Dalla Corte Studio vs Marzocco Linea Mini S

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
Sibren_dp
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#1: Post by Sibren_dp »

Hey all,

My first post here! I'm quite passionate about coffee, and up for seriously upgrading my home equipment (especially given work from home is here to stay :wink: )

At this point, I'm considering the following setup:

Espresso machine (currently really puzzled between these two)
  • Dalla Corte Studio
  • La Marzocco Linea Mini S
Grinder
  • Ceado E37J

Any experiences or recommendations with the dilemma between the 2 machines?

Thank you very much!
Sibren

lessthanjoey
Posts: 362
Joined: 4 years ago

#2: Post by lessthanjoey »

What do you have now? What problem is the upgrade solving or improving? What coffee do you drink? (roast level, SO, etc)

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Jeff
Team HB
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Joined: 19 years ago

#3: Post by Jeff »

In addition to those great questions, what do you value in the gear? Why did you choose those?

For me, those units seem to have a "luxury" feel to them, where appearance is as important, if not more important, than function.

Sibren_dp (original poster)
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#4: Post by Sibren_dp (original poster) »

Thank you both!

I drink almost exclusively espresso. Mostly either house-blend or SO. The biggest reason for upgrading is that I feel like I can't optimally extract the flavor from the rather expensive/specialty coffee I buy with my current setup. (Solis Grind & Infuse)
Appearance is important, but not the biggest driver. (being performance)

Thanks again!

icantroast
Posts: 187
Joined: 10 years ago

#5: Post by icantroast »

Might want to look into Decent Espresso.

chillinsd
Posts: 36
Joined: 5 years ago

#6: Post by chillinsd »

just saw this comparison video on YouTube 8)

Sibren_dp (original poster)
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#7: Post by Sibren_dp (original poster) »

Thank you! Interesting video!

Seems fair to conclude they are both really good machines? :)

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Jeff
Team HB
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#8: Post by Jeff »

I can't answer what's best for you, but I can let you know how I've thought of espresso gear over the years and of late.

Start with the most important things first.


It took me many years to put into practice that coffee is #1.

That COVID-19 changed my buying habits is perhaps a bright side to an otherwise tragic situation. I ended up going from beans that were, in retrospect, adequate, to those that are significantly higher quality, with fewer defects. It sounds like you've got some good roasters lined up already and are exploring lighter roasts within what your gear can produce. Big kudos to being able to extract lighter roasts with that gear, there's a lot of new pleasures to be enjoyed in the cups ahead of you.



Pick the grinder next.

Here's where things get unclear. It wasn't that long ago that a big, conical shop grinder was considered the best there was, or at least at the highest elvel. Coffees have changed a lot since then, both in terms of the greens and how they are roasted. Modern flats have gotten a lot of attention recently, especially for lighter roasts. It seems like every month there's a new "best" burr set out there and a new grinder every three months. When I considered a "modern flat", I decided I wanted on that I could have good confidence that there would be next-generation burrs made for it and that the mechanical platform itself was sound (alignment by design, then tweaked if needed, rather than requiring all kinds of custom-machined mods).

I think that the Niche Zero or a used "Titan" grinder see further (Titan Grinder Project) is a solid, affordable alternative if you want to wait out the flat craze and see where it settles.

A grinder designed for single dosing, or one that can easily be used in that fashion without significant grinds retained inside, I think is valuable for the home user who is changing beans on even a weekly basis. I'm not a fan of hoppers as I believe that the beans stale faster than they would in a sealed container on the countertop.

I have not owned and used a modern flat, though I have one on order. These are observations and opinions that I have formed in making my own decisions.

For someone else reading this whose preferences are with classic espressos that value syrupy, chocolate and nuts, those conical might be significantly better for your tastes than a modern flat.

I don't consider most of the older flat designs to be competitive with the emerging crop of grinders. Some is design. The crazy levels of burr alignment needed for the most recent burr designs wasn't a consideration a decade ago the way that it is today. The burrs in a decade-old grinder design likely don't incorporate what has been learned over the past couple years and the platform may not support new burrs as they become available over the next 3-5 years (unpopular size, mounting, can't be aligned well enough, ...).

The list of "interesting" flats that I hear about include things like the Lagom P64, Ultra, Monolith, and Bentwood. There isn't much experience with the Bentwood here at H-B as it's both new and not available for US mains. I don't have personal experience any of these; they are ones that have caught my attention for various reasons.



Then the machine.

In my experience with lighter roast coffees, features are important to be able to get a well-balanced espresso out of the range of beans I throw at it:
  • Exceptional shot-to-shot repeatability
  • Variable preinfusion
  • Extraction profiling
  • Temperature control
Variable preinfusion (PI) seems essential to me for light roasts. It lets you grind finely enough that you can extract the beans well, without having the puck fall apart or choke the machine. Extraction profiling I could almost go without on an inexpensive machine, but at the price point you're considering, I think you'll be left with a machine that can't take you where espresso has already gone, and where it is likely going,

On the Dalla Corte, I have considered their brand on several occasions and discarded it as it didn't have a standard portafilter size, at least when I looked at it. At those prices, giving up on flexibility in baskets and prep tools is not a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

While this may irk owners, I don't find the LMLM a compelling unit at its price point, at least for the light roasts for straight espresso that I prefer. No variable PI, no extraction modulation. It does have outstanding vendor support, classic La Marzocco lines, powerful steaming, and is a very solid machine.

I don't know the EU pricing, which I understand can be very different than US pricing. Classes of units I'd personally consider include:

Manual control, E61 -- Lelit Bianca or ECM Synchronika/Profitec Pro 700 with flow-valve kit

Manual control, saturated group -- La Marzocco GS3 MP

Fully programmable -- Decent Espresso DE1+

Lever -- Londinium, Streitman, Bosco (I'm not an expert here, check the Levers forums)


There are some "also rans" apparently trying to capture some of the attraction of the DE1 into their E61 or other older designs. None of which have impressed me much. As I bought a DE1+ recently, I haven't followed this class of machines recently.

lessthanjoey
Posts: 362
Joined: 4 years ago

#9: Post by lessthanjoey »

Jeff nailed it as far as I can tell. Since you said that your focus was moving toward getting better extractions out of lighter roasts then I personally wouldn't go for either of those machines. As he said, something like the DE1+ would be ideal (repeatable, great feedback, and the ultimate in programmability - note that I have one also, so take that how you will regarding my bias). His other suggestions cover the rest: Lelit Bianca or similar, LM GS3 MP, or a Lever.

Sibren_dp (original poster)
Posts: 12
Joined: 3 years ago

#10: Post by Sibren_dp (original poster) »

Thank you for this great answer Jeff!

I'll do some reading up on these machines, and keep you posted on my decision.

Thanks again,
Happy Holidays!

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