Profitec Pro 800

The Pro 800 is Profitec's lever machine, with a 3.5-litre copper boiler and a massive lever brew group; pre-infusion comes from the group's own mass, before the lever drives water to rising pressure on the coffee. The steam and hot water valve handles, the lever handle and the portafilter are handcrafted American walnut.

A large gauge tracks boiler pressure; the PID that regulates temperature sits hidden behind the drip tray. Water supply switches between a removable 2.8-litre tank and a fixed mains connection, with drainage that can be plumbed in: the vibration pump only runs when the tank is used, staying off on a fixed connection where water already arrives under mains pressure. Delivery includes a single-spout portafilter, a double-spout one, a bottomless one, three baskets (7, 14 and 21 g), a tamper, a brush and a drainage container.

Without the portafilter the body is compact, but with the portafilter fitted and the lever raised, depth grows by several centimetres, and height by even more: leave room above and in front of the machine. It is a lever for anyone who wants to step back during extraction, leaving the work to the group's weight and mechanics.