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L1 enhancement kit
i am getting to grips with the effects of this kit, which are considerable
it very much changes the character of the machine, but I'm not sure it is for the better
it handles big doses with aplomb and the larger shot weight of 55-60g is useful for light roasts where you address the reduced solubility by pushing more water through the roast
as i reported previously, i am not seeing the levels of mouth feel and density that the L1-P/2/3 delivers
however, i think i know what i am missing; i need a pump with more refinement and a higher flow rate
we need a more refined pump as the current pump is now working at a higher pressure, and as a result takes longer to get the job done and it alters the tone of the pump, for the worse, too
i suspect a pump with a higher flow rate will address the lack of L1-P/2/3 levels of body and mouthfeel too
so other than a lack of improved mouthfeel the kit is an improvement in terms of what goes in the cup
the problem is the ownership experience, at least for me, is a bit compromised
the experience has moved in the direction of what i have always accused the Strega of, which is a pump machine with a lever bolted on the front
to address this i need to find a pump that is more refined, and delivers at a higher flow rate. this translates into something that is less thrashy, and better still, just runs for less time - 'more silent' you might say
there is quite a lot of work to refine the kit so that it is easier for owners to fit. for example it currently has a secondary pressure switch in it that was a 'one off' lying around in a spares bin in the factory. it would also be nice to get the pipes machine bent as all the production pipes on our machines are - the kit i have is very much 'hand crafted'
we have tried a few alternative pumps already without success, but we have located another one which we hope to receive in about a fortnight, so the impact of bolting that on will be interesting
i have turned the L1s off for the night, but i might try and do a clip tomorrow so you can see it in action alongside a stock L1
reiss.
it very much changes the character of the machine, but I'm not sure it is for the better
it handles big doses with aplomb and the larger shot weight of 55-60g is useful for light roasts where you address the reduced solubility by pushing more water through the roast
as i reported previously, i am not seeing the levels of mouth feel and density that the L1-P/2/3 delivers
however, i think i know what i am missing; i need a pump with more refinement and a higher flow rate
we need a more refined pump as the current pump is now working at a higher pressure, and as a result takes longer to get the job done and it alters the tone of the pump, for the worse, too
i suspect a pump with a higher flow rate will address the lack of L1-P/2/3 levels of body and mouthfeel too
so other than a lack of improved mouthfeel the kit is an improvement in terms of what goes in the cup
the problem is the ownership experience, at least for me, is a bit compromised
the experience has moved in the direction of what i have always accused the Strega of, which is a pump machine with a lever bolted on the front
to address this i need to find a pump that is more refined, and delivers at a higher flow rate. this translates into something that is less thrashy, and better still, just runs for less time - 'more silent' you might say
there is quite a lot of work to refine the kit so that it is easier for owners to fit. for example it currently has a secondary pressure switch in it that was a 'one off' lying around in a spares bin in the factory. it would also be nice to get the pipes machine bent as all the production pipes on our machines are - the kit i have is very much 'hand crafted'
we have tried a few alternative pumps already without success, but we have located another one which we hope to receive in about a fortnight, so the impact of bolting that on will be interesting
i have turned the L1s off for the night, but i might try and do a clip tomorrow so you can see it in action alongside a stock L1
reiss.
Comments
Anyway, it seems to me that you are now having a kit that is meant for a tank-fed L1. Maybe it might be more easy if you would first try whether the idea works on a plumbed-in L1. Or am I wrong in my assumption that the HX with the kit is being cold fed (3 bar with a pump from the tank)?
M.
so, apologies for not getting a great extraction on film, i might have another go tomorrow
i also failed to show you the lever catching at the lower angle than 45 degrees as the stock L1 does
the relationship between the group surface temperature and the brew temperature is also quite different to the stock L1
the net effect being that we run higher group surface temperatures than we would on the stock L1
the brew temperature is also more responsive to changes in boiler pressure than the stock L1
the pressure switch we have added only runs to 2.8 bar - i would like to get one that goes higher to give owners a bit more flexibility
i would like to be able to offer these kits for around £100 plus shipping & tax where applicable, although it very much depends what pump we decide on - we keep finding a new option every couple of weeks
best
reiss.
Steve
hi nick. no, no it won't as the heat exchanger is no longer fed from the boiler,but rather the water tank
a digital timer is the answer
best
reiss.
hi steve
yes, good question. it will depend primarily on whether the pump we settle on is available in 120V, as well as 240V
my preference would certainly be to offer the kit in both 120 & 240V versions
reiss.
