La Marzocco is known for cult espresso machines that captivate the barista scene. With the La Marzocco Pico, the Florentine manufactory is introducing its first in-house grinder development for the home barista. We've tested the espresso grinder and present it in the video.
La Marzocco approached us before the market launch and requested a video. We purchased the Pico ourselves as always (around 1,160 francs), with no advance preview or editorial specifications. All measured values come from our test protocol for espresso grinders – the Pico is grinder number 52 in the field.
Buy La Marzocco Pico
The following specialist retailers distribute the La Marzocco Pico and we can recommend purchasing a grinder from these businesses. They all offer to adjust the grinder's offset.
Germany: Stoll Espresso, Lücke Technik
*We search for specialist partners we know provide good work and good service. We're in close contact with the retailers. These are affiliate links. If you order through this link, it won't cost you more, but we receive a small commission that we invest in new test equipment. We continue to look for competent partners for you in the DACH region.
What do we test on the Pico?
Our test protocol for espresso grinders is clearly defined. The Pico is grinder number 52, which we examine according to our established measurement protocol and place in the context of espresso grinders in the home segment. For the La Marzocco Pico, we're also interested in comparing it with La Marzocco's own definition, which positions the grinder as a counterpart to the Linea Micra and Linea Mini. Find out more about the brand in our La Marzocco overview.
What does that mean? We expect a design language that matches the iconic form of both espresso machines. La Marzocco stands for high-quality components and durability. The Micra in particular is a modern interpretation of a dual boiler espresso machine. So can we also expect innovation from the Pico? Let's take a closer look.
Buy La Marzocco Pico
The following specialist retailers* distribute the La Marzocco Pico and we can recommend purchasing from these businesses.
Switzerland: [Partner links] Simons Kaffee
A La Marzocco Linea Grinder?
We stand in front of our Pico, and it's next to the Linea Micra. And to be honest, we're dismayed. Because the relationship to the Linea line is only visible from the front in the flanks. The front of the Pico is designed in high-quality-looking plastic, but doesn't adopt the color and formal language of the Lineas. Even one of the best portafilter hangers doesn't change that.
Only when we position ourselves behind the grinder and espresso machine – the perspective that many café guests have from the other side of the counter – does the unmistakable "La Marzocco" in red on the white Pico mark the connection to the Linea line. From the back, the grinder is well executed, even if angles and edges represent their own interpretation.
At home, however, we usually stand in front of the machine, not behind it. So the design decisions here seem backwards. Anyone who has their grinder standing in the middle of a kitchen island, though, will certainly make an impression.
The similarity of the La Marzocco Pico to grinders like the Baratza Sette or Swift Mini is unmistakable. Both were developed by Etzinger, the latter on behalf of La Marzocco. La Marzocco does emphasize that the Pico is an in-house development. But for the inspiration of the form and implementation of the grinding mechanism, these grinders probably served as models.
Purring kitten and dosing consistency
As we expect from a La Marzocco device, much of the Pico is well executed and shows itself in the functions. What stands out is the repeatability of the extraction amount. While other manufacturers now integrate scales in grinders for this, the Pico delivers the set amount of coffee with a standard deviation of just 0.07 grams from extraction to extraction. At a target value of 18 grams, we consistently measure 17.9 to 18.0 grams, with only a single outlier at 17.8 grams. That's impressive and ranks among the best we've measured on home grinders so far.
At nearly 73 decibels, the grinder is also among the quietest espresso grinders in the home segment. If you're noise-sensitive or live in a building with thin walls, you can definitely consider the Pico – the first Sunday morning coffee won't wake anyone.
In 10 seconds, the Pico grinds about 20.5 grams of coffee; for 18 grams of espresso grind, it takes about 9 seconds. This is a middle value in the field of grinders we've tested: not super fast, not super slow, but a decent, everyday-practical speed.
2.2 grams of retention is also a good value. Not very good, but certainly good – and impressive for a dosing grinder with an inverted conical burr. The coffee falls practically straight down, with little sticking to the star that holds the inner cone. The Pico has no crevices where coffee accumulates: the retention is purely temporary. For 20 grams in the basket, about 2 grams of residue from the previous extraction is a fraction that makes little taste difference.
Is the Pico a single-dosing grinder?
