Greetings to all you coffee connoisseurs at Home Barista.com. Over the past 6 months I've been scouring coffee forums, reading technical specifications, viewing endless youtube videos in what was seemingly my obsession for finding the right espresso machine (and grinder) for my needs. Through the efforts of those who contribute to this site & others I've learned SO much. I'm genuinely grateful for all the help I've received. With the seemingly daunting choices out their, my final selection was far from easy. I hopped on the "I'm going to get this machine" train weekly until I settled in on the machine that I felt would work the best for me. After finally making a decision I had to wait another 2 months for the machine to return to stock at 1st Line (one of only 2 ECM dealers I'm aware of). Their were allot of priorities to juggle like, volumetric dosing, dual boiler or not, manufacture history, steaming capabilities, dealership rep, price, size, esthetics, noise, quality of cup, ect ect...

Until now, I've had no experience when it comes to espresso prep at this level. I'm been using my Starbucks Barista machine and a cheap burr grinder for the past 10 years with OK results, but always wanted to upgrade. My wife loves the weekends when I make her Latte's and few months ago she gave me the go ahead to upgrade my Barista machine. Promising better Latte's by yours truly

I decided on the ECM Technika IV Profi for reasons that made sense to me. I waited patiently for the 85 lb UPS box to arrive from the blizzard-like East coast. My machine arrived unscathed and appeared to be in good order. I was also lucky enough to add the ECM bottomless portafillter to my order. Everything about this was new to me; new tools, technique and tecknika (ha ha). I bought 3 VST baskets and their Pullman flat tamp, Baratza Forte AP grinder, tamping station, frothing mugs, knock-box, detergent, scale, brew head brush, micro towels, cups ect........

The results?

to be continued.......

Your review didn't contain a review.

First, I think he's not finish yet. He said to be continued...
Second, he should maybe change the title of his thread for : ECM Technika IV Profi owner experience. It would be more accurate IMHO.

Ya seriously, major teaser title...no information. Majorly irritating.

With all these great espresso tools at hand, it was time to put them to work. I had great gear & coffee. No excuse to not have wonderful espresso, right? Wrong!

I spent the first several days' attempting to get a decent extraction but all my shot's ended up being either too bitter or sour. Shot after shot was horrible, so much so that it almost made me sick to my stomach. This went on for nearly a week. I wasn't sure who to blame, the Technika, the Barista, the Forte or the beans. I was getting worried.

After tweaking my grinder and correcting some of my dosing mistakes things began to turn the corner after about a week of trial & error. Last weekend I felt confident enough to make my wife a Latte without a visit to ER. She commented that it wasn't bitter or sour, well done. Until now, I didn't realize how much subtle changes in my technique could make such a dramatic effect on coffee taste. So, blame was on the Batista in this case.

Now that I have had some success as a home Batista I can share with you my thoughts on the Technika.

First off this machine oozes quality. The fit and finish are superb. The smooth corners, high polish stainless are a feast for the eyes. Beautiful portafilter handles. It's a solid well engineered machine (like most things designed in Germany).

See for yourself......











I was surprised to find out that she only takes about 15-20 min's to warm up and she's ready to go.
The Rotary pump is very quiet. Those cooling flushes are hardly noticeable.

I'm a little concerned that my brew pressure gauge max's out at just over 8 bars. Should I adjust to 9 bars? I'll call 1st Line to see what they say. How does a higher brew pressure effect taste? Update: I just spoke with 1st Line and they said they are now shipping from the factory at the 8 bar level. They weren't sure of the reason. I'll leave it alone for now unless I hear otherwise. Also found out the $400 price increase is due to higher wholesale cost for this model. 1st Line was unaware of the price increase before the first batch was shipped (lucky for me) and mentioned that internal upgrades (as in parts and/or wiring) were the reason ECM gave them for the price increase.

I like how the gauges are at the top so they don't get messy and are easier to read. The water tank is easily accessible with a pull open lid. No need to remove your cups. A brightly lite orange light goes out and the pump doesn't run if the water tank is running low, nice feature. The steaming & H2O wands are not the "no burn" variety so you need to be a little careful. Supposedly they steam better then the no burn wands. Without a doubt the Technika steams wonderfully. I'm perfecting my technique. Wet paint here I come.

more to come......

Those are sweet and lovely gears, ready for fun and experiment.
First, you should put your espresso machine on a timer. Set it to 45 minutes before you awake in the morning. Technically, 15 minutes is maybe enough to pull a shot, but not enough to heat all this beautiful metal.
Trials and errors are the secret for a Home Barista's success. With fresh beans, a good grinder and a good machine, the Barista is the only responsible for the less than good shots.
The first times, it can be long and hard to perfectly dial the grinder to your machine. With a few experience, you should pull some terrific shots.
Let us know more about the ECM machine and the Forte.
BTW, I hope we could have a Titan vs Forte match to know how the Forte compares with the big guys.

Let us know more about the ECM machine . . .

Like maybe some "X" rated pics instead of the "PG" you have already graciously provided.

I fully concur with the 45 minute warmup and ya need to get a nice digital scale. Let this site's search engine be your friend in that subject area.

erics wrote:Like maybe some "X" rated pics instead of the "PG" you have already graciously provided.

erics remain calm...

Congrats on the machine. As a fellow Technika owner I think you will like it.

I agree with the others who say to give it at least 45 minutes to warm up. I've got mine on a timer to come on about an hour before I wake up. Based on the readings from Eric's thermometer the group head does not reach its equilibrium temperature until about 45 minutes or so.

I'll be sure to give it 45 mins for optimal temp. I just went by what the manual say's. What is your equilibrium temperature with your Technika? Do you leave your PF in the group head during warm up? Thanks!