# My beloved L1 Luxe



## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Well, I picked up this beauty on Sunday at the grinder jam and rushed home to North London as quick as I could to get this set up, and 3 days late I am really getting the hang of extractions with this wonderful lever machine.

I was initially just grinding a little finer and found myself upping the dose and tamping harder but wasn't getting good results at all really.

Thankfully I had a little time and a kilo of Rave Nicaraguan to play with last night. With the help of one of Reiss' medical grade 'shot' glasses with gramme measurements, I ground a whole lot finer, brought my dose down to 15.5g and changed the tamping to a little nutation and then a very light almost only finger pressure press and polish, and BANG! there it was. just under 30g out and the shot tasted spot on.

I'm really looking forward to playing with some other beans. I've got half a bag of jampit and half a bag of some rave DSOL beans from a long time ago (kept really well in the freezer I might add) so I'm not sure what they are, although I think it might be Cuban Serrano. I had some of the latter this morning and it blew me away.

As you can see from the pics I got a piece of glass made up to go on the top of the machine so I have somewhere to put my cups, even if they don't get particularly warm up there.

Just a couple of quick fairly poor quality iPhone pics that don't do the machine justice at all and don't show the beautiful sides but I'll rectify that in due course here.

Next on the list is a shorter steam wand, a 2 hole tip and a bottomless PF to match the lovely wenge wood.

So, here's my current set up! L1, Mazzer Major and various paraphernalia. I'm having trouble shrinking a pic to use as an avatar so that still shows my previous set up of Fracino Classic and Brasilia RR55. They are now a happy but distant memory!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Looking good !

Keep the four whole tip and master the power Cam!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Thats a nice set up Cam. Your mans coffee corner looks nice . I am going to try and find some paraphernalia and do the same with mine.......probably never happen but gives me something to aim for anyway!


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks fellas. David I was lucky that when we moved in there was already a double door cupboard at the back of the kitchen, and behind the right hand door was some sturdy shelving so I just painted up the area, got some thick SS shelf tops and glass panels made up to go on top of those and it was a doddle really. Best part is the wife likes it and thinks it looks cool and its all out of the way so I don't get grief about kitchen space or have to run anything by her first!


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Looking good !
> 
> Keep the four whole tip and master the power Cam!


I know what you mean but I only steam small amounts at a time and the 4 hole is just too much power for my limited skills. I've already repainted the booth with milk twice!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

CamV6 said:


> I know what you mean but I only steam small amounts at a time and the 4 hole is just too much power for my limited skills. I've already repainted the booth with milk twice!


Two whole tip to slow.......too slow....

What's wrong with 4 oz milk in 15 seconds ?


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

I love your coffee corner Cam, very retro looking. You will get use to the power of the tip, I had the same concerns with my Cherub at work but persevere and you'll be whipping up lovely glossy milk in super quick time. What grinder is that your pairing the L1 with?


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Nothing at all. There is however a lot wrong with 3 of the 4 oz of milk up the wall in 5 secs!


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Soll said:


> I love your coffee corner Cam, very retro looking. You will get use to the power of the tip, I had the same concerns with my Cherub at work but persevere and you'll be whipping up lovely glossy milk in super quick time. What grinder is that your pairing the L1 with?


Thanks Soll. Its a Mazzer Major with titanium burrs and a shnozzer


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## Soll (Nov 10, 2013)

Any plans for grinder upgradeitus yet?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

The Li comes with a couple of different 4 hole tips. 1.5 mm and 1.25 mm. you want the smaller one to start with!


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Soll said:


> Any plans for grinder upgradeitus yet?


No not yet. The Major seems a good match so far and there's plenty of play left before i'm getting anywhere near zero point. Besides, I'm even more potless now than ever!


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## Heligan (Aug 24, 2013)

CamV6 said:


> I know what you mean but I only steam small amounts at a time and the 4 hole is just too much power for my limited skills.


Cam, I have the 2 hole tip but find it lacks enough power to get a good whirlpool going. I'm now using the 4 x 1mm which I find just right.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

dfk41 said:


> The Li comes with a couple of different 4 hole tips. 1.5 mm and 1.25 mm. you want the smaller one to start with!


My L1 only came with one tip! I never used it so I didn't count the holes! Was I short-shipped?


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

I use the 4 hole 1mm too. Works great for small quantities and wouldn't consider the 2/hole. Maybe try a bigger milk jug?


