Its great now that I have gotten used to it.. Still struggling with foam

I have owned my GS3 for nine years now. After many years of dealing with price resistance in my own mind, I finally made the purchase in 2014. Nearly a decade later, I can honestly say that I have no regrets whatsoever. I do not turn it on and off every day. It is always on (a suggestion I heard directly from a La Marzocco rep at one of their events in San Francisco some years ago). I normally pull only two shots a day. The quality cannot be matched. It is simply a magnificently engineered machine that produces stunningly great espresso, shot after shot, day after day, year after year. I have it serviced by Dolce Neve once every year, which I think is very important and one of the reasons I have had no problems at all during all these years.

I use this machine commercially for my coffee cart business. It is a trooper! Had it over six months now. Pull close to a 100 shots a day with lots of milk steams too. It is a great machine, built to last. Love love love it! You get what you pay for, so don't settle for a lesser espresso machine!

My espresso journey took a long route and went through Saeco, Rancilio Silvia, Rocket R60V and finally GS3-MP. No one in their right mind should be spending so much on a home espresso machine as GS3 but the fact is that no other machine comes close especially if you do not want to plumb. My favorite in my journey have been Silvia and GS3 but if you can start journey with GS3 then go for it.Why GS3? La Marzocco knows how a good espresso is made and every thing from brew head temperature to the extremely dry steam required to produce perfect microfoam is delivered. Shot consistency is amazing and best in class. If you are using one type of beans and then go for AV model and not for MP, my reason to pick MP was that I roast my beans and try to vary extraction times and pre-infusion.Cons - Cost is the number one factor followed by looks. Personally I like the looks of Rocket a lot better but you can customize the panels to improve the GS3 color scheme to your taste. LCD placement and size makes it hard to view duration while steaming. Programming and Auto On features are not very intuitive. If you want the machine to turn on on Monday at 6 am but on Tuesday at 7 am that is not possible. If you have a cafe and open everyday at 5 am then its maybe not an issue for you. It does not have hundreds of features like some of the newer machines but every feature this machine has works like it is supposed to. Build quality and internal architecture of this machine is great and i wish that reflected more in exterior aesthetics as well.

Have gone through many machines leading up to this. Save your money and buy this first. It produces some of the best espresso drinks I've ever had. The machine is a powerhouse and very well made. I would recommend routine service once a year and weekly cleaning. Over the 5 yrs I've had a couple of parts replaced on these calls. The only design deficiency is that there's no indication of the tank running out of water before that occurs. Love this machine as do my friend who always ask for a drink from this because they say how much better it is than any coffee shop.

Had this machine for three years and now is sputtering. Only pulled about 2 shots per day. Now I cannot get it fixed. La Marzocco does not provide service. There are no techs willing to make house calls. Techs only service commercial establishments. Called La Marzocco tech support but they could not help. Also they recommended that the machine be serviced once a year by a professional.

Very expensive, high quality and extremely consistent performer. We made the decision to purchase this machine due to the excellent espresso quality it produces even by a novice barista using all the tools provided by the PID. Justification to spend this much came down to an expected long life time of enjoyment. After several weeks of morning lattes and occasional espressos the time saving features and ready to use nature of this machine really stand out and add to our daily pleasure. The powerful steam means I can steam milk and be finished before the shot is done, of course this makes for a small window to get it just right for latte art, however even during the learning process the results were never far off.

Make sure that you buy the double, Strada portafilter basket, and the LM bottomless portafilter. You'll be glad that you did.Why? The standard LM basket is ridged near the top. That prevents proper tamping unless the basket is filled with 19 or more grams of grounds. The Strada is smooth-sided. The holes are also more uniform in size. That seems to provide a better tasting extraction. The bottomless portafilter seems to provide a better coffee taste. That may or may not be the case. What it definitely does do is allow one to see the coffee extraction. Water channeling and water spraying, which indicate an uneven tamp, are obvious by looking at the bottom of the basket during extraction. So is the coffee's delightful tiger-striped coffee vortex for which LM coffee is noted.Pros:Great Taste, Easy To Use, Commercial Grade, Quick Brewing, Easy To Clean, Quiet, Large Water ContainerCons:

* How you use the product -- to prepare espresso; hot chocolate; tea. All good!* Things that are great about it -- quick to heat; two boilers means no waiting. Froth milk or brew coffee when you wish; turns itself on/off; adjustable in more ways than I know.* Things that aren't so great about it -- flawed portafilter basket design. There is a ridge that blocks proper tamping when using less than 19 grams of coffee grounds in the double basket. As a result, your espresso grind will be all over the map in attempts to correct what turns out to be a tamp issue. Buy an LM ridgeless basket and chuck the stock unit.Pros:Quick Brewing, Quiet, Commercial Grade, Great Taste, Beautiful, Easy To Use, Easy To Clean, Large Water ContainerCons:Portafilter basket ridge

The GS3 is amazing with lots of coffees, but this is truly a machine designed for specialty coffee. I've worked with commerical La Marzoccos, Synessos, and Simonellis, and this little GS3 delivers nearly identical exceptional quality. At home, I use a Rocket from Seattle Coffee Gear. But I also do training and consulting for a small Espresso Bar in New Orleans that uses the La Marzocco GS3, and this machine is simply amazing in quality and consistency. EVERYTHING is commercial grade yet designed for a smaller setting. The built-in PID allows for precise temperature control and experimentation (if you are adventurous and like single origin espresso, especially). Manual pre-infusion (which locks in fines and results in a more even extraction) is possible due to the mechanical paddle. Also, the interface shows you the time of your shots in seconds (no need to scramble for your timer). The shots are GORGEOUS when dialed in correctly. Tiger striping is easily visible and this portafilter is one of the few pro-sumer types where the espresso rolls out of the spouts in a more inward direction, falling perfectly into your demi (this is something usually only seen with large, commercial machines). The water reservoir and drip tray are very large. The double boiler allows one to easily brew and steam simultaneously, and the steam wand is capable of commercial grade micro-foam for latte art. Finally, the portafilter and double basket that La Marzocco issues (either VST or regular basket) are professional grade and easily allow for the type of up-dosing that is commonly used in specialty cafes today (18-21 grams). This is rare among other pro-sumer machines with smaller baskets (unless you go bottomless and switch to a larger basket). Simply put, if you want your shot to taste the way it does in your favorite specialty cafe, this is one of the only machines that will get you there consistently. Seems pricey, but offers so much more than any other machine can in its class.Pros:Easy To Use, Commercial Grade, Quick Brewing, Easy To Clean, Great Taste, Large Water ContainerCons: