The ultimate dream for baristas, latte artists, and design enthusiasts alike: Italian craftsmanship and perfect espresso, brought to you by La Marzocco. Does the La Marzocco Linea Mini R truly set the standard? And where does it fall short? We tested this almost–€ 5,000 portafilter machine and are here to tell you what really matters.

La Marzocco Linea Mini R | Weight 32 kg | Price € 4,938 | Manufacture’s Website

This article is part of our Coffee Special, where we present all the tested products, exciting insights, and valuable perspectives around the topic of coffee. Curious? Then click here!

Witchcraft or child’s play? With features like pre-infusion, a shot timer, barista lights, an app, a cool-touch steam wand, brew-by-weight, dual boilers, and soft-touch components, the La Marzocco Linea Mini R offers a lot. But how easy is it to make a good cappuccino, especially if you’re not a trained barista?

The La Marzocco Linea Mini R caused quite a stir when it arrived at our office for testing. After all, La Marzocco are a brand synonymous with ultra-exclusive espresso machines aimed at real coffee connoisseurs. Our team’s specialty coffee experience varies greatly – from “yuck” and non-existent, to pseudo-baristas and coffee nerds. In our office foyer, there’s a huge Faema espresso machine on Grandpa Schmitt’s workbench, used by some for latte art and others just for making tea. Naturally, the interest was high: Is the La Marzocco Linea Mini R really better? Can you taste a difference? And what do all these features actually bring?

As La Marzocco themselves have learned in the past, usability can be a stumbling block. Starbucks once used La Marzocco espresso machines in their stores, but switched to fully automatic machines in 2005 due to their employees’ lack of know-how. Operating a top-end espresso machine isn’t foolproof, and requires more coffee enthusiasm than simply pressing a cup icon on a fully automatic machine.

“Beautiful espresso anywhere. An espresso icon re-designed for the kitchen and beyond.” This is how the specialists from Tuscany advertise their La Marzocco Linea Mini R. Their aim is to appeal to both experienced baristas and curious coffee lovers. Do they succeed? And is this machine really any better than, for example, a Rocket R58 Cinquantotto – also made in Italy, but costing less than half as much?

From the grounds up: what really matters with the Linea Mini R?

Anyone already familiar with the brewing process of an espresso machine should be able to achieve excellent results with the Linea Mini R as well. Once switched on, the machine heats up to 95°C in an impressive 10 minutes – perfect timing to turn it on in the morning, take a leisurely shower, then get started brewing your coffee. However, it’s ideally recommended to let it heat up for 20 minutes to ensure the proper temperature, and to make sure the portafilter has time to warm up too.

We received the Linea Mini Bundle for testing, which includes the espresso machine itself alongside the € 1,180 La Marzocco Pico grinder. Once loaded with your preferred coffee beans, it allows for flexible adjustment of grind size and dose. Grinding starts automatically once the portafilter is pressed into the holder. The hefty stainless steel tamper feels comfortable in hand and performs perfectly, provided you have enough strength and know how to tamp the coffee properly.

Once the portafilter is secured, slide the paddle to the left to begin the brewing process, and the digital shot timer will begin automatically. This feature is not only convenient, but also gives a sense of extreme precision – you can monitor the brew time to the tenth of a second to extract the perfect amount of espresso. La Marzocco recommends an extraction time of 25 to 30 seconds for optimal espresso. However, some specialty coffee experts swear by extraction times of 50 to 60 seconds. The basic trick here is finer ground coffee and longer pre-infusion. Of course, that’s where the Pico grinder comes in, allowing you to adjust the grind to suit the type of bean and the darkness of the roast.

By the way: in the same way you can’t build a house without strong foundations, you can’t make good espresso without a good grinder. For perfect espresso, the grinder is at least as important as the espresso machine itself, and often even more so! Without a good grinder, even the best espresso machine will never reach its full potential. The coffee grounds make the difference between mediocrity and the perfect espresso. So, a pro tip for your next café visit: Check out the grinder! And feel free to geek out about it.

Small details: The water tank of the Linea Mini cannot be completely removed, but thanks to the distance from the heating boiler, it always stays cool and fresh – perfect conditions for an optimal espresso.
Also ideal for latte art enthusiasts: The Linea Mini features a “Pro-Touch” steam wand, which prevents painful burns. It stays cooler for longer, making it easier to get the perfect foam.

