Profitec DRIVE Espresso Machine

Yna excelente máquina!

This was my first espresso machine purchase. I did a decent amount of research ahead of the purchase and spent a lot of time discussing with the team at Clive to learn even more. I am really enjoying this machine and learning to make great coffee. We went for this model to have the ability to pull back-to-back shots as well as steam multiple drinks in a row. For our household this machine has been working great and we love it. I also really like that this machine has plumb options for drain and water supply. You won't be sad with this machine and how great it looks in the kitchen (not to mention the good coffee!).

Let me start this with the Clive Coffee support team has taken care of me every step of the way so far.

However, I am now having problems with my second Profitec Drive in all of 3 months. The first machine didn’t want to fill the boilers with water on the initial start up. The second had trouble with this task as well, but eventually filled and we were off to the coffee making races.

Clive quickly exchanged machine one with machine two so I would give their customer service 5 stars.

Now machine two is having trouble keeping the brew head hot, which in turn produces cold espresso. After running about 6 shots through the machine in the morning the brew head starts to warm up.

In general, I would also say that this machine is super noisy and it rattles like it’s going to fall apart.

It’s supposed to be German made, but it definitely does not seem to be.

Prior to this machine I was running a Rocket Cinquantotto which has to be repaired after 4 years of running 24/7. That repair ended up costing me $250. I plugged this machine in to see if the brew head behaved the same because it runs the same one as the Drive, and no it was hot to the touch in about 10 minutes and has stayed there continuously since.

I would probably go with a different machine if you are thinking about the Profitec Drive.

please do not buy any machine from this vendor. their return policy and shipment are horrible. They will sell you the product and you're on your own. DO NOT BUY ANY PRODUCT FROM CLIVE

This review is for the Profitec Drive, not the Pro 700. I am pretty disappointed with Clive for aggregating the reviews. I know the Drive is the 700's spiritual successor, but Clive is doing a disservice to their customers by combining the two machines' reviews. I'll try to be fairly comprehensive since there's not a ton of reviews out there for this machine given how new it is. The Profitec Drive is a phenomenal machine. The first thing you notice is the absolutely impeccable build quality. I'm coming from a Profitec Pro 300 so I was expecting high quality, but even I was blown away by just how well made this machine is. There's not much to say about the E61 group. It's tried and true and looks classic. The obvious downside is long heat up times to achieve temp stability in the grouphead. I don't use the fast heating feature because I'm worried about increased wear and tear and potentially worse scaling from the increased heat. The E61 heat up time is a non issue for me because it's easy to set auto on times for every day of the week. In fact, you can set 2 auto on and off times for each day of the week. The big new features that the Drive brings are the included flow control and the improved PID display. The flow control device is the same that Profitec sells for installation on other E61 machines. It uses the "ball" style knob that has just under 2 full rotations of movement (though 1/14 is the "standard" flow rate, anything past that isn't really useful). I think I would prefer the paddle style of other FCDs, but I don't have any major complaints about this knob. Once you get familiar with the various positions for your profiles it is easy to use. I drink almost exclusively light roast coffees, and the ability to slow down the flow has allowed me to transition from drinking mostly milk drinks to also having straight espresso in the afternoon. There is also a built in pre infusion function. You can set a time for both "active" pre infusion which kicks on the pump for however long you set it to and "passive" pre infusion where the pump is off and there's either no flow into the puck (if using a reservoir) or line pressure (if plumbed in). The improved display is a major step up from the old seven segment display style PIDs. No more guessing what setting you're changing. My only complaint with the display and interface is that there's only two buttons so you still have to deal with the setting page timing out if you're too slow. Otherwise, the display is easy to read and the symbols used to describe the various features are clear. There's a couple of shortcuts, as well. Hold the down arrow for a few seconds to put the machine into eco mode manually (essentially turns the machine off but the main power button is still on so you can use the auto on timer), hold the up arrow to turn pre infusion on/off, and just press the up arrow to turn the steam boiler on/off. I'm a big fan of the joystick style steam and hot water controls. Steam pressure is fantastic. With the default steam boiler temp the machine sits at about 1.7 bars of steam pressure and can easily steam multiple drinks back to back without an issue. The steam temperature can be easily adjust if you want a bit more pressure, but I don't think it's needed. So to sum up, if you are in the market for a dual boiler, rotary pump machine with flow control and pre infusion, you absolutely can't go wrong with the Drive.

This machine is very easy to use and the material, fit and finish are top of the line. very satisfied with this machine.

We love it! Takes a little while to figure out. We recommend watching the Clive videos, very informative. We also recommend getting the other basket and tools Clive recommends!

This is my second Profitec 700 espresso machine and I LOVE it. I had to get the second one to put at our lake house! It looks beautiful on the kitchen counter, people always comment about it and I always offer to turn it on to pull them a shot of espresso, latte or Americano! Clive Coffee has amazing videos to help with anything you need and their service is amazing! You will not be disappointed in performance or quality of this machine!

