I thought it would be useful to start a new thread on the Londinium (at the suggestion of the moderator) that hopefully could stay more on point and focus on the actual use of the machine, tips, observations, etc.

I just received my machine a week ago and haven't gotten in too much exploration yet. My first question for people: how large are the shots you're getting. Mine seem to be about 40-45 ml (including crema) most of the time. I'm using 16 gms and getting pour times of 25-35 seconds depending on the coffee. I always assumed I would get a "standard" 60 ml shot, but I'm sure the piston cannot be adjusted for amount of water drawn. I have noted so far, on a small sample of coffees that the amount of crema seems less than on my Vivaldi, so perhaps the final shot volume is more similar than I thought.

Great idea. I was just about to post on my recent technique.
Smaller shot volumes are something that was quite common for me at first. I learned to not fear the pre-infusion stage. Londinium -I is capable of some loooong pre-infusions without burning or over extracting the coffee... The pre-infusion is gentle and the massive group will absorb the unwanted extra heat. The length of the pre-infusion required will depend on the dose, grind and roast/bean type. Lighter roasts I believe take a longer pre-infusion. The beans I'm using are very lightly roasted and I can pre-infuse anywhere from 16-25 seconds. You'll notice the lever catch allot sooner and the extra water saturating the puck will result in a larger shot volume.

I've been getting better and better at coaxing large amounts of crema out my shots. Grinding finer, which is made possible by the longer pre-infusion. Also using a stand to get my cup closer to the group and reduce the fall height of the stream. Also the tulip shaped cups help to keep a good head of crema.

Careful distribution seems to be the biggest factor in my shots improving.

I'll try that tomorrow. I finally got a 58 mm tamper, also from the UK (Scotland). Pretty reasonable even with shipping and it's very nicely made. I'm still working on sourcing pieces so I can plumb it in.

http://www.madebyknock.com/simple-tamper.html

mgwolf wrote:I thought it would be useful to start a new thread on the Londinium (at the suggestion of the moderator) that hopefully could stay more on point and focus on the actual use of the machine, tips, observations, etc.

I appreciate your support. As a long-time forum searcher, I suggest separate threads for different questions instead of a "grab bag" collection of questions whose only unifying theme is the espresso machine. It especially helps first-time visitors find the information they need. Thanks!

Based on Reiss's guidance, I've been dosing 15.8 grams and using a 27 second extraction. I have also been varying the preinfusion (I believe Reiss recommends 8 seconds as a good starting point). I think once I had a 30-35 second preinfusion and it was drinkable which was really surprising. I've found that grinding finer with the HG one allows me to eliminate WDT from my routine.

My first suggestion is to weigh the dose AND the shot. It is much easier to discuss the quantity of espresso in terms of weight because crema volumes vary so much. Alternately, a shot glass works if you wait a few seconds afterward for the crema to settle out.

An active Fellini pre-infusion will increase shot volume, at least on my home lever machines.

PC

I haven't used the original baskets at all since day 1

For a double shot I am using EP HQ double basket with 17.5-18g of coffee and getting also 40-45 ml out.

I usually drink singles from a VST 7g basket with 8.5g of coffee and getting excellent results.
Did some experimenting with EP HQ triple basket with 20g of coffee and 15 sec PI but the shot was to dense and thick for my taste and did not like it.

I am no technical expert but to my understanding a longer PI gives you a cooler brew temp since the water sits longer in the group and cools down so for a dark roast I prefer a long PI around 10-12 seconds and for lighter roast about 4-5 seconds.
For single shots I am also doing a shorter PI than doubles.

Kfir.

mgwolf wrote:I'll try that tomorrow. I finally got a 58 mm tamper, also from the UK (Scotland). Pretty reasonable even with shipping and it's very nicely made. I'm still working on sourcing pieces so I can plumb it in.

http://www.madebyknock.com/simple-tamper.html

Peter Kilpatrick is a very nice gentlemen, I ordered from him 2 tampers: 1 49 mm for my La Pavoni and a custom made 40.7 mm for the VST 7g basket.

His prices are very reasonable, postage prices are also great and he is very pleasant to deal with.

Kfir.

Peter is indeed a great guy. I use one of his tampers and knockboxes daily. Come to think of it, I also use an old Lusso he sold me at a very reasonable price. He took me to Artisan roasters in Edinburgh when I visited there.

Peter used to post here sometimes - look up Knock's posts.

PC

arcus wrote:Based on Reiss's guidance, I've been dosing 15.8 grams and using a 27 second extraction. I have also been varying the preinfusion (I believe Reiss recommends 8 seconds as a good starting point). I think once I had a 30-35 second preinfusion and it was drinkable which was really surprising. I've found that grinding finer with the HG one allows me to eliminate WDT from my routine.

Arcus,

How are you settling in with the Londium1? I've been using Maui Mokka from Paradise and at this point still using the double basket Reiss supplied. I was using a pump machine before most of the time so it took me a while to learn to tamp lightly. I find with this bean, dosing around 16 grams and preinfusing 6 seconds, gives me a 22-25 gram shot before it blonds. Like the HG, the Nino grinder I'm using is producing a pretty fluffy grind that comes to the top of the basket when leveled at ~ 16 grams.

I'm looking forward to using the Maui Mokka as a base to mix in some other flavor beans once I understand the effects of varying the preinfusion on this single origin on this machine. Who knows I may be in for big frustration since the mokka is a hard almost peaberry sized bean.

tom