Why?

Because from our first roast in April 2004 we used a lever machine to profile the roast.  You're right, we're mad, lever machines aren't as predictable as electric pump machines.  The trouble is, they make better espresso.  So we've persevered with it and now we're fairly confident we know as much as anyone about roasting for espresso on a lever machine.  That's not to say we know it all.  Far from it, we're only scratching the surface given the vast array of coffees that are grown each year and the amount any given coffee varies from one crop to the next.

We don't spend any time developing roasts for the milkies, where the mass market is.  We're specialist roasters for espresso on lever machines because no one else roasted the kind of espresso we like to drink; smooth, delicate, and complex.  Unlike most, we're not flogging an 'espresso roast' that's really been developed for the nine out of ten drinkers who want a latte, a cappuccino, a flat white, cream, syrup, sugar, you name it.  So Londinium espresso doesn't have to be as bright as brass to cut through the milk fat.  No, our roasts are for genuine espresso drinkers.

Espresso at Londinium means coffee and water, nothing more.