# Profitech 700 - what a machine



## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

L"I have just upgraded from a Fracino Cherub which has given me a great deal of pleasure and some good coffee. The Profitech is in another league however. Great machine with very consistent brew temperature and very good espresso.Dosing 18grams but I realise my tamping is inconsistent as brew times can be anything between 25 to 35 Seconds and the pucks again vary in consistency.to be fair I am not too concerned as long as the coffee is good. I would be very interested to make contact with other Profitech users or for any advice regarding tamping . I do use an Espoo tamper - it seems my arm is the problem ! Cheers Telj


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## ahirsty (Jan 9, 2014)

Seems strange your shots are so inconsistent, my Espro tamper works pretty well. What grinder do you use?


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

It's in his sig, Quamar e80


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

I use exactly the same tamping technique fro my Profitec as I did for my previous machine (which was also E61 based), just tamp level and with consistent pressure. Your problem is more likely to be dosing inconsistencies to be honest.

Agreed it is a great machine though.


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## JoeFromWales (Jan 24, 2015)

i was looking at the 300 but can't find it in stock anywhere - the 700 looks lovely but is just too expensive for me. I like the idea that the PID shows a timer when you make the espresso, is that unique to profitec as it seems a really handy feature.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

simonp said:


> Your problem is more likely to be dosing inconsistencies to be honest.


x2


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

Thanks it helpful to have a response from some one with the same machine . I do weight every dose at the moment and clearly it something I have to crack . With my previous machine a francino cherub the puck was a cake like as it should be and I always used that as an indication that my grind and dose was ok.


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

The timer on pid is more useful than I thought and at the moment I think unique but other will follow now


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Telj said:


> Thanks it helpful to have a response from some one with the same machine . I do weight every dose at the moment and clearly it something I have to crack . With my previous machine a francino cherub the puck was a cake like as it should be and I always used that as an indication that my grind and dose was ok.


It's likely to be something to do with how well the grinds are distributed in the basket which can be relational to the grind quality - are you getting clumps?

The dose could either be too high or too low in the basket in relation to your shower screen (the gap from each manufacturer/model varies), try a 17.5g or a 18.5g and see if that improves things.

It could be the case that the dose is too high and the water from the group is scarring the surface of the puck allowing water to exploit the indents and run faster.

Keep things as consistent as possible with your tamp, grind, and basket distribution (look up WDT and try giving the portafilter a single tap on the counter.).

Experiment with the dose and if you find that your extractions are consistent in the weight given over time but your shot times are too fast for an approximate 18g dose (35 seconds) then either tighten the grind and dose up a little bit more (18.5g) or slacken the grind and lower the dose a little bit (17.5g).

Hope this helps!


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

Thank this is helpful. I have improved today by going back to basics by grinding finer and slightly firmer tamps.

your comments are helpful because there is a tendency for the puck to have a central indentation almost like a scar so dosage and distribution are important


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Telj said:


> Thank this is helpful. I have improved today by going back to basics by grinding finer and slightly firmer tamps.
> 
> your comments are helpful because there is a tendency for the puck to have a central indentation almost like a scar so dosage and distribution are important


An indentation is absolutely fine - that is the nut which holds the shower screen in place on the group,

when the puck is fully saturated it will naturally expand as the particles that constitute it will have water between them.

If there is no room for sufficient expansion the water from the group will force its way through by brute force or 'choke' the machine if the grind is too fine and heavily tamped.

However it tends to be the case that a lighter tamp is preferred with a fine grind setting, and a longer pre-infusion time if your machine allows - You can achieve that on your Profitec by lifting the lever halfway but bear in mind its another variable to play with... It's useful though because if the puck is fully saturated before full pump pressure is applied then it allows for more uniform and consistent extraction.

All part of the 'fun' as they say!


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## ahirsty (Jan 9, 2014)

Does the Profitec 700 have a boiler drain feature like the Verona?


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

ahirsty said:


> Does the Profitec 700 have a boiler drain feature like the Verona?


I think its only the QM Verona with this feature


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

No it does not have a drainage function something I considered before getting the Profitech


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## ahirsty (Jan 9, 2014)

What made you choose the Profitec over the other DB machines? I'm trying to decide what to get.


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

I considered rocket R58,QM Verona and Profitech 700. My favourite was the rocket however as I like espresso and milk drinks wanted to turn off steam boiler easily from time to time - hand held pid bit of a *** .the Verona had many attractions especially drainage function ,brass brew boiler and updated pid the benefits I did not totally understand

I latterly considered the Profitec - the stainless steel boilers were interesting but became increasingly impressed with quality of build - it is very heavy 34 kilos . The timer on the pid has proved more useful than I though

After much research on the web and 2 visits to Bella barister were I tried all the machines decided much to my surprise on the Profitech . In fairness all 3 machines produced very good shots so I quess at this level it comes down to detail and personel choice. I would say this but I believe I made the right choice but time will tell

cheers and good luck


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Telj said:


> became increasingly impressed with quality of build


Yep, hat was a major influence on my choice too. Mind you the Verona was out of stock for an indeterminate time or that might have run it close. I was not that impressed by the Izzo quality in comparison to the Profitec. Agree that the shot timer on the PID is much more useful than you would give it credit for. It is common on a lot of commercial machines anyway I believe.

One thing to add regarding dosing is that I find the E61 likes to have a bit of room between the puck and showerscreen. If you have too little gap it seems to give inconsistent shots. I find if you leave enough room so you can pop a 5p on the puck and not get an indentation (in the dry, pre-shot puck) in the puck after locking the portafilter.


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

simonp said:


> Yep, hat was a major influence on my choice too. Mind you the Verona was out of stock for an indeterminate time or that might have run it close. I was not that impressed by the Izzo quality in comparison to the Profitec. Agree that the shot timer on the PID is much more useful than you would give it credit for. It is common on a lot of commercial machines anyway I believe.
> 
> One thing to add regarding dosing is that I find the E61 likes to have a bit of room between the puck and showerscreen. If you have too little gap it seems to give inconsistent shots. I find if you leave enough room so you can pop a 5p on the puck and not get an indentation (in the dry, pre-shot puck) in the puck after locking the portafilter.


thanks

i tried the 5 pence trick to find it it was embedded to the level of the coffee - will reduce the dose to see what impact


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

From my experience that much in the basket will give you problems. The E61 group seems to like the puck expanding during the built in pre-infusion. If you pack too much in then this doesn't happen and you tend to get more tendency towards channeling.


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

simonp said:


> From my experience that much in the basket will give you problems. The E61 group seems to like the puck expanding during the built in pre-infusion. If you pack too much in then this doesn't happen and you tend to get more tendency towards channeling.


Thanks now reduced dose from 18 grams to 16.5

seems to be working

As a matter of interest the manual suggests 23 to 25 seconds shot time which seems a little short

Do you have a view

cheers


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## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

I tend to shoot for late twenties but anything from 23 to 35 is generally considered in the right ballpark.

I presume you are using the stock basket? If so then 18g is probably too much fit it for sure looking at it. I have never used it as I already had the VST baskets but it looks smaller than my 18g VST.


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## Telj (Jan 29, 2015)

simonp said:


> I tend to shoot for late twenties but anything from 23 to 35 is generally considered in the right ballpark.
> 
> I presume you are using the stock basket? If so then 18g is probably too much fit it for sure looking at it. I have never used it as I already had the VST baskets but it looks smaller than my 18g VST.


Yes I am using stock basket and having checked it is smaller than the basket of my previous machine .

Thanks a bit more experimenting


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