Londinium I Lever Espresso Machine

Brett_H

sctsprin wrote:

Interesting first post mate.. I might have to report this one to....ME!!

Koffee_Kosmo

Brett H wrote:

Interesting first post mate.. I might have to report this one to....ME!!

They are photo links to Crema magazine that are not working KK

sctsprin

sorry all, there was something wrong with my login before that was preventing me posting the pictures of my L1 screen here ya go :doh: thanks james

Lacehim

Cheers James, Looks just like mine so they could be just stock bosco shower screens/gaskets. 🙂

sctsprin

Lacehim wrote:

Cheers James, Looks just like mine so they could be just stock bosco shower screens/gaskets.

yeah, no problem one thing i find is that the screen leaves an imprint in the puck if i use the correct amount of coffee for a basket, such as 18g in an 18g VST, or 15g in the stock basket, i wonder if a slightly shorter screen wouldnt be a bad idea?

Brett_H

Welcome James! Thanks for your great pictures!

sctsprin

Brett H wrote:

Welcome James! Thanks for your great pictures!

Thanks Brett, Heres a picture of my babies:

Brett_H

Resplendent with Merlo magic!!! Awesome!!

sctsprin

:coffee2: arghhh, ipads and this website dont dance well together

galumay

ash wrote:

This second set is using a Synesso 18g basket, same amount of beans and same grind setting as before.

Ash, out of interest have you tried a more normal dose? I have found with levers that they don't like overdosing and 14-15g is usually the sweet spot. My Izzo certainly is spot on at 14g, also with Levers you have much more headspace between the screen and the top of the puck, the pre infusion allows this in a way that a non-lever generally wouldnt tolerate. Another improvement i discovered was lowering the pressure/temp, I was trying to chase the amazing flavours of the Caravel and one of the obvious differences is a much lower temperature. Anyway its good to hear you are enjoying your L1, its fantastic to see the increasing range of levers becoming available.

ash

Hi Galumay, I'm still playing around with doses at the moment, and swapping between the stock basket, the Synesso and the VST baskets. In the stock basket I use no more than 15.5g as trying to put more in is an exercise in futility. Over this weekend I plan on playing with a 15g VST basket and doses in the 14 - 15g range. I'll be referencing them against the stock basket with nothing more scientific than whether or not I like the flavour I get. The machine can certainly handle bigger doses in baskets that can take the volume of ground coffee. But you do trade off some aspects of the flavour of your coffee, it can make for an interesting experiment!

Lacehim

sctsprin wrote:

:coffee2: arghhh, ipads and this website dont dance well together

lol, it's better than some others I can tell you! 🙂 Nice set up, and I see you have the HG One. What size burrs did you get, and how do you find it for everyday use? I'm seriously tempted but don't have the $$$ at the moment. Also I use an espresso parts HQ basket, in the double I use 17.3g, which is just under the screen and 21g in the triple basket.

sctsprin

😉, true most of it's just my ineptitude and impatience on webpage refreshes. 83mm burrs on the HG1, generally i find these pretty easy to turn and quick to grind, but i'm trying out a local roast at the moment "single guys espresso" and it's a bit lighter and tougher to grind. I love the HG1 though, it's quick and quiet, no grind retention with a drop of water in the beans, and no mess. I'm dosing 18g in the 18g VST at the moment, and get lovely rich shots, but am struggling a bit with a touch of grassy bitterness in whatever beans i use. I'm not sure if it's a temperature issue or what. I need to make myself a thermofilter. how do you find the EP basket vs a VST or OEM?

Lacehim wrote:

lol, it's better than some others I can tell you! Nice set up, and I see you have the HG One. What size burrs did you get, and how do you find it for everyday use? I'm seriously tempted but don't have the $$$ at the moment. Also I use an espresso parts HQ basket, in the double I use 17.3g, which is just under the screen and 21g in the triple basket.

Lacehim

galumay wrote:

Ash, out of interest have you tried a more normal dose? I have found with levers that they don't like overdosing and 14-15g is usually the sweet spot.

