Londinium I Lever Espresso Machine

Koffee_Kosmo

Remember the head-band Monkey Magic used to wear around his head... my wife had one installed around my...)!

Kelsey

KK - I'm interested in your perspective on the 'gutless domestic springs' point.

Koffee_Kosmo

Kelsey wrote:

KK - I'm interested in your perspective on the 'gutless domestic springs' point.

The Strega uses a commercial head So the gutless spring comment doesn't apply KK

Kelsey

I thought as much. With the little I've used the machine (and the excellent coffees I've had out of it) I couldn't imagine that was true of the Strega.

Koffee_Kosmo

Kelsey wrote:

I thought as much. With the little I've used the machine (and the excellent coffees I've had out of it) I couldn't imagine that was true of the Strega.

Add to that the Strega is available in three versions Just to cover all scenarios A boiler fill (no pump) model to fill the cylinder is available, for the purists amonst us I have no issues with the vibe pump model I own and originally thought that I would KK

Brett_H

Koffee Kosmo wrote:

Add to that the Strega is available in three versions Just to cover all scenarios A boiler fill (no pump) model to fill the cylinder is available, for the purists amonst us I have no issues with the vibe pump model I own and originally thought that I would KK

Am I also right in thinking that the Strega is an electrically heated group as opposed to a thermosyphon?

Koffee_Kosmo

Brett H wrote:

Am I also right in thinking that the Strega is an electrically heated group as opposed to a thermosyphon?

That is correct Electrically heated head method is also used on many commercial machines Weather one is better than the other is entirely a personal preference KK

Beanz

As alluded to in earlier posts, we're not claiming that Londinium I has new technology. Londinium I is simply a refinement or a bringing together of many elements that already exist on a standalone basis, or have been poorly executed. The spring lever group used by Bosco, KVDW, and Quickmill is the best in the world. The double spring gives it some extra shove, the internal shoulder bearings mean that a group cap is not required, and the cam profile ensures an absolutely perfect extraction every time. Whilst you might look on a spring lever group as 'low-tech' it is worth bearing in mind that it is the product of at least 60 years of accumulated research and development; tens of thousands of hours of human effort in total. The Londinium I project pairs this superb spring lever group with a copper boiler that I hope you will appreciate the beauty of when you see it. The group will be mated to the boiler in exactly the right manner for a thermosiphon (different from a dipper), and the engineering will be exact; with respect to the optimal distance between the boiler and group, and material selection With the Bosco we've really grown to enjoy having a hot water tap on the machine. Its useful for pre-warming cups, and is more energy efficient in the sense that you can make tea, hot chocolate, soup, or even just hot water without having to boil the kettle. As soon as you decide to include a hot water tap in the design you have committed to moving from a simple closed boiler design, like the Cremina, to a more complex reservoir fed boiler. So we are sacrificing some simplicity, but it results in a product that is going to appeal to a broader audience. For the safety conscious you are likely to prefer being able to add water to the reservoir in much the same way as you do for your car's radiator, rather than having to wait for the radiator to cool before gingerly easing open the radiator cap. Additionally we have been advised in the strongest terms that thermal protection, as found on the Cremina, will often not trip fast enough to prevent the boiler element from burning out. This is consistent with our experience. So again, we will sacrifice a little simplicity and include electronic low water protection sensors that can be relied upon to turn off the boiler element as soon as the water in the boiler falls below the sensor. The primary motivating factor for bringing the Londinium I into being is our love of levers. Secondly, in our experience a lot of people don't ever master manual lever espresso machines; a commercial spring lever brings ease of use and consistency. One of the design criteria for Londinium I is that everyone who wishes to make an espresso feels comfortable using the Londinium I and is rewarded with high performance espresso for their efforts. Thirdly, it should be small enough not to dominate a small kitchen. The single group commercial lever machines on offer all have dimensions around 500mm cube, or 20" cube if you prefer. An espresso machine of these dimensions looks a bit out of place in most kitchens, so one of the tasks is to shrink the dimensions down as far as we can. To address this we have used a 2.3 litre boiler in an upright position, rather than the more common horizontal position. A small boiler paired with a large element means we can get the machine up to operating temperature rapidly. This has a secondary benefit which is important; we want Londinium I to be something that is used everyday in your household. With a rapid start up time we really hope to hear that you are using this machine every single day, not just at the weekends. Londinium I will be built to take the rigours of everyday use as we really want you to get the maximum amount of enjoyment from your purchase. Finally, although such issues are highly subjective and you may find yourself vehemently disagreeing, in purely aesthetic terms we are trying to move on from what we would call 'the stainless steel box'. The stainless box design has served the market well for decades, but we can't help but wonder if it can't be improved on. We're not sure you'll like what we have done, but we hope that you'll at least acknowledge that we haven't followed the crowd. In summary the Londinium I project will bring you the ultimate single group lever espresso machine; one that makes it easy to achieve consistently exceptional espresso.

