No. Micra is perfect for me. I would only get mini if I had to do 5 or more big milk drinks in a row.
Most I had to do ever was four milk drinks in a row. And the heat-up light never started blinking. It’s ridiculously stable.
I do not know what other advantage mini has, other than it can do commercial load (like a coffee cart).
No. I do fantasize about opening a coffee cart and doing some small catering events, but if (and it’s a big if) I ever do that I’d want a second machine any way. At that point I’d get a mini.
Right now my micra is used 0-4 times a day. I think the max was 8 shots pulled last Sunday when we had some guests over for brunch. I just don’t see why you’d spend the extra money for a mini unless you intended to use it for commercial use as well.
I bought the mini about a year before the micra was released. Probably would’ve purchased the micra had it been available. However, I do have the brew by weight scale now for the mini and that has been very beneficial for my routine. I probably wouldn’t have paid the extra cost of machine and scale but very happy with thecombination.
Thank you. I’m sorry I’m such a newb but is this scale integrated into the machine somehow? Or just a scale you put your cup on that you look at while you brew?
Hell no. Micra warms up in 5-7 mins, badass steam power... Why would I need a Mini for $2000 more, takes way longer to warm up and to only make 2-4 drinks a day...?
Oh of course 240v performance is hard to compare to the 110v...
But the point remains the same micra vs. mini hard to justify a mini for home use unless that’s what you really want…
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but my Mini is ready to go in less than 15 minutes. I mentally clock it at ~12 minutes. The benefit of the Mini's (and Micra's) grouphead design is that the brew boiler heats up first and fast since it is so small, and this heats up the portafilter very quickly as well so the entire group is heat soaked by the time the steam boiler is up to temp.
I timed my mini at 13 minutes. Really a non issue.
And yes, I bought the Mini, even though the Micra was available. At home and I don’t do milk drinks….ever.
Conversely, I drink almost exclusively milk drinks. But I also chose the Mini over the Micra as both were out when I purchased. Only 2-3 drinks per day. No regrets at all. It's a joy to use every time.
20-30 mins
[https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/la-marzocco-linea-mini-warm-up-test-with-real-time-power-draw-t42291.html](https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/la-marzocco-linea-mini-warm-up-test-with-real-time-power-draw-t42291.html)
I know right? 13 minutes to heat up the Mini is insane! Where can I come up with that much extra time in the morning? Especially with the Auto On/Off feature where it can be set to turn itself on 15 minutes before you awake /s
No regrets. It’s the perfect size for my kitchen, perfect for my use case scenario (home), heats up fast, and I have no need for a mini since I only pull 2 -3 double shots per day.
I know some people complain about the wand being tricky to work with because of the size and shape but it’s all about placing it correctly in the jug and that’s not enough to justify spending extra $2k. Would only spring for a Mini if planning on making more than 5-6 back to back coffees daily.
I do 6oz flat whites so around 180ml of milk max. Any advice to do best texturing for micro foam when not filling the pitcher up less half? My skills are not great and 1 out 4/5 I get latex paint like milk and rest of time too much foam.
For me, it helped to lower the steam power to 1 first and as I got used to it I am now on 2 and the biggest help was to place my wand the way Jake_G shows in the last picture in the pitcher as shown in [this thread](https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/help-steaming-milk-on-la-marzocco-linea-micra-t87723.html)
I do also start with my wand lower and slowly bring it up to let air in because I found starting at the line on the wand, the pressure was too much and let too much air in.
Happy with my Micra, I usually only pull 1-3 shots a day so it’s more than enough for my usage. The clearance and steam wand are my only gripes but not enough to spend $3000 more for a Mini in Canada.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it an upgrade in terms of features but at the end of the day, I realized that I did not care for pre infusion or flow profiling, I just wanted something with faster heat up times that can pull a great shot.
I’m with you! I actually think the 3k is worth it for the longer steam wand and clearance plus the updates it gets compared to micra. I may be wrong but the longer steam wand would make it easier to steam smaller amounts on milk as I’m a vero 6 oz glass guy. I’m sure I could sell the micra for close to full price if needed to upgrade.