I just find that if I dose that low it's usually a gusher. 🙁 Maybe it's the twin spring in the Achilles, not sure. I'm still learning though, and it took me a while to re learning to tamp a 58mm basket. I got very sloppy on the lusso. With a 17.3g dose which doesn't touch the screen, I find that no drips appear on the nakid during prefusion, and the pours are excellent, with no spitting or spraying. Tastes okay in milk, but there is improvement to me made straight up I think. Maybe I should try a lower dose again. 😉

Lacehim

sctsprin wrote:

83mm burrs on the HG1, generally i find these pretty easy to turn and quick to grind, but i'm trying out a local roast at the moment "single guys espresso" and it's a bit lighter and tougher to grind. I love the HG1 though, it's quick and quiet, no grind retention with a drop of water in the beans, and no mess.

I've got a Vario at the moment, and the grind retention is zero of that too. It does sound very good, I just wish postage was cheaper!

sctsprin wrote:

I'm dosing 18g in the 18g VST at the moment, and get lovely rich shots, but am struggling a bit with a touch of grassy bitterness in whatever beans i use. I'm not sure if it's a temperature issue or what. I need to make myself a thermofilter.

I've found that lighter beans don't work as well on my machine, I prefer beans roasted to 2nd crack if I roast myself. What's your boiler set to? Mines at 1.2bar I think (It's a QM Achilles though, but these machines are so similar).

sctsprin wrote:

how do you find the EP basket vs a VST or OEM?

I only have the OEM and EP, and the OEM was awful. Hated it! The EP has been a lot better I think, it's a ridgeless HQ double and triple.

sctsprin

yeah it's not cheap, but geez it's pretty, does take up a bit of bench space though, but then i was going to get a k10 fresh before the HG1 came along. Eventually i think i'll make my own motorised version if i get the time. i'm running a bit over 1.2bar, i keep fiddling with it, as i went a bit lower and couldnt get any sweetness, now it's beautifully sweet, but i get a bitterness around the edge of my tongue that's not quite right. the L1 OEM basket i found to be pretty good and forgiving (it's a ridged), but the 15.8g dose that Reiss recommends does touch the screen. I do think a PID would be a nice addition as it would make adjusting the temperature quicker and easier for different roasts (Reiss would shoot me if i modded it though, simplicity is best)

Lacehim wrote:

I've got a Vario at the moment, and the grind retention is zero of that too. It does sound very good, I just wish postage was cheaper!I've found that lighter beans don't work as well on my machine, I prefer beans roasted to 2nd crack if I roast myself. What's your boiler set to? Mines at 1.2bar I think (It's a QM Achilles though, but these machines are so similar).I only have the OEM and EP, and the OEM was awful. Hated it! The EP has been a lot better I think, it's a ridgeless HQ double and triple.

Lacehim

I nearly made it to see Reiss. Well I don't even know if he was there/open, but I set the Tomtom app on my phone to go via this place. Got taken back along the motorway, turned left, into a housing estate, then nearly took the side of the hire car out on some stupid bollards that cut the road down to car width for no reason! Then the Tomtom goes ding ding, and I ask the wife, WTF does that mean? lol. Turns out I just passed it but didn't realise that until I was back on the motorway again! Doh! So, I got within spitting distance of Londinium, and didn't get to see anything! 🙁 I didn't have time to go around again sadly.

Kelsey

Ah that's a shame! I would've enjoyed hearing a first-hand account.

conikal

Lacehim wrote:

..., turned left, into a housing estate, then nearly took the side of the hire car out on some stupid bollards that cut the road down to car width for no reason! ...

Ha Ha ! .. I think i know those bollards.... i used to drive that route daily in a previous life ! PS the bollards are there to stop trucks etc from "Rat Running" through that estate. ..and yes, they are a real squeeze !

Jonathon

conikal wrote:

Ha Ha ! .. I think i know those bollards.... i used to drive that route daily in a previous life ! PS the bollards are there to stop trucks etc from "Rat Running" through that estate. ..and yes, they are a real squeeze !

I don't know where Reiss' factory is, but in my early 20s I lived in East London and it was a serious knock to your manhood to slow down even slightly as you approached those bollards.

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