# Londinium L2 - Startup and First Impressions



## Coelacanth (Nov 29, 2015)

I took a long lunch today and purchased a couple of brass fittings I needed to plumb in the L2 I purchased from Reiss at Londinium earlier in the week. At home, I looked around the cluttered garage / laundry - the gorgeous L2 was perched ignominiously atop our clothes drier - close to water, drain, and power source but otherwise completely out of place - we are shifting soon and I will have a much better spot for her in the new house - but for now, it'll have to do..









I bought the L2 before having tasted a shot from it, but I had visited Reiss in Auckland and tried out the L1 at his home. This evolved into him visiting my own home with a range of gear to demonstrate to myself and some like-minded friends - entailing an 8-hour round trip. The big L2 had come along for the ride, but I didn't have the infrastructure in place to get her going on the day........ so in a move that was either insanity or calculated genius, Reiss left the L2 on my bench when he departed, and I fell in love. What can I say? Do I need a 2-Group lever machine at home? Do we need half of the things that tug at our emotions? Of course not. But I can say now I own one of the finest looking espresso machines in the world, and if tonight's trial was a taste of things to come, she is a truly stellar performer too.









A new set of burrs in the Faema rock-crusher yesterday, the plumbing taken care of today, a quick call to invite a couple of mates, and I was set to go. I confess to sneaking in a couple of pours to get my arm in before anyone arrived though. The first ran too quick but with the grind adjusted, the second was spot on. The next, when my friend arrived was perfect too. Ben pulled a stunning shot, another, then I followed with another cracker. That was the learning curve - one sink-shot. One! We were pouring beautiful espresso from the get-go. Andy was next - content to sample rather than pull - his nods of approval at the shot I had drawn him were more than encouraging.

I am not qualified to wax lyrical about flavours and subtleties of specific beans, however we had, the three of us, sampled from several combos, domestic and commercial, the roasts we were using tonight - the tastes and level of complexity in the presentation of espresso from the L2 transcend by considerable margin the results I myself have experienced previously at home and elsewhere - and I am sure the others felt the same.

What I can say is that the drinks we were making were bold but not aggressive, rich and developed, yet the overall delivery is overwhelmingly mellow and pleasureable. It's far too early to be sure, but I suspect I will be much more critical of the pump-driven machines I meet in cafes from here on.









It was getting on for 8pm on a school night, so being mindful of our caffeine uptake dictated a switch to Londinium Decaf beans which Reiss had left me. I had no prior experience with these and figured they would probably get used for seasoning the Faema burrs.... that would have been a tragic waste. The decaf pours were absolutely out of this world tasty, with layer upon layer of flavour - in a different league to the house blends we had been playing with. We all enjoyed several espresso (me 5!) without the fear of bouncing off the walls.









The L2 is a sublime machine to use. The lever operation imparts much more feel to the process of drawing a shot, but this is only part of the allure. With its Wenge timber furniture, ergonomic, intuitive controls and functional layout, it remains a simple yet highly engaging piece of engineering.... And it has these subtle nuances that just draw you in - the silence of its operation mesmerizingly broken by the golden mellow trickle and its hollow, earthy sound - pure soulfood - the lever travelling with noiseless grace back to its rearmost position - the kinaesthetic reward as the levers fall to hand....

We were three grown men utterly captivated by this lustrous toy. Even the disapproving female counterpart suffered a momentary melt of her icy demeanor when a syrupy decaf complemented her chocolate and red wine session. I'll make her a strong one tomorrow..

Throughout the startup and familiarisation, Reiss recieved blow-by-blow accounts via text message, and was able to offer great advice, providing some benchmarks to help us along the way. This 'above and beyond' approach is how Reiss rolls - and is super appreciated. Even though we were able to quickly grasp the vibe of the big Londinium, there was an element of trepidation attached to the experience too. Reiss set me at ease - with intricate knowledge of his product and abundant patience, he could have taught Lassie how to pull beautifull espresso over the phone. Cheers mate.

After an evening of superlatives with the L2, I am left feeling like this journey is going to be rewarding. The big Londinium is quick to praise good input and successful technique - luring you in by immediately highlighting what you can do to improve your technique - and is responsive enough to demonstrate your correction at the very next draw of the lever.

Already, the L2 is revealing itself as being more than an espresso machine, it is art, it is an excercise in efficiency and it is a pragmatic and endearing teacher. No doubt, I'm hooked.

Coelacanth


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