I apologize in advance for another x or x thread.

I've recently sold my HX machine (Magister Stella) mostly because I was tired of the amount of water refills I had to do with the various flushes. The usage will be pretty much 50% shots / 50% milk-based

I am pretty set on getting a double boiler machine. My choice has came down to either an LMLM or a Pro 300. The reason I would consider getting a Pro 300 is that I'm actually afraid the LMLM might be too advanced and I might have a hard time mastering the machine. Also, this recent thread about the flow rate made me even more worried.

Essentially, for LMLM owners, have you found it to be more or less consistent than previous machines you owned in the past? Was there a long adaptation?

Either machines will be paired a soon-to-come Monolith Conical.

Thanks!

I've found the Mini to be more consistent than the E61 machines I've owned, plus it just makes better espresso. If you have a good grinder and decent technique it's not hard to work with.

I think people who are interested In experimenting with flow rate (myself included) are just looking to make even better espresso - it's a never ending process to pull the best shots you possibly can!

I've found the Mini to be very simple to use. Given a good grinder, fresh beans, and decent technique, anyone should be able to pull great shots with it. Plus, the milk steaming is terrific - very fast and easy to get great microfoam.

I've had a couple of e61 machines, and I don't think they were any easier or more forgiving to use. Like any good machine, your technique, grinder and beans have to be good, but the Mini isn't going to hold you back. If anything, it will allow you to get better results once everything else is well dialed in.

I came from a Rocket Giotto and could not be happier. I will admit the steam power was ten fold stronger compared to my Giotto but I was prepared for it as I participated in a free milk class at SCG that was sponsored by LM and they used LMLM for the class.

I get the best microfoam I have ever seen, comparable or even better than a lot of coffee houses I frequent on a regular basis. I think you will be plenty happy.

As a disclaimer, I do not change beans every other day or fiddle much with my variables which is probably why my espresso shots are consistently awesome (to me anyway) and my cappuccinos are amazing (according to my wife)

My original machine (13 years ago) was an E-61 Isomac Tea, due to repeatability issues and build quality, upgraded to La Spaziale Vivaldi 2 for over 10 years. The Vivaldi was very repeatable and never had any issues, it just kept working. My son is now using with no issues. Purchased Linea Mini around 6 months ago. I plumbed in (not as easy as Vivaldi) and have had no issues. Shots are very repeatable and consistent and taste and mouthfeel are great.
I too have a Monolith conical on order, I had an HG -1 that output was very good, I simply did not like hand grinding. I have been using a Fiorenzato F4 and it does very well.

I would think with the Monolith that the Linea Mini would serve you very well, it was easy to dial in and it works very well.
Good Luck with your choice!

I have no doubt that the Linea Mini is built like a tank but somehow when seeing how it looks inside, it just seems to be a mess :/ Serviceability does not appear to be good. And that flimsy "PID" wheel on the side seems very tacky. Other than that it looks like a very promising machine and I have to admit that the design is growing on me (I hated it at first).

But then you have to keep in mind the price difference between these two machines. Linea Mini SHOULD be better purely on the fact that it's like twice the price of the Pro 300

Huge price difference between the 2 machines ... LM set the Linea mini to be user friendly for the high end home barista ... i woudldn't be put off my the adventures of others into flow profiling though

someguy12 wrote: Essentially, for LMLM owners, have you found it to be more or less consistent than previous machines you owned in the past? Was there a long adaptation?

Either machines will be paired a soon-to-come Monolith Conical.

Thanks!

I too, am waiting for the Monolith Conical. I can't imagine a better pairing of machine and grinder. Unless you go all out for a Slayer or the like.


The LMLM is *extremely* consistent. It's like a scientific instrument. The only thing you have any variability is where you set the temperature dial and the kind of water you put into it. If it has been sitting idle for a while, I just flush the water for a second and it is ready to go.

Because the LMLM is so consistent, it will quickly reveal deficiency in the beans, grinder or technique. But man, when you get it all dialed in, it will pull a perfect zebra-striped shot (naked PF) every time.

I'm currently using a Ceado e37s 83mm flat grinder with it. The Ceado grinds great. It has some other quirks I don't appreciate, but the grinding quality is as good as you could ever want.

My current method is to grind for about a second into the porta-filter, level that and break up any clumps, then grind the rest of the charge. I'm putting 18g in the 17g-marked La Marzocco basket that came with the LMLM. Level the coffee, break up any clumps, tamp lightly, tap the sides of the PF (like they say you're not supposed to anymore) and then tamp straight down hard. The tamped coffee comes up to the ridge on the PF basket. That seems to be the magic.

That gets me a perfect pull. I grind fine enough to get a 1:1.5 - 1:2 brew ratio in 25-30 seconds.

The puck is domed down after the pull. No screw mark because it is compressed in the middle. Go-figure, but it works.

One logistical challenge for this comparison is that there are far fewer Pro 300s out there than Linea Minis, and most of our customers dive into making espresso and don't post about their experiences online. You're going to find great satisfaction upgrading to either machine (you may find it hard to taste a difference between them right off the bat), but watch plenty of videos and try to find the right amount of steam power for your favorite drinks. If you want to steam small drinks or your space is limited, the Pro 300 may be the right next step in your coffee journey. The shot timer is definitely helpful for keeping your shots consistent and your grinder dialed in.

But you can only do so much research, so make sure you're covered by a satisfaction guarantee. That way you can be confident in getting into a machine you're completely happy with. We've actually never had a customer return either machine (shipping back a Linea would be brutal), but still great to be covered.

@BP

Just to complete this thread. I've decided to go all-in with the advice of "grinders first" and will be receiving my Red Speed Monolith Conical any minute now. I'm sure it will complement the Pro 300 very well. Will post more updates when I get everything up & running but I've been nothing but satisfied with the Pro 300 keeping in mind that we are a household of two (2), barely ever entertain, therefore, we do not have big requirements for doing back-to-back-to-back-to-back lattes on a Sunday brunch!