ECM Technika VI Espresso Machine Review

Once upon a time, ECM adhered to the convention of producing two identical machines albeit with different housing. It’s a practice that can be traced back to the now reborn (as Rocket Espresso) ECM SPA of old with their Cellini and Giotto models. Rocket Espresso carried on this tradition with their own Cellini and Giotto machines, later updating the Cellini to the Mozzafiato and Bezzera similarly had their Magica and Mitica machines, shaking things up just a bit by making their new SOLE a rotary pump model and giving their LUCE a vibration pump.

The subject of this review, ECM’s (that’s GMbH this time) new Technika VI is the result of a gradual rethinking of this paradigm. It’s a much needed modernization of a line that was missing out on some of the innovation found on its counterpart, the Mechanika. The Technika VI is a dual boiler espresso machine with a plumbable rotary pump, updated OLED PID display, and a comparatively smaller footprint than the Synchronika II. Over the years, there’s been a widening gap in both price and performance between the Synchronika II at the top of ECM’s catalog and the Mechanika MAX which redefined temperature control in heat exchanger machines.

Heat Exchanger to Dual Boiler

If you don’t know, the biggest change to the Technika VI vs the Technika V is that it’s now a dual boiler machine. More impressively, ECM did this while using the existing frame and housing, meaning that the machine, while full sized, is still smaller than the Synchronika II. 

It’s an update that reminds me a bit of the Profitec Pro 600. If you paid close attention, then you noticed that the 600 shared the same frame as the Pro 500, and you could actually put the panels from the 500 on the 600 if you wanted. The Technika VI replaces the 2.1L horizontal heat exchange boiler with a pair of comparatively smaller, vertically mounted 0.5L brew and 1L steam boilers instead.

The rotary pump has also been slightly reduced in size and can now be accessed from the bottom of the reservoir frame in order to increase or decrease pump pressure using a small flathead screwdriver.

The Modern PID

Something much needed for the Technika V was an update to the aging PID controller used by ECM/Profitec on their past machines.

Featuring the same OLED PID as the Synchronika II, the Technika VI now features the following options:

• Programmable Brew and Steam Temperature
• Active and Passive Pre-Infusion Settings
• Backflush Reminder
• Water Filter Replacement Reminder
• Programmable On/Off times (2x per day)
• Eco Mode
• Offset Adjustment

Flow Control and Pre-Infusion

Being an E61 machine, the Technika VI is compatible with the E61 flow control device for manual control over pre-infusion and extraction flow rates. On top of that, when plumbed in, the Technika VI is capable of line pressure pre-infusion and can make use of your home water line to pre-infuse your coffee simply by raising the E61 lever. When plumbed in you can use the Technika VI’s passive pre-infusion programming to actually control how long you want to passively pre-infuse your coffee vs. simply running the pump and programming a soak time before brewing.

The Technika VI vs the Profitec RIDE

At this point, if you’re familiar with the shared ownership of ECM and Profitec, you might be wondering how the new Technika stacks up against the recently released Profitec RIDE.

In truth, the Technika VI has several specs and features that it shares with the RIDE, but a few differences as well. I’ve compiled them below to give you a better idea of what each machine is working with:

Between the two machines, the key difference is going to be the plumbable rotary pump on the Technika vs the vibration pump on the RIDE. This is something that carried over from the V and one of the main reasons why the Technika VI is so exciting. It’s always been interesting to me that Profitec has three dual boiler machines while most brands only have one. For the longest time, ECM had the Synchronika (now II) and their only other plumbable machines were heat exchangers. Profitec by comparison has the MOVE, RIDE, and DRIVE, but the only plumbable models were DRIVE and the sprung lever Pro 800.

Looking more closely at the specs, the shorter brew boiler on the Technika VI is likely necessary to make room for the rotary pump which takes up more space than a vibration pump. With the same size steam boilers and max steam temperatures, you can expect similar performance when frothing milk. The Technika VI also shares the RIDE’s ability to heat both boilers simultaneously. I talked about this in my original review of the RIDE but the reason given by Profitec for including this feature isn’t necessarily to heat the machine faster, but actually to help maintain pressure while steaming by continuing to heat the steam boiler.

