We will place another order today & advise when new stock will be available; hopefully in about 10 days. 

Well, it's early days, but we can say that it's like being given a microscope that magnifies everything in the cup, good and bad.  So, while that makes it the best thing we've purchased, it also gives us a lot of work to do in taking our roasts up to the next level.  If you are running all arabica roasts (as we generally are) you need to cram in the maximum coffee mass that you can, hard against the shower screen, and adjust the grind to get the extraction time where it needs to be.

You may be surprised to learn that we don't allow ourselves the luxury of just drinking what we would choose at home.  Instead we maintain the discipline of rotating around our coffees to ensure we are evaluating them on different days, with or without food, different times of day, and so on.

Over the last couple of weeks I've just stuck with our monsooned Malabar as it is a unique coffee and I really wondered if we were getting the best out of it.  I was drinking it at a friend's place sunday evening before last and he made the comment that it produces such a lot of crema, much like a robusta.  This got me thinking; that was the problem, there was too much crema, to the point where the taste of the crema was over-whelming the taste of the underlying coffee.

So I've spent some time at home playing with it.  My conclusion is to recommend a dose per shot of 6.5g to 7.0g (max), and obviously adjust your grind slightly finer to compensate and keep your extraction time in the 22 to 25 second range (excluding any pre-infusion time).  We are also going to roast it fractionally darker (plus 2 degrees fahrenheit).  By reducing the amount of coffee we can bring the depth of the crema down to more acceptable levels, which brings the taste back into balance.

Having noted the exceptional crema produced for an arabican coffee the thought has occurred to me that maybe if we blend this monsooned malabar that will assist in preserving the crema of our single origin 100% arabica roasts as they age, without the need to introduce any robusta!  If you are a roaster who has already tried this I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.  So that's something else we need to try when time permits.

http://londiniumespresso.com/products/indian-malabar-monsooned-fresh-roasted-coffee

We ran the plumbing in copper along the length of the unit from the supply point and terminated to a ball valve.  Stainless braided hose from there to the water softener/filter unit (obscured by bench leg).  Braid out from filter to connect to the Bosco.  We turned it on just before midnight last night and it worked straight out of the box.  We dropped down some more 3 pin 13A sockets from the ring - you can never have too many it seems.  As you can see the 1 group Bosco conveniently runs on a standard 13A 3 pin plug (black plug, right hand side).

We got the show under way by pulling the pin for a manual fill of the boiler (as filling from empty), wait 1 1/2 - 2 hours for it to really heat up to operating temperature, and off you go.

A very weak image taken some time after 2am this morning just to give you and idea of what made it all worthwhile.

Expectations exceeded even at that hour of the day.  For the all arabica specials that we do the Bosco seems to like as much coffee as you can stuff in the basket, with the grind made slightly more coarse to compensate.  Extraction times are also more like 45 seconds than 25 seconds as you wait a long time for the last little bit on a spring lever as the pressure from the spring tails off to zero.

Anyway, we are really looking forward to getting back out to the factory this weekend to have a bit more of a play with it.  We've even got a 1 week old roast of 80% Brazilian Yellow Bourbon with 20% Java Semeru Estate to try for the first time.  The spring lever really does make it child's play to achieve very consistent results shot after shot.

Now I've had a bit of a play I am even more firmly of the view that the Bosco achieves thermal stability in the group in the simplest manner possible; a huge lump of brass that gently dissipates the heat at just the right rate.  With the considerably longer 'total extraction time' (from when you pull the lever down until the last drop) that a spring lever imposes on you, coupled with a lump of brass large enough to recast Nelson in Trafalgar Square, thermal stability is imposed upon you by these physical (rather than electronic) parameters.  In short, if you pull your shots for the correct extraction time you will not exhaust the thermal absorption of the group.

This means a machine with very limited down time that is easy to fix without the need for a 'factory' technician, and inexpensive parts.

So, what is the downside of a spring lever machine when compared with an electric pump machine?  Well, because of the longer 'total extraction time' I think you might find yourself needing a machine with one more group than you might with an electric pump machine to ensure you can meet demand.  Allowing you to buy a 2 group and then discovering you really need a 3 group creates a big headache for both parties.

