Linea Classic MP 3 Group (also available as AV/EE)

Currently running an LM Classic after upgrading from a Mini. Thinking about parting ways with the Mini soon, even though it’s still a beast.

I’ve only used home machines a handful of times but have worked in coffee, either as a barista or roaster, for a decade. If I ever buy a home machine, it’s going to be a mini or micra. I learned on a Linea Classic 3 group and they are *tanks*. Reliable machines without the bells and whistles that inevitably go wrong.

I’d continue saving more. 5 grand for a commercial capable setup is gonna get you some haggard nuova simonelli or la spaziale that’s seen better days. You can find rebuilt La Marzocco linea classics (assuming you have access to 220 volt) for 6-10 grand. Have a tech run through it and tune it up. Grab a mazzer Kony/ super jolly or major used for another grand and you’ll be dialed with workhorse gear for 10-12 grand based on your budgeting.

Yeah, I worked in a place that had a commercial La Marzocco and the amount of absolute slop that came out of that machine was awful to watch. Very few cleaned up after use etc and the grinder was never dialed in. Shame really but just not fit for general office life

There is a major gap between the assorted Baratzas I’ve used (Preciso, Vario, Sette) and my Mignon XL for espresso (though the Baratzas are better when you want one grinder for both brew and espresso), but there are plenty of other products in between that might be where the diminishing returns kick in. If I had the choice between my mom’s Bambino Plus + my Mignon XL, or the LM Linea I’ve used at the office + a Sette, I’d get better coffee out of the Bambino+Mignon XL. I haven’t used any of the DF54/DF64, Niche, or cheaper Mignons, so I don’t really know where the tipping point is there. I bought the Mignon XL because I had been eyeing an Atom for years (and had demoed it at Clive), and then the Mignon XL launched with something very close to an Atom in more countertop-friendly form factor while I was separated from my setup for a while. Going from hand grinding to electric… well… the returns on that are obvious.

I think flow control is one of the only things that objectively allows better tasting shots, but a modded Gaggia can do this, and any e61 with a flow control stem added will also do this. Keep in mind, the Linea doesn’t have flow control. Flow control allows for long preinfuses and that allows another layer to dial in with. You can sometimes get an interesting funky tasting shot, but it’s bitter.. You can just triple your preinfusion length and that bitterness will be gone.

La Marzocco Lineas are workhorses. They're nice because they have that saturated group head and dual boilers. But there's nothing wrong with Rancilios, Nuova Simonellis, etc. At our coffeehouse we used a Rancilio for five years before we upgraded to a Linea. The main reason we did was that occasionally we would run out of steam when we were very busy. But we were doing more than 30 pulls per hour. You're mostly going to be making milk drinks, many of them involving syrups, so the goal is consistency, repeatability, and good quality. If you work with a good roaster, especially one that offers maintenance services to wholesale customers, ask them first. One of the used Lineas that I bought was sitting in the basement of a wine store because the owner had changed their mind, got a good deal. Another was at a bookstore in Boston that had just gone out of business. I found about both of these from our sales guy at Intelligentsia. They have an incentive to help you as you'll be buying beans from them. Some roasters will even lend you a machine, at least they used to. I sold my coffeehouse in 2019, so I've been out of the game for a few years. At our coffeehouse, our drip brewers and drip grinder were lent to us by our roaster. If that doesn't yield anything, I would try cold calling espresso techs. They tend to know where disused commercial machines are located. Cut them in on the deal. If/when you succeed, try to have a tech look at the machine before you purchase it. Send them to it and get a report. Make sure, especially, that the boilers are in good shape. Replacing boilers is expensive. You don't want any surprises. For a grinder, get a Mazzer Super Jolly or similar. I don't know if $5k is possible these days. I'd feel confident you could do it if this were 2013 or so, but I don't know the market any more.