Gimmick or Great? What’s the La Marzocco Home App capable of?

You know the feeling: waking up in the morning, still lying comfortably in bed, craving a hot coffee, but not quite enough to justify the effort of getting up and making one. Who wants to get up twice and wait for the coffee machine to warm up? The La Marzocco Home App can be your personal coffee butler, allowing you to turn on the Linea Mini from your smartphone, or even set a schedule.

The brewing process can also be adjusted using the Brew-by-Weight method with the app and a single compatible scale. The scale in question is the € 400 La Marzocco Brew-by-Weight scale by Acaia, which is identical to the € 280 Acaia Lunar, only this lacks the La Marzocco branding and Brew-by-Weight connectivity feature. To explain briefly: while the shot timer focuses fully on the extraction time during the brewing process, Brew-by-Weight emphasises the quantity of extracted espresso.

Machine settings can be adjusted using the La Marzocco Home App…
…and you can also configure the proprietary scale for the Brew-by-Weight method.

Otherwise, the La Marzocco Home App is more of a nice gimmick, and it’s only relevant for a few general settings. As for the user experience… not so premium – the app is sluggish and asks for unnecessary information such as geolocation and user login.

La Marzocco Linea Mini R: Design Icon with Drawbacks?

The distinctive, angular design, along with various colour options, make the La Marzocco Linea Mini R a true designer piece, or even a home décor item. It’s the perfect complement to bikes – or a Banksy – in your home. The build quality of the La Marzocco Linea Mini R is on a different level compared to the Rocket or other espresso machines, evident in the rounded edges of the metal components that not only enhance the feel but also reduce the risk of injury. This is enhanced by the subtle details, like the stylish branding on the tamper and knock box, which complete the look. However, there are still some elements of the La Marzocco Linea Mini R that we don’t like.

With the provided portafilter, you have everything covered: the inserts can easily be swapped. There’s a single spout, double spout, or no spout at all – convenient for limited kitchen space. The only drawback in terms of design: the plastic spouts.

In for a dime, in for a dollar: € 4,938 is a substantial amount of money, yet you might want to spend even more on a La Marzocco Linea Mini R! The reason: all the handles and knobs of the Linea Mini R are made of rubber. While they are solid and functional, they don’t meet the expectations or match the price tag of the machine. We particularly disliked the noticeable seam along the back of the portafilter handle – hardly a delight to hold. Coffee machine tuners like rb.crafts offer a solution with high-quality wooden handles and other parts that elevate the Linea Mini R to the next level, ensuring consistent tactile quality and attention to detail. Incidentally, La Marzocco have recognized this trend, and now sell high-quality wooden handles as a set on their own website. Some of these upgrades should be standard equipment!

The hand-turned and oil-finished wooden handles from rb.crafts are truly a delight to hold and elevate the quality to another level. La Marzocco now offer wood upgrades for the standard (and far from impressive) rubber handles in their lineup. However, these are lacquered.

Another point of criticism: the portafilter spout. It used to be made of metal, but now it’s plastic. Technically, the plastic spout has some advantages: it’s easier to clean, and prevents cold coffee if the machine hasn’t fully heated up yet. However, it looks very cheap and doesn’t match the high-quality overall aesthetic. For those who enjoy doppios, we recommend removing the spout entirely – it looks nicer anyway!

Practical Impressions of the La Marzocco Linea Mini R

How easy is it to make coffee with the La Marzocco Linea Mini R? Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It largely depends on the operator and the input because, as the saying goes: “Put shit in, get shit out!” If you skimp on beans or, more importantly, the grinder, you won’t get coffee that reaches its full potential. However, it’s also much easier for untrained baristas to make great coffee with this machine than some of its rivals. Compared to Rocket & Co, the La Marzocco Linea Mini R shows its strengths, particularly when it comes to the consistent temperature during the brewing process, which allows for better adjustment and testing of individual factors. In the end, you get a better and more consistent espresso result, even when making multiple coffees in a row.

Additionally, the La Marzocco Linea Mini R is quieter and heats up faster than many other machines. This means your better half can continue sleeping peacefully, and you can forget about needing a timer. Features like the standby mode keep the machine ready to use, and it can be quickly reheated with the app, saving time and nerves.