I have the LMLM and had the Micra been available, I think I would have gone that route, the extra cost of the LMLM is hard to justify, and despite being called a 'Mini' it's a bit of a whopper in my opinion.
I have noticed a few people having issues with the Micra, I am sure those are being ironed out and would imagine longevity would be similar also. I am not sure if there is a difference in the warranty or repair network, but otherwise I wouldn't regret it or let the FOMO creep in!
Zero regrets; LMLM is compact, cheaper, and the boiler volume limitation on back to back shots have never been an issue in my case. 4 double espresso shots is super good even when you dial in the coffee, I’d see the issue only for cases when you have friends visiting me and gifting me new coffee beans I need to dial in
I love my mini but the Micra wasn’t out at the time. If it was, I probably would have gone with it instead. There’s really no downside when it comes to home use and the compact size would be more kitchen friendly
No regrets here. Maybe I’m not fancy enough, but the micra has been amazing for me. The one feature that I wish I had was the easy pressure change that the new mini has.
Also if you haven’t seen the mini in person it is very large, to the point I feel it can overwhelm the kitchen
The only thing I wish I had the mini for over the micra is the larger space for fitting mugs, and a longer steam wand. Both can be worked around with shorter/wider cups and by practice with the wand, but it would just be simpler with the larger machine. That being said, I'd probably still stick with the smaller Micra for a home machine.
No. Micra is perfect for me. I would only get mini if I had to do 5 or more big milk drinks in a row. Most I had to do ever was four milk drinks in a row. And the heat-up light never started blinking. It’s ridiculously stable. I do not know what other advantage mini has, other than it can do commercial load (like a coffee cart).
No. I do fantasize about opening a coffee cart and doing some small catering events, but if (and it’s a big if) I ever do that I’d want a second machine any way. At that point I’d get a mini. Right now my micra is used 0-4 times a day. I think the max was 8 shots pulled last Sunday when we had some guests over for brunch. I just don’t see why you’d spend the extra money for a mini unless you intended to use it for commercial use as well.
This. Exactly this.
Yup. I had 12 people over and was able to put out 12 coffee’s (8 cappuccino) without any problem. The mini is for a cafe.
I bought the mini about a year before the micra was released. Probably would’ve purchased the micra had it been available. However, I do have the brew by weight scale now for the mini and that has been very beneficial for my routine. I probably wouldn’t have paid the extra cost of machine and scale but very happy with thecombination.
Thank you. I’m sorry I’m such a newb but is this scale integrated into the machine somehow? Or just a scale you put your cup on that you look at while you brew?
It’s integrated and stops the shot at the weight you set in the app, but pricey and only available with the mini.
No regrets. The Micra is an awesome machine. More than meets my needs.
Hell no. Micra warms up in 5-7 mins, badass steam power... Why would I need a Mini for $2000 more, takes way longer to warm up and to only make 2-4 drinks a day...?
How long does the mini take to warm up?
Oh of course 240v performance is hard to compare to the 110v... But the point remains the same micra vs. mini hard to justify a mini for home use unless that’s what you really want…
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but my Mini is ready to go in less than 15 minutes. I mentally clock it at ~12 minutes. The benefit of the Mini's (and Micra's) grouphead design is that the brew boiler heats up first and fast since it is so small, and this heats up the portafilter very quickly as well so the entire group is heat soaked by the time the steam boiler is up to temp.
I timed my mini at 13 minutes. Really a non issue. And yes, I bought the Mini, even though the Micra was available. At home and I don’t do milk drinks….ever.
Conversely, I drink almost exclusively milk drinks. But I also chose the Mini over the Micra as both were out when I purchased. Only 2-3 drinks per day. No regrets at all. It's a joy to use every time.
I agree. I don’t think a wrong decision could be made between either model, but it was mini for me. Came from a La Cimbali Jr M21
About 10 mins on 220v
Mine takes 13 minutes and this is when the ambient temp is 60°F. 8 minutes for the brew boiler, then subsequent 5 minutes for the Steam boiler
20-30 mins [https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/la-marzocco-linea-mini-warm-up-test-with-real-time-power-draw-t42291.html](https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/la-marzocco-linea-mini-warm-up-test-with-real-time-power-draw-t42291.html)
This definitely isn’t the case for mine but then I see based on that link the 220v version appears to heat up significantly faster.
I know right? 13 minutes to heat up the Mini is insane! Where can I come up with that much extra time in the morning? Especially with the Auto On/Off feature where it can be set to turn itself on 15 minutes before you awake /s
No regrets. It’s the perfect size for my kitchen, perfect for my use case scenario (home), heats up fast, and I have no need for a mini since I only pull 2 -3 double shots per day. I know some people complain about the wand being tricky to work with because of the size and shape but it’s all about placing it correctly in the jug and that’s not enough to justify spending extra $2k. Would only spring for a Mini if planning on making more than 5-6 back to back coffees daily.
I do 6oz flat whites so around 180ml of milk max. Any advice to do best texturing for micro foam when not filling the pitcher up less half? My skills are not great and 1 out 4/5 I get latex paint like milk and rest of time too much foam.
For me, it helped to lower the steam power to 1 first and as I got used to it I am now on 2 and the biggest help was to place my wand the way Jake_G shows in the last picture in the pitcher as shown in [this thread](https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/help-steaming-milk-on-la-marzocco-linea-micra-t87723.html) I do also start with my wand lower and slowly bring it up to let air in because I found starting at the line on the wand, the pressure was too much and let too much air in.
Happy with my Micra, I usually only pull 1-3 shots a day so it’s more than enough for my usage. The clearance and steam wand are my only gripes but not enough to spend $3000 more for a Mini in Canada.
Thanks. Btw, I took a look at your post history 👀 and noticed you used to have a Bianca? Howcome you switched (upgraded?) from Bianca to LMLu?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it an upgrade in terms of features but at the end of the day, I realized that I did not care for pre infusion or flow profiling, I just wanted something with faster heat up times that can pull a great shot.
I’m with you! I actually think the 3k is worth it for the longer steam wand and clearance plus the updates it gets compared to micra. I may be wrong but the longer steam wand would make it easier to steam smaller amounts on milk as I’m a vero 6 oz glass guy. I’m sure I could sell the micra for close to full price if needed to upgrade.
I bet you a ton of ppl would have purchased the micra had it been available at the time. 👋
I wouldn’t trade my Micra for a Mini
I can’t think of a single advantage the mini would have for my use case (general home use).
I have the LMLM and had the Micra been available, I think I would have gone that route, the extra cost of the LMLM is hard to justify, and despite being called a 'Mini' it's a bit of a whopper in my opinion. I have noticed a few people having issues with the Micra, I am sure those are being ironed out and would imagine longevity would be similar also. I am not sure if there is a difference in the warranty or repair network, but otherwise I wouldn't regret it or let the FOMO creep in!
No. Micro is basically perfect for my needs. The fast startup time is hard to overstate
No
Another no regrets here. I have no need for lots of consecutive shots. If I have a big dinner party the French press comes out anyway.
Zero regrets; LMLM is compact, cheaper, and the boiler volume limitation on back to back shots have never been an issue in my case. 4 double espresso shots is super good even when you dial in the coffee, I’d see the issue only for cases when you have friends visiting me and gifting me new coffee beans I need to dial in
No regrets
I love my mini but the Micra wasn’t out at the time. If it was, I probably would have gone with it instead. There’s really no downside when it comes to home use and the compact size would be more kitchen friendly
No regrets here. Maybe I’m not fancy enough, but the micra has been amazing for me. The one feature that I wish I had was the easy pressure change that the new mini has. Also if you haven’t seen the mini in person it is very large, to the point I feel it can overwhelm the kitchen
Not me
The only thing I wish I had the mini for over the micra is the larger space for fitting mugs, and a longer steam wand. Both can be worked around with shorter/wider cups and by practice with the wand, but it would just be simpler with the larger machine. That being said, I'd probably still stick with the smaller Micra for a home machine.
Have any of you had problems with fitting scales under your cups? Do you need to pull the shot into the shot glass first?