Also, congratulations on your own new slim-line edition. Your running regime seems to be doing the trick.
Matt
I am very intrigued by this L1 enhancement kit. I'm plumbed in currently, excuse this question if it's been discussed already but will this enhancement kit be compatible with my current plumbed in configuration? I understand it's a moot point if a 120V pump isn't procured.
All the best to you, and keep up the great work.
you could make the kit work on a plumbed in L1, you would just need to remove some components as they would be surplus to requirements, one of which would be the pump of course, and another the second pressure switch
i think the sensible thing would be for us to offer the kit in a plumbed in version, without the pump and pressure switch, and some of the unnecessary pipework capped off. it would be a lot less expensive
reiss.
the greater pressure also alters the tone of the pump
these two factors combined change the situation from being one where the existing pump was an adequate solution in the L1, to one where it isn't quite good enough in a kit that is designed to enhance the user experience
tom jagiello is your best bet for that. the notion that you can run a hot shot and dial it down for a cool shot is how our competitors tell the story, but the claim is at odds with reality I'm afraid
best
reiss.
Thanks for the reference to Tom Jagiello...I will search around and try to contact him.
that is raw footage taken on my wife's iPhone 6S
i have the 6 but the quality of the 6S is so much better that i'll be using her phone for any video work
video editing of any form just sucks hours out of my day, so the ability to load raw footage is a huge benefit
i apologise if some of you would prefer something more produced, but it simply isn't economic for a small business to indulge in this way
i will try to put up more regular video footage, as it seems to be what people want to see
reiss.
I don't like big shots at all and 35g is typically as much output as I desire, but it looks like pre-infusion is at a higher pressure and the early grab of the lever means that the initial pressure is higher too. This must affect the outcome even of a 35g shot - I'd be interested to hear what this is.
fingers crossed for a 120V pump.
If I am reading this correctly, you are just concerned with going through filters too quickly, right?
I am thinking about plumbing into a R/O system, so having both kits available would be great. Thanks for keeping us in the loop Reiss!
the bad news is the lead time on the pump is such that by the time we finish our testing we are not going to receive these new pumps before christmas
however, my plan is to write an email to our manufacturer immediately after this and enquire if we can have the kit, sans pump, made up before christmas as i am quite keen to deploy this
i am also going to petition for a new two hole tip with the same design characteristics as our exceptionally good four hole tip (admittedly it took several iterations to get there), but the odds on getting that through before christmas are a bit longer, but nothing venture nothing gained
it is a little difficult to articulate as the brew temperature curve is flatter with the enhancement kit on, but the significant point is that the group surface temperature moves a lot more for each unit of movement in boiler pressure than it does with the enhancement kit on
this means that if you live in a hot climate the enhancement kit will be a significant advantage to you and eliminates the need for a restrictor in the thermosiphon, which is a much more elegant solution
a 0.1 bar adjustment to the boiler pressure will now produce a significant movement in the group surface temperature, whereas without the enhancement kit the group surface temperature is less responsive to reductions in boiler pressure as the ambient temperature rises. it may mean that the brew temperature suffers if the ambient temperature was to drop below 15C, this is something i have not been able to test and is a good example of why i am releasing this as a kit - there are scenarios that i have not been able to adequately test and with machines dotted all over the place it is difficult for me to gain sufficient comfort that i have tested every conceivable scenario. with this approach we de-risk it. in any event the pump will represent an upgrade for all participants - no possible downside there
i have adjusted the roast profile of our Brazilian passeio as it did not play nicely with the enhancement kit on the first trial run. i am running the adjusted Brazilian roast today for the first time and i am very happy with it, which gives me a lot more confidence to proceed. the effect is that the group temperature runs higher but the initial inlet temperature is a little lower and the trailing inlet temperature is a little hotter - or a slightly less extreme brew profile. it also seems to eliminate the thermal accumulation that could sometimes be observed if the machine was left unused for 5 or 6 hours without a shot being pulled in an environment with little air movement
the kit will be very light and small so i can't see the DHL charge exceeding GBP25 even for remote locations
for customers in Australia & New Zealand I will probably bring say 20 kits to Auckland so i can distribute from here
reiss.
if you would like to be in the initial order can you please express an interest below
reiss.
Jerry conedera
Very Happy to be in the first group, ex Auckland of course.
Thanks for your work, it sounds exciting!
Trevor
Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk
I am interested, but I would require a pump as I intend to go back to tank fed operation and also my unit is a 110V. Were you able to source a pump for 110V?
Thanks
Patrick