The good news is a 3 group Bosco is considerably less expensive than a 2 group 'high tech' machine and I think you'll find your espresso is better.  So the only downside would be if space was at an absolute premium, but if espresso is at the heart of your business we're confident that you'll find the space.

Come and judge for yourself, book a demonstration session on our Bosco today.

The KF300 Swissgold filter is without a doubt the best way to make a filter coffee for one person, and probably even for two people; just buy 2 KF300 Swissgold filters and get on with it.

But what to do where you want to make coffee for say 6 people?  Well, we have observed that the KF4 12-cup Swissgold filter has not sold nearly as well as the KF300.  You will recall our efforts a couple of months ago to purchase and test a number of filter coffee machines from Sainsburys, John Lewis, and Amazon, all of which ended with unacceptable performances, and in almost all cases we discovered that a number of manufacturers have made sneaky minor changes to ensure that the KF4 Swissgold coffee filter no longer fits their machines, if only by millimetres.

With this change a number of these machines now mysteriously sport their own 'permanent' filters.  Permanent filters they may be, but if you put them alongside a Swissgold filter the differences are significant.  Some manufacturers clearly think that a fine nylon mesh filter meets the definition of 'permanent'.  Anyone who has used one will know this isn't the case, the fine nylon mesh is notoriously fragile and becomes increasingly so with age; the heat makes the nylon brittle.  More importantly, and this isn't some highly theoretical coffee boffin's objection; passing the coffee through nylon really taints the coffee badly, especially when new.  The next group of 'permanent' filters are stainless steel, which are durable but they do impart a metal taint.  In the final category you have stainless filters that have been gold anodised and these are the best of the imitations but they are no where near as fine as the Swissgold and the gold plating is not 10 microns thick.

Importantly the Swissgold is not a mesh constructon, but actually a sheet of metal that has had thousands of fine holes precisely cut in it with a laser.  When you hold the Swissgold filter up to the light you will appreciate just how precise the process is; none of the holes are ever 'missing', the pattern doesn't vary or wander, the holes are incredibly fine, and thanks to the laser cutting rather than punching the edges of the holes are all perfectly smooth with no raggedness.

What does all this mean in terms of how it improves the taste of your coffee?  Simple.  Swissgold filters hold back almost every grain of insoluble material yet allow all the colloids which carry the coffee 'taste' through into your cup.  The performance difference is significant.  For the avoidance of doubt they also out perform paper and cloth filters, eliminate the ongoing cost of filters, and ensure that you never find yourself out of filters yet desperately needing a coffee.

Additionally, almost without exception the filter coffee machines on offer are not calibrated to ensure the correct brew temperature, between 92-96C, and fail to brew fast enough (within say 6 minutes).  We also have concerns about selling machines with elements that keep the brewed coffee warm as even the finest brew in the world quickly turns to a vile treacly tar, not dissimilar to instant coffee when left on a hotplate to keep warm.  We know these kind of features are sold under the 'convenience' banner by the marketing men but we firmly believe that convenience is a euphemism for sacrificing quality in return for an easy life.  If you want convenience Londinium isn't the place for you.

Well, finally we have found a product that delivers after rigorous testing and evaluation.  Unfortunately there is a lead time of about 6 weeks on it, so expect to see the product we have identified as the ideal solution in stock here in about a month's time.  If you are considering purchasing a high quality filter coffee machine to brew around 10 'nominal' cups we would strongly suggest  that you hold off your purchase decision for another month.

We were very pleased to see the cabinet for the Bosco lever machine arrive today.  Again, the ship-like payload of the A-class came to the rescue, a car that I despise in all other respects including poor build quality, ride, handling, and lack of power.  But if you need a city car to perform lorry duties it is in a class of its own.  The cabinet is a Infrico MCAF 820.  We bought ours from these guys and we're pleased to say they had it in stock and we grilled them on next day delivery and they delivered.  And no, they're not mates of ours, we've never meet them.  The thing in small business is you always find yourself searching for products that you have no idea who to turn to for, so we were pleased when google threw this cabinet up for consideration.  It is purpose built for espresso machines, complete with a hole in the top for water supply and drainage.  The construction is 304 stainless (not marine grade 316, but hey) over zinc plate/galvanised steel.  We would have preferred an all stainless construction, but this one was a lot less expensive at GBP459 plus VAT.  There are a couple of sharp edges that need some attention from our metal file, but all in all we think it is the perfect product for the problem we need to solve and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.  The dimensions are 1050mm(h)x820mm(w)x600mm(d) which is absolutely perfect for the single group Bosco lever espresso machine, and it is also big enough for a 2 group Bosco lever machine.  Tomorrow we hope to undertake some major surgery to our plumbing, bringing a copper pipe along the full length of the work bench from the right hand side.  We will attach a ball valve at the end, then on to some woven stainless steel flexi to the water filter, then out to the digital volumetric meter, then into the machine.  I really can't wait to pull the first shot on the Bosco.  No doubt we will need to make some adjustments to our roast, perhaps adding about 10% robusta to develop an Italian style roast, with more weight in the cup.

