La Marzocco Launches its First Purely Home Machine, The Linea Micra

The new La Marzocco Linea Micra with a white finish. All images courtesy of La Marzocco.

Italian espresso machine company La Marzocco has unveiled the Linea Micra, a compact dual-boiler espresso machine designed squarely for home use.

The approximately $3,900 machine (United States market) represents the smallest and least expensive machine in the growing La Marzocco Home espresso machine line.

The Linea Micra has much in common with its bigger prosumer sibling, the Linea Mini, along with a few key differences that grant it a smaller footprint and lighter weight.

The Micra’s 1.6-liter fresh water reservoir and 1.6-liter steam boiler are a bit less than half the size of the Mini’s. The smaller boiler allows the Micra to heat up and achieve a stable brewing temperature in about five minutes.

Also unlike the Mini, the new machine features a “saturated group head” design that is similar to what’s found on commercial La Marzocco machines, but smaller. The agility of the Micra’s smaller boiler connected to the saturated group design allows for steadiness as well as quick changes to brew water temperature, according to the company.

Though the Micra’s 230-milliliter brew boiler is of similar capacity to that of the Mini, the more compact group design contains less stainless steel mass than the “integrated” group design of the Mini, which heats what it needs independently of its larger steam boiler.

The Micra also ships with a new convertible portafilter system with a removable bottom, allowing users to switch between spouted and “naked” styles.

Beyond these distinctions, the Micra bears many similarities to its prosumer forebear, including a smaller version of the same type of rotary vein pump, the paddle switch group and an optional direct plumbing connection.

“The difference in steam boiler size is the most apparent difference between the machines,” La Marzocco Global Product Manager Scott Guglielmino told Daily Coffee News. “In general, it can be said that the engineering decisions of the Linea Micra have been made to make it more approachable for the home barista, while the Linea Mini was designed to be able to make great beverages both in a home and light commercial setting.”

As with the Mini, the Micra’s reservoir is accessed by removing the drip tray in the front of the machine. Both machines have barista lights, a dedicated hot water spout and elements of the classic La Marzocco Linea styling.

La Marzocco launched its Home division eight years ago with the single-group light-commercial GS3 model espresso machine as the flagship at the time. The following year came the Linea Mini, and since then the product line has grown to include grinders and accessories. In March of this year, a single-group variant of the professional La Marzocco Leva machine launched in the Home line.

With built-in wifi connectivity, the Linea Micra will also feature some expanded capabilities through the La Marzocco Home app. Guglielmino told DCN that users will be able to adjust coffee and steam boiler temperatures via the app, program a low-pressure pre-infusion phase, schedule powering on and off, and more.

“La Marzocco is always working on new concepts and ideas to help improve the espresso experience at home,” said Guglielmino. “We believe this machine will make great espresso easier and more accessible to a larger number of people around the world.”

The new machine is manufactured at La Marzocco’s headquarters outside of Florence, Italy, and will be offered in seven colors. Sales and shipping have officially launched, with prices varying by country.

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