Short and clear: no. While La Marzocco supplies a dosing cup and matching holder. But if you fill 18 grams of beans in the top and grind them out, you don't get the same 18 grams back. At 30 seconds of grinding time, we measure a single-dosing loss of 1.6 grams per grind. Practically, with single dosing you're only exchanging the retention – that's enough for a clean bean changeover, but not for gram-accurate single dosing. So the Pico doesn't meet our single-dosing requirements. It's designed as a dosing grinder with a bean hopper, and that's exactly what it's good at.
Temperature: being quiet has its price
While the low noise level clearly speaks for the Pico, it also has a consequence. Little grinding noise escapes to the outside because the grinder has few openings and therefore ventilates poorly. This leads to internal heating that shows up in the temperature of the ground coffee. Over six consecutive extractions 30 seconds apart, the Pico warms up by about one degree to 38.7 degrees. But it already starts at 37 degrees, which is a high starting value. We notice sensory changes in taste at around 40 degrees. The Pico just doesn't reach this value in the protocol, but it gets close under continuous load. We would therefore advise against high-frequency operation – the Pico clearly isn't built for that. Five grinds in the morning is no problem whatsoever.
Construction: 39mm conical burr and thoughtful handling
The Pico is equipped with a small 39mm conical burr – a further development from their own manufacturing, related to the principle of the Swift, which once emerged together with Etzinger. It grinds at 700 to 800 revolutions per minute and is relatively quiet in the process. At 8.3 kilograms and dimensions of 15 centimeters wide, 28.5 centimeters deep and 39 centimeters high, it's compact and sits firmly on the work surface.
The grind size adjustment is not continuously variable, but stepped – and deliberately so. The main steps run along the visible scale, with several fine intermediate steps in between. One click changes the extraction only in small steps, making adjustment pleasantly sensitive without jumping five seconds of extraction time per click like some hand mills do. Adjustment is comfortable from the front, even while sitting. Since buttons and display are also on the front, the Pico is easy to operate even for smaller people or from a wheelchair.
Among the best aspects of the Pico is the bean hopper closure mechanism. It holds 350 grams and closes very easily without crushing beans, as happens with many grinders. When you subsequently remove it, no beans fall out of the chute, and the hopper can be easily put back on – that's also a rare feature on espresso grinders. Only about 9 grams of coffee remain in the chute between the grinding burrs and bean hopper. That's the amount that would need to be ground out or removed when switching beans – a very small value that makes bean changes much easier. While we can't recommend the Pico as a single-dosing grinder, it's really good for bean switching with a hopper.
Three buttons on the front control the grinder. They're easily programmable, a display in red radio style shows the setting. You can program a one-portion and a two-portion dose, plus a manual run on the third button. The control is intuitive, display and buttons are reduced – no unnecessary menu. One criticism: only when pressing does the display show which portion is programmed – a bit of a blind date with the ground coffee. For those who know the grinder, this won't be a bother. The hidden main switch on the bottom is practical: it also turns off the small standby dot that otherwise glows permanently.
We really like the portafilter holder. 58mm portafilters clamp in very stably and don't slip during grinding. The ground coffee falls without clumps, centered into the portafilter. Crumbs that land outside? We search in vain. This is really well done.
Taste and particle distribution: lots of body, little finesse
Let's get to what it's really about: the espresso in the cup. We blind tasted the Pico with our Apas Espresso, a naturally processed Brazilian coffee from the APAS cooperative that we know from countless tests. In the cup, an espresso appears with lots of creaminess and lots of body – heavy, dense, with distinctly cocoa, chocolatey notes. It emphasizes the dark sides of the coffee, with acidity noticeably receding. A darker, body-forward interpretation, then, not a delicate, acid-forward presentation.
We measured the particle distribution in cooperation with the Coffee Excellence Center at ZHAW using the Retsch Camsizer X2 – with the same standard recipe on the Apas Espresso that we use for all other espresso grinder tests. In the comparison curve, you can see the Varia VS3, which was measured together with the La Marzocco Pico in September 2023. Thanks for the support to the Coffee Excellence Center at ZHAW.
At espresso setting, the median (x50) is around 320 µm. The fine portion (particles smaller than 100 µm) is around 27 percent – relatively high. And the width of the main peak, i.e., how uniform the coarser particles are, we measure with double verification at 346 and 350 µm. From experience, we classify anything over about 320 µm as broad, so the Pico clearly falls on the broader side. What's remarkable is the combination: a broad main peak and simultaneously a high fine portion.