 It's good, it's here.

One of the many wonderful things about the Bosco is that it hasn't been subject to an interminable series of production efficiency reviews by cost accountants, whereby every inch of excess has been squeezed out of the product in the pursuit of profit.  So happily the Bosco is a bit like the restaurants that sell 'pizza by the metre'.  The boiler capacity increases by a constant 6 litres with every group you add; 1 group gives you 6 litres, 2 groups gives you 12 litres, and so on all the way up to the 5 group battleship with its 30 litre boiler.

I absolutely love this kind of engineering.  If you do some research you will see that most manufacturers reduce the number of litres per group as the number of groups increases; not Bosco.  As the Americans are so fond of telling us with their V8 muscle cars; there's no substitute for cubic inches, and I think it's a bit the same with espresso machines.  This way the percentage of cold water introduced as each shot is draw off is very small, helping the boiler to maintain a constant temperature.

Its not 'high tech', but if you are serious about providing your customers with the finest hand pulled espresso, and drawing customers out of the bland corporate chain cafes that blemish the land then the Bosco is your secret weapon.  The retail theatre it provides is unparalleled, which will draw the customers in, and the espresso it will craft for your customers will keep them coming back.

This kind of machinery vividly demonstrates to your customers that you are different, that you are local, that you have a real passion for excellent espresso, and this is why Bosco will bring your business a tangible competitive edge in the crowded market that is retail coffee.

We provide relentless ongoing support with every machine we sell to ensure your staff are consistently getting the best out of your Bosco lever espresso machine.  Is does demand more from your baristas, but if you are a sound business with relatively low staff turnover the Bosco will greatly assist you in attracting and retaining the discerning coffee customers; those who are prepared to pay a premium for the best coffee in your local area.

The Bosco is unique in that it is a slice of post World War II Italian engineering that has contributed in a large part to the legend that is Italian espresso.  In many of the famous Hollywood movies that glamourised the Italian lifestyle the Bosco was the machine serving the espresso.  The Bosco is the original; authentic to the core.  No sub-assemblies from China or elsewhere; pure Italian.  Lever machines are now being recognised, belatedly, as still the best way to make espresso despite hundreds of millions of research and development by innumerable companies on electric pump technology (cheaper).

Very few espresso machine manufacturers still produce a lever machine, and those that do almost without exception only offer a single model marketed almost with embarrassment as the 'nostalgia' model, basically.  Not Bosco.  Their core business since inception in 1960 has been spring lever espresso machines.  Since inception change has been evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Well, the wheel has turned full circle and Mr Bosco suddenly finds his authentic Italian spring lever espresso machines 'en vogue' once again.

Get in touch with us now to arrange a demonstration and see what Bosco lever espresso machines can do for your business.

Note: The 'OFF.' stamping on the boiler stands for 'Officina' and means 'workshop' in English.

With a lever machine it is important to sit them at the right height if you want an easy life.  For the Bosco the manufacturer recommends that the machine is placed 950mm above the floor.  Having the machine up at this height, what you might call 'work bench height', allows you to pull the lever down  and finish the pull with the lever at approximately shoulder height.  Too low and you'll find yourself wanting to shift from a pulling action to a pushing action halfway through the tensioning the spring, and the novelty wears off rather quickly.

In the end we've opted for a unit that is 1050mm high, partly because I'm slightly taller than average and partly because the unit we like happens to be that height.

At the other extreme the Olympia Cremina works well sitting on a 700mm hight bench if you are tall, and perhaps a bit less than that if you're not.  This ensures you can comfortably use a 'pushing' grip for the entire stroke.

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.