Overview

The GS3 AV is La Marzocco’s single-group home machine built around the same saturated brew group, dual stainless boilers and rotary pump found in their commercial line-up. The auto-volumetric electronics package (shared with the commercial GB5 AV) counts the water passing through the group via a flowmeter and stops the shot at your programmed volume, which makes recipes repeatable shot after shot. Both boilers are independently PID controlled, so brew and steam temperatures can be tuned separately to 0.1 °C.

The machine runs on a 2.5 L front-access reservoir out of the box and can be converted to mains plumbing with the optional plumb-in kit, no internal modification required. A cool-touch double-walled steam wand handles back-to-back milk drinks from the 3.5 L steam boiler, and a mixing valve on the hot water tap blends steam-boiler water with cold water from the reservoir for tea or Americanos at a usable temperature.

AV vs. MP: which one to pick

The GS3 comes in two flavours. The AV (this version) is volumetric and button-driven: programmable pre-infusion, programmable shot volumes and an automatic backflush cycle. The MP (manual paddle) replaces the buttons with a paddle valve that gives you direct manual control over pre-infusion and flow. Pick the AV if you want repeatable, walk-up shots that anyone in the household can pull. Pick the MP if you want to manipulate flow profiles by hand on every shot.

Stainless steel vs. walnut

The two variants are mechanically identical, the only difference is the side panel material. The standard machine ships with brushed stainless steel side panels. The walnut version replaces them with solid American walnut panels (sustainably sourced, hard-oil finish) engraved with the La Marzocco lion. Wood grain varies between panels since each set is cut from individual boards. Both panel sets are user-swappable later if you change your mind.

Specifications

What’s in the box

• La Marzocco GS3 AV espresso machine
• Double and single spouted portafilters (58 mm)
• Blind filter basket for backflushing
• Single, double and ridgeless filter baskets
• La Marzocco convex tamper
• Water hardness test kit
• Backflush cleaning powder sample