Based on this curve alone, we would have expected an aggressively acidic, "scattered" espresso. That's exactly what it wasn't. Our interpretation: The high fine portion masks the sharp acids and pushes the body forward. What the measurement makes appear heterogeneous works in the cup as density and weight. This aligns with our sensory impression – we described the espresso as intense and body-forward before we even saw the curves.
For practical purposes, this means: The Pico is a grinder that strongly supports body. For classic, body-forward and rather darker roasts, it's in its element. If you want to extract delicate, complex, and light, fruity coffees with clear acidity, you won't find the right tool here – the range is noticeably limited. Its espresso potential thus depends heavily on your own roast preference: those who like dark and strong will be happy, those who want to play the full range of lighter coffees, less so.
Strong is the grind size replicability. In the adjustment test, we went from the espresso setting to coarse and back to the same point. The grinder behaved identically in terms of seconds and amount, and the particle curves from the starting and return point lie practically on top of each other (x50 around 320 µm here and there). If you adjust the grind size, you'll reliably find your way back to your espresso setting.
Frequently asked questions about the La Marzocco Pico
Does the Pico have a conical or flat burr?
The Pico grinds with an inverted 39mm conical burr (conical) from their own manufacturing. The compact conical burr is partly responsible for the low retention because the ground coffee falls straight down.
How quiet is the Pico?
At nearly 73 decibels, it's among the quietest espresso grinders in the home segment. That's a real selling point if you don't want to wake anyone early in the morning.
Is the Pico a single-dosing grinder?
No. At 30 seconds of grinding time, 1.6 grams remain in single-dosing mode. The Pico is designed as a dosing grinder with a bean hopper. For bean changes, however, the low chute residue of around 9 grams is very convenient.
What coffees is the Pico suitable for?
For body-forward, classic espressos. With its broad main peak and high fine portion, it delivers lots of body and creaminess, while sharp acids recede. It's less suitable for delicate, light, and fruity coffees.
Does the Pico match the Linea Micra and Linea Mini?
From the back, yes – there the red "La Marzocco" lettering marks the kinship, and the set looks of a piece. From the front, where you usually stand at home, the plastic front barely adopts the color and form of the Lineas.
Is the Pico worth the price?
At around 1,160 francs, you're clearly paying for brand and design. Technically, the Pico does many things well and is very strong in individual disciplines. But there are grinders between 500 and 800 francs that also deliver – some even with single dosing. Whether the total package is worth the premium is ultimately your decision. It's best to try out the grinder at this price point first.
KM Rating: the Pico in numbers
We apply the same test criteria to all of our espresso grinder tests. This is how the La Marzocco Pico ranks:
Test results: La Marzocco Pico
Evaluation according to the KM test protocol for espresso grinders. All measured values collected ourselves. The low retention is green, the single-dosing performance is red: During extended grinding, the Pico retains 1.6g – that's the core criticism. The particle distribution deliberately doesn't factor into the color rating because it depends on the roast.
Technical specifications at a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | approx. 1,160 francs (RRP, as of August 2026) |
| Grinding burr | 39 mm conical burr (conical), inverted |
| RPM | 700–800 rpm |
| Operating mode | Dosing grinder with bean hopper (not a single-dosing grinder) |
| Grind size adjustment | Stepped, main steps with fine intermediate levels |
| Grinding speed | approx. 20.5 g / 10 sec · approx. 9 sec for 18 g (espresso) |
| Volume | just under 73 dB |
| Grinding temperature | 37 °C (first extraction) to 38.7 °C (after 6 extractions) |
| Retention | 2.2 g (temporary) |
| Single-dosing loss | 1.6 g (at 30 sec grinding time) |
| Dosing consistency | 0.07 g standard deviation (target value 18 g) |
| x50 (espresso setting) | approx. 320 µm |
| Fine portion (< 100 µm) | approx. 27 % |
| 60 %-peak width | 346–350 µm |
| Bean hopper | 350 g |
| Residue in chute (bean change) | just under 9 g |
| Weight | 8.3 kg |
| Dimensions (W × D × H) | 15 × 28.5 × 39 cm |
| Included accessories | Dosing cup, magnetic portafilter holder |
Further reading
To see how the Pico stacks up against other grinders, check out our large espresso grinder comparison. If you're looking for a true single-dosing grinder, you'll find more suitable candidates in the comparison of single-dosing grinders from 500 to 1000 francs. And if you want to put the Pico next to a machine: here are the Linea Micra and Linea Mini R.
As always, we purchased this grinder ourselves. La Marzocco requested a video before the market launch, but there were no editorial specifications or advance preview.
