Home-Barista.com

Beezer wrote:I'll be in Portland in a couple of weeks, so I think I'll drop by Clive and see if I can play with one in person.

Definitely check it out at Clive. They have a great selection of machines to compare with as well, including a Duetto so you could see how it compares shot vs shot to your current machine.

yakster wrote:I put black electrical tape over the bright LEDs on my cable box so I can sleep, but that would't be too nice looking with the Mini. Maybe some discreet caps could be found that would fit over the LEDs and dim them a bit

I hope I don't have to resort to black electrical tape! It should be easy for LM to provide some stick on caps that diffuse the light. Going to call them about this and suggest that.

LATrapp wrote:I use a second portafilter for backflushing but I'm not sure using a 'cold' second portafilter for a shot is a good idea. Any thoughts? . . . Also curious what E-61 you were using before the LM?

Agree that you don't want to use a cold PF. But if you have two portafilters with two basket sizes then you can just pick the one you want to use to put into the machine when its heating up. No need to be popping baskets in and out. Was using an ECM Technika HX before.

Can you just walk in to Clive anytime, or do you have to set up an appointment in advance?

You can just walk in when they are open. According to their website, the Portland showroom hours are: 12-6 Tues-Fri | 11-4 Sat

If those times don't work for you since you'll be coming from out of town I'd suggest you PM them on HB (or call) and ask if they could arrange another time.

keno wrote:Okay, now it's time to discuss a few things that could be improved with the Linea Mini.

Indicator Lights
My biggest complaint would definitely be that the indicator lights on the front panel are too bright. If you leave the machine on 24/7 you are definitely going to be lighting up your room with these lights in the dark. How much of an annoyance they will be will also depend upon the placement of the machine in your room. In my kitchen the machine is right across from the island with a head on view from the sink. This is particularly problematic as the lights are much brighter when viewed from directly in front of the machine. A view from the side is not so bad. Here is a head on picture from across my kitchen. The brightness of the lights detracts from the overall pleasing aesthetics of the machine as they focus attention on the lights instead of the machine. Please turn off your brights La Marzocco!

I have a slightly different take. No question that these indicator lights are very bright LEDs. That poses no problem in my home setting. Sure, when seen in a dark room, the high quality LEDs draw one's attention like laser beams. Once the room lights come on though, the effect is moderated and becomes a far smaller concern. My take is that the designers have come up with their best first release iteration of the machine. It miraculously allows me to make what I think is a damned fine shot and I mostly appreciate the machine's aesthetics. There is no chance that I would wait for an indicator light mod to purchase a Linea Mini. It's too good as it is right now. By the way, I always pull my shots with the room lights on.

Does anyone know where you can find a list of authorized LM dealers (in the US) for the Mini? I couldn't find one on their website.

Also, is the width of 14 inches measured at the footprint or at the widest point at the top? EDIT: looking at the pictures again, it looks like the top is the same width as the base, correct?

Thanks!

Ken, great stuff so far. I'm glad you're taking a bit more time before delving into the less quantifiable (more subjective) criteria, like shot descriptors, crema, pour characteristics, etc. Chris Tacy covered that well, but , well, he's a PROFESSIONAL. it will be nice to hear your take when you feel you're totally up to speed.

Just a thought. I wonder if Paul Pratt is planning one of his All in one PF's for your machine? Seems like it would be the perfect compliment. I'm thinking of getting one for my Strega as soon as a couple of clients get around to paying me!
I believe he makes one for the GS3?

LATrapp wrote:Does anyone know where you can find a list of authorized LM dealers (in the US) for the Mini? I couldn't find one on their website.
Also, is the width of 14 inches measured at the footprint or at the widest point at the top? EDIT: looking at the pictures again, it looks like the top is the same width as the base, correct?

From what I can tell LM is trying to sell machines direct through their new "Home" program, but there are a few dealers out there, including Clive Coffee, Seattle Coffee Gear, EPNW, and Chris Coffee. Also looks like the Mexico distributor may be just over the border from you.

The width is 14" at the top (widest point). The bottom is narrower - the frame is 11.5" wide and the drip tray sticks out a little past the frame and is 12.75" wide. The overall narrowness of the machine is one of the things I like about it - does not take up a lot of counter space. But keep in mind that it is 21" deep, which is deeper than a lot of other machines in this class.

IMAWriter wrote:I'm glad you're taking a bit more time before delving into the less quantifiable (more subjective) criteria, like shot descriptors, crema, pour characteristics, etc. Chris Tacy covered that well, but , well, he's a PROFESSIONAL. it will be nice to hear your take when you feel you're totally up to speed.

That's the plan, but like you say Chris Tacy covered it well so I don't know how much I'll be able to add. Thanks for the suggestion about the Cafelat XT portafilter, I'll have to check it out.

Will you take a thermofilter to your machine and test brew temp and post the results?

After watching Dan's Temperature Test on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8zMdsRs6i4o I was impressed with the Linea Mini's brew temperature stability. After having this machine for a week, I'm more than happy with the shots that I've been able to pull on it. However, I took it into our coffee techs on Friday to look at a plumb-in option (which we were able to do), and we tested the machine's temperature stability. It was consistently under-temp, sometimes as low as 13 degrees lower than what the temperature dial read. I was almost convinced that our thermofilter's temperature probe was off, so I stuck it in ice water to confirm. It wasn't. We tried giving the machine some more time in between tests, which helped, but only got us to within 5-7 degrees of the dial's read.

I'm going to test it again this week, and I'll follow the WBC protocol which Dan used in his bench test from YouTube.

Hey Ken!

Can't believe you bought it already! Can't say I blame you though...it was pretty fantastic. I'm sure you'll get a ton of enjoyment out of it, what a great setup!

Anyone else thinking about going to Clive Coffee, you won't regret it, a really remarkable place!

AzulCoffee wrote:Will you take a thermofilter to your machine and test brew temp and post the results?

I would but I don't have a Scace device. Is that what you were using or did you use a portafilter with a thermocouple running into it?

The reason I ask is that it's very difficult to get a good reliable temp measurement without a Scace thermofilter and they cost a few hundred dollars. If you are using some kind of ordinary TC I would go by the max temp you hit when you pull a shot as otherwise it will read low.

I can tell by the shot quality that I'm getting that the machine is definitely not off by anything like 13 degrees.