Cuprajake - I do not disagree. No harm to objectively talk about it though. But I know what you are saying. 👍
Londinium Vectis
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Cuprajake Just think this thread is a bad idea that’s all.
Agreed, I’ll lock it off then. In fact considering who started it and why…I might just remove it.
I’ve created a members clubroom for users who are not new and is not visible to guests….so if people want to discuss, or feel they must….then we are not advertising or denigrating it publicly. This way the trolls won’t jump on the forum, as has already happened on multiple occasions.
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Please note: Thread off the main feed, won’t ever be surfaced even when updated, so will eventually get confined to the depths of the thread heap. Will only be found if looked for.
Hello from Vietnam!
We are a small group of Londinium users in Vietnam (3 LR24; 1 LR upgraded to Stage I; 2 earliest models called L1) and contrary to the majority here, we really like the coffee made by this lever machine! There is a Vectis that will soon join our team! We will test it (Vectis), compare the taste of coffee from Vectis with the other Londinium machines that we own!
I don’t know if almost of you here have often experienced Londinium or just heard or evaluated through videos or articles or pictures, price, after-sales service,… of it! Maybe our way of enjoying coffee in Vietnam is different (we also mainly focus on using coffee beans from Ethiopia/Panama/Colombia) but my other friends: one used Strega then ACS and now uses Vostok and the other uses ACS, both after a few experiences want to switch to LR24 if they can buy used at a reasonable price (same price as used Vostok and ACS) because if they buy new from UK and ship to Vietnam, the price will be too high due to tax and shipping! We think that when we feel that the cup of coffee is brewed to our taste and is consistent over a long period of time and the price of the machine is acceptable to pay, then that machine is worth the money, meaning it is not expensive, right? By the way, we don’t rate Cremina highly because it’s not much different from La Pavoni, we still jokingly say it’s like La Pavoni put in a painted metal box with the Cremina logo - a Swiss brand and the price is also very Swiss! To us, Cremina is like Londinium to some of you here, which means it’s too expensive compared to the quality of the coffee you get!
This is just sharing our thoughts and feelings from a small group of Londinium users in Vietnam and there is no other implication! We think that sharing knowledge and personal feelings is very good on every forum so that each of us can have a multi-dimensional view to make the most correct and reasonable decision!
Nice rest of the day!
LR24/La Pavoni: V1.0 (SN 0241), V1.6, V1.8 & Gran Romantica/Zacconi Big Baby/Miss Rancilio Audrey/Gaggia Classic Black Edition/ROK/Mazzer Super Jolly.
HieuCao Hi, I would like to learn more about what you refer to as the Vietnamese way of making coffee. Can you explain a bit more about how you make coffee ie what grinder you are using, the weight of beans, how much you extract etc. I am also interested to learn how you do things like control bar pressure on your Londiniums. Are there any other features of the machines that offer you flexibility when changing the parameters (water temperature, group temperature and the like)
Oh, and by the way, welcome!
you will find as much love here for londinium as you would a hole in a boat on shark infested waters.
many have been burnt at the hand of reiss, and this skews many a view
as long as you enjoy your coffee thats all that matters fwiw i still love the look and quietness of a lr24, im blacklisted however so best i can do is emulate one on my decent.
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
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Hi there,
The ratio we usually use is 1:1.5 and the maximum is 1:2 depending on the type of coffee beans! Normally, depending on the size of the basket and the type of coffee beans, we use 16g -18.5. And we roast ourselves with different types of machines such as Santoker; SR540; M1 or self-made roasters!
The grinders are also different in our team: one of us has an R24 bought brand new from the UK and uses a Monolith Max 2, another also has an R24 and uses a Monolith Titan 75mm, I myself use a Mazzer SJ modded with a Daniel Wong single dose, another one uses an LR with a Ceado 37SD, the other two use L1 and in turn are DF64 modded with an SSP MP blade and the last one also uses a Mazzer SJ like me!
As for the pressure and temperature adjustment features, I think you all know well because there is a lot of information and a lot of debate about Londinium!
The reason we use Londinium is also very coincidental! There was a guy in the group love drinking coffee at home bought a brand new one from Reiss and we had the opportunity to taste espresso extracted from its LR24 and we were all convinced by its balance and flavor even though at that time we also had different machines to contemplate such as Rancilio Silvia V6, Strega, Gaggia Classic Pro, La Pavoni, Elektra, Zacconi Big Baby…! The design of the LR24 and its appearance also attracted us because of its masculinity and simplicity because our team likes simplicity! By the way, with the Spring Lever machines in the same segment as the LR24, I admit that Nurri Leva S.A has the most attractive design but we don’t like its 54mm grouphead, and the founder is also from ACS, so with the experiences we have had on the ACS Vesuvius, we don’t focus on Nurri! We don’t criticize Nurri because we haven’t experienced it yet, so our opinions may change!
Thank God, our team’s first Lr24 has been used for 5 years, mine for more than 4 years, LR for 6-7 years or so, and the 2 L1s have been used by several owners for about 10 years now and have not had any major problems except for 1 NRV leaking due to calcium deposits stuck in it and it was easily fixed! We find that used Londinium is also very difficult to buy and is often sold very quickly when it appears on coffee forums or eBay (but very rarely) so it is understandable that Londinium also has its own customer group like other brands, right?