Comparing the accessories, the Technika keeps things simple with a single and double portafilter and a 7 and 14g basket. The RIDE’s loadout with the modular bottomless and 21g triple basket gives you a bit more to play with out of the box and I recommend grabbing at least an 18g basket for the Technika when getting started. While both machines are compatible with flow control and have a form of external pressure adjustment (pump on the Technika VI and OPV on the RIDE) the added passive line pressure pre-infusion of the Technika VI gives you a bit more to play with.

Technika VI vs Synchronika II

Obviously I can’t go without comparing the Technika VI to the Synchronika II. Just like with the RIDE, I’ve broken out key features below and we’ll take some time exploring them at greater length.

When it comes to deciding which of these two machines is for you, capacity and speed come to mind for me as considerations. The Synchronika II has more capacity than the Technika VI. Its steam boiler is twice as big as the Technika’s, meaning you make more back-to-back milk drinks and dispense more hot water with less impact on performance. Brew boiler capacity will also affect temperature stability while brewing multiple espressos as the Technika’s boiler is 66% the size of the Synchronika’s

In terms of speed, I’m really referring to the fact that the Synchronika II has a heating element embedded in the brew group. On initial heat-up the machine will be ready to brew more quickly than the Technika VI. That said, both machines have two programmable auto-on times per day and both can be successfully connected to a smart plug, so setting a schedule can be an equalizer between the two with the Synchronika II edging out the Technika VI only when using the machine at the spur of the moment.

Comparing the size of both machines, the Technika VI is shorter and marginally more narrow than the Synchronika II. This means you’ll have more counter space for grinders or other accessories, and the Technika VI is also a whole inch shorter so you have more clearance to put cups on top of the machine and in general you’ll have an easier time fitting it under cabinets. To be completely honest, my instinct is to steer you towards the Synchronika II if you have the budget, but if you don’t, that’s really where the Technika VI shines. The money you save with Technika can be put towards your grinder, a premium scale, or any other devices or accessories you need to complete your setup.

Performance

Brewing

Brewing on the Technika VI is very nuanced and flexible thanks to the numerous brewing options like passive pre-infusion, flow control, and PID programming. The pump produces a gentle hum when running, and overall the average recovery time for the boiler to return to our set temperature of 200° F after brewing was only 30 seconds.

Brew Stability

Across 10 extractions, when set to 200°F the Technika VI maintained a consistent average temperature within +/- 2° or less of the target. It's also worth pointing out that the brew temperature offset can be programmed in the PID menu for even greater precision based on the ambient temperature of your kitchen.

Steaming

As a dual boiler you'll definitely be steaming rather frequently on the Technika VI, so how does it perform? In generally it's fairly fast, which I expand on below, but ECM took care with this machine to help ensure that steam is powerful and dry.

Recovery time after steaming 5oz of milk ranged anywhere from 10-15 seconds for the PID to return to our stock temperature of 262°F which is perfect. The steam boiler is constantly heating thanks to the priority sharing between the two so the Technika VI can handle back to back drinks. That said, after 4-5 drinks, the lower volume in the boiler did cause the water level sensor to trip and the pump ran to refill it. In those cases recovery time was roughly a minute and a half.

Steam Performance

The Technika VI averaged at just over 20 seconds to steam the standard 5oz of milk to 140°F when set to 262°F. Water added was approximately 10.7% which is fairly dry and overall it's fair to say that the Technika VI is quiet a competent steamer even at its default temperature settings.

Housing and Accessories

The ECM Technika VI is housed in beautiful mirror finish stainless steel with rounded panels and a round drip tray. It’s built on a one-piece frame and the machine has a discreet OLED PID display on the bottom left and a pair of navy blue brew and steam pressure gauges located on opposite sides of the E61.

Personally, I find the all-steel housing a refreshing throwback in an era where E61 design is becoming increasingly less traditional. In the box, the machine comes with a single and double spout commercial portafilters, 7g and 14g baskets, a tamper, plumb line, backflush disc and cleaning brush.

Final Thoughts

Wrapping things up I think that ECM was very wise to make the Technika VI a dual boiler machine and to make it plumbable. It has great temperature stability and steaming performance, and the modernized PID features and competitive price keep it compelling in a market with relatively few rotary dual boiler machines. It’s also worth saying that aesthetically ECM has cut no corners with this machine. It’s beautiful and elegant with internals to match and a welcome addition to the ECM lineup.

Shop this Blog

Related Blogs