LONDINIUM R first impressions, tips & pictures

First impressions:

At the 2 bar pre-infusion that the machine arrived with, the behaviour and taste were like the very best shots I recall from my time with the 'old' L1 Luxe and at 3 bar pre-infusion it was just as full bodied as the shots I am used to getting from my L1-P (which is named the L1 nowadays).

Also, the pump works fast indeed and it's more quiet in sound than I expected. It moves a lot of water in a short time so I expected a sharp but brief whine and in real life it's much less intrusive and over before you know it.

Tips:

If you get the machine, reserve at least 2-3 hours to get everything neatly unpacked and sorted without interruptions by others.

Warm up the panels that you want to peel the white protective plastic off. Observe that to get the side panels off, you first need to get the top panel off.

When putting the top panel back on, first keep the water tank out and before applying force, make sure you understand where every part of the top panel goes (over the front of the machine, the little 'hands' over the rim of the black tank holder, nicely balanced in the middle of it).

If you plan on changing the pre-infusion pressure using the Ceme pressostat, carefully take off the little center cap (see pictures way below). It is sealed so you take care to break that seal with delicate force, do not use heavy tools.

Changing the pre-infusion pressure, you can responsibly use a portafilter-gauge if you have one, but you do not need one. Keep in mind that counter clockwise turning you raise the pressure, clockwise you lower it. One full 360º turn is said to be around 1 bar difference, in my measurement half a turn could be 1 bar already. Try a quarter turn, see how the extraction goes, where the lever catches, understand what you have done and take it from there.

Changing the p-stat for the boiler pressure, one full turn is about 3/4 bar in my estimate but you can read that on the machine's gauge of course.

I pulled some first shots and Jan van der Weel who came by to see the newcomer also pulled some espressos.

Videos are in the next blogs but below are some pictures already:

One of the smaller parcels, with top of the group head

Top peeking out

Grouphead top unboxed

Second small box with portafilter, lever. water filter, allen key

The main body snug and safe 

Plastic protective sheets, group head well wrapped

Looking in on the right side

Top view. DO NOT FORGET to take off that RED TAB, and SAVE it.

Other side look

Glimpse of the rotary pump

Rotary pump in (lower) and out (top, braided hose)

Ceme pre-infusion p-stat capped

Cap taken off, little adjustment screw visible

PS 5 February 2017
Arnoud, a friend and fellow roaster who also restores vintage espresso machines, visited the other day and on the Dutch forum he posted this report (translated below):

Ik heb vrijdagavond de LR even kort geprobeerd en van binnen bekeken. Ik ben erg onder de indruk van de mate van afwerking en hoe vernuftig het allemaal in elkaar zit.
Lekker compakt en nauwelijks natte vinger werk, allemaal vaste waardes en je hoeft niet meer te spelen en te flushen. Filterdrager laden, hendel overtrekken, wachten op PI en genieten terwijl de espresso in stilte als warme honing in het kopje vloeit. En dat is ook eigenlijk precies wat je van deze machine moet willen, mooie klassieke hevelshots met veel body, zonder gedoe van vaste water aansluitingen, flushroutines en andere ongein.
En dat allemaal voor een acceptabele (prosumer) prijsklasse.

Friday night I tried the L-R briefly and also got a look inside. I'm very impressed with the level of finish and how ingenious the machine is constructed. Pleasantly compact and hardly any guesswork, all fixed values and you don't need to fiddle and flush anymore.  Load portafilter, pull handle, wait for PI and enjoy as the espresso silently flows into the cup like hot honey. And that is really precisely what you must want from this machine, beautiful classic lever shots with lots of body, without any fuss for water line feed, flush routines and other nonsense. And all of that for an acceptable (prosumer) price tag.

PS2 5 feb 2017

Egbert came over from his home 45 minutes from Amsterdam and tonight he posted on the Dutch Koffiepraat forum as well:

Vandaag even bij Frans geweest voor het proeven van de LR. Wat een mooie machine. Shots hadden zeker voor de wat lichter/fruitiger gebrande bonen een mooier smaak en meer body dan ik tot op heden zelf op mijn Strega kan maken.
Daarnaast echt wel een chiquere machine en veel beter/mooier afgewerkt en de groep is ook veel steviger en zwaarder.
De rotatiepomp geeft veel minder geluid dan de trilpomp in mijn Strega.
Ik vond het wat ik nu heb beproeft en gezien wel ECHT een upgrade.
Dit alles is een zeer compact apparaat.
Al met al een zeer geslaagde ochtend in een walhalla voor de koffieliefhebber. 

Today I visited Frans to taste the LR. What a beautiful machine. Especially for the lighter/fruitier roasts, shots had a nicer taste and more body than I can get from my Strega so far.
Furthermore, the machine is more chic with better/nicer finish and the group is also much more firm and heavier.
The rotation pump makes much less sound than the vibe pump in my Strega.
I find what I have seen and tasted so far a REAL upgrade.
And all of that in a compact machine.
All in all a very successful morning in a coffee lover's nirvana.