The Pro-Touch steam wand makes it easy to froth milk, and, of course, you won’t burn your hands when returning the wand to its original position! The milk foam? A real highlight! Creamy and finely textured, perfect for latte art enthusiasts who want to adorn their cappuccinos and lattes with artistic patterns. We’ll be honest, though: our latte art tends to be a little abstract – sometimes it’s a cloud, sometimes it’s a heart; it’s very rarely what we intended.

Who doesn’t love watching their espresso in the making? Seeing the first drops of that black-brown gold glide from the portafilter, or the crema gathering in the cup? The Barista Lights, which turn on during the brewing process, stylishly highlight the coffee extraction and make the barista’s job easier.

At EUROBIKE 2024, the La Marzocco Linea Mini R was a real eye-catcher at our booth, and its coffee was in high demand. However, opinions were divided during our blind tasting. To our surprise, 70% of the testers preferred the coffee from our old DeLonghi Nespresso machine. This surprising result could be attributed to a few reasons: it’s all about individual taste buds, and these might well be underdeveloped or unrefined. It’s similar to wine – novices tend to favour lighter, simpler, and sweeter wines, but as one delves deeper into the world of the sommelier, complex flavours and dry wines become more appreciated. Some found our La Marzocco espresso slightly bitter, while others praised the crema and the intense flavour.

As previously mentioned, the results also depend on the barista’s skills, the beans, and the grind size, making comparisons difficult – or maybe we’re just not very good at making coffee. Taste is subjective, and that’s what makes it so exciting!

What flavour notes do you taste? At EUROBIKE 2024, we held a blind coffee tasting.
A real crowd-puller at our booth: The La Marzocco Linea Mini R paired with the visually matching Pico grinder.
A small but annoying point of criticism: Compared to the previous model, the drip tray is held in place by weaker magnets, which can cause it to feel a little wobbly.

Do you need the La Marzocco Linea Mini R?

No. What’s more important is a high-quality grinder for your espresso machine, as well as the know-how for coffee preparation and, of course, the enthusiasm to experiment. The Linea Mini, however, makes it easier to brew better coffee thanks to its many features. Its distinctive design and intuitive operation inspire a deeper engagement with coffee. It’s a real rabbit hole for all coffee lovers! Its wide range of applications makes it ideal for home, office, or small cafés. Without a doubt, it also stands out as a stylish piece of décor!

A luxury in a single-person household? Admittedly, for everyday use in a single-person household, the Linea Mini R might seem excessive, but for us, the daily espresso is a highlight we wouldn’t want to miss. For a more compact and affordable option, you might consider the Linea Micra. It offers fewer features, a smaller water tank, and tighter cup clearance, but fits perfectly into smaller households.

Is coffee drinking a ritual for you, and not just a caffeine boost? With the Linea Mini R, the bar is set so high that you might think twice about which cafés you still want to visit.

Would we buy the La Marzocco Linea Mini R?

You don’t need it, but you want it! We certainly do. However, not in the basic version for € 4,938. While it shows better tactile quality and attention to detail compared to much cheaper competitors like those from Rocket & Co, these points are still not fully consistent. That’s why we would only buy the La Marzocco Linea Mini R if it were tuned – either by La Marzocco themselves, or experts like rb.crafts. It costs extra, but then you have something truly exclusive and personal in your home. And there’s no question: with all its technologies and features, the La Marzocco Linea Mini R will make you excited to dive down the rabbit hole of specialty coffee. It’s the dream of every barista, latte art enthusiast, and design fan.

Tuning Tip: Wooden Enhancements

Tops

  • Iconic design and customisation options
  • Broad range of applications
  • Clever features
  • High functionality
  • Inspires a deeper dive into speciality coffee
  • Top-notch steam wand
  • Exclusive price 😄

Flops

  • Rubberized handles feel cheap
  • Plastic spout on the portafilter
  • Slow and basic La Marzocco Home App
  • Overpriced accessories, such as the Brew-by-Weight scale
  • Exclusive price 😄

Words: Jan Fock, Robin Schmitt Photos: Antonia Feder, Robin Schmitt