Green Coffee Buying Club

Coffee Discussion boards => Hardware & Equipment => Topic started by: YasBean on October 27, 2016, 02:14:07 PM

Title: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on October 27, 2016, 02:14:07 PM
Has anyone here taken advantage of the weakened GB Pound and bought a Londinium?  I am very seriously thinking of retiring my perfectly good (great!) VBM DD for a level Londinium L1.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: peter on October 27, 2016, 03:49:30 PM
They do make a pretty machine.  If I had some hands-on time with one, I'd consider it.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: Joe on November 07, 2016, 03:13:10 PM
What is the cost in US for one of these machines?


I am pretty stoked with the PVL.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: brianmch on November 14, 2016, 05:53:44 AM
At the current exchange rate a Londinium would be appx $2,064. The PVL is a steal in comparison if the cup quality is roughly similar.

I had a shot from a Londinium in a very unusual location Saturday and was very pleased.  Makes me want a lever.  My wife thinks the quiet would be a nice change too!
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on November 18, 2016, 08:39:09 PM
Well, mine just shipped.  I can't wait!
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: Ray Settanta on November 19, 2016, 10:58:25 AM
Well, mine just shipped.  I can't wait!
You have some very nice toys on the way.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on November 19, 2016, 11:06:31 AM
Yes, it is almost too much, but it happened by coincidence.  The R1 was due late this spring, and I never imagined the exchange rate would have done what it did. 
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on December 22, 2016, 08:58:29 PM
After the R1 arrived with a broken control panel face plate and non-functioning USB, I received replacement parts from Aillio.  A quick switch out, and the R1 (coffee piggy) is roasting some mighty fine beans.  The L1 is amazing.  What would have just not worked before comes out really nicely on the Londinium.  It does take some getting used to, but once learned, it is one fine machine.  I am having more trouble getting the Compak E8 (w/ red speed burrs) dialed in.  It is hard to believe that a 7 gr single shot is ground in under 2 seconds!  3+ secs for a regular double shot.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: Ron_L on February 13, 2017, 02:13:04 PM
How are you doing with the Londinium now?  I ordered the new Londinium R this afternoon.  It should be ready in about a week for shipment.

What were the biggest things that you had to change once you started using it? I'm currently using an Izzo Alex MK II HX E61 machine (the single boiler model).
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: mp on February 13, 2017, 06:27:05 PM
What is the cost in US for one of these machines?


I am pretty stoked with the PVL.

Joe, how does it compare to your previous machine? Are the lever shots as good as they say?

 :)
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: Joe on February 13, 2017, 11:23:52 PM
What is the cost in US for one of these machines?


I am pretty stoked with the PVL.

Joe, how does it compare to your previous machine? Are the lever shots as good as they say?

 :)

Yes it can be. It is definitely a process that takes some
Learning but all things equal the pasquini Livia 90 is my goldilocks zone machine. The PVL has something going for it that i really enjoy which is its silence and no major electronics. The trade off is a smaller PF than I prefer and a smaller volume shot. If i didn't need the quiet machine I would grab a pasquini again. If I wanted to dive deeper i would pick up a commercial lever.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: mp on February 15, 2017, 08:10:57 PM
Yes it can be. It is definitely a process that takes some
Learning but all things equal the pasquini Livia 90 is my goldilocks zone machine. The PVL has something going for it that i really enjoy which is its silence and no major electronics. The trade off is a smaller PF than I prefer and a smaller volume shot. If i didn't need the quiet machine I would grab a pasquini again. If I wanted to dive deeper i would pick up a commercial lever.

Yeah ... Milo got a couple of commercial levers and he and his friend overdosed on dozens of espressos as they tasted so good. You can probably find a commercial lever for about the same price as the PVL brand new.

 :)
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on February 25, 2017, 12:34:11 PM
I have come to appreciate the finer details of preparing and puling great shots.  I enjoy having one bigger boiler, but not the complications of an HX E61.  Even though there is still a pump, the pull does not depend on the pump, which really makes a difference in the whole feel of the operation.  The flavor of the shots is definitely refined, and I very much enjoy the aesthetic of pulling the lever.  As mine is an L1.2 and not an LR (I bought mine a month before the LR was announced), I have learned to use the Fellini technique when needed, and it works just fine.

As for the entire set-up, I have become better with the R1 and L1, but feel that the E8 is really over-kill for my use.  The 83mm red speed lucidite burrs are fast, the E8 is beautiful, and the three-setting control panel is gorgeous, but do I need this?  Well, it ended up being ridiculously cheap, the way I bought it, so I'll just enjoy it.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: Ron_L on February 25, 2017, 01:26:15 PM
Thanks!

My L-R should ship early next week, so I can't wait!

I am going to continue to use my LSM90 commercial grinder, but the newer grinders keep calling my name  :D
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: rgrosz78 on June 26, 2017, 07:36:39 PM
I'm thinking of getting a Londinium-R as a backup to my PVL. Definitely interested in hearing of others' experiences.

I have had several maintenance issues with the PVL in the last year. I had to go without espresso while waiting 3-5 months for parts to arrive from Italy.
Title: Re: Londinium
Post by: YasBean on June 26, 2017, 09:05:07 PM
Well, I can't speak for the LR, but I have no complaints with my L1. I upped the boiler pressure to 1.4, and now have the E8 dialed in. All I need to do is slowly adjust to a finer grind as the beans finish off gassing. I would say, the more Londiniums we have around, the better.