More Bang for your Buck
So as I mentioned the Profitec Pro 300 is prosumer level, dual-boiler with PID. And you can have all that at, well a kind of amazing price. It actually costs less than a number of well respected heat-exchange machines.
So we’re huge fans of this machine’s big brother: the dual-boiler Pro 700 with PID. It’s one of our favorites based on exceptional engineering, components and build quality.
And the Pro 300, while it scales back in a few areas like boiler size, it retains the fine engineering and quality components of it’s big brother just not it’s price.
So first thing we want to talk about is overall wattage rating. The Pro 300 has been available in europe for a little while. Machines across the pond and a few initially brought to north america were rated at 2400 watts using 1200 watt heating elements in each boiler.
Here at Whole Latte Love we worked with Profitec to create a version of the Pro 300 compatible with 15 amp power circuits found in many US homes and kitchens. So all our Pro 300’s have power ratings of 1600 watts using 800 watt heating elements in each boiler.
So that’s a lot of numbers. But the basic bottom line; no power issues with our 1600 watt version of the Pro 300 as might might be the case with 2400 watt machines.
The Science
Now If you not familiar with PID, it’s an acronym for proportional integral derivative. It’s a “science-y" way of maintaining extremely accurate and user programmable brew temperatures.
If you’ve used a heat-exchange machine you know there’s a lot of guesswork in determining brew temperatures. Before pulling shots on those you flush out overheated water and by timing the flush and other factors you can adjust brew temperature to some extent.
With PID just set the temperature you want and that’s what you’ll get. So experimenting with different temperatures and how they affect flavor profiles with a given coffee is easy and consistent.
We were very impressed with temperature consistency and the quick heat-up times of the Pro 300. In testing, Scace measured temps at the portafilter where consistently well within one degree fahrenheit of the PID set temperature. That’s more accurate than most machines we test.
And the Pro 300 heats up quickly, It’s up to temperature and ready to go within about ten minutes. Quick heat-up time and extra stable temps are due in large part to an 11 ounce stainless steel brew boiler mounted directly to a ring brew group made of heavy chrome plated brass.
The 25 ounce steam boiler is made of stainless steel as well with temps controlled by a Ma-ter pressurestat. Both boilers are wrapped with a high quality insulating jacket.
Other internal components include top of the line Gicar PID and controls, copper and braided stainless for all high-pressure lines and a vibration pump specially mounted to reduce noise. During heat-up no steam is vented inside the machine so everything inside stays nice and dry.
Some users prefer vibration pumps to rotary pumps as they ramp-up to brewing pressure more gradually than rotaries. Now we love the smooth sound of a rotary, but the vibration pump in the 300 is very quiet.
A large 3 liter water reservoir is at the back of the machine with an unobstructed cup warming surface occupying the majority of the top surface.
Operation
Controls are simple. There are 2 switches below the PID display. One for main power and the other allows you to turn on and off the steam boiler. Brew temperature is set with the PID. During brewing it switches to a shot timer and when not brewing it displays the boilers current temperature.
On the right a gauge shows the pressure in the steam boiler. Top front is the brew switch with knobs for steam on the left, and heated water on the right. A green light indicates the machine is on while an amber light indicates the steam boiler is on.
Steam is delivered through a two-hole steam tip mounted to a no-burn wand on a fully rotating ball-joint. In our testing we think some users might prefer a single hole steam-tip over the stock two-hole.
It’s a personal preference, but going to a single hole can up the steam power and longevity. Now the machine has decent steaming power, but it is drawing from a steam boiler that’s smaller than typical for a dual-boiler machine.
At just 10 inches wide, A hair over 15” high and under 16 and a half inches deep the Pro 300 is very easy on counter space. It’s among the smallest dual-boiler machines available. The exterior case is all mirror finish stainless steel.
It doesn’t have quite the same level of external detail as the more expensive Profitec machines. And, it doesn’t have the heavy duty sprung valves of other Profitec machines or a rotary pump. But there’s no reason to think it can’t make espresso that’s every bit as good as the others.
Even missing those valves it still has finish details you don’t find in other machines. A good example are the internal welds of the drip tray. Attention to detail in spots like are a good indication of craftsmanship throughout a machine.
Conclusion
In our opinion the Profitec Pro 300 is a good choice for those looking for an upgrade from single boiler dual use machines or those using a heat-exchange currently but are looking for better brew temperature control.
Now, it does have a smaller steam boiler than many dual boiler machines. So if you’re looking to do more than a few milk-based drinks back to back - you may have to do some waiting. But for most home users this should not be an issue.
On the plus side, it’s one of the most affordable dual-boiler PID machines and we’re sold on the quality of Profitec’s machines, and like their others, this one has it where it counts with thoughtful engineering and quality components.
Right, lots of love for extra stable brew temps and extra quick heat-up. And if space is a concern this one does’t need much. Heck, it’s smaller than most heat-exchange machines. That’s the Profitec Pro 300. It’s available now at Whole Latte Love.
Thanks for reading and we hope to see you back here soon for more on everything coffee.