need to get customer orders out just now, but this is an image of the dosing funnel i have just received
in the next few days the LONDINIUM distribution tool will arrive and i will start taking side by side videos of the difference it makes, irrespective of the grinder you are using
this has been the missing piece of the LONDINIUM lever espresso system that i have resisted adding for so long as i have a strong aversion to gimmicks
reluctantly i have had to admit that your espresso will be exponentially better on a consistent basis if you take the time to correctly distribute the grounds after doing into the portafilter
its just a pity i took so long to make this concession
yes it is another piece of junk to clutter up your kitchen, but it makes such a difference (not merely a theoretical or academic difference but one you can see from the moment you release the lever) that i have reluctantly arrived at the conclusion that it merits a place in the LONDINIUM lever espresso system
without it you can have a grinder as good as a Compak R120 and you will get poor pours, the same for the E8. if you look at the Kafatek that is supplied with a distribution tool too. ive resigned myself to accepting that this is an extra thing i just have to get used to having lying around and an extra step that has to go in the process. without it you are almost wasting your time; the difference is that remarkable
the LONDINIUM system will get people who have never owned an espresso machine pulling better shots than they can get from their local cafe; that is the standard we have set ourselves to deliver on
watch this space for the next update
reiss.
so the good news is the build commenced yesterday, monday 3 april
there are 3 machines that are not being built as we dont have any more room on the line
i have asked to be informed which three machines those are and as soon as i know i will contact each of the three customers affected
i would hope that it is the three most recently placed orders, but as we have seen with the last two builds this rule has not been followed
if the build commenced yesterday then i would expect to start booking out machines for DHL to collect this friday, 7 april with the bulk of them going out on monday 10 april
anyway it was a great relief to receive this image taken just one hour ago
i apologise for the delay but now the build has commenced the process is very much in motion
kind regards
reiss.
With DHL Express you get peace of mind; your order will never go missing and it will arrive promptly
That isnt hyperbole, it is a statement of experience having used DHL Express for more than 5 years
i dont have any particularly good news to write here, but i am conscious that some of you have been waiting more than a month now and the novelty probably wore off some time ago
so we now have one LR left and that is only becuase whilst the machine is finished and ready to hand to DHL the top panel that is included within the enhanced plumbing kit we have stocked out of and need to cut some more
i am unable to get a definitive answer on when that will be, but i am guessing it might take a week to get a producton slot, given how busy the manufacturer is
given this situation i have written to the customer just now and offered to despatch his machine to the USA today and to send the enhanced plumbing kit also on DHL Express at some future date when the top panel without the tank lid cut out has been fabricated. as soon as i receive a reply to that email i will act on it
other than this machine we do not have any paritally built machines lying around anymore
the most recent information i have on the production schedule is the next LR build is scheduled to commence next friday the 7th of April
there is a possibility that the build will commence a few days early, but the date in the production schedule is & April which i know isnt great as i had been told it would commence this Friday
i can assure you that no one at the manufacturer is idling their days away - they are extremely busy and as a result are in the process of transitioning to two permanent 8 hour shifts, which is something new for the company so it is not something that can be deployed overnight
if anyone would like to talk to me you can call me on Facetime (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or Skype (rgunson) for free; if you can make an effort to check the world clock app on your phone to get the time in Wellington, New Zealand that would be much appreciated. The time will probably be listed on your app for Wellington rather than Auckland as Wellington is the capital, but New Zealand is a skinny country so the whole country is in the same time zone anyway
i appreciate that this isnt great news but everyone involved in the production team is doing their best for you
once machines are available to despatch DHL does move them quickly - typically 2 days to any of the major centres in SE Asia for example
next time i write it will be to say that production has commenced, hopefully with a proof of life photo of machines rolling down the line
kind regards
reiss.
so the march build starts late, at the end of this week
i have just booked a UK machine out now and there is another machine sitting there ready to go, but for it is waiting for the top panel to go with the enhanced plumbing kit. i am awaiting an answer on which order this machine belongs to and how long it will be before a top panel without a tank cut out is available to complete the enhanced plumbing kit
i apologise for these on going delays in getting enough machines made to fill orders as they are received
i very much look for forward to the commencement of the march batch this friday
as soon as i learn more i will share it here
reiss.
i was getting low on butcher's block conditioner and so i started searching online for what was available in New Zealand
i found this. i was concerend that the coconut oil would be too aromatic but i neednt have worried; it is perfect
it was good to be able to purchase just 120g as that will still last years and years as you only use a tiny amount
the instructions to break off bits and heat in the microwave are written for the cooler climes of New Zealand's south island i think - up here the warmth of your finger tip is enough to melt the surface slightly, and this tiny amount of liquid on your finger is all you need
i like that it dries faster and gives the wood a high gloss
the point of the post is simply to say that rather than choosing a butcher's block oil, which is just mineral oil and will soak in and disappear fairly quickly, look for a butcher's block conditioner which will have beeswax in the mix and this is what makes the difference in terms of creating a durable finish on the wood
it might be beeswax with mineral oil, or beeswax with coconut oil, or some other kind of oil - i dont think it matters too much as long as it is sold as being intended for use on butcher's blocks
We are pleased to add to the LONDINIUM lever espresso system the following components;
The Espazzola group cleaning tool
Still under development is the LONDINIUM stirrer, as shown in the above video clip
The LONDINIUM stirrer is a cost effective way to significantly improve your espresso, however good your grinder may be
The harsh reality that i have taken too long to accept is stirring the grinds with the correct tool significantly improves the quality and consistency of your extractions
Soon we will be adding the stirrer to the LONDINIUM system and then it will be complete; you will have a single website where you can buy a complete end to end system the will allow you as a complete beginner to pull exceptional espesso, wherever in the world you may be
Best
reiss.
its midnight here and ive just learnt that there will be 6 machines to despatch today but no one can tell me which 6 they are yet
i would quite like to pursue some extra curricular activities at this time of the week, but if i do people who are eagerly awaiting these machines will receive them 3 days later if i dont bother booking them out until monday
we're hanging tough here in Auckland; look out for your lucky email from DHL shortly
we'll wait around and get these 6 machines out today, however long that takes
reiss.
so as some of you know, i have been pestering our manufacturer this week for updates on when the rest of the february batch of LONDINIUM R will be ready to ship
the response from the Managing Director (below) provides a fairly comprehensive explanation as to why we are suffering delays in getting LONDINIUM R out the door presently;
Sorry Reiss I'm still at work [it was 22:30 in the UK at the time - my insertion] we are off the scale at the moment I haven't even answered any emails today just too busy. I can see your machines being packed so they will be ready tomorrow. If you need an update ask Hayley she will always find out for you. To give you an idea we have done 160 machines in 4 days!!!!! That's far more than our capacity and we have staff off everywhere at the moment. Give her a shout tomorrow with regards to shipping
Ade
so whilst the above might not be the news you want to hear, you now possess all the information that i possess
it means that we will have some machines to book out today, but how many i do not yet know
the march build is filling up, which i expect to commence in the 15-20 March slot, so if you want to be in the March build now is the time - the next build after that will be mid April
im sorry about these delays, but they are in no way related to the machine - no design changes have been made or are planned and we have all the components in stock, it is simply our manufacturer is super busy and we need to wait in the queue - after all they now build a custom machine for Subway, which is a truly massive contract and makes the demands of LONDINIUM laughably insignificant in comparison
what i am equaly confident of is Adrian will get on top of this backlog and catch up
we appreciate your patience
kind regards
reiss.
