A new generation of equipment embracing automation and efficiency signals the next era of innovation in La Marzocco’s century-long history.
La Marzocco is one of the coffee industry’s most recognisable brands: synonymous with both traditional Italian espresso culture and the upper echelons of the contemporary craft. The Florence-based company’s coffee machines have furnished the brand with industry clout, yet some of its latest innovations focus on the steps before and after espresso extraction.
“La Marzocco has around 100 years of experience in the traditional espresso segment, and in that time we’ve developed a series of technologies that we’ve built into our products to ensure consistency, reliability, and value,” says Aric Forbing, La Marzocco Technical Product Manager.
“We have always worked to create the world’s best espresso machines, and in the process built up a group of world-class experts who can spur development of new and exciting things.”
Two of the “exciting things” La Marzocco has released recently are the Wally Milk automatic milk steamer and the Swan grinder. Developed in response to customers’ need to increase productivity and improve workflow, both products incorporate the research and development team’s latest advancements in automation.
“The Wally Milk is a great example of how new products and technologies are driven by our customers. A lot of cafés told us milk was their choke point during busy periods, so we developed the automatic milk steamer to not only speed up the process but also provide an additional steam wand alongside the coffee machine,” says Aric.
While the team were driven to create a milk system that would alleviate bottlenecks at the espresso machine, the solution prioritises quality and safety as well as efficiency. The Wally Milk not only helps baristas move orders along but also delivers a premium output without the user having to handle hot jugs or steam wands.
“There’s a series of advancements within the Wally Milk that enables it to steam milk just like a barista would,” says Aric.
“First off, there are sensors to detect the size of the pitcher being used, a tilting platform to ensure it’s at the correct angle, and a temperature sensor which constantly monitors the temperature of the milk.
“At the top of the machine is a robotically controlled steam wand with a vortex tip to move the milk to ensure it’s uniform. Finally, there is a time-of-flight sensor which measures the amount of milk in the pitcher – this is really important because the machine doesn’t have eyes or ears to assess how the milk is stretching.”
With so many parameters measured constantly, Aric says all these technologies enable the machine to have ultimate control of the finished product, saving the barista time without compromising on quality.
The development of the Swan grinder, on the other hand, was driven by the team’s quest for a reliable grind output throughout the day, addressing the common café issue of consistency.
“We’ve put a really cool piece of technology into the Swan that removes static from the coffee grounds, allowing them to fall directly from the burrs straight into the portafilter. This solves the issue of grounds sticking to internal surfaces of the grinder, therefore almost completely eliminating retention and producing some of the most beautiful coffee to come out of a coffee grinder,” Aric says.
The engineering team at La Marzocco custom-designed 83-millimetre burrs for the Swan to ensure they’re as efficient as possible, even in busy periods.
“The less the burrs need to spin, the less friction is produced, which means less heat is generated. This results in less variance in flavour as the volume of coffee through the grinder increases. Simply put, the Swan’s burrs increase consistency,” he says.
Since the first La Marzocco espresso machine was released in 1939, design-forward aesthetics has been a pillar of the brand. While the products continue to advance, Head of Design Stefano Della Pietra, who was mentored by master craftsman and La Marzocco visionary Piero Bambi, ensures new releases remain true to company tradition and sit within the wider family of machines.
“The Swan has the same interface as the classic Linea PB and KB90 machines, and has the same three buttons. It feels at home next to the machines,” says Aric.
According to Brydon Price, National Sales Manager of La Marzocco Australia, the company has a long tradition of pushing innovation across the whole café bar, not just the espresso machine, which was spearheaded by Piero’s nephews and company Founders, Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi.
“Innovation has always been at the forefront of what sets La Marzocco apart. This has been fundamental not just in responding to the market but supporting its evolution. When the Bambi brothers started the company in 1927, they designed the entire espresso bar – they made the whole bench as well as the machines that went on it,” he says.
“Realistically, it wasn’t until 30 years ago with the release of the Linea Classic and the subsequent explosion of specialty coffee that La Marzocco became known as an espresso machine manufacturer on a truly global scale.”
Brydon highlights the Swift grinder, released in 2000, as an example of previous La Marzocco innovation in grinding technology, pushing boundaries with its dual hoppers and automated tamping and dosing. Today, he says the brand’s new innovations, such as the Wally Milk and Swan, are doing exceedingly well in the Australian market because they’re meeting the demands of the audience.
“The response of the local market to the Wally Milk has been very strong, yet is still only a fraction of its potential,” he says.
“Our volume of milk-based drinks and the expected consistent standards from every size and style of café is unique to Australia, and well suited to Wally Milk, which proves its value for café owners and roasters alike.”
The Australian market has embraced the Wally Milk unlike any other, which is something Brydon puts down to the discerning nature of the country’s coffee community.
“Australian café owners and roasters are very quick to embrace new innovation in support of improvement and point of difference. It is also a vocal market when a product does not live up to expectations, so success for equipment such as the Wally Milk and the Swan is seen by international markets as a strong endorsement,” he says.
As for the future of La Marzocco, both Brydon and Aric see innovation as a driving force behind the iconic brand.
“Going forward, we will continue to embrace our heritage and progression by refreshing current models while innovating new products and exploring new markets,” says Brydon.
Both the Wally Milk and Swan are now available to experience at La Marzocco’s Melbourne and Sydney showrooms.
For more information, click here.
This article appears in the August/September 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.