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La Spaziale Vivaldi II performance at high altitude

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Link to "La Spaziale Vivaldi II performance at high altitude"by susydee on Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:01 pm

Been living at 7600 ft. for a year now, and fighting with Miss Silvia daily- have been looking at
new machines. Would greatly appreciate any advice/comments on the performance of the Vivaldi S1 II (plumbed-in version) at 'high' altitude.
susydee
 
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Link to "La Spaziale Vivaldi II performance at high altitude"by HB on Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:49 pm

The FAQs and Favorites Digest links several discussions of high altitude brewing (How does high altitude affect brewing?, The Denver Effect, Water boils at 195F, and High Altitude Brewing). I haven't re-read them, but since espresso is brewed at 9 bar, why would altitude make any difference for a non-HX espresso machine?
Dan Kehn
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Link to "La Spaziale Vivaldi II performance at high altitude"by susydee on Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:50 pm

Indeed, there are discussions (and confusiuons) about brewing at higher elevations, none of which reference the S1, hence my post. It is my understanding that things are pretty much the same wherever one lives until the pour starts-the real fun for lofty dwellers begins when the espresso meets the local atmosphere. So, if anyone living 'high' with a Vivaldi II has a favorite blend, and/or settings that produce optimum shots, I would appreciate hearing about their setup.
susydee
 
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Link to "La Spaziale Vivaldi II performance at high altitude"by HB on Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:06 am

The exit temperature of espresso starts around 165F and builds to around 190F (see Andy's Brew ratio vs brew temperature for plotted measurements). As long as the exit temperature doesn't exceed the local boiling point, there's no difference between brewing at various altitudes.

Your original post said "[I've been] fighting with Miss Silvia daily- have been looking at new machines." Changing espresso machines would not change the affects of altitude on your results, especially if it's to (another) dedicated brew boiler machine like the Vivaldi. Maybe your struggles are due to Silvia's renowned finickiness? The FAQs and Favorites Digest links a couple dozen related threads on Silvia/Rocky you may find useful.
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