Profitec Pro 700

[saroadie]

So, after a lot of research, including reading every review and post I could find and watching every uploaded video, today I joined the Profitek Pro 700 club. Thanks to JetBlack Espresso for putting me on to supplier closer to home, they were fantastic.

I am loving this machine already...

Hi coolie21, congrats on the purchase. I for one would be very interested to hear a report back in a few weeks compared to your previous machine (one of which I have) from a user perspective. The '700 is on my short list when my current machine has had it. Enjoy the new toy!

[coolie21]

Joined the club

So, after a lot of research, including reading every review and post I could find and watching every uploaded video, today I joined the Profitek Pro 700 club. Thanks to JetBlack Espresso for putting me on to supplier closer to home, they were fantastic.

I am loving this machine already...

[JetBlack_Espresso]

Hi Butters,

check your email - I've just sent it to you,

charlie

[JohnA]

I just read my old post on this thread about the ugly R58 PID. .....well, late last year I ended up choosing an R58. The PID is ugly but it's easy to hide away at the side. I love the look of the R58 unit without the integrated PID. Absolutely beautiful.

i unplug mine and only plug it back in when i change beans or want to adjust something.
I still think its ugly and if the drip tray on the izzo was lower, i would have gotten the izzo for sure.
MInd you i am now thinking of selling the r58 and getting a vesuvius. Wife will most likely kill me though

[Butters]

Thanks herzog - you're awesome!

[kbc]

I just read my old post on this thread about the ugly R58 PID. .....well, late last year I ended up choosing an R58. The PID is ugly but it's easy to hide away at the side. I love the look of the R58 unit without the integrated PID. Absolutely beautiful.

[herzog]

The manual for the ECM Controvento is available online as a PDF. Grab a copy as an interim reference as it's basically word for word identical to the Pro700 hard copy manual.

The two machines are mechanically the same.

[Butters]

Thanks so much! We thought as much but we didn't want to kill it before we'd even begun enjoying it.

[tucrazy]

Hi Butters

Welcome and congrats on a wonderful machine.

There isn't any special requirements or steps as the machine is likely to be benched and all ready to go. Just feed it with appropriate filtered/treated water, turn it on and wait for at least 15 mins (ideally 30 mins) so that the machine is up to temperature. Next steps would be to dial in your coffee, brew your shots and enjoy! After that, you may want to play with the PID to adjust with your coffee and steaming preferences, if required.


Cheers

[Butters]

I've just picked up a Pro 700 from the lovely folks at Jetblack Espresso and got it home to find out that there are no manufacturer instructions in the box. We've shot a note off to Charlie and Deb to see if they can get the instructions out to us but I'm itching to fire up the machine and want to know if there's anything special that we need to do as part of the first start process.

I believe that it's been primed already.

Any feedback and help would be awesome!

[Dimal]

Thanks Mal, for your comment. I bought a bench top water softening filter from JetBlack when I got the Profitec 700, and I am hoping that it will be sufficient.
I looked up the Sydney Water quality analysis for water supplied to our area and according to the info my tap water has Total Hardness of 48-62, Calcium Hardness of 30-39, Magnesium Hardness of 18-25, Alkalinity 29-39 (units: mg CaCO3 /L), and pH of 7.8-8.0. These parameters, in addition to the softening filter, hopefully is sufficient for my machine's boilers. I have a barista course booked in at the end of the month at JetBlack so I will ask them if I need to do any descaling on my own at home.

All sounds good mate...

It's always best to talk to the specialist vendor from whom you purchased the equipment. In the case of JetBlack Espresso, they are a very professional and experienced outfit and won't steer you the wrong way...

Mal.

[snak]

Hi Snak - the reason I asked about the benchtop, is that you mentioned your husband was not comfortable in having a hole made to allow the machine to be plumbed in.

As it is a stone based material, what I would suggest, is that when the stonemason makes the hole, keep the cicular cutout section. In future this "plug" can be grouted back in place to fill the hole and restore the benchtop to more-or-less its original state.


As for the descaling - no I'm not planning to do this myself. My plan is to get an inline filtration system installed. Also worth noting, due to the use of stainless steel, this machine is less susceptible to scale (to an extent).