Both my husband and I are in love with this machine. It's easy to use, drinks are wonderful and delicious. We are trying to make all espresso drinks to find new favorites. Would highly recommend this to even a newbie which is what we are..... :)

I’ve had my Profitec Pro 700 for several weeks now. I have used several other machines for years and decided I wanted a machine that could give professional results. I’ve pulled shots one after another while making lattes for guests and I don’t have to wait between shots to let the machine warm up or develop pressure for steaming. As important as the machine is, the help from Clive support has been invaluable. Don’t go to Google for tips, just go to Clive and watch their blogs, videos, or send an email. They respond and give very consistent feedback.

Before discussing the Profitec Pro 700, I must first express my highest praise for the exceptional customer service and technical expertise of the Clive Team. Clive Coffee is simply the best place to buy an espresso machine, a grinder, or anything else related to coffee. They are the best! Now to the Profitec Pro 700. I really, really like this machine. At its price point, it is a great value with top-notch features - dual boiler, PID controls, rotary pump, internal water reservoir and being plumbable. I did NOT buy it for its impressive looks, but if that is important to you, it is tops! It would be nice to have joystick steam/hot-water valves, but that is why an ECM Synchronica costs a few bucks more than its Profitec Pro 700 sibling. While I have the highest regard for German engineering and design, there are a few nitnoids that I find distracting from this otherwise superb machine. The first one is purely visual. When you look at the machine closely, you will note that the base of the hot-water valve is tilted ever so slightly to the left. I first noticed this on a Profitec Pro 600, and thought that it was just a minor oversight during assembly of that particular machine. Needless to say, I was surprised to see that very same flaw in my Pro 700 when it arrived. In examining the machine, I now understand why. The valve has an alignment pin on the back, which fits into a hole in the steel frame underlying the stainless steel front panel. It appears that the alignment hole is ever so slightly mis-aligned so the valve body does not sit vertical. I saw this same issue on another Pro 700, so I suspect this in not an isolated oversight during assembly. Secondly, the side rails on the cup warming plate atop the machine are attached to the plate with cap screws with rather tall heads. The head of the cap screw on the right rear post of the cup rail conflicts with the right rear corner of the plastic water reservoir below it. This causes the warming plate to sit with one corner slightly higher than the other three. While this might not seem like a huge problem, the darn thing rattles when the pump runs. Similarly, the cup rail attaches to the posts with a screw through loosey-goosey holes in the rail that results in the cup rail singing a rattling harmony with the warming plate when the pump runs. Granted - these are nitnoids that do not affect the taste of the espresso. But, at this price point, you have a right to expect better of German engineering. Lastly, the expansion valve has a nasty habit of emitting a metallic screech as the extraction pressure rises. Clive Tech (specifically Ryan) has been most helpful in addressing this issue, but to remedy it I now need to disassemble the expansion valve and apply some lubricant in a machine that is less than 2 months old. So, would I buy this machine again? Absolutely! It is a great machine - that could be an even better if Profitec just paid attention to a few more details.

Absolutely amazing machine. Very sleek, very consistent pulls, great steam power, the right amount of customization/settings control, etc. Build quality is exceptional as well. Would strongly recommend this machine to anyone looking for a high quality dual boiler machine that's simple, consistent, and sleek. 10/10

After much shopping, reading reviews and doing machine comparisons, we went with Profitec Pro 700 Duel boiler Expresso machine. This is an easy to use, durable machine that provides quick and delicious expresso shots. Easily keeps up with any demand we've encountered and looks great doing it. We wasted a lot of time purchasing and returning the Beville Oracle machine, which was a disappointment in both performance and customer service. This machine is exactly what you're looking for in high end equipment

A few hiccups in the shipping process got sorted quick by Clive’s staff. Great machine is up and ready and some great coffee selection was sent as well.

We researched every major machine on the market before buying. Of course the Germans know how to engineer and the Italians how to design. One look at the outside of the machine sells the beauty, a glance at the inside sells the technical. It’s not an espresso machine but a piece of art that happens to produce near perfect espresso (IF you also get an equal grinder and learn how to use it - I’m working on that. The new Lucca with recordable grind settings for each coffee will go a long ways towards that cause.) We were lucky enough that Clive is one of two retailers in the US, and happens to be local for us! Clive staff was so completely honest and helpful, it was a pleasure to buy, we can’t recommend them enough! Their customer service and continual support is much appreciated.

I had owned a Profitec 500 for the last year, which ended up being a real pleasure to use. It makes great espressos and cappuccinos. Thinking that I might improve on that, I wondered if the 700 could make an even better drink. Clive helped me with the decision and offered a very fair trade-in for my 500. The 700 is a very similar machine in appearance and user interface. Significantly it has dedicated shot and steam boilers and a rotary pump. Those items do result in reaching a higher level of performance. It makes excellent and consistent espresso shots, and has wonderful steaming power. The 700 is a higher priced machine, but I can say from my experience that it has bee well worth it. I love this machine!