With the desire to share and have more multi-dimensional information, we are not seeders for Reiss or anyone else! In fact, we have and are using several Londinium machines of different generations, so we say it like that! We are also eagerly waiting for the Vectis to arrive and hope it is as good as we want it to be and will have our initial review on it soon!
Nice day!
LR24/La Pavoni: V1.0 (SN 0241), V1.6, V1.8 & Gran Romantica/Zacconi Big Baby/Miss Rancilio Audrey/Gaggia Classic Black Edition/ROK/Mazzer Super Jolly.
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HieuCao An interesting story. I have had a few L1 machines. My first was in January 2013 so I was a very early adopter. I quite agree with you, that the profile a spring assisted lever gives you is vastly superior to your normal E61 type machines and this is the reason or one of the reasons Londinium picked up a lot of sales. There was not a great deal of choice really.
With the passage of time though, a few things have happened to the market. The L1 became the LR which in turn became the LR24. It is difficult to see where the machine can progress to for the future. In addition, the Londinium sales model is one of double charging making the end product to the consumer very expensive. As I am sure you know, Fracino hold materials and make the machines. As orders come in, a box is sent out to a customer but the only part Reiss plays in this is to produce an invoice and stick his estimated 40% on. This means that since day one, the RRP has been well in excess of the machines real value. Now that the market has moved on and seen the introduction of machines with more electronic input and modern thought process, then the Londinium range are looking old and tired.
The Vectis was supposed to take the market by storm. First mooted in 2017 it took far too long to go into production. Then when it did, because it had not been extensively tested by experts it had design and production flaws and was seriously overpriced.
I quite agree that if you are looking for a machine to keep as long as you possibly can, then the Londinium range are contenders. They use off the shelf parts, mostly available worldwide.
Another issue of trying to run a business from the other side of the world, is a couple of years ago I needed to order a part. My memory is bad but it might have been a Gicar or something like that. I ordered but what turned up was nothing like the picture. It turns out, that Fracino had decided not to bother stocking the Londinium one any longer, instead favouring the part from their lever machine………the issue was it did not fit in the space and of course, no one had told Reiss! But, these things happen of course.
One thing I would disagree with you on though, is 58mm v 54mm. The traditional Italian spring lever always used 54mm. It produces a narrower, deeper puck and according to many, a superior shot, though of course that is opinion.
I am sorry that you experienced issues with ACS. I am not here to defend them. With more electronics inside I guess you could say there is more to go wrong. I received mine in June 2021 and the only issue I have had was a pressurestat. I used to think that I made superb coffee on my 4 x L1’s, now I know that I do! So, good luck on your coffee journey!
Thank you for sharing in detail! Actually, liking or disliking this or that is the opinion and preference of each of us! That is why our lives are so diverse, right? The same goes for the world of coffee! The type of beans, the flavor, the balance, the aftertaste of this type of coffee that I like may not be what you like and vice versa! This is also true for coffee machines, grinders, roasters and other brewing accessories! As for how Reiss or other suppliers do business, it is not a category that I can comment or conclude! The basic thing is how their products and services are, the consumer will be the answer! The price is the same as long as the buyer accepts it! Speaking of this, I think of Cremina with La Pavoni or Strietman CT1/2 with Flair/Superkop,… when they (Cremina and Strietman) why are their prices so high! As Spring Lever coffee drinkers, we are currently satisfied with the Londonium machines as mentioned! Who knows, maybe in the future when we are exposed to other brands (Nurri for example! But Lamarzocco Leva is too expensive!), our group’s views and preferences will change! Of course, if we can afford the price! So let’s just enjoy drinking coffee in our own way and ability! I do not encourage personal attacks on any forum! Especially not on the coffee forum!
Cheers,
LR24/La Pavoni: V1.0 (SN 0241), V1.6, V1.8 & Gran Romantica/Zacconi Big Baby/Miss Rancilio Audrey/Gaggia Classic Black Edition/ROK/Mazzer Super Jolly.
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HieuCao I think of Cremina with La Pavoni or Strietman CT1/2 with Flair/Superkop,… when they (Cremina and Strietman) why are their prices so high!
I can understand why the Strietman is such an expensive machine. Hand built by Wouter and a very small team where he can oversee the build and maintain a really high standard. Quality materials, copper,brass, steel, quality electrical parts and a choice of beautiful ethically sourced wooden accessories plus he has to make a living from only one very niche product. Not to mention paying rent on a building, investing in machinery, skilled labour that you can trust. It all adds up.
Agreed!
I have tasted some shots on CT1 and espresso quality was quite surprised to us! Very balance with great aftertaste! But too expensive!
LR24/La Pavoni: V1.0 (SN 0241), V1.6, V1.8 & Gran Romantica/Zacconi Big Baby/Miss Rancilio Audrey/Gaggia Classic Black Edition/ROK/Mazzer Super Jolly.