Owner experience with Londinium I

A haven dedicated to manual espresso machine aficionados.
vegaa
Posts: 28
Joined: 12 years ago

#1: Post by vegaa »

As requested by some forum members in the marketplace thread I've started this topic. I haven't gotten to play with it to much yet (need a break, I'm dizzy from all the espresso), but I took some pictures of the unboxing and a short video clip.

First of all, my only other experience with a lever (or any kind of espresso machine) is my Pavoni, and they can hardly be compared. But I will, for instance I never knew how huge the group was, it's the size of the entire boiler on my pavoni.

The machine came extremely well packaged in a huge box


Very tight Styrofoam fit



On the bench


And finally plugged in and ready for use :D



The build quality feels feels very good, everything fits snugly where it's supposed to go. I have the plumb in model and of course I had the wrong fitting. So I had to run to the closest plumber to get a new one. Not very fun. On the other hand I have an extremely quiet machine.

Reiss asked me to upload a video to show what it sounds like when the boiler refills on the plumbed in model. This is the first try I filmed. On my second attempt the boiler didn't refill. In the reflection of the group one can see the green light turning one meaning boiler refill and red meaning the element switched on. The constant background noise is not from the machine, just a bad mic on the phone. Not a great shot either.

Unfortunately I only have a 58mm tamper and I clearly need a bigger judging from the basket fit and pucks. Looking forward to the tamper from Londinium and the bottomless portafilter.

Having only pulled 5 shots or so, with pretty bad beans I can easily say that the taste is far better than what I'm able to pull on the Pavoni.

I love how incredibly smooth the lever is and the lightning fast recovery time. That's it for now.
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benhogan
Posts: 105
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by benhogan »

looks great!!

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Possepat
Posts: 477
Joined: 12 years ago

#3: Post by Possepat »

AWESOME! So glad this thread finally exists. It's looking like I won't get mine 'till next week some time, this post helps numb the pain though :D
"Do what you want, you're gonna do it anyways!" - My father

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huibmans
Posts: 18
Joined: 11 years ago

#4: Post by huibmans »

sounds new!

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Bob_McBob
Posts: 2324
Joined: 15 years ago

#5: Post by Bob_McBob »

Why is there so much creaking and groaning when you lower and raise the lever?
Chris

Stefan_E
Posts: 39
Joined: 13 years ago

#6: Post by Stefan_E »

Thank you for sharing this! Going from the Pavoni to Londinium I must be a huge leap in temperature stability and consistency :) How are you liking the espresso so far? Are you using a 16 gram dose?

vegaa (original poster)
Posts: 28
Joined: 12 years ago

#7: Post by vegaa (original poster) »

Bob_McBob wrote:Why is there so much creaking and groaning when you lower and raise the lever?
I noticed that to, and I have no idea. I just assumed it was so posed to sound like that. Maybe because it's new?
Stefan_E wrote:Thank you for sharing this! Going from the Pavoni to Londinium I must be a huge leap in temperature stability and consistency :) How are you liking the espresso so far? Are you using a 16 gram dose?
The espresso is actually quite good considering the large gap I have when using my current tamper. That's also why I haven't bothered with fine tuning my dosing. I use a 18g ridgeless VST basket.

On a side note, the drip tray is a tad to tight (might loosen up over time) and you have to insert it in an angle, making it hard to remove if it's to full.
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Stefan_E
Posts: 39
Joined: 13 years ago

#8: Post by Stefan_E »

The creaking might come from the seals, if they aren't well lubricated. They probably are, but if the creaking doesn't stop after some more shots I would pull the piston and apply a thin layer of food safe silicone grease. (Maybe you have some of this for your Pavoni?) Also, be sure to try the original filter basket as well - the VST basket isn't necessarily well suited for lever machines - It didn't work at all with my Strega, shots were running far to fast. But that machine has double springs and a substantially higher preinfusion pressure than Londinium I.

huibmans
Posts: 18
Joined: 11 years ago

#9: Post by huibmans »

I think the sound came from the spring and not the seals.

vegaa (original poster)
Posts: 28
Joined: 12 years ago

#10: Post by vegaa (original poster) »

I tried to steam some milk and it was a total disaster, milk flying everywhere. Way too much steam power for the tiny pitcher I tried to use. Problem was that I forgot to vent the steam wand first, and now I'm paranoid, thinking I have milk going sour in the boiler. Turns out it's not that easy emptying this boiler compared to the Pavoni, (doh!) so I have been flushing a lot, therefore using the lever quite much. The noise hasn't gone away or subsided and I don't have any grease right now, so I guess I'll have to order some.

I bought the VST basket before I got the machine, thinking the holes on the L1 would be as uneven as on the Pavoni. To my eyes the L1 and VST holes are identical. The thing I like about the VST basket is that it's ridgeless, making it much easier to remove from the portafilter.
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