To say we nearly cried happy tears when we learned that La Marzocco's Linea Mini ($4,495), the sexiest new at-home espresso machine on the market, would be landing in the BA Test Kitchen would be a major understatement. And that feeling of pure and utter joy was rivaled only by the excitement we felt when we learned that the coffee whizzes of Portland, Oregon's Stumptown Coffee would be teaching us how to pull espresso on that Linea Mini like the pros. So, what did we learn when Emily Rosenberg, our instructor and an experienced Stumptown barista, came to the Test Kitchen armed with limitless patience and walked us through baby's (a.k.a. our) first espressos and cortados?
First, the Linea Mini is a real beauty. A petite version of the Linea Classic, the cult-favorite espresso machine from the 1990s, the new machine is sleek, with a double-boiler and just a few gauges and knobs, including one that powers a steam wand. There are no buttons, only a lever to toggle on and off. It's got the functionality of a commercial machine but doesn't take up a ton of counter space. It also doesn't need elaborate plumbing, making the Linea Mini perfect for at-home brewing, if you're cool with the price tag.
Rosenberg schooled us on the machine's anatomy; it's set up just like commercial gear. So there's the portafilter (portable + filter = portafilter), the handheld basket that cradles the coffee and through which hot water drips. A basket pops out of the portafilter for easy cleaning, a spring clip holds the basket in, and espresso drips through the double-spouts at the bottom. But it’s all about the dispersion screen, which allows water to spray through the holes like a shower-head. Spreading water evenly over the coffee is crucial to pulling superb shots of espresso.
Unlike many at-home machines, the portafilter is made of a combination of stainless steel and metal, which Rosenberg assures us keeps the temperature consistent. The Linea Mini is also equipped with two boilers, which makes it easier to maintain a consistent espresso-optimized temperature at all times. The wand blows steam at temperatures of around 250˚F to heat up your milk. The machine's even rigged with a water tap for rinsing or pre-heating mugs or shot glasses.
In other words, the machine is small, but it sure is mighty.
All coffee drinks result from water dripping through ground coffee and extracting flavor in one way or another. What makes espresso different from other brew methods, said Rosenberg, is the mighty pressure pump that pushes water through the coffee in a contained, sealed environment over a short period of time. Crucial factors to making good espresso include: water dispersion, water temperature (around 200˚F), and time. "An espresso is like a magnifying glass on everything you do," said Rosenberg. Every little adjustment you make has outsized effect on the final result. Translation: This machine gives you the optimal equipment and features to stack the espresso odds in your favor. Now all you have to do is follow the rules and focus.
For best results, coffee in the grinder should be no more than two weeks from its roast date. Do not pre-grind your beans hours or days in advance: Ground coffee has more surface area, so aromatics leave the coffee after about an hour. Rosenberg explained that espresso grinds should have the consistency of confectioner's sugar (though pros adjust grind size depending on how the espresso is tasting). On this machine, we filled our portafilters with between 18.5 and 20.5 grams of ground coffee. Because we pulled double shots. Goin' up... at 4 p.m. on a weekday.
Keep rags with you at all times: To keep the counter tidy, to clean the steam wand, and to wipe the basket dry. Rosenberg explained that we have to keep the basket dry because sneaky wet spots in the basket's coffee attract more water, resulting in a spotty, uneven dispersion of water during extraction.
At the latte art portion of our lesson, we learned that it's amazing what images BA staffers will conjure up when they stare into the all-knowing amorphous blob of a coworker's first latte art. Rosenberg gave us all the tools to make a latte art heart, and from that we got: a butt, a planet, a mushroom cloud (?!), and a saggy Pac Man.
Rosenberg trains people all the time—twice a week, to be exact—from aspiring baristas to students who have literally never even tasted coffee before. So, after fumbling around and trying our very best, we asked: How'd we do? Unwaveringly gracious, she said we did well, of course. But she added, "If I were doing this in a café, I'd probably do this whole process in about 10 seconds." If practice makes perfect, it probably helps to have an impressive new machine to study on—one you want to spend a lot of time with. And we really love this one.