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## drude (Apr 22, 2013)

Very nice Cam - glad you are happy with your lovely new toy.

David - L1s come with one tip; a variety of different ones have been available as extras. Knowing how many portafilters you bought I am surprised you didn't buy the full set of tips as well with yours


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

drude said:


> David - L1s come with one tip; a variety of different ones have been available as extras. Knowing how many portafilters you bought I am surprised you didn't buy the full set of tips as well with yours


Thanks! Since I very, very rarely make milky drinks, apart from checking that it worked, I never even switched on the steam of the L1 that I had - likewise my previous machines.

I think that one single, one double and one naked would constitute what I call one set of portafilters.


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## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

Great to see the lux has landed and up and running without and dramas, lovely looking machine and really quite rare,

got to meet you at the grind off , worked out the machine has gone to a really really good home.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Ah, I thought you'd end up with one after all the fun you were having at London Coffee Fest!

I just use the 2 hole tip too, never drink milky coffee myself so it's just for guests.


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

I notice a lot of people are telling me not to get the Londinium naked PF due tot he lip that runs around the bottom, saying it interferes with the flow when using IMS or VST baskets.

I already have one of the original first Londinium nakeds with a black handle that doesn't have the allen bolt inside the handle but has exactly the same shape/size lip from what I can see, and I've found no issues at all using that with either 15 or 18g VST or 14/16 and 18/20 IMS baskets.

Can someone tell me from direct experience what problems they have encountered with the current Londinium nakeds and how it has manifested itself because at the moment I cant see the problem.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Cam.

I had the problem with the 28.5mm IMS basket but never with the 26.5mm IMS or the 18g VST. Reiss recommended the 26.5mm.

Hope this helps!

David


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi Cam. I have no problem with 15 or 18 VST or an IMS B70 2T 26.5 in the current wenge handled Londinium naked. However, I also have a VST 20g and 22g from my previous setup and I have given up on them for now. Athough there is enough depth in the pf to take them, the lip overlaps some of the holes and interferes with the pour particularly with the 22g.

One if the hero's of this forum helped me get hold of a naked PF that he'd bored out, which has no lip, and that works fine with the big VSTs but I need to master the Fellini move now .

I will post pics if that's helpful


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

the issue is described above, if you get a complete and correct extraction using the VST baskets then there is an overlap of the holes onto the lip of the portafilter which can interfere with the pour.


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

In this pic, the wenge handled PF is the original Londinium bottomless (with the lip) fitted with a 20g VST.

The plastic handled one has been bored out and is fitted with the 22g VST


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## Xpenno (Nov 12, 2012)

I'm really chuffed for you Cam, the L1 is awesome and the Lux version, Lux even better!!! (see what I did there....)


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

coffeechap said:


> the issue is described above, if you get a complete and correct extraction using the VST baskets then there is an overlap of the holes onto the lip of the portafilter which can interfere with the pour.


So I was doing a complete and correct extraction to cause this, CC? Wooohoo!!!! . I'd assumed there was some spectacular channelling that didn't have enough clearance to squirt past the rim and spray all over the back panel, so just ran down the handle and dripped onto my foot instead. I feel better knowing I might have been doing it right after all.


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks Spence

Right so it seems then I've been getting away with it a bit since I've been using the smaller variant VST and IMS baskets which give a little clearance betweent the holes on the outer edges if the basket and the inner surface of the lip on the PF? There's definately coffee being dream from the holes at the very edges on my pours.

So I need to get a pf without any lip in case I want to use bigger baskets than those I currently use? Or is it just that my extractions must be rubbish?


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

The bigger baskets work fine in a conventional single/dual spout pf, Cam, so if you already have some big VSTs then it maybe worth trying them in one of those first? To be honest, I still seem to get the best results with around 16.5g so you may decide its not worth bothering with the bigger baskets once you've tried them. Also, if you would be buying the baskets anyway, have a search on Reiss's Londiniumespresso blog - there are a couple of IMS baskets he's recommended for larger doses with the stock bottomless. They may be a better investment than a 'lipless bottomless' if you don't already have some big baskets you want to reuse.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

20g vst dosed with 18.5g is my mantra now....plenty of headroom

Personal preference never convinced by the ims..plenty that are tho ( CC TSK and others...)


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## iroko (Nov 9, 2012)

Congrats Cam, great machine, I started with the 2 hole tip then went on to the 4 hole x 1mm.

If I put the 2 hole on now It's far to slow.

Great coffee corner.


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