Tom, thanks for the video. You were instrumental in me buying a La Spaziale Lucca A53 which is a Clive Coffee ( a store in Portland Oregon) branded version of the Vivaldi II Mini. Our previous machine was a Gaggia Classic and I took to this machine like a duck to water. I haven't pulled an undrinkable shot yet. I'm not sure what the shot count is but we've got through around three pounds of beans in the past week. I paired it with a Ceado E37S and it's dangerously easy to pull a shot. For my son and my wife they can use the timed dose of the Ceado (4.3 seconds for 20g) and the double shot I set up for a 40g pull. Coupled with the hot water output they can have an Americano in their hands within a minute. I bought the pre-infuser and installed it myself. It's a trivially easy to do and that with the deeper portafilter means that I have yet to see channeling. Once again thanks for taking the time to make the video. It's greatly appreciated.

Hey Tom, thanks for this great, easy to follow tutorial on the Mini Vivaldi II. We have had ours since 2015 and it is still as good as ever. You showed me a couple of things I was not aware of so thanks for that.

Excellent explanation. I guess this is where I'll start my journey. Ordering this machine from Chris's. Your video was a huge help.

Thank you for showing the set up in your post. You made it easy.

What an awesome tutorial! Learned a lot about the machine in this easy to follow tutorial. And got my volumetrics dialed in too. Thanks Tom!

I have the same machine in black. Mine runs on 20amps. I leave the machine on all day for 12-15 hours easily. You can actually use it commercially if you wanted to. It’s awesome! The size of the machine is pretty big but espresso machines look best when they are big. Makes a great conversational piece that’s for sure. I only wished the portafilter was the standard 58mm. Other than that. It’s awesome.

Awesome video, can you do a video on the maintenance as well please.

Very helpful video. I’ve narrowed my machine choices down to the Mini Vivaldi II and the Lelit Elizabeth and I’m leaning towards the Mini Vivaldi. It seems the consensus is the 53 mm portafilter provides more consistent results with less puck prep fussing compared to 58 mm. I also like that the reservoir is in front so I don’t have to slide the machine out from under the cabinets to fill it. I think I will have the dealer install the optional preinfusion chamber as well.

Hey Tom. I’m looking at machines now. I’m going to Coffee Fest tomorrow and hopefully I’ll be smarter when I return and make a purchase. I’m really liking this machine. Easy to use and has everything. Thanks for your help with this video

Thanks for showing where the water goes in the reservoir. Most people don’t.

i just picked this up! I thought my bezzera bz07 had powerful steam, this machine blows it away!

Great review, many thanks. Own one connected to water behind a BWT filter, works really good. By the way, this version comes with pre-infusion 😊 and a Bluetooth timer as well. Came from one of these chrome monsters with E61 portafilter and I was sick and tired to burn xKW/h a day for pre-heating. Good by to the times of timer to switch on before I wake up. 10min to heat, maybe a little more for the boiler. Managed to switch on/off using Alexa, also boiler 😊

If it's leaking around the group, you may want to change the gasket if you haven't already, typically once a year that should be done. This helped me out in making the decision to step up to a dual boiler machine, currently I have a heat exchanger but i want the ability to change the temperature with different coffees

I’ve had this machine for 10 years and I don’t regret it; a good value. This is my first semi pro machine and so it’s difficult to compare to others. I wish it was easier to take apart for maintenance. The case and chassis use screw fasteners in every corner and it’s a chore. The chassis is difficult to keep square over time and loses some fitment in tray and supply tank, etc. ‘Stick’ built chassis corrodes more easily. I’m not sure what the solution might be. Welded joints?

Looks great styling, really cool Italian looks - esp in red. I love the front loading water tank. for a domestic machine. Not a fan of smalerl PF baskets. And if you want any accessories or upgaded baskets a 58mm basket gives much more choice. The E61 group also runs warm without pre-warming delay, and a rotary pump is essential in a domestic setting. But hey, dual boiler and very affordable.

great video!

Great Job Tom! I have some questions: 1-Is it very common to lose a drop of water during the coffee brew, as it's shows the video? 2-Have you measured the extraction temperatures and pressures? Do they correspond to the desired? Thank you very much.

53mm group sucks for real, come on... Gotta look for another rig Thanks for the review! 👌🏻

portafilter size is a deal breaker. Also, i believe when you run it at 15 amps, its not a true dual boiler since you can only run one boiler at a time since it is in eco mode!

