u/aluscat

Anyone bought the Mini R for home and wished they bought a GS3, Micra, Decent or something else? If so, why?

Anyone who went from GS3 --> Mini R?

Hey everyone,

​After 8-10 solid years with my ECM Synchronika (with Flow Control) and Ceado E37S, I’m itching for something new. My current setup has served me extremely well, but my workflow preferences have evolved and I'm ready to upgrade both the machine and grinder.

​Here is where my head is at for both:

​The Machine Dilemma: LMLM vs. Bengle (or waiting for a GS3 replacement?)

​We average 4–8 drinks a day (mix of espressos and lattes), and semi-frequently host larger groups of 10–20 people, so workflow speed and steam power are essential. Crucially, the setup also needs to be spouse-friendly. When I'm not home, my spouse needs a dead-simple, reliable workflow to make a quick latte without having to fiddle with profiles, needle valves, or complex screens.

​I rotate through everything from light to medium-dark roasts, so having flow manipulation capability across that whole spectrum is ideally something I want access to when I'm pulling shots.

​Here are my thoughts on the current contenders:

​La Marzocco Linea Mini (LMLM):

​Pros: Heats up fast, built like a tank for back-to-back hosting, super approachable for my spouse (flip paddle, steam milk, done), and the new Brew-by-Weight integration and pre-brew are great features.

​Flow Control: While it doesn't do native flow profiling out of the box, the option to drop in a Slayer mod down the road gives me peace of mind if I want true flow control later.

​Decent Bengle:

​Pros: Incredible profiling capability across every roast style imaginable.

​Cons: The big dealbreaker for me is not being able to steam and pull a shot simultaneously. In my normal routine, I’m texturing milk while the shot pulls so everything finishes at the exact same time. The sequential workflow feels like a step backward for my daily habit, and I'm not sure how spouse-friendly the tablet interface feels for a simple morning latte.

​Why not a GS3 MP?

​Honestly feels a bit dated at this point, and the amount of water it exhausts while profiling is annoying. Unless there's a surprise GS4 around the corner, it's off my list.

​The Grinder: Zerno Z2, Weber Key, or something else?

​The Ceado E37S has been a workhorse for running the same beans through the hopper, but the complete inability to single-dose efficiently has become a huge friction point. I want to be able to jump between different beans easily without purging massive amounts of coffee.

​Zerno Z2 (Core burrs): This is currently my top plan. I like the single-dosing design and flexibility, but I'm curious how people like the Core burr geometry across different roast levels. What other burrs would you recommend (if any) along with Core?

​Weber Key (Snow White): Considering this for the medium to medium-dark end of the spectrum given the 83mm conical burrs.

​Aesthetic Constraint: It MUST be available in white to fit our kitchen's color palette (which rules out options like KafaTek).

​Open to other single-doser recommendations that match or exceed the build quality and performance of the E37S while fitting these aesthetic constraints.

​Questions for the sub:

​For those who switched from E61 flow control to a LMLM (with or without the Slayer mod), do you miss manual profiling, or do pre-brew + Brew-by-Weight satisfy 90% of your needs?

​Has anyone with a dual-boiler workflow made the jump to a Decent and gotten used to the non-simultaneous shot pulling + steaming? How is the "spouse factor" on the Decent?

​For those running a Zerno Z2 or Weber Key, how do you find the workflow for daily volume (4–8 shots/day + occasional hosting)? Any other white single-dosers I should be looking at? Open to keeping the Ceado for those large gatherings in case the SD grinder is not ideal, but it would be sitting most of the time...

Hey everyone,

​After almost 10 solid years with my ECM Synchronika (with Flow Control) and Ceado E37S, I’m itching for something new. My current setup has served me extremely well, but my workflow preferences have evolved and I'm ready to upgrade both the machine and grinder.

​Here is where my head is at for both:

​The Machine Dilemma: LMLM-R vs Bengle (or waiting for a GS3 replacement?)

​We average 4–8 drinks a day (mix of espressos and lattes), and semi-frequently host larger groups of 10–20 people, so workflow speed and steam power are essential. Crucially, the setup also needs to be spouse-friendly. When I'm not home, my spouse needs a dead-simple, reliable workflow to make a quick latte without having to fiddle with profiles, needle valves, or complexity.

​I rotate through everything from light to medium-dark roasts, so having flow manipulation capability across that whole spectrum is something I would like access to when I'm pulling shots, even though I am not leveraging much...

​Here are my thoughts on the current contenders:

​La Marzocco Linea Mini (LMLM):

​Pros: Heats up fast, built like a tank for back-to-back hosting, super approachable for my spouse (flip paddle, steam milk, done), and the new Brew-by-Weight integration and pre-brew are great features. Looks great and it is an icon.

​Flow Control: While it doesn't do native flow profiling out of the box, the option to drop in a Slayer mod down the road gives me peace of mind if I want true flow control later. It is a "flat" 9 bar machine.

​Decent Bengle:

​Pros: Incredible profiling capability across every roast style imaginable.

​Cons: The big dealbreaker for me is not being able to steam and pull a shot simultaneously. In my normal routine, I’m texturing milk while the shot pulls so everything finishes at the exact same time. The sequential workflow feels like a step backward for my daily habit, and I'm not sure how spouse-friendly the tablet interface feels for a simple morning latte.

​Why not a GS3 MP?

​Honestly feels a bit dated at this point, and the amount of water it exhausts while profiling is annoying. Unless there's a surprise GS4 around the corner, it's off my list. Not looking to splurge with a Strada X1 at this point (I find a bit too overkill).

​The Grinder: Zerno Z2, future Weber Key, or something else?

​The Ceado E37S has been a workhorse for running the same beans through the hopper, but the complete inability to single-dose efficiently has become a huge friction point. I want to be able to jump between different beans easily without purging massive amounts of coffee.

​Zerno Z2 (Core burrs): This is currently my top plan. I like the single-dosing design and flexibility, but I'm curious how people like the Core burr geometry across different roast levels. Any other burrs I should get together with the Core burrs? I only brew espresso.

​Weber Key (Snow White): Considering this for the medium to medium-dark end of the spectrum given the 83mm conical burrs.

​Aesthetic Constraint: It MUST be available in white to fit our kitchen's color palette (which rules out options like KafaTek).

​Open to other single-doser recommendations that match or exceed the build quality and performance of the E37S while fitting these aesthetic constraints.

​Questions for the sub:

​For those who switched from E61 flow control to a LMLM (with or without the Slayer mod), do you miss manual profiling, or do pre-brew + Brew-by-Weight satisfy 90% of your needs?

​Has anyone with a dual-boiler workflow made the jump to a Decent and gotten used to the non-simultaneous shot pulling + steaming? How is the "spouse factor" on the Decent?

​For those running a Zerno Z2 or Weber Key, how do you find the workflow for daily volume (4–8 shots/day + occasional hosting)? Any other white single-dosers I should be looking at? Open to keeping the Ceado in case it is really needed for large gathering, but it would be sitting there for most of the time.