The prototype has been completed and is now being bench tested. Some key people on the project are taking holidays this week, so we look forward to their return. Exciting times indeed, and we’ll post images and details as soon as we go to the factory to collect it. We’d like to think we are taking a page out of the book published by 37Signals called ‘Rework’. We’re building a product that solves a problem that we’ve struggled with – the best spring lever group in the world shoe-horned into a small chassis, without the need to be plumbed in. We also like things that are well made and built to last a lifetime, not thrown together
We place a premium on simplicity too. As our customers are scattered all over the globe, this machine needs to be simple to ensure reliability, carefully inspected and checked before shipping, and easy to repair in a small remote town in the outback of western Australia without recourse to a specialist espresso technician
We’ve spent time with highly proficient mechanical engineers with decades of experience in designing espresso machines to ensure the small details that make a big difference to the performance of a lever group are optimised for thermal stability, specifically how the group is attached to the boiler, and the design of the thermosiphon.
If we were building a multi-group variant of this machine we might use the dipper version of this group as a thermo-siphon is vulnerable to scaling up if in the hands of an owner who can’t be bothered to keep the limescale out of the machine. In our experience home users lavish so much time and attention on their espresso machines that we very much doubt that scaling of the thermosiphon will be an issue. Londinium I will have a thermosiphon as it will get the group up to operating temperature much more quickly so they can be used on a weekday in the rush to work in the morning rather than just at the weekends like so many machines seem to be. A thermosiphon will also ensure the group stays at a constant temperature when left on all day, but only used sporadically, which is the typical pattern of use for most home, bar, and restaurant espresso machines.
For us the taste of espresso prepared on a commercial 58mm spring lever group is unparalleled
Unlike a manual lever machine it is easy for your friends and family to use too, as the spring regulates the extraction. This ensures each espresso is made with the same pressure profile, which ensures a consistent result shot after shot
So if you’ve been told that lever machines are difficult, cantankerous, inconsistent beasts to be avoided at all costs: Londinium I won’t be. It has been designed from a clean sheet of paper to address all of those issues, whilst being small enough not to dominate your kitchen
Unfortunately most people’s experiences with lever machines are limited to the manual lever machines. These are much more challenging to master. The domestic spring lever machines that are already on the market generally have a gutless spring that prevents a real dense thick espresso from being created. The notable exception is the Quickmill Achille, which we have already brought to your attention in a recent blog post, and uses the same group as Bosco, Kees van der Westen’s Idrocompresso, and Londinium I
There is no reason why you won’t be able to chose a Londinium I as your first espresso machine, providing you pair it with a high quality grinder, as is the case with any espresso machine