The ECM Synchronika is a dual-boiler espresso machine from the German company ECM. We tested the Synchronika 1, and in 2024, the Synchronika 2. In this article, you will find our findings for both models, temperature curves, as well as our video reports.
If you have personal experience with the ECM Synchronika, we look forward to your comments. This complements our test and helps other interested parties get a more comprehensive picture of the machine in everyday use. Thank you!
Since the ECM Synchronika I will continue to be sold for a while, we are leaving the information about this machine in place. All information that applies exclusively to the ECM Synchronika II can be found further down in the article: Jump to the new ECM Synchronika II
General information and facts
The ECM Synchronika is an espresso machine with immense scope, weight, material quality, and long-term value. This machine was built to last. All components radiate this.
We measure a width of 33.5 cm, a height of 41 cm without cups, and a height of 45 cm with our own cups. This may be of interest to you if the machine is intended to stand under a low wall cabinet in the kitchen. The ECM Synchronika is already 48.5 cm deep in its base. With a portafilter inserted, the Synchronika reaches a depth of 59 cm. This brings the machine to a considerable weight of 30 kilograms.
The ECM Synchronika features a high-gloss polished stainless steel housing. It looks beautiful and reflects wonderfully, but unfortunately, it collects numerous fingerprints. The polishing cloth will need a permanent place near the espresso machine.
The Synchronika is equipped with a 2-liter steam boiler and a 0.75-liter brew boiler. The rotary pump is very quiet and purrs like a kitten during extraction. We measure the impressively low value of only 59.2 decibels. We read in the community that for some, the machine rattles significantly more. We identified such rattling and sliding with the drip tray, but this can be bridged with magnets or rubber holders.
The rotary pump, in turn, allows us to connect the machine to a fixed water supply. A drain hose can also be attached to the drip tray. We fill it with a maximum of 850 ml if it is not connected to the drain and we still want to carry it to the sink.
The water tank holds 2.5 liters, can be removed from above via a flap, and is of high-quality construction. The water is drawn via a valve in the bottom.
Scope of delivery
The ECM Synchronika is one of the espresso machines that provides a good set of accessories that actually make sense. Sometimes manufacturers go overboard with accessory items that then turn out to be of inferior quality. The ECM Synchronika comes with two beautiful, heavy portafilters that are perfectly balanced and have a look that fits very well with the Synchronika.
Like the toggle levers, they have a trapezoidal tip made of polished stainless steel, which completes a black hard plastic mount. A perfectly fitting, heavy tamper with a finger-wide base is a noble tool that does the ECM every credit.
Also included is a cup riser, which raises the espresso cups and ensures that the shots always hit the cups correctly. The riser is nevertheless designed so that a scale can fit both on and next to it.
Those who want to connect the ECM Synchronika to a fixed water supply will find the connection hose already included in the scope of delivery.
Temperature curves
Once the ECM Synchronika has reached its thermal equilibrium, it is a relatively temperature-constant espresso machine. But it takes time... We waited 35 minutes until the Synchronika with all important components was at a brew temperature of 93 degrees. Although the boiler is up to temperature significantly earlier, the E61 brew group and the portafilter are so heavy that it takes the mentioned time to truly reach temperature.
The following graphic shows a warm-up phase of the ECM Synchronika in orange. After 25 minutes, we made the first shots, one per minute. By the 4th shot, we were then at the target temperature of 92 degrees in this case with the portafilter as well. The next graphic also illustrates this well.
After 35 minutes, we were almost at the target temperature with the gray curve, which in this case was 93 degrees (marked in yellow as a bar with +/- 1 degree at 93 degrees). Here too, a flush shot is necessary to heat the portafilter properly, which even after 35 minutes does not reach temperature on its own (see also Graphic 3.)
The WBC protocol drawn in the first graphic begins after one hour and then simulates various inactivity intervals. The temperature curves make it clear that the ECM Synchronika reaches temperature very quickly during the draw and hits the target temperature after 7 to 8 seconds. Afterward, it runs very constantly. The consistency during the draw is exceptionally good.
However, the machine drifts slightly upward in temperature with a 1-minute cycle and gets warmer and warmer. This is a typical problem of Faema E61 espresso machines and is also the case with the Synchronika. The target temperature is therefore not truly reliable. Home baristas must get to know their machine very well to estimate at what temperature they are currently brewing.
Espresso quality with the ECM Synchronika
The ECM Synchronika has everything a good espresso machine needs. It has high temperature consistency during the draw, is well-built, and relies on a first-class rotary pump. Nevertheless, there remains a certain uncertainty as to what time the machine is actually at what temperature. The ECM Synchronika shares this problem with all Faema E61 espresso machines, and the Synchronika offers no solution for it either.