I have the dream and the biggest pro for me is plumb in

Great video! I am using a delonghi machine at the moment and have been learning how to dial a perfect espresso, I would say the delonghi is a bit inconsistent. I think I will upgrade sometime next year, but I am between the mini Vivaldi or a Rancilio Silvia Pro which is roughly at the same price range. Hope you get to review one of those as well :)

Great job Tom. Excellent review. I also think that this machine offers the most feature in that price range for the dual boiler. Reputable Italian factory with great tradition, nice design, good specs. Where did you buy your machine in Europe? Can you recommend a reliable dealer that has delivery across the EU?

Have you tried replacing the brew group gasket to see if it fix the portafilter leaking? A con that I see some people on youtube complaining about the vivaldi is that the brew boiler is far from the group so the group is always a colder than the boiler. But all in all it really is a beautiful and robust machine. I'm looking forward to it as a possible acquisition for me as well. Thanks for the video!

This video is really helpful！Thank you, but I have a problem with the use. The coffee powder can only be filled to 80% full in the portafilter. Any more will not fit into the coffee machine. Is this normal? So what if I want to use more grams of ground coffee to extract more coffee?

So I'm thinking about buying this machine, I have the La Specialista Arte. How is this machine for home use, is it too finicky/complicated for dialing in? What would you recommend in the 1500-ish Euro budget? Thanks!

Hi Tom, thanks for the tutorial, I just purchased a black one today, at a discount for open box. While working on a fix for my other machine, decided to take the plunge on one of these. One thing I didn't see is how to adjust the pressure on the group head. I like to keep mine set low, like around 6 bar. I'm sure this comes from the factory set at at least 9 bar, correct?

I have been looking at purchasing this machine for a few years now. It seems that the new ones come with a couple of things you mentioned as add ons. My question, as I had to the company this other day (that they said they could not answer), is: Does it allow you to extract and steam at the same time? In this video you did them separately. Thanks.

Hi Tom great video and thanks for sharing! I hope you can help me on this I am not sure if you have still this coffee machine but I know you review many I am seriously considering to buy this one or the Ascaso duo new version with more steam power I know you have reviews both of them could you please tell me your personal thoughts about which one would you choose if you have to pick one today? Thanks.

Any advice on dialing in your espresso shots with this machine? I am having a heck of a time lol

Hi Tom! Nice review. I currently have a Lelit Elizabeth and don't know why, but I'm interested in the Mini Vivaldi :) Could you please tell me if the volumetric dosing is consistent? And if you change coffees, do you need to program it again? Thanks

Hey Tom great video! Do you do any other regular maintenance besides regular backflush? I struggle to find much info on proper descaling.

Hi Tom...I got the Vivaldi II !!! I tore it down, descaled, and its back together, BUT, I dont know which way the 3 way solenoid valve flange sits.whci way Does the green drop shape gasket mount at the grouphead??! Any help, links, etc is much appreciated. cheers!

Cool video! The "lucca" version of this does have preinfusion.

Ok question. I can get this machine with a Eureka mignon specialita and a barista kit for £1800. Is there a better set up for that price range about?

Im doing a cater tomorrow in a vivaldi ii, what has been your experience dosing in this smaller diameter basket?

Hello! This machine is at the top of my list for a new machine purchase … we just moved to Portugal. I saw the Escaso video where you said you have used one at home for years. Would you buy it again? Or point me in a different direction!? Thanks!

Is that a volume metric, so it dosnt matter the long brewing time? Coz I though it is a timer..

Can you compare with De'Longhi 3420

i would like to purchase the timer for my machine, it it hard to install? where can i purchase it?

does this machine have tp be plumbed in

I installed the preinfusion chamber today, how do I know it's working?

how long does it take to warm the machine up? how to turn it off for the night?

Hmmm, when i make milk for Cappuccino, then whit in aboud 5 seconds the milk is rizen to the top (4 x volume) and nearby 70 celcius, so i think i must lover the pressure.

Sorry but this is not volumetric dosing, it's time dosing. So if you change the grind size or even the coffee type the dosing will give different results. Only the rotary pumps are able to give volumetric dosing and generally speaking the expensive machines.

A good machine...but the comic sans font on the buttons is PAINFUL!