Lacehim

First piccy of the new machine. Looks lovely and compact. 🙂 Check out the latest updates on the blog! http://londiniumespresso.com/blogs/londinium-espresso-blog

Kelsey

That's a BFG! (Big Effn Group!)

Brett_H

Lacehim wrote:

First piccy of the new machine. Looks lovely and compact. 🙂 Check out the latest updates on the blog! http://londiniumespresso.com/blogs/londinium-espresso-blog

Looks like a nice small foot print. I wonder how they'll be blinging it up?

Beanz

It is interesting to note the comments

As expected the biggest challenge is to stop the strength of the spring tipping the machine over

To design a machine that doesn't tip over with the force of a full commercial group has been something of a challenge, but as the images we hope to post here today will show it is one that has been overcome. This has been the most difficult aspect of the project.

The small footprint would make this challenging but I wonder if the black metal band at the front where the drip tray will sit is offering the additional stability. It is hard to tell how far out it comes but the reflection seems to indicate a reasonable distance. There is a lot of metal to get up to temperature in 3 1/2 minutes I can just see this sitting on my kitchen bench.

Hatchy

I'm pegging 2000 pounds for one of these - any other speculators?

TB

wow! do want!!!

Lacehim

Brett H wrote:

Looks like a nice small foot print. I wonder how they'll be blinging it up?

From the blog is seems they are avoiding the shiny stainless steel box route. Personally I think a perspex shell would be nice, especially after hearing about the copper boiler! But I think it will be a painted shell, which to be honest I prefer. The group is a commerical group, so yep, it's big. It's looks very compact. Hatchy, they are aiming for 1500 pounds. If they stick to that I'm hoping to have one in my kitchen by Christmas! This machine is shaping up to be the machine for me. Ticking all the boxes!!!!

Wonder

Damn, I was really keen on one of these.. Ticked all my boxes as well, but a beautifully restored Faema Lambro came up at a price too good to refuse.. I wonder what the shipping will be from England, because if they can keep it at

Wonder

Anger Management wrote:

Only time will tell and as you have found out... A bird in the hand is still better than one in development :thumb:

Very true.... TDF

Lacehim

[quote author=Wonder link=topic=3068.msg29792#msg29792 date=1342525204] Damn, I was really keen on one of these.. Ticked all my boxes as well, but a beautifully restored Faema Lambro came up at a price too good to refuse.. I wonder what the shipping will be from England, because if they can keep it at

Wonder

Ill post pics of mine, if you post pics of your when we both have them.. :thumb:

Lacehim

Hot off the press

The dimensions of Londinium I are approximately; 500mm deep, 375mm wide and 300mm high, plus the height of the lever. The depth may change, but this is what it measures today

Also they are using toggle/joystick controls on the hot water/steam. I hope they can flick on, and stay on or that would be a pain in the arse. AM, if your reading are you up for making some custom handles, and toggles for me?

« Previous Page Next Page »