La Marzocco Linea PB - Programming and Copying Volumetrics

A common question we get asked is “how do I program and copy my volumetric settings from one group head to the next?” So here is a simple step by step guide to doing just that, specifically for the La Marzocco Linea PB.

Before you begin programming the volumetrics on your La Marzocco Linea PB, you’ll want to make sure that your grinder is dialed in, using a good set of scales.

 After you’re confident in your grind, you can begin programming the machine, using the programming menu. The left-hand group of your machine is your master group, and the buttons on the master group are used to control the programming menu. To get into the programming menu, you can hold down the continuous button (the right-most button) on the master group until the display comes up with the programming menu. The screen should read ‘Menu’.

 You can then use your left and middle buttons to toggle through the menu, the continuous button being your select button. We want to toggle until the menu displays ‘Group those settings’, and then use the continuous button to select ‘Group dose settings.’ And now you’re in the group dose programming menu. The screen should read ‘Program volume dose. Next, prepare your portafilter with coffee, and load it into the master group head. Place a cup on the scales and tare it off. To program your first button, press the continuous button one time so that the display screen says, ‘Press enter to exit.’ Your machine is now ready to program either button one or button two. Now, you can press the button that you’re wanting to program, and coffee will begin to be extracted.

Note, when doing the volumetric programming with coffee, you’re going to want to press the stop button when your scales reach about three grams less than your desired weight. For example, if you desire 30 grams yield, you’re going to want to press the stop button when you see 27 grams on the scales. To stop, press the same button you pressed to start. If you’re happy with the weight on the scales, you can now save your volumetric settings. Press the continuous button to save your settings and exit, and the screen should then read ‘Program volume dose’.

If you’re wanting to copy and paste the button volumetrics from the master group across to your other groups, you can follow these simple steps.

With machine now in ‘Program volume dose’ display, toggle through the programming menu until you reach ‘Copy dose’, then select ‘Copy dose’. Next, push the button you want to copy on the master group, and then push the button(s) you want to paste on the other groups.

Before the buttons are pressed, they will flash, and after they have been pressed, they stop flashing. This indicates that they have been programmed. Press exit using the continuous button. Next, press the middle button and the continuous button simultaneously to leave the programming menu altogether. You’re now ready to test your new volumetrics across each group head.

Depending on the age of your machine there may be variations across each of your group heads, despite the pulses being programmed the same. Because of this, it’s always good to test each group with scales and coffee, to ensure that you're getting the same desired yield on all groups. If after you test with scales and coffee, one of your groups is slightly out, you can make simple adjustments by doing the following.

Go back into the programming mode by holding down the continuous button. Toggle and select ‘Program group dose’ then select ‘Program volume dose’. Next, press the button you’re wanting to make changes to on the desired group. This will allocate the programming to that group, and you can repeat the above process.

Alternatively, the other way of doing this is by adjusting the pulses manually in the program itself. So, for example, if this second group is dosing at 31 grams, at say 350 pulses, you can lower the pulses and the yield should also be lower. To do this, enter the programming menu and toggle across and select ‘Group two dose settings’, then select ‘Group two button one’, or toggle across until it says Group two button two if you’re wanting to adjust the pulses for the second button, not the first. After selecting the button you’re wanting to adjust, you can adjust the pulses up or down manually by using the left and middle buttons on the master group.

After finishing up and exiting the programming mode, you’ll want to test this again with coffee to make sure that that the group is producing your desired yield. If it's not, you can just go back through the programming menu again and adjust the pulses until you’re confident it’s correct.

 And that’s how you program and copy your volumetrics! If you’re still unsure and are keen to watch a video on how it’s done- click here.