La Marzocco GS3, six months on...

Need help with equipment usage or want to share your latest discovery?
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stuart1927
Posts: 33
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by stuart1927 »

So,..... thought it would be worth a post after living with the GS3 for six months or so.

Well, the good news is that the machine has performed flawlessly. As you you'd hope at the price!

I've now built up a reasonable level of technique, so I'm producing very consistent results. As I've gotten into things more, I've realised how this machine "demands" good beans. By that I mean that you can tell the difference when beans are a day or 2 post roast v's up to a week. I've found an incredible difference for most beans when you pass a week post roast, when the flavour really starts to deteriorate. You can also see it in the colours during extraction, when the contrast between the dark / caramel and lighter tones seem to diminish. I started roasting my own beans quite shortly after getting the GS3, so I think I'm just more sensitive to the differences.

I think the GS3 really does expose the subtleties of the beans in terms of quality of roasting and age. It's a positive and negative as now I'm looking at getting a Huky 500 to improve my roasting!

The only minor complaints of the GS3 have been documented by others...less than perfect fit and finish on the drip tray and sometimes finding it difficult to correctly engage the portafilter. Some of the E51 groups I've seen, seem to have a much better and positive fit?

Other than that, no complaints. The GS3 is a great machine and a great tool to help you develop your knowledge and skill. Highly recommended if your budget allows.

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Marshall
Posts: 3444
Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by Marshall »

stuart1927 wrote:By that I mean that you can tell the difference when beans are a day or 2 post roast v's up to a week. I've found an incredible difference for most beans when you pass a week post roast, when the flavour really starts to deteriorate.
Quite true. Start increasing the dose when you notice this. Then reduce it again for the next fresh bag.
Marshall
Los Angeles

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Bob_McBob
Posts: 2324
Joined: 15 years ago

#3: Post by Bob_McBob »

stuart1927 wrote:less than perfect fit and finish on the drip tray
I definitely agree with this. It's a small point that really detracts from the apparent build quality of the machine. I've seen a few others in person and they all had loose fitting or otherwise poorly engaging drip trays. Combined with the bouncy feeling of the plastic material, it makes the machine feel a lot less solid than it could.
Chris

duke-one
Posts: 499
Joined: 17 years ago

#4: Post by duke-one »

If you have the room and "some" extra $ why not go for a Linea? I've had mine about 3 years, one steam boiler pressure switch a few group gaskets replaced. Just did the probe cleaning and new expansion valve, part of the recommended maintenance from LM. Much of that is aimed at full commercial use so skipped most of it other then a good looking over. One advantage is lots of room "under the hood" so things are easy to reach. All the parts fit nicely, very little plastic.
Duke Masters