News

New website day

by Reiss Gunson on Friday, 08 September 2017 07:59

today is the day we cut over to our new website

i have woken to news that the following four machine orders are ready to go, but becuase of time zones and systems i cant book them out on DHL for three more hours

the orders in question are for the following people;

HILBERS, NETHERLANDS

CHI-YUNG, TAIWAN

MORTENSEN, DENMARK

ABBOUD, USA

 

today is going to be a tricky busy day with plenty of surprises i expect, so i expect it is prudent that i book the above 4 orders out on DHL before we commence the cut over to the new website

very much looking forward to sharing the new website with you as it contains numerous enhancements

there will be teething issues and refinements to deploy, but today is launch day, finally!

join us for the journey!

reiss.

The Compak E5 is seriously quick

by Reiss Gunson on Wednesday, 06 September 2017 15:21

The Compak essential on demand 5 grinder is impressively quick.  How quick?  On all but our very lightest roasts we are seeing 18g, even 19g, of coffee in the portafilter in 4.5 seconds, connected to 240V

It wasnt until i checked the Compak PDF instruction manual today that i noticed that their 550W motor rating for the E5 is based on the European standard of 230V

When connected to 240V, as it is in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and plenty of other places, the E5 motor is giving you a whopping 620W of pure power

That's a lot for a 58mm flat burr, which clearly has a very aggressive pitch on it

Glass hopper sample arrived today. Very pleased.

by Reiss Gunson on Wednesday, 06 September 2017 15:03

I think we'll probably pay the premium and put black lids on the production run.  I have pondered black collars too, but i suspect all we will achieve is a whole lot more cost and the bean gate in the collar will most likely wear the black coating off in time and then it will look miserable with scratches of shiny metal finish coming through under the black.  There is also a good chance that instead of the difference in appearance between polished aluminium adjustment crown on the E5 and the chrome finish on the collar of the hopper that we would end up with a different matt black finish from what is on the body of the E5, so we would end up chasing our tail.

Will fit all of the Compak Essential on Demand range, Professional Traditional range, and the Professional Barista range

Celebrate the launch of our new website later this week with 'Freeship' September

by Reiss Gunson on Saturday, 02 September 2017 21:38

Enter the coupon 'Freeship' at the checkout for free shipping worldwide with DHL Express with every order that contains an espresso machine of any size

All other items placed in the cart with the machine order will also receive free shipping

Customer feedback on a LONDINIUM I (2012-2016)

by Reiss Gunson on Saturday, 02 September 2017 11:57

Hello Reiss,

I am guessing that you probably get a disproportionate share of complaints versus compliments, given human nature, so I wanted to say...

I f#cking love our Londinium.

It looks great - Your design is elegant and functional. It is simply among the very best looking machines on the market. My wife and I are both students of design (me as an avid amateur and her, with an MFA) and we both agree on this. I'll admit that I have a thing for wenge. I bought about 400 board feet of 10/4 (63mm) wenge, cheap, over 10 years ago, awaiting a deserving project.

I love how the machine feels, both in the tactile and the mechanical senses.

The coffee is wonderful. I just bought a 1 pound, Korean-made roaster that I am looking forward to firing up.

My wife never used the other machines we have had - neither the Silvia (I was in the coffeegeek circa 1999 espresso machine first wave), nor the Bezzerra, even though she was a barista many years ago.

We are both excited when we wake up, thinking immediately of the delicious coffee we will make on our delightful machine.

Have a great weekend,

John

LONDINIUM R: Boxing day

by Reiss Gunson on Monday, 28 August 2017 20:51

Media

Tomorrow i plan to take another video of texturing milk in the vertical plane

by Reiss Gunson on Thursday, 24 August 2017 22:01

years ago i took a video demonstrating how i found texturing milk by rolling it in the vertical plan far superior to the conventional method of spinning the milk, i.e. in the horizontal plane

there were a bunch of ill inofrmed comments posted in response to my video on youtube from people that had clearly commented prior to trying what i was suggesting, for if they had tried it they would  have discovered that what i am proposing is an advancement on the conventional approach

at the time i had way too much going on to engage with these people, but things are established now and so it is time to revisit this issue as i stil believe it is a better way to texture the milk

tomorrow is the day; i will make some time to take another clip and convey each step in detail so you can reperform the process exactly with your londinium and then put it to the test by performing some simple latte art which i will also step through in detail

i am confident i can get a complete novice texturing milk correctly and then drawing latte art with it with this video

it will take some practice on your part, but i think if i spell out what i am doing at each step you will meet with success quickly

most of the videos i have seen on the internet regarding texturing the milk dont trouble themselves to be terribly explicit with what needs to happen at precisely each point in the process, and as a result when you try to replicate their performance you find it difficult

my video tomorrow will be as simple as i can possibly make it for you

goodnight!

The LONDINIUM lever espresso system in action: excellence meets simplicity

by Reiss Gunson on Thursday, 24 August 2017 16:53

Media

Consistency of the measured dose from the Compak E5

by Reiss Gunson on Thursday, 24 August 2017 16:19

In this video clip we grind twenty consecutive shots with the Compak E5 and measure the delivered dose with Acaia scales

The second to last shot is affected by pop-corning as the weight of beans in the hopper became insufficient

The last shot is incomplete as there were insufficient beans left in the hopper to deliver a full measure

The data in grams is: 18.5, 18.8, 19.1, 18.3, 18.2, 18.4, 18.3, 18.2, 17.9, 18.2, 18.9, 18.1, 18.6, 18.2, 17.9, 18.5, 18.2, 18.0, 17.6, 10.2

Now just eye-balling the data, it is clear that whilst i have set this to deliver 18.2g there are relatively few shots where the dose is less than 18.2g (target dose minus 0.3g being the least) yet a much greater number of shots where the dose is greater than the target dose, and also by a greater amount (up to 19.1g, 0.9g above the target dose).  This tells us that clumps falling down the chute just as the grinder is about to turn off are pushing the delivered dose above the target weight

Remember, with the LONDINIUM distribution tool clumping is a complete non-issue; it is eradicated

The Compak E5 with its powerful 550W motor is absolutely incredible at this price point whilst also being compact and attractive in your kitchen

Media

LONDINIUM country number 47, Oman

by Reiss Gunson on Tuesday, 22 August 2017 22:51

We've just booked out our first LONDINIUM lever espresso machine to Muscat, Oman

This is the forty-seventh country that we have sent one of our machines to with DHL Express Worldwide

We have never had an item go missing with DHL, ever.