I purchased the Profitec Pro 700 with the walnut trim in Dec. 2022. I've been using it for a little over 2 months now and this machine is excellent. Easy to set up. It's a heavy machine (approx. 77 lbs.) and the build quality feel rock solid. The dual boiler system works great but you do have to wait about 10 mins for the steam boiler to get up to operating temp while the espresso boiler is ready much faster. The steam wands have excellent power. No issues creating frothy cappuccinos or lattes. I use the water tank. It's very big and I feel that I get about 8 (10 oz.) lattes out it before needing to refill. Easy to customize and adjust boiling/steam temps. Beautiful looking machine. With this machine, the only reason you'll go to a coffee shop anymore is if you run out of beans. Highly recommended!

I made a big upgrade from my Breville Barista Express. Absolutely loving the machine. It’s very well built and feels fantastic. Clive’s customer service is a pleasure to deal with as well. Very happy with my purchase!

Every morning, I am confident I have in my hands the best double espresso in town.

Unbelievable. We rarely drink coffee from shops anymore. We love this thing.

It is a great machine, very close to being a perfect machine except for a few nit-picks I have. Mostly, they are around the machines dimensions. I wish that the front controls / brew group area was just ever so slightly more spacious. The brew group, lever, and the knobs are all rather close to one another, which at times make it feel bit tight and cluttered, and I've definitely gotten minor burns from being a bit too close (and I would say my hands are around average size). You can basically get around this by rotating the two wands away in their respective directions to get more space, but then they become a bit more awkward to work with. On top of that, the other size complaint I would have is that the drip tray seems to fill up rather quickly, and I do not have it in a place where I could realistically run the drain port. This means I have to empty the drip tray around every three days, which just feels like more often than I had expected to need to. Other than that, the machine is pretty much perfect. The build quality is exceptional, the finish is very handsome and fits perfectly in my space, steam wand is incredibly powerful which makes steaming a breeze, and the espresso I pull with the machine is always tasty. The machine always hits 9 bar on the nose, and I didn't need to do any special setup or calibration, it was plug-and-play.

Ok so I’ve had my machine now for about 2 months. I’m very happy with it. Clive Costomer service was tip top with answering my questions about machine performance and water quality! The highlights of the machine: I upgraded from a breville so you can guess that steam performance is a massive upgrade. I love steaming milk on this machine. Plenty of power along with quick recovery times! Did approximately 30 lattes back to back and this machine didn’t even sputter! However I think of you would have 2 people running in say one steaming and one pulling shots you may have to give it a bit of a break now then. Consistency on pulling shots. Temperature runs quite stable to help with really dialing things in. General aesthetics I love the attention to detail. Quick heat up times. I have mine on a smart switch works great. Great job profitec would recommend the 700 and Clive to anyone. This machine is a great pleasure to use.

I loved this machine at first but then the problems started. First it started leaking everywhere and delivering black specks through the hot water and group head. I sent it to Clive at reasonable difficulty (From Florida across the country) and they "fixed" it though the leaking didn't stop and the particles remained. I gave up and changed the seal myself which took care of the leaking at least. Then it suddenly started tripping my 30w breaker and would not work at all. Clive hasn't been taking repairs forever now apparently due to COVID which feels confusing to be honest. In any case, they suggested a place in Florida (Jaguar Coffee) which has been really a nightmare. After calling endlessly over about four months and being continually promised a quote to fix the machine I FINALLY got a 3k+ quote. Seriously? Now Clive stopped answering my emails and Jaguar wants more than a new machine is worth. So, if you are going to buy this machine you should be careful to buy it from someone that is willing to service it (NOT CLIVE) OR at least have access to an honest, capable repair facility. I expect everyone will have some problem at some point. Currently I have to throw away a 3k machine and look for an alternative. Perhaps worth you considering before you go down the same road. . . .

I chose the Profitec 700 based on what the reviewers said about it’s ability to produce micro foam, as I mostly drink cafe lattes. I’ve been super pleased so far. The results are indistinguishable from my favorite espresso bar in San Francisco. Seriously, the micro foam is as good! I’m still struggling a bit with the espresso portion as I’m getting used to the lever style, but this machine _wants_ to produce excellent shots. And it usually does, despite my learning curve. As espresso machines go, this one is really solid and well designed, which was also the impression of the espresso tech who installed it for me. Although aesthetics weren’t high in my calculations, I’ll say that the reviewers are also right that this is a gorgeous looking machine with beautiful finishing details and an air of solid craftsmanship. It makes me happy every time I walk in the kitchen.

the first machine arrived with a dent in the front and a bent back panel. the packaging was not damaged so I wonder if it was mailed out in this condition. I had to go through some trouble getting it repackaged and mailed back for replacement and refund. I had to call to ask again for refund. eventually the new machine arrived and Clive replaced the tamper with an inexpensive rattelware brand- this was not what the original machine package contained. the instructions were rather simplistic but not entirely easy to follow so it was challenging to get started. eventually, the machine was easy to use for making espresso and latte and easy to maintain. then, about 7 months in, it developed a leak- I had to take it apart and identify the leak (with help from an engineer friend) and turned out one of the fittings needed to be tightened (design problem or just poor quality?) and now I am back to making my lattes. would I buy it again at this price? probably not but I have it now so I'll keep using it.