LONDINIUM - Compressa

This perspective is resonating with me more and more. I wound up going down the lever rabbit hole, and I picked up a Londinium Vectis. I quite like it so far, with the exception of the lever being so tall (it's hard to find a good place for it; I may need to build an espresso cart). If I end up selling it, I might pick up a Puristika or Classika. If my tastes or needs change down the line, I can always pick up a Ride or, more likely, a Drive.

Ended up going down the lever rabbit hole and picking up a Londinium Vectis. I'm really enjoying it, but I'm still not 100% sure that I'll keep it. If I end up selling it, I may pick up a nice E61 single boiler, like a Puristika or Classika (I wish Profitec made one!). Are you thinking about picking up one of these?

I ended up going down the lever rabbit hole, and I've since picked up a Londinium Vectis, Londinium Compressa, and also an ECM Puristika. The Vectis is a cute machine that reliably pulls tasty shots, but I wasn't able to pull thicker, syrupy shots, and I had to refill it nearly daily. After some reading and speaking with Reiss, I decided to try the Compressa, and I definitely like it more. It pulls much thicker, full-bodied shots, and I don't have to refill it. I'm going to sell the Vectis soon. As for the Puristika, I thought it was a cute machine and could be a fun project—I may swap out the pump and throw in a linear potentiometer for pressure control. Sorry that I don't have Profitec-specific feedback for you!

When I talk to people about what kind of machine they want, it's always about what they're going to want in the future, not just now - particularly when it comes to machines you spend a lot of money on. Because for a machine at this price point, you expect it to last decades - and your life can change a lot in that time. I've been through many stages in my coffee-loving life. From my early days with one of the cheapest Breville machines you could buy, through to a single-boiler Barazza, building my own roaster and experimenting with my own blends, to much more complicated machines, and a massive Compak E10 on the kitchen bench, and now finally a much simpler setup. Life got complicated, but my love of coffee didn't - I stopped wanting to screw around with endless variables, and just wanted to be able to make great coffee every day. For my wife to be able to pull a great shot without feeling intimidated by the setup. To get consistent, flavourful coffee without much mucking around. I also found that I hated being without my coffee machine for weeks on end whenever it needed a service. That's how I wound up with a lever (great coffee without having to try too hard, but still enough room to experiment), and specifically the Londinium - supported DIY maintenance & repairs. Apart from the footprint, the R24 would be pretty damn good for your needs, has a hot water tap, by default the steam wand is on the right, and being a lever, will give you great joy with every shot you pull. And pre-infusion pressure is managed digitally, which you can change via the app. These days I'd prefer to go even simpler with the Vectis, but I'd lose one thing that I quite like - the water tap. That said - everyone's at a different stage of their journey and you should get the right machine for this stage in your journey.

Go the opposite direction: Get a Londinium and never look again. One never outgrows a lever.