front of the Linea Mini is not, like the lever on the GS3 MP or the Lelit Bianca, suitable for flow rate control or pressure profile control, but merely for on and off. Yes, it looks like it and feels like it – but it's nothing more than an on-off switch.
And here the app doesn't step in and give us the option of specific volume control. There isn't even time control provided.
With the Linea Mini, this happens manually, via scale. That's a pleasure when we do it for ourselves. There's a certain ceremonial satisfaction in this manual tinkering. But I really wish that an optional control option would stop a shot. That simply turns it off after X seconds. But it's not to be. And with that, the Linea Mini misses out on so much…
Conclusion
The Linea Mini test leaves me both delighted and frustrated. The Linea Mini is a magnificent espresso machine that can brew perfect coffee and offers foaming capability from another world. Through IoT, it has significantly improved, even if the current version still leaves some potential untapped. It consumes too much electricity and, given its potential, is an overperformer for home use.
At this point I'm almost a bit annoyed with La Marzocco. The Linea Mini performed so well in our test that it can stand directly alongside the GS3 in terms of performance. Perhaps the GS3 has a bit more punch at frequency, a bit more staying power. But that's negligible. This leaves me with one big pro of the GS3 next to the Linea Mini: the volumetric control of water volume. And I have to say, I find the price difference pretty crazy!
