Several of my co-workers and I attended La Marzocco’s Out of the Box event last week held at Chelsea Market in NYC. This East Coast unveiling of the new Strada espresso machine was open to anyone in the coffee industry, and the room was pretty much packed. The Strada, newest on the production line for La Marzocco, combines features derived from a lengthy process of collecting data and suggestions from Baristas out there on the front lines and in back room coffee labs. They said they wanted easy temperature control; they got a push button dial-in interface on the front of the machine without having to enter a programing mode. They wanted a pump for each group head to keep from dropping pressure whenever engaging more then one group; check. They wanted to be able to control pump pressure. Not only can you control it, you can record a pressure profile over the length of a shot and play it back when pulling another. You can have several profiles recorded on each group head. There was also a manual pressure regulated single pump machine that is more of a high-class, stripped down, easy to look at traditional type of LaMarzocco.
This machine is perfectly suited for those of you who want to be able to push the limits of particular espresso (most specifically a single origin) to see what characteristics you can get at different ends of a wide spectrum of variables. For a traditional blend, requiring a traditional shot, you are better off with a traditional machine. There is a lot of factors you will need to learn to handle on a Strada in order to bend it to your will.
Having all that control is great for those who know how to use it, or at least know how to figure out how to use it. But my one complaint about the new model is the physical handling of the pressure regulator. The Barista must slide the group paddle in order to increase the pump pressure. A lot of sliding will yield very little pressure differential at first, then it suddenly jumps to 12 or more bars. There is a point where slight movement of the paddle results in wide swing of pressure. It is difficult to handle and requires a steep learning curve in order to achieve precision. I don’t want pressure regulation to be like learning the golf swing. I want the handling of the equipment to feel like an extension of my own limbs.
Still, it’s a great machine for those who will know what to do with it, and it is beautifully designed. The aesthetics of the machine are impeccable.

















