Staff Picks of the Month - La Marzocco Linea Micra Espresso Machine
"I fix."
That was Andy's first response when we asked him to introduce himself.
Entering Lamarsa Coffee about 7 months ago, Andy is equipped with over 10 years of combined experience in the F&B industry. He started his career as a technician for bakery machinery before transitioning to coffee machines. From there, he progressed to become a cafe manager with a hand in being a chef, barista and a waiter.
Now, he is currently Lamarsa Coffee's Technical Support Team Leader.
"My job involves assigning daily tasks to Lamarsa's technicians, including doing machine troubleshooting and bench-tests at the request of the customer before delivery to ensure everything works smoothly. Outside the office, I regularly conduct site visits within the Klang Valley, sometimes interstate or overseas, alongside my technicians to visit our customer's cafe or home to service their machines and grinders."
Working with machines day-in and day-out allows Andy to appreciate the inner workings of coffee machines, including the La Marzocco Linea Micra's capability, which is his espresso machine of choice.
"Standing at 34cm tall and 29cm wide, the Linea Micra is the perfect compact home espresso machine. Its 19kg weight makes it relatively easy for us to move it around the warehouse compared to other bigger machines, adding to its 'plug-and-play' aspect.
Since it's smaller than usual double boiler machines, it makes it somewhat easier to locate any malfunctions as there are less working parts. With the 2L capacity water tank being at the bottom, it's also easy for us to empty out and fill up during routine inspections."
Andy's favourite non-technical aspect about the Linea Micra is that it can be customised with wood accents such as this wood kit from Specht Design to give it an added luxurious Scandinavian look. The added barista lights when the machine is running also adds a touch of class every time you make a cup of coffee. The Linea Micra comes in a whopping seven (7) colours to choose from, but Andy still prefers the classic Black colour.
"Inside the box, the Linea Micra comes with a stock bottomless portafilter, which is rare nowadays where you'd either have to buy it separately or buy it from a third-party. It also acts as a convertible portafilter! You can attach the unique single and double spouts made out of a special heat-resistant plastic if you want to split your espresso shots."
Andy adds that he likes that the Linea Micra comes built with a rotary pump, ensuring the machine runs quietly and smoothly for households where early mornings are the norm.
"Being one of the smallest double boiler home espresso machines, the fast heat-up time of 5 minutes also allows us technicians to quickly get the machine up & running to find out any issues, so that the machine can make its way back to its owner as fast as possible."
"The Linea Micra has an insulated steam wand, making it cool to the touch so there's no accidental burns when we're inspecting the machine, adding less to our accidental injuries. I also greatly admire the powerful 1.5 bar steam pressure found inside this mighty but tiny beast."
Unlike the Linea Mini, the Linea Micra doesn't have the temperature wheel at the bottom of the machines. Instead, with the use of the La Marzocco Home App, it allows users to have more control over brew settings without having to tinker with the machine too much, which is especially helpful for beginner baristas and newbie home brewers. The app can be used to control machine scheduling on/off times, pre-infusion settings, brew boiler temperature, and many more.
"Other than machine features, the app also contains tutorials and FAQs, but we technicians are more than happy to help with any issues you might be having too."
A big part of Andy's job involves training his fellow technicians, which means he has to keep up to date with the latest technology developments for all machines in terms of maintenance, repairing and servicing. Andy also attributes his experience as a cafe manager to helping him understand more about the coffee machines and grinders he services on a daily basis.
As expected from La Marzocco, the Linea Micra is an amazing and powerful prosumer espresso machine that's built for the home. Beautifully designed with inspirations from the Linea Classic S and Linea Mini, double boiler in a small footprint, app compatible, and many more commercial features, the Linea Micra simply invites you to bring the cafe home. Coffee enthusiasts of all levels can enjoy this espresso machine to its fullest extent for all types of espresso-based coffees.
For a full review of the Linea Micra, do check out our YouTube video by our product specialist, Imran!
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