I haven't seen very much at all about this machine. No reviews, very few people seem to own it. Are there some significant issues? It look like a winner to me...

Most of the informed "conversation" on the various Brewtus models takes place on a user site on the Google boards. The crowd there is not really into proselytizing on that board (the converted) or any board (the unconverted.) As you point out, the machine is obviously a winner and it is one of the most well technically documented machines around.

It isn't a cheap machine, but people who look into the matter carefully conclude that it is an outstanding value if you are looking for that level of performance. Its stability, ease of brew temperature adjustment and shot-to-shot consistency are its strong points. It seems to appeal most to the barista who has to make milk based drinks and wants quality with convenience or the "experimenter" who wants to play with different blends.

If you are an HX user and determined to defend your use of one as superior to all other machines, you will probably find something that you can object to.

The user site is mostly devoted to the details of using the machine and to sharing things learned from the experience of other users.

I have seen plenty of discussion regarding the earlier iterations of the Brewtus. However, it is the Brewtus IV that I'm interested in, specifically the rotary pump version. There seem to be few owners, or perhaps they're too busy making coffee to post to boards like this one.

innermusic wrote:I have seen plenty of discussion regarding the earlier iterations of the Brewtus.

Exactly. Because there's plenty of discussion of prior iterations and the modifications per iterations have been minor, there's not a lot to talk about. Ian Stewart updated this site's review for version III. It's a safe bet that everything he wrote remains true with IV, plus the addition of whatever changed. Sorry, I cannot name what changed between III and IV off the top of my head.

The big change was a switch to let you turn off the steam boiler independently. Not a big deal imo. The BIII review pretty well sums the machine up.

The Brewtus IV added a pre-infusion chamber.

That doesn't make sense to me. All e-61 machines have a preinfusion chambers. It's an integral part of the design.

Innermusic is right. It is "improved" somehow, although it just sounds like marketing drivel to me. From whole latte love:

WholeLatteLove wrote:New to the forth generation of the Expobar Brewtus machines is a concave pre-infusion chamber that allows hot water to be evenly distributed through coffee grounds for superior espresso extraction. Unlike conventional E-61 brew groups, this group head directs water through the brew group in a concentrated stream. Once the water hits the center of the shower screen, it floods back up into the pre-infusion chamber before being evenly dispersed through the coffee grounds for uniform saturation during the pre-infusion and brewing process.

Exactly. And WLL has a video on their site demonstrating the new function. I'm curious whether this is a real innovation, and does it add value? Does anyone own this machine who can weigh in?

Expobar just buys these E61 groups from some supplier, so at what point this change was made and which other E61 machines also have it?