Take a moment to view a quick slideshow of highlights from the project:
We feel that the three group version of the La Marzocco Linea has the right capacity to provide customers with consistent espresso shots, and in some cases, more speedy and efficient operation. Continue reading “PL3: A new workhouse on the counter” »
Sarah S. takes a wire wheel to the inside of the Rio boiler.
It might seem that our La Marzocco Linea three group rebuild project has been going slower than expected. This is mostly because it has. However, the diversions of the project are all related to other pieces of coffee equipment. We are selling our old machine, a CMA Rio Two Group Vania to Sarah, a fellow barista in Kansas City. Sarah has a passion for coffee, and understands that knowing the inner-workings of her machine gives her an edge in pulling the best shots possible. Since we were already in the mood… we went ahead and did a complete tear-down of all the plumbing parts in the Rio.
Instead of delaying our current project, the Rio rebuild became a timely warm-up project for us. We learned several lessons about project management, part identification and part replacement. It also gave us an opportunity to learn more about the differences between a heat-exchange type espresso machine (Rio) and one with a dual boiler (La Marzocco).
Our La Marzocco rebuild project (PL3) took an interesting turn over the weekend. Oddly enough, it did not involve any actual work on the machine itself. It did, however, involve our current machine going on the disabled list, a full day of no espresso or steamed milk, and being rescued by a friend who is providing us with an even better loaner machine.
