Is it worth it?

The progressive pre-infusion option can be added to any current LaSpaziale Vivaldi machine - S1, V2, or V2 mini. It is the only pre-infusion option for the S1 and V2 Mini. V2 users who are NOT confident in their ability to swap out their controller board but still want the benefits of pre-infusion can also use this option.
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ebohling

Is it worth it?

Post by ebohling »

Is the Pre-infusion chamber upgrade for the mini V2 worth it? Probably a dumb question, but still have to ask. To be honest the money isn't the issue, laziness is. However, I do seem to get bad channeling from time-to-time.
Niko

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by Niko »

It's totally worth it :-P
The effort is pretty minimal for what you'll get out of your machine.
Weska

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by Weska »

Yes, I second Niko on this. The pre-infusion has cut short my worrying about channeling. Not that you can't get it still, but it takes some effort to have jets of channeling after the puck is soaked by the pre-infusion system.

(I think you don't necessarily have to go with the chamber version for your V2. You can replace your electronics. That's more expensive and possibly more involved because of down time, but you get the option of varying and even bypassing pre-infusion. The chamber is one size fits all.)
ebohling

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by ebohling »

yep, ordered it today. unfortunately the "electronic" version is not available on my mini vII, but on the other hand i'm not much for digging around the guts of my spro machine either, so installing the chamber will be challenging enough. :)
TruthBrew

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by TruthBrew »

For the record, the installation is really simply.... a few screws to loosen, loosen a plug, tighten some connections and wrap some teflon tape. Not much more to it. You don't even have to completely remove the side panels.

As for whether it's worth it.... I've only played with it for 2 days but I haven't seen much difference in performance. I think it is now slightly more forgiving, so perhaps less chance of sink shots, but otherwise not much difference in the cup. It's certainly no worse than it was, but time will reveal any improvements.
mgwolf

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by mgwolf »

I may be all wet here, but with the Mini, there's a vibe pump which has a slower and more gradual rampup than a rotary. To my thinking, it already has more preinfusion than a rotary would. Therefore, I wouldn't expect the chamber to make much difference in the shot.

As to channeling, I struggled with this at first, but have totally eliminated it by using a nutating motion when I tamp (I use a convex tamper). I also use the WDT, which helped quite a bit, but the nutating motion cured it completely. Michael
charlesaf3
Macchiato
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:05 am
Location: Richmond, Va

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by charlesaf3 »

well, it was easy enough to put on. Though the thumbscrew to my left panel has been a nightmare to put back on.

Not sure if I've noticed a flavor difference yet.

Are people pulling longer shots to make up for the pre-infusion?
Vivaldi Mini II, Cimbali Max Hybrid, Rocky, Livia
Endo

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by Endo »

charlesaf3 wrote:Not sure if I've noticed a flavor difference yet.
I'm not sure I can tell a difference in taste either. It seems other things (like dose and headspace) make a much bigger difference, so it's very difficult to compare back-to-back shots. When I first got it I thought it made the shot a little more forgiving.
charlesaf3 wrote:Are people pulling longer shots to make up for the pre-infusion?
I pull slightly longer shots than before since it takes longer for the shot to go blond from the time you hit the button. Maybe 5 seconds more.
oton

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by oton »

Endo wrote: I pull slightly longer shots than before since it takes longer for the shot to go blond from the time you hit the button. Maybe 5 seconds more.
Yep. 6 seconds.
charlesaf3
Macchiato
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:05 am
Location: Richmond, Va

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by charlesaf3 »

That makes sense - I think its supposed to be a 6 second infuser, no?

Out of curiousity, how much do you guys fill the basket, and what pressure are your machines set at?
Endo

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by Endo »

charlesaf3 wrote:That makes sense - I think its supposed to be a 6 second infuser, no?
Mine seems a bit faster. 4 or 5 seconds I'd guess.
charlesaf3 wrote:Out of curiousity, how much do you guys fill the basket, and what pressure are your machines set at?
The Vivaldi seems to be best at shots in the 15.5g to 16.5g range. For some reason, I feel the shot quality goes down when I dose higher and especially if I touch the screen.

I have my pressure currently set to 135psi (factory was 140psi). I measure it with a PF gauge (not on the machine). I've gone down to 125psi and feel it may be a bit better. I plan on experimenting a bit more with lower pressures over the next few weeks.
oton

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by oton »

Mine is set between 9.0 and 9.2-9.3. This is with a blind PF. When I pull a shot, the pressure is always lower. So I think is good to get pressure past 9.0 with blind PF.
RapidCoffee

Re: Is it worth it?

Post by RapidCoffee »

Is it worth it? Well, after trying it for a few weeks, I removed the preinfusion cylinder from my S1V1. Preinfusion definitely changes the pour characteristics (and requires a coarser grind). But I saw no clear improvements with the cylinder in place, and no falloff in espresso quality since it's been removed. If you're having problems with channelling, preinfusion might help a great deal.
charlesaf3 wrote:well, it was easy enough to put on. Though the thumbscrew to my left panel has been a nightmare to put back on.
In my case, it was the right panel. Setting the machine on its side (on the panel in question) helped a lot.
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