Even if you don't drink tea or long blacks, another good idea is to use the hot water tap regularly. This keeps a regular supply of fresh water entering the steam boiler. Otherwise what happens if the steam boiler is only ever used for steam, is that water becomes more and more concentrated with mineral content.

The steam is gassed off, leaving the minerals behind in the water. By using the hot water tap, you remove some of this high mineral water and it is replaced by fresh water.

herzog, that is a great tip to keep the cutout section to be used in the future to plug the hole if/when necessary. That's another ammunition I can use to try and persuade the reluctant husband, and he was well impressed by the machine's performance and the resultant coffee we made over the weekend. From how things are going I may not need to work too hard to convince him.

I am thinking I probably won't do any descaling by myself either, but I wonder if occasionally feeding the steam boiler with really soft water like Pureau or other RO treated bottled water may be a good idea? I have read a lot about how RO water could corrode the metal inside the boiler, or how the RO water can stop water level sensor from working. But I am just wondering if occasional addition of RO water in the water reservoir after I empty as much steam boiler water out via hot water tap may be beneficial to feed it really soft water? It won't be pure enough RO water, due to residual normal water in the water tank, to have problems with water level sensor, and may help with reducing the build up of minerals in the steam boiler. Just something I thought about to do occasionally (like once a month or so?) if I remember it. Do you think it will make any difference or would it be just an extra step that would make no positive effect?

All of this is just in my head, I haven't done anything to my machine other than to feed it filtered/softened water and freshly roasted and ground coffee beans. I just did my first cafetto backflush last night, after a week of daily water only backflush. I am enjoying my machine more and more!

[snak]

By far the best approach to maintaining the boilers in excellent condition and to reduce the frequency and necessity of descaling, is to use appropriately filtered water. If you don't currently used filtered water, I would strongly advise discussing the best options available with the retailer from whom you purchased the equipment.

No need for prophylactics...

Mal.

Thanks Mal, for your comment. I bought a bench top water softening filter from JetBlack when I got the Profitec 700, and I am hoping that it will be sufficient.
I looked up the Sydney Water quality analysis for water supplied to our area and according to the info my tap water has Total Hardness of 48-62, Calcium Hardness of 30-39, Magnesium Hardness of 18-25, Alkalinity 29-39 (units: mg CaCO3 /L), and pH of 7.8-8.0. These parameters, in addition to the softening filter, hopefully is sufficient for my machine's boilers. I have a barista course booked in at the end of the month at JetBlack so I will ask them if I need to do any descaling on my own at home.

[herzog]

Our bench top material is Caesarstone (composite/engineered stone).

We had 14 people over for lunch today and our Profitec 700 performed wonderfully, serving up cups after cups while dessert was being cut and plated.

Herzog, how is yours going now a few months after your purchase? Have you carried out, or would you consider carrying out, the "Prophylactic descaling"

Hi Snak - the reason I asked about the benchtop, is that you mentioned your husband was not comfortable in having a hole made to allow the machine to be plumbed in.

As it is a stone based material, what I would suggest, is that when the stonemason makes the hole, keep the cicular cutout section. In future this "plug" can be grouted back in place to fill the hole and restore the benchtop to more-or-less its original state.


As for the descaling - no I'm not planning to do this myself. My plan is to get an inline filtration system installed. Also worth noting, due to the use of stainless steel, this machine is less susceptible to scale (to an extent).

Even if you don't drink tea or long blacks, another good idea is to use the hot water tap regularly. This keeps a regular supply of fresh water entering the steam boiler. Otherwise what happens if the steam boiler is only ever used for steam, is that water becomes more and more concentrated with mineral content.

The steam is gassed off, leaving the minerals behind in the water. By using the hot water tap, you remove some of this high mineral water and it is replaced by fresh water.

[Dimal]

By far the best approach to maintaining the boilers in excellent condition and to reduce the frequency and necessity of descaling, is to use appropriately filtered water. If you don't currently used filtered water, I would strongly advise discussing the best options available with the retailer from whom you purchased the equipment.

No need for prophylactics...

Mal.