Better La Spaziale Vivaldi Steam Tip?

#1: Post by **jcran17** » September 28th, 2021, 11:15 am

I exclusively drink straight espresso, but my wife had begun interest in milk drinks. So I figure it is about time I learn latte art. I have tried a few times with my vivaldi II and am awful at it. I remembered buying an extra steam tip from Chris Coffee that is supposed to be better. Interestingly, my account shows I bought a 4 hole 1.2mm. Seems currently for sale on the size is 0.9mm. Any vivaldi owners have a feeling of one over the other?

I will add that my steam is VERY wet...albeit powerful

September 29th, 2021, 2:03 pm

Seems the Vivaldi II isn't as popular as it once was (that darn 53mm).

I did some measuring and my stock steam tip is around 2.0mm and the one I bought from CC is definitely 1.2. I guess since I bought mine in ~2016 they have made the holes smaller and now offer 0.9mm. I'm sure the issue is my technique and not the 0.3mm difference in hole diameter...

#3: Post by **GDK** » September 29th, 2021, 6:44 pm

4x2mm holes would be large on any machine. I have the 0.9mm tip and it works great. Make sure you purge the steam wand for 2-3 seconds before foaming the milk.

#4: Post by **mgwolf** » September 29th, 2021, 10:57 pm

I think the difference between 1.2 and 0.9 would be quite noticeable.

#5: Post by **jgood** » September 29th, 2021, 11:04 pm

There are also 3 hole, 2 hole, and 1 hole tips - they'll all fit if they're standard male threaded. My current favorite is a 2 hole that Chris Coffee sells that has pretty small holes and requires an adapter (they sell it) as it's female threaded. Your Vivaldi probably has more oomph than my QuickMill and that tip might be overkill, so to speak. IMHO smaller holes and less of them work better for small quantities of milk. Are you making lattes or small caps?

September 30th, 2021, 10:15 am

GDK wrote:4x2mm holes would be large on any machine. I have the 0.9mm tip and it works great.

Agree, hard to imagine that was the stock tip originally.

GDK wrote: Make sure you purge the steam wand for 2-3 seconds before foaming the milk.

Thank you. Yes, I do purge the wand. The steam is very wet, obviously at purge, but even after. I remember adjusting the boiler water volume on my brewtus. Might have the same opportunity with the vivaldi.

September 30th, 2021, 10:20 am

mgwolf wrote:I think the difference between 1.2 and 0.9 would be quite noticeable.

I suppose you are right..it is 33% bigger. Certainly wouldn't be the first or last $20 I threw at an espresso related "upgrade"

September 30th, 2021, 10:27 am

jgood wrote:IMHO smaller holes and less of them work better for small quantities of milk. Are you making lattes or small caps?

I am making, or at least attempting to make, lattes with ~6oz of milk. I bought a barista hustle 400ml pitcher to foam in..my other pitcher was huge