L1 has achieved its primary objective in giving us an espresso machine that would sit at the correct in group brew temp even in winter in our unheated factory unit where temperatures can fall to 4C. This is something of a success for us in-house
The great thing is the thermosiphon responds in hot summer climates as the rate of flow in the thermosiphon automatically eases off to ensure the group does not run hot, without you needing to fiddle with the pressure-stat
The L1 project is the worst thing that ever happened in the short term at least as it brought home to use some of the criticisms that have been levelled at our roasting in the past, namely roasted too dark and the selection of beans that lack sufficient sting/bite/acidity/fruitiness, pick your adjective – too flat, too dead, was the cry in some quarters, and so it has proved with the shift to the L1
With previous setups that ran cooler brew temps in the environment we have them in, we could never taste these short comings, but in the last couple of months the L1 has revealed the areas for improvement in our roasting
What this means is we have a huge amount of work to address, firstly back off the roast profiles for the coffee we have in stock, and turning to much brighter, fruity coffees going forward
If something is bugging you get on the telephone or email – pretty much always available
Reiss