Customizing Your ECM Coffee Grinder

One of the most exciting developments in our catalog over the last few years has been the introduction of premium wood accenting and machine customizations across a wide range of brands. At this point, nearly every prosumer machine has options for wood accents and brewing upgrades like flow control and the Pressensor. I'm happy to say that our grinders are starting to catch up.

ECM is famous for its espresso machines, but they also produce their own range of grinders. Over time we've accumulated an assortment of accessories and upgrades from both ECM themselves and our friends at Wiedemann Manufaktur that we'll be taking a look at. Some are purely aesthetic like wood and steel lids, while others like the single-dose bellows and Day Hoppers will change the workflow of your coffee routine. I'll be covering each option as well as listing the compatible grinders for each one.

From ECM

Over the years, ECM has produced a range of accessory upgrades for their grinders that more or less take what are already premium products and make them even more premium. Similar to Wiedemann, ECM produces mostly cosmetic upgrades for their grinders, with the exception of the first entry on our list, a single dose bellows.

Single-Dose Bellows

Compatible Grinders: All ECM Grinders

The Single-Dose Bellows is an alternative to using the grinder’s included hopper, allowing you to transition from an On-Demand to a Single-Dosing workflow. If you’re familiar with the Profitec TWIST SD, then you’ll recognize that this accessory is essentially its ECM counterpart. Compared to the all black componentry of the TWIST, the base and lid of the assembly are made from noticeably heavier stainless steel. The lid features three small holes for airflow and the three pieces of the bellows can be separated for cleaning as needed.

To install, simply remove the included hopper and install the bellows assembly in its place. Unlike the hopper, the bellows lack a gasket seal so it slides in and out of the grinder much more easily. When operating the bellows we recommend positioning the lid in the center of your palm for slow but powerful presses to maximize airflow. The lid is so heavy that it can slip and fall off the bellows when used too quickly or aggressively, so keep that in mind. You may want to remove the anti-static screen on your grinder's chute in order to maximize the performance of the bellows.

Stainless Steel Lids

Compatible Grinders: ECM S-Manuale/Automatik 64 and V-Titan 64

These Stainless Steel Lids are a premium alternative to the included plastic that comes stock with ECM’s grinders. Not only do these lids look gorgeous and accentuate the polished steel elements of the grinders, but they are also very weighty and come with small handles to make them easier to remove without smudging the polished surface. There are two sizes of lids, one for the default 500g hopper included on ECM’s 64mm grinders and a smaller lid that fits on top of the funnel of the V-Titan 64 grinder.

Glass Bean Hopper

Compatible Grinders: All ECM Grinders

The Glass Bean Hopper debuted on the limited edition series of machines and grinders that ECM produced in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG. These gorgeous hoppers have a different shape and profile than the traditional plastic and feature a heavy duty stainless base with a gasket seal. Each hopper also includes a matching steel lid with a handle. Though these hoppers are technically compatible with all ECM grinders, they look best installed on any of the 64mm options.

Stainless Steel Gear

Compatible Grinders: ECM S-Manuale 64 and S-Automatik 64 (stainless)

A purely cosmetic upgrade, this gear replaces the stock plastic grind adjustment gear on the ECM S-Manuale and S-Automatik 64 grinders. It looks really nice, especially when paired with the glass bean hopper. The ECM S-Automatik 64 in Anthracite and the V-Titan 64 grinders both already come with this gear installed so you don’t need it if you already own one of them.

To install, simply remove the bean hopper and then remove the three screws that secure the original plastic gear in place. Then simply lift the original gear off of the grinder and set the new one in its place. Then simply tighten the screws back down.

From Wiedemann

Wood Lids

Compatible Grinders: All ECM Grinders

Wiedemann’s wood lids are exactly what the name suggests, wooden lids that replace the stock plastic ones included with the grinder. There are lids for all sizes of ECM’s grinders including the funnel on the V-Titan, so you can trick out your grinder to match the components on your machine and any other Wiedemann accessories you own.

Day Hopper

Compatible Grinders: All ECM Grinders

The Day Hopper is an interesting accessory that’s not quite a single-dose hopper, but at the same time it kind of is. You can load up to 50g of whole beans in the day hopper at a time with the idea being that you only use as much coffee as you need for a single day. That means the rest of your coffee can be safely stored and protected from light and oxygen rather than languishing in your bean hopper.

Each day hopper comes with a wood lid so you can match them with the rest of your Wiedemann accents and accessories. The hopper is made from heavy-duty acrylic and installs in place of the stock hopper included with the grinder.

It's important to note that the max capacity of beans that you can load into the day hopper will vary based on the your coffee. By weight, smaller denser coffees will be closer to the 50g measurement I just mentioned, but larger beans like a dark roast or our monsoon process Hidden Malabar coffee will take up more space inside the day hopper while weighing less than 50g.

Why Choose an ECM Grinder?

Made in Germany

ECM line of home espresso grinders are made entirely in-house in their production facility just outside of Heidelberg Germany. They're designed to pair with their machines, both aesthetically and performance-wise. So, it should come as no surprise that on the customization front, we’ve quietly been updating our catalog with a variety of accents and upgrades that you can add to your grinder to make it a perfect match for your machine. 

Stainless Steel Everything

There are some who are critical of the “shiny metal box” design of many E61 espresso machines. ECM stands in direct opposition to this trend (unlike its sister brand Profitec) with (nearly) every machine, grinder, and many accessories featuring traditional stainless steel housing. It’s a look that lends a sense of timeless elegance to ECM’s products in a world where grinders are frequently made of chromed and powder coated aluminum.

The Polishing Cloth

I’m someone who loves accessories, but I’ll admit that I love some more than others. ECM’s polishing cloth is criminally underrated. It's a heavy-duty cloth that can be used to polish stainless steel espresso machines without the use of cleaners. A little warm water is enough to eliminate pretty much any smudge or spot with just a bit of effort. If you're interested in maintaining the brilliant finish on your machine's paneling, this cloth is a must have.

Anthracite Accenting

ECM accents its machines and grinders with a material known as anthracite. Sometimes referred to as “hard coal” and is a semi-lustrous carbon that is powder coated onto the steel. Unlike paint, anthracite is textured instead of smooth. It’s not glossy, but thanks to its slight luster, it sparkles at certain angles and is a tasteful way to elevate traditional black accenting beyond simple paint.

Worm Gear Adjustment

With the exception of the C-Manuale 54, all of ECM’s grinders use a stepless worm gear to adjust grind size. This style of adjustment is also used on the Ceado E37S, the Spluga grinder from Rocket Espresso, and even the BB005 TM grinder from Bezzera.

Attached to the grind adjustment key is a spiral gear that threads into a traditional style gear that is mounted to the top burr assembly. As the gear rotates, the assembly raises or lowers to bring the burrs closer together or further apart, making your grind finer or coarser. This method of adjustment allows for incredibly small and precise movement for dialing in. The spiral gear locks the burr in place, preventing drift while grinding.

The only downside is that multiple turns can be required in order to make substantial changes in your current setting. Additionally, the top burr can’t be removed without fully unthreading it from the grinder, meaning that you will need to dial back in when you open your grinder up for cleaning.

Final Thoughts

One of my favorite things about any hobby is when you get to make it your own. ECM has consistently been one of my favorite espresso machine manufacturers, but if you've been sleeping on their grinders, these upgrades are definitely a reason to give them a look.

Photography by Grace Walker

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