Last week we ordered our Bosco demonstration machine, such is the level of interest.  We firmly believe that any prospective customer is entitled to try before they buy.  For that reason we hold demonstration models of every product we sell so you can come any try them out; you just need to arrange a time that suits you in advance.  We have ordered a single group as we don't have a retail presence and therefore no real need for a multi-group machine, and as always in London space is precious.

We have paid the 10% premium for the gold plated edition.  We can here some of you cringe from here.  Don't worry, we don't have a gold fetish, but we think it is in keeping with the nature of the machine as it is almost entirely free of decorative touches.  This is a very functional, practical machine, reflecting its Neapolitan heritage.  A box entirely in stainless steel seemed a little austere, but anyway, come and see it in the flesh and decide for yourself.  We have also specified the optional cup warmer, not because we have any real use for it ourselves, but it is a demonstration machine and for that reason I think it is important that it is fully optioned.  And as is the way with the kind of things we like to sell, that's all the options there are.  We prefer robust, no-nonense engineering over consumer grade junk every time.  Our generation's preference to pay for convenience, gloss, and hype over robust, durable goods is an environmental threat in itself.  Buy once, buy right.  I sometimes wonder if I was born 100 years too late, such is my preference for the way things used to be made.

We have sorted out a multi-stage water filtration package that both softens the water with H-ion replacement (not Na-ion replacement as is still prevalent, despite now being illegal in the UK (no salt is to be added to water that is to be ingested)) and uses a 5 micron carbon filter to remove chlorine and heavy metals and any other nasties that might lurk in the London water supply.  We pair this with a digital flow meter meter to ensure your filter is changed only when it needs to be.

You will no doubt be aware that a number of water filtration systems use a 'time-based' interval to change the filter.  We think this approach contributes significantly to the profits of these companies, but good on them if the market accepts it.  We are increasing the capital cost with the introduction of the digital flow meter, but not significantly, and expect the payback period to be less than a year in reduced spend on water filters as a result of eliminating premature changing of the filter.  We also have a digital meter to measure the total dissolved solids in your water supply which will allow us to calculate with reasonable accuracy just when your filter needs to be changed.

We have seen all too often in London that cafes fail to adequately address the filtration needs of their espresso machine.  We appreciate that water filtration adds to operating costs, but then again limescale wrecks machines.  Yes limescale can be removed, but have you ever wondered why the machine comes back a little the worse for wear each time it is subjected to descaling?  A little weeping leak here and there?  It is a daft, short-sighted practice premised on false economy.  The limescale is often chiseled out in a none-too-delicate fashion which is tough on any welds and rigid fittings.  Once the worst of the limescale has been chiselled out the boiler is placed in a acid bath to dissolve the remainder of the limescale.  Removing the limescale from the pipe work and ancillary items is hard on the seals, significantly reducing their service life.  If you believe nothing else you read on this website, believe this; don't let limescale into your machine; ever.  Limescale is a silent assassin, if you let it in it will kill your machine.

Oh yes, and we almost forgot, the number one reason for not allowing limescale in your machine if you are generating cashflow from it is unscheduled downtime.  We have lost count of the number of calls we have received from cafes who need an engineer to appear instantly, like a genie from a bottle, with a replacement machine and to take the old one away to descale as it has finally clogged with limescale to the point that the inlet valve is no longer allowing water into the boiler.  If you are at peak period in a busy location selling 200 coffees an hour at an average of perhaps GBP2.50, any unscheduled downtime becomes very expensive.  If you are unable to provide espresso you will almost certainly miss out on all the other ancillary purchases that the customer would normally have made.  We'll say it again; don't let limescale into your machine, it can be a very expensive.

At Londinium we think you should only have to buy an espresso machine once.  Choose wisely, look after it, and it will provide a generous income for you and your staff for many years, long after the initial capital outlay is repaid.  The right espresso machine in a well run cafe is likely to contribute 20% or more of your turnover, and a much higher percentage of your net profit.  It can be your very own cash machine.