We drank very good espressos, both those with a stronger structure and complex specialty coffees. With sufficient warm-up time, the Synchronika delivers what it takes. However, with shorter warm-up times or under frequency, there are also outlier espressos.
Energy consumption
The long warm-up time is required to bring the large boilers up to temperature. Of course, this also has consequences for energy consumption.
We measure 0.43 kilowatt-hours after a 25-minute warm-up time as well as the drawing of 5 double shots. This corresponds to our standardized protocol, which we apply to all machines. It should be noted here that we would have had to wait another 10 minutes to measure the machine at full temperature. We will provide this measurement later. The result will likely be somewhat higher then. But even so, this is a high value for dual-boiler espresso machines. Some thermoblocks get by with less than a quarter for the same amount of espresso drawn.
Frothing and milk
Frothing with the ECM Synchronika is easy to handle. With its 2-liter steam boiler, the machine provides good power to get the milk completely in motion. At the same time, the milk is not heated up too quickly, which allows for a pleasant rolling phase. This makes the ECM Synchronika a good hybrid machine for households that value both good espresso and milk-based beverages like cappuccino or flat white.
Conclusion on the ECM Synchronika I
The ECM Synchronika is certainly a wonderful machine. It makes good espressos and froths fine-pored foam for cappuccinos and the like. But the test also leaves me perplexed. Despite all the appreciation for the manufacturer and the local specialist dealer network, the machine seems out of time to me. The Faema E61 brew group recently celebrated its 60th birthday. The guarantee of consistency is also a symbol of inertia and is rarely encountered in combination with real innovation. An expression of this is the long warm-up time and the high power consumption. Anyone looking for volumetric shot control or programmable pre-infusion will look in vain for it with the ECM Synchronika.
Anyone who concludes a poor environmental balance for the machine due to the high energy consumption does not take into account the robustness and longevity of the machine in their calculations. The above-mentioned specialist dealer network has repaired the Synchronika and similar machines for the last 50 years and will do so for the next 50 years. Therefore, an investment in the ECM Synchronika should also be seen as a long-term investment. Anyone who takes care of their Synchronika will likely never buy a second machine in their life.
So for whom is the ECM Synchronika the right machine? Perhaps for you, if you desire consistency and longevity. If you do not want to overwhelm yourself with numerous setting options, but desire a high-quality, very good espresso machine from a German manufacturer that will accompany you for a very, very long time.
Specialist dealers recommended by us
We look for specialist partners for you that we know offer good work and good service. We are in close contact with the dealers. These are affiliate links. If you order via this link, it costs you no more, but we receive a small commission, which we put into new test equipment.
Update: New ECM Synchronika II introduced
At the end of June 2024, ECM introduced the new Synchronika 2 at the World of Coffee in Copenhagen. Compared to the Synchronika 1, there is an update that is revolutionary for the machine type of espresso machines with a Faema E61 brew group and makes the Synchronika II the fastest-heating espresso machine with an E61 brew group. Two heating cartridges with 200 watts of power each are built into the brew group. These are actively heated until the warm-up time is reached, thus significantly accelerating the warm-up time of the espresso machine. We measure a warm-up time of 8 minutes! That is the fastest value we have ever measured for an E61 brew group. The previously fastest modified E61 brew group we measured comes from Sanremo and was used in the You. Here, the warm-up time was 15 minutes. By the way, the steam boiler is not yet at full temperature after 8 minutes. You will have to wait a few minutes longer there.
Temperature curve very good after 8 minutes!
After the warm-up time of 8 minutes, the ECM Synchronika II shows very good temperature performance. We measure a standard deviation over 5 shots of only 0.63° Celsius. In the first shot, we measure a maximum temperature difference of 1.7° Celsius between seconds 5 and 25 of the draw. Over all 5 shots, we arrive at a value of 2.15° Celsius, with the mean temperature value being 92.63° at a set temperature of 93° Celsius.
After a longer idle period of the machine, we also notice an increasing temperature with the ECM Synchronika 2, typical for espresso machines with a Faema E61 brew group.
Power measurement and energy consumption of the Synchronika II
Of course, the fast warm-up time also has a major impact on energy consumption. Especially when we leave the steam boiler off, we measure a consumption of only 0.17 kWh for 5 shots, including warming up. Due to the fast heating, we save electricity on one hand, while on the other hand, the two heating rods naturally consume electricity. Nevertheless, for a dual boiler of this scale, the value is good. If we also switch on the steam boiler, the energy consumption for 5 shots is 0.31 kWh, which is still a good value for a dual boiler. Bravo ECM!
