Dan Kehn reviewed the La Spaziale S1 when it was first released back in April 2005. By all accounts the La Spaziale Vivaldi was a very successful machine with Chris Coffee selling over 500 machines before introducing the Vivaldi II.

With the recent additions of Programmable Preinfusion and Programmable Temperature Offset Differential, Dan and I thought it was time to update the buyers guide with a fresh look at the LaSpaziale Vivaldi II?
I already have a Vivaldi VII pre preinfusion and programmable offset so was interested in the differences.
Dan was also kind enough to loan me his La Valentina as a comparison machine and Bob Barazza has offered up a jam on his A3 as well.

Here is a picture of the setup in my kitchen.



Also a closer look at the VII.



I do hate those stickers. I understand the need for them but I hope that Chris and others have some good suggestions as to how to clean them off.

For all of you Luddites out there close your eyes for the next picture.

A closeup of the control panel and that big S1 logo. It actually ends up being a pretty good place to stick a shot timer



Now for some coffee! In the essence of full disclosure I have had this machine for awhile now so have had a chance to get the temperature and offsets dialed in. I'll go through that in more detail in future posts.

I have had a little Counter Counter Coffee Biloya stashed away in the freezer for a couple of weeks. So decided to give it a try. 3sec of preinfusion and 93°C.

It started off OK and finished fine. But for me it was a tad hot. I think 92°C would have been a little better.

I'll post the pics in the next post since I can only upload three here.

One quick note that I have already experienced with this machine compared to my VII is the improved tolerance to channeling you get with the addition of preinfusion. More about this in later posts.

Cheers

Ian

Here are the pics of the Biloya.

The start:



Midway through:



I'll be getting into the preinfusion and offsets in the the next few posts.

Cheers
Ian

woodchuck wrote: Also a closer look at the VII.

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I do hate those stickers. I understand the need for them (...)

LOL!
I understand that the sticker on the group is needed only on those machines accompanied with a naked pf and that it sais something like 'please do not stick your tongue out beneath the portafilter: the liquid is HOT!'

p.s.
anyway, guys, very good idea to update the reviews. In fact I'm perfectly happy with my Vivaldi II as it is (read: no preinfusion) and yet very courious about the enhancement, so please go on testing.

Brings back memories of Northern Canadian winters and a metal flag pole

Cheers

Ian

Warm the decals with a heat gun or hair dryer & peel them off. Clean off any remaining adhesive with 3M Adhesive remover or undiluted citrus cleaner. 7 months ago when I bought mine there was only 1 info decal on the front section. That big one on the right was inside the drip tray shelf where it belongs.

Nice extraction pictures. If that doesn't make you want to have a shot you should check your pulse. Looking forward to the rest of the review.

I just don't log in without a cup. On any coffee forum! unresistable.

I thought it would be good to go through a few of the machine basics for those of you who are not familiar with the earlier incarnation of Vivaldi.

The Vivaldi ships with two portafilters, one double and one single spout, a double basket, single basket and a backflushing disk. You also get a black plastic tamper and a grouphead brush for cleaning the shower screen and gasket. The owner's manual is pretty well written and is available online as well.



You'll want to order a 53mm tamper before you get too far with this machine. The plastic tamper that ships with it won't take you too far espresso nirvana wise. There is a fair amount of debate over what kind of tamper works best. I would recommend starting with a slightly convex tamper.

The VII is a double boiler espresso machine with a 2.5 liter steam boiler and a 450 ml group boiler. Double boiler home machines have become more popular over the years with a handful of machines on the market today. The VII rotary is plumbed for direct connect. There is a version of the La Spaziale the Mini Vivaldi that sports a vibe pump and tank rather than the rotary plumbing.

The VII is 16.5 inches wide and 15.25 inches tall. Including space for a grinder, you should plan on approximately twenty-four inches of countertop to allow ample elbowroom. The VII is short enough that the cups on the warming tray have good clearance when the unit is located under standard height kitchen cabinets.



The VII ships in either 20amp or 15amp configurations. The 20 amp model can be switched to "economy" mode by pressing and holding the BOILER button for 10 seconds until the ECON light illuminates. This setting is remembered even if the unit is unplugged and assures that only one boiler will activate at a time in order to remain below a 15 amp load.



One note to add here is that the VII has now achieved ETL Sanitation and Electrical Certification for both the US and Canada. This is a pretty big deal for smaller machines like the VII and makes it usable in a small commercial environment such as a restaurant or catering business.

You will also need to plan for the VII's water hookup. The VII's water hookup is a standard 1/8" inner diameter NPT fitting that Chris' Coffee Service technicians can adapt to whatever plumbing fixture you have available under the sink or from the icemaker hookup (3/8" outer diameter tubing is also available). They recommend John Guest push-in fittings and 230 PSI flexible water tubing. Your local hardware store may have the equivalent Watts brand. Dan has noted in his earlier review that these are lower-pressure 120 PSI fittings and tubing that will still work but you may as well order everything you need to plumb the VII from Chris' to avoid delays. It is worth noting here that adding a water filter and softener is a good idea if you're plumbing in a new machine. The water softener is a must for areas with hard water and will reduce the descaling intervals across the board.

Continuing on with the tour - a view of the working area of the VII.



The VII comes standard with an articulated steam wand and 1.2mm four-hole tip. Two accessories definitely worth considering are the no burn steam arms and a smaller 0.9mm four-hole tip. The standard steam tip's speed can be a bit challenging for smaller quantities of milk or the less experienced home barista. The steam wand can easily be swung over the drip tray and purged of water before steaming and the s-curve makes it easy to reach the bottom of a 20 oz pitcher.

The VII also has a hot water dispenser and an enclosed group (or at least less exposed than the E61). There is lots of headroom under the group for a big Americano mug or doubling up as I do when I'm trying to get some nice crema in the cup.



The VII has a monster drip tray. You can easily get a quart of water in the tray and still have enough room left over to remove it and get it to the sink without sloshing the water over the sides.

Check the steam tip that came on your test machine to see what size the holes are. Several of us that ordered the "optional" .9mm tip found that our machines actually came with it & not the 1.2mm. I believe the 1.2mm tip came on the older S1 machines but with the Italians you never know.