# L1 + ek43



## fluffles (Sep 4, 2012)

Two years after acquiring the L1 I finally have a coffee corner!

Until now the L1 had been on a cupboard at shoulder height (actually good for watching the naked pf) and grinder on a separate worktop. Nice to give everything the space i think it deserves ?

Water pipes are close by, pondering whether or not to plumb in...


----------



## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

If I could easily get a feed and water filter to my L1 I would plumb in....... but I cant so its not an (easy) option for me


----------



## gman147 (Jul 7, 2012)

Nice EK! ?


----------



## gman147 (Jul 7, 2012)

How you getting on with the EK mate? Looks so sexy with the black dial.


----------



## fluffles (Sep 4, 2012)

gman147 said:


> How you getting on with the EK mate? Looks so sexy with the black dial.


Has taken some getting used to, but I'm definitely in the tasty ballpark now after a frustrating start. So much more I want to experiment with but have been laid out with man flu for a while and I can barely taste a thing.

Got a cupboard of coffee ready to play with over the Christmas break though. That's one thing I love about the EK... Being able to swap between different beans on a whim


----------



## gman147 (Jul 7, 2012)

Yeah the margin for error is huge. Can get away with murder if the prep is good. The Kilner funnel and Flour Sifter (waitrose) together with the Pergtamp made a huge difference for me. Pours were beautiful which is half the battle with the EK.


----------



## jthepilot (Dec 13, 2016)

Looks very sexy !

But why is everybody so in love with the EK43?

It's so far from a on demand grinder.


----------



## Stevie (Nov 18, 2015)

jthepilot said:


> Looks very sexy !
> 
> But why is everybody so in love with the EK43?
> 
> It's so far from a on demand grinder.


But why do you need an on-demand grinder in a house? I have an EK and a Mazzer with timer - and the timer is always so off. It depends how hot the grinder burrs are, the weight in the hopper etc. Sometimes I pull 15g, sometimes 17g. When I'm at home i'm not in a rush so don't see the need for on-demand. Plus the coffee from an EK just tastes so damn good!

Plus the EK is brilliant for adjusting grinds on the fly for different beans and brew methods - it doesn't need 'dialling in' like traditional on-demand grinders.


----------



## jthepilot (Dec 13, 2016)

Ok, I understand the poor on demand ratio/units fair point but why does the EK don't need dialing in ??


----------



## Stevie (Nov 18, 2015)

Because you can just turn the dial on the front and put the beans in when you want to grind - its just simpler than most grinders, because '5.5' on a Mazzer is not always going to be reliable and its a bit of a pain to adjust each time.

The only real alternatives for an on demand grinder to the EK in terms of quality is the Peak and the Mythos - both which are designed for doing commercial volume and still don't get the quality as good. I go between Aeropress some days - to batch brew, to espresso, and nothing is easier to adjust on the fly than an EK.

PLUS its pretty easy to sell on a well looked after EK - they hold their value really well.

Should I just go and work for Mahlkonig?


----------



## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

Maybe something for another thread. Is the EK better or different to other grinders at the higher end of the market.

I get that you can push the ratios higher with an EK but the grinder does come with its challenges (probably more down to the organic interface than anything else)

Ive had great coffee from an EK but also had coffee that is too challenging for me to enjoy (citrus notes from beans being very 'in your face')

Maybe its just that I'm too lazy to bother with the routine that comes with single dosing


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

No reason 'citrus notes being very in your face' - can't recall the last time I had an espresso from my EK which had any sourness. At the moment, I'm playing around with shots in the 25-30 sec ball park and enjoying the results - bags of fruit but no sourness. Secret to getting the best out of an EK is to focus on prep technique to ensure evenness of extraction.


----------



## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

The Systemic Kid said:


> No reason 'citrus notes being very in your face' - can't recall the last time I had an espresso from my EK which had any sourness. At the moment, I'm playing around with shots in the 25-30 sec ball park and enjoying the results - bags of fruit but no sourness. Secret to getting the best out of an EK is to focus on prep technique to ensure evenness of extraction.


It wasn't sourness, more citrus acidity. Maybe it was that the EK squeezed out all of the different flavours and it wasn't to my liking.


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

working dog said:


> Maybe something for another thread. Is the EK better or different to other grinders at the higher end of the market.
> 
> I get that you can push the ratios higher with an EK but the grinder does come with its challenges (probably more down to the organic interface than anything else)
> 
> ...


It could be that some of those less than great coffee were a mix of poor extractions and roasting also ...


----------



## jable1066 (May 6, 2015)

I love the appearance of the Londinium machines. There's a distributor right next to my house, I really should go down to have a play! I have to admit, I always keep an eye out for second hand EK43's and they're never as cheap as I want them to be, so can attest to them holding value well!


----------



## Deansie26 (Jan 16, 2017)

That's awesome


----------



## Hal.E.Lujah (Aug 19, 2014)

Looks great!

Do you ever get static shocks from the EK with a metal vessel though? That drove me insane for a while









Did you build the bar extension yourself? Looks awesome.


----------



## Cherub (Jan 20, 2017)

Nice !! Congrats xD


----------



## lotuseater (Dec 25, 2015)

The EK43 is engineering that also happens to be art.


----------



## fenom60 (Dec 6, 2016)

Nice setup mate


----------

