Get started with La Marzocco espresso.
Your first shot on a La Marzocco machine: what to switch on, what to weigh, and when. Filtru guides the shot, and with a Bluetooth scale it measures it live.
Available for iPhone and iPad.
A quick word about La Marzocco.
La Marzocco started in Florence in 1927, when brothers Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi founded the workshop that would go on to shape modern espresso. They patented the first horizontal boiler in 1939, and in 1970 the GS series introduced the dual boiler with saturated groups, the thermal stability idea that still defines cafe espresso machines today. If you have ordered espresso at a serious coffee bar, there is a good chance it came off a La Marzocco.
The home line brings that same cafe engineering to the kitchen counter. Every machine in the range is a true dual boiler with PID temperature control and a commercial 58mm portafilter, so the workflow and the accessories are exactly what a barista would use. These are heavy, handbuilt machines and they are priced like it, but they are also the closest most of us will get to owning a slice of the cafe at home.
The Linea Micra is the compact entry point, the Linea Mini is the home version of the iconic Linea cafe machine, and the GS3 is essentially a one group commercial machine that happens to fit in a house.
Popular La Marzocco home machines
- Linea Micra — dual boiler with PID, 58mm portafilter. The smallest La Marzocco, with a convertible portafilter, app connectivity, and a stated heat up time of about 5 minutes.
- Linea Mini — dual boiler with saturated group and PID, 58mm portafilter. Inspired by the Linea Classic cafe machine, with a large steam boiler and connectivity to the La Marzocco Home app.
- GS3 AV — dual boiler with saturated group and PID, 58mm portafilter. Volumetric dosing lets you program shot volumes at the touch of a button, with the option to plumb it in directly.
- GS3 MP — dual boiler with saturated group and PID, 58mm portafilter. The mechanical paddle gives you full manual control over pressure through the whole shot, from 0 to 9 bars.
What you need.
- Your La Marzocco machine
- Cup or a mug
- Kitchen scale
- Coffee tamper
Any kitchen scale gets you going. A supported Bluetooth scale takes it further: Filtru reads the weight live under your cup, so dose and yield are measured as they happen, not eyeballed after.
Grind setting for espresso: extra fine.
Your first shot, step by step.
La Marzocco states the Linea Micra heats up in about 5 minutes, while the larger boilers in the Linea Mini and GS3 take longer to fully stabilise. The Micra and Linea Mini connect to the La Marzocco Home app, so many owners simply switch the machine on remotely before they reach the kitchen.
- Switch on the machine Let the boiler inside heat up the water while you grind the coffee.
- Weigh out the coffee and grind it 1tbsp ~ 12g. Make sure you adjust the grinder first to get the right grind size.
- Remove the portafilter and rinse the machine A short water cycle should remove any residual grounds from before.
- Place the coffee in the portafilter Make sure the coffee is evenly distributed
- Tamp the coffee with little pressure Make sure the tamper sits evenly in the portafilter
- Attach the portafilter
- Place the scale and the cup The scale will help Filtru record the espresso shot.
- Turn on the scale, ensuring it reads `0g` Some scales will require to switch to "Grams" mode. Filtru-supported scales will need to be tare'd manually.
Before your first shot, lock in the empty portafilter and run water through the group for a few seconds. It rinses the group, confirms everything is flowing, and preheats the portafilter so your first espresso lands on warm metal.
Dial it in with a scale in the loop.
The fastest way to better shots on your La Marzocco is measuring them.
Pair a supported Bluetooth scale with Filtru and every shot gets recorded as it pours: live weight, real yield, shot time, and a graph you can compare against yesterday's. When the numbers are honest, dialling in stops being guesswork. Adjust one thing, pull again, and watch the extraction even out.
No scale yet? Filtru still guides the shot, times it, and keeps your log of dose, yield, and taste, so you always know what to change next.
The answer is YES
Pulling shots on a La Marzocco? These all have the same answer:
- Can I use Filtru with my La Marzocco machine? Yes
- Can Filtru time my espresso shots? Yes
- Can I log dose, yield, and taste for every shot? Yes
- Can I see live shot weight with a Bluetooth scale? Yes
- Will Filtru help me dial in my grinder? Yes
- Is Filtru free to download? Yes
Getting started on another machine?
Espresso basics · Breville · De'Longhi · Gaggia · Lelit · Rancilio · Sage
La Marzocco is a trademark of its respective owner; Filtru isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it. Machine details come from public manufacturer information as of July 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I'll fix it.
