ECM Synchronika

“[ECM Synchronika + Flow Control Battle Station](https://imgur.com/gallery/ecm-synchronika-flow-control-battle-station-hCczW5T) Just got the Synch 1 on sale with added flow control. First “real” espresso machine, but ive had a couple cheap yard sale finds in the past, and most recently a nespresso pod machine. Also a few years experience in V60 pour over. I’m loving the new machine, but its become very apparent almost too quickly how important the grinder is! Currently using the Breville Smart Grinder Pro that ive had for a few years, though i prefer my hand grinder for pour over, and have mostly used the BSGP as a bulk grinder for cold brew and now exclusively for espresso. The reason i want a new grinder: flat burrs and stepless grind settings. Ive come to understand that flat burrs are better for the “body” of the espresso, which is something nice to have, but my #1 reason is definitely the stepless grind size. On the BSGP each numbered setting or “notch” has ~4 seconds difference in the brew timing if all other variables are kept the same. I can dial in a shot to “pretty close” to the flavor im looking for, but 4 seconds is a big window relative to how precise I want to be. Drinking a French Roast/Italian Blend from a local roaster (Brewing Market, Colorado) with a recipe of 195°/1:2 ratio/~30 seconds also using flow control at a full 10g/s (standard flow rate) for ~5 seconds until first drip then immediately ramping down as pressure on the puck builds. I’m still playing with this part of the recipe, and it also effects the total brew time, but i generally keep the flow at a low rate that maintains 3-6 bars of pressure. I have another bean (medium/light roast - Boxcar/Stella) that ive dialed in fairly well… happy to share the recipe if anyone is interested but i may just be posting to the abyss and just enjoying the chance to talk about the new machine 😅 I’ve also started looking for locals that would share their espresso recipes for their local beans, but it seems home espresso is fairly niche and i may be more interested in the finer details than others ¯\ _(ツ)_ /¯”