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La Marzocco Linea Mini vs Vesuvius Espresso Machine Comparison

2nd Jul 2016

Here is a comparison of the main feature differences between the La Marzocco Linea Mini and the Vesuvius Espresso Machine. Full for disclosure, I, Joe Kolb (Owner), have the Vesuvius as my main personal home machine. 

  • Both machines have stainless steel insulated steam and brew boilers
  • Both are 15 amp only
  • The Vesuvius has a built in programmable timer that allows you to set the on and off time for each day of the week. The Linea Mini does not have this option.
  • The Vesuvius has all stainless steel body and frame construction. The Linea Mini has a stainless steel body, but a coated steel frame. If the coating gets damaged or chipped over time, the Linea Mini’s frame will be prone to rust damage. The Vesuvius will not.
  • Both machines have PID temperature control. The Vesuvius has a digital control panel that allows for precise temperature adjustments of both the brew and steam boilers and allows you to adjust the offset differential if so desired. The digital display shows the brew and steam boiler temperatures at all times during brewing and steaming. The Linea Mini has a manual wheel adjuster for temperature that will require more trial and error to get to the right temperature and you don’t have a temperature display to know when the machine has made the temperature adjustment.
  • Both machines have preinfusion. The Linea Mini has one second of preinfusion that is preset and not adjustable. The Vesuvius has preinfusion capabilities that are currently unmatched by any home espresso machine on the market. The digital control panel on the Vesuvius allows you to precisely adjust both the preinfusion pressure and duration of preinfusion. As an example, you can set the preinfusion pressure to 2.3 bars of pressure for 10 seconds.
  • The Vesuvius has computer controlled pressure profiling that utilizes a state of the art magnetic gear pump to change and transition between pressure levels. It has 5 savable pressure profile setting. In each profile, there are 7 individual pressure settings available as well as timing adjustments for each setting. You can also adjust the transition time between pressure settings by adjustment the transition speed of the magnetic gear pump – again through the digital control panel. Another feature that is unmatched by any home machine on the market.
  • The Vesuvius is switchable between water tank and direct water line connection. Unlike other direct connect machines on the market, the Vesuvius uses a unique direct connection system that eliminates water line pressure from going past the water reservoir. This allows for more precise control over preinfusion and extraction pressure. The Linea Mini is tank only.
  • The water reservoir on the Vesuvius is accessible through a hinged panel on the left side of the machine. The water reservoir on the Linea Mini’s water reservoir is under the machine. To access, you have to first remove the large drip tray, then pull out the water reservoir. In a side by side comparison the design on the Vesuvius requires less effort.
  • The Vesuvius has no burn steam and hot water wands, with a steam wand mounted on the left side of the machine. The Linea Mini has a hot water tap and a steam wand mounted on the right side. Some people find the right side mount of the steam wand cumbersome to use.
  • The Vesuvius has a 3 liter water reservoir. The Linea Mini has a 2 liter reservoir.
  • The Vesuvius version 2 has all stainless steel internal tubing that will provide great long term durability. The Linea Mini has poorer quality silicon tubing.
  • The Vesuvius has a magnetic gear pump. The Linea Mini has a traditional rotary vane pump.
  • The Vesuvius has easy access boiler drains. The Linea Mini does not.
  • The Vesuvius now comes standard with a single spout portafiler, a double spout portafilter and a bottomless portafilter. The Linea Mini comes with a single and double spout portafilter.
  • The Vesuvius comes with a direct water connection and a direct drain line connection kit. The Linea does not.
  • Both machines come with a quality tamper.
  • The Vesuvius allows you to choose whether you want the brew boiler connected to the steam boiler, or to get water directly from the pump, which helps provide temperature stability. The Linea does not have this option.
  • The Vesuvius has a 1.5 liter steam boiler and a 0.8 liter brew boiler. The Linea Mini has a 3.5 liter steam boiler and a 0.2 liter brew boiler. The Linea Mini’s large steam boiler provides great steam pressure, but also takes a long time to heat up with such a large size.