Are you searching for a powerful espresso machine that you can use to make barista-quality drinks at home or in the office? In that case, we’d like to introduce you to two espresso machines today: the Lelit Bianca and Profitec Pro 700.
Aside from obvious visual differences, it can be difficult to tell which of these machines is a better fit for your needs, though. We can assure you that they’re both excellent models, but that’s not enough.
In this Lelit Bianca vs Profitec Pro 700 comparison, we’ll take it a step further by comparing and contrasting both machines. Here is what you can expect to learn:
- Features that both the Bianca and Pro 700 have.
- Features that are unique to one machine or the other.
- Pricing information.
- What factors to consider before choosing one.
Let’s jump right into it.
Quick Summary
The Lelit Bianca is an undeniably beautiful and unique machine, thanks to its genuine walnut handles. Aside from being a sight for sore eyes, though, it’s also a powerful, energetic model that will have you whipping up drinks speedily in no time. Its innovative flow profiling system makes it a perfect match for home baristas who want complete control over the development of each shot.
Get the Lowest Price Here >>
Profitec Pro 700
In the Profitec Pro 700, you’ll find many of the same features that the Lelit Bianca has, such as a strong dual boiler design and gorgeous stainless steel casing. Beyond superficial similarities, the Pro 700 does offer an increased steam boiler and water tank size, which is why we recommend it for homes and offices that want to be able to make more milk-based drinks in a row.
Similarities
Semiautomatic Machines
The most important similarity between the Bianca and Pro 700 is that they’re both semiautomatic machines. This will have the biggest impact on your day-to-day use of them.
A semiautomatic machine is one in which users must time the duration of the brew cycle themselves. In other words, you will start the flow of water when you put your portafilter in, then end it when you have brewed enough espresso.
These machines can be a bit more complex to learn than automatic ones, which end the brew cycle for you. The payoff is that, since you have total control over brewing, you can pull shots for as short or long as you wish.
Read Also: Best Semi Automatic Espresso Machines
Dual Boiler Design
On a traditional single-boiler espresso machine, you’re unable to froth milk and brew shots at the same time. These tasks require different temperatures, so you need to wait in between doing one or the other to allow the machine to reach the correct temperature.
It’s obvious why this is inconvenient. Making a milk-based espresso drink, such as a cappuccino, would take even longer.
The Bianca and Profitec Pro 700 get around this by having two different boilers. One boiler is for steaming milk and the other is for brewing espresso. Because of this, you can steam and brew together, making drinks even more quickly.
Boiler Insulation
It’s critical that your espresso machine’s boilers stay at the proper temperatures while in use. Getting too cool or too hot can drastically alter the flavor of your espresso, creating unpredictable and undesirable results.
Historically, espresso machines had to struggle to stabilize temperatures. This consumed large amounts of energy and made it surprisingly costly to operate one for long lengths of time.
Fortunately, the Bianca and Profitec Pro 700 have insulated boilers. This insulation preserves the temperatures in the machines, so they don’t need to work as hard to keep their internal temperatures stable for you.
E61 Group Head
Insulating the boilers isn’t the only step these machines take towards increased temperature stability. They also have E61 commercial group heads, which will give you a couple advantages.
The first one is added thermal stabilization. These group heads constantly circulate water from the boiler to the group head, which helps eliminate temperature changes.
Second, the group heads make pre-infusion possible. Pre-infusion is a sort of prologue to the extraction of the espresso. Before full water pressure is applied to your espresso puck, a small trickle comes from the machine to settle the grounds in the portafilter. This smooths out any irregularities caused by poor tamping, increasing the odds your espresso will enjoy a balanced extraction.
In short, the E60 group heads on either machine simply grant you greater consistency in quality. That will be vital for you if you’re a beginning barista.
If you’d like to see more machines that have built-in pre-infusion, you can view our guide to the best espresso machines with pre-infusion.
Rotary Pump
If you’re the kind of person that reveres peace and quiet, you probably don’t always like visiting your local coffee shop. Espresso machines and grinders working in tandem can be shockingly loud for those who aren’t used to the noise.
Because the Lelit Bianca and Profitec Pro 700 are machines that were created with home and office environments in mind, you’ll be pleased to learn that they also operate more quietly. That’s because they each use rotary pumps, which are naturally lower in volume than their vibratory alternatives.
Another advantage to a rotary pump is that it’s very long-lived. You won’t need to replace or repair the pumps in these machines anytime soon.
PID Temperature Control
Temperature is one of the most important qualities to pay attention to when you’re brewing espresso. It can have a huge influence on the flavor of your shots.
To ensure that you can craft espresso just the way you like it, the Bianca and Pro 700 have PID temperature controllers. Put simply, these controllers let you adjust the temperatures in the machines’ boilers by single degree increments.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you’ll love the temperature controls. You’ll be able to experiment and innovate by adjusting the temperatures whenever you want.
Direct-Connect or Pour-Over Functionality
Another major advantage to both the Bianca and the Pro 700 is flexibility. Either one can be used as a pour-over or direct-connect machine. If you’re not yet familiar with those terms, we’ll explain the difference.
A pour-over espresso machine is one you need to add water to manually. This can be a bit inconvenient for those who make a high volume of espresso because it means they’ll need to refill the machine more often. One pro to this design, however, is that it also makes the machine easier to move, since it is not connected to your water line.
When you use the machine as a direct-connect, it is hooked up to your water line. As a result, it will refill itself automatically, saving you time and effort. The drawback is that it cannot be moved as easily as a pour-over machine and may therefore take some planning on your part as far as your kitchen layout goes.
No-Burn Steam Wand
It’s not surprising that espresso machines get hot during use. When you have boilers heating water and generating steam, this makes perfect sense.
That doesn’t mean you need to be at risk of getting burnt, though. Thanks to the insulating material used in the steam wands on the Bianca and Pro 700, you won’t have to deal with the risk of getting a shocking steam wand burn.
There’s another benefit to this, too: milk doesn’t get burnt onto the ends of the steam wands. That translates to less cleaning.
Stainless Steel Case
Perhaps the most apparent similarity between the machines is the fact that they both have stainless steel cases. They both enjoy a polished, sleek appearance that would complement the modern design of many home kitchens and offices.
Additionally, the stainless steel of the cases increases the durability of the machines. It helps protect their interior components, boosting their longevity so you get the most bang for your buck.
Shot Timer
Timing the duration of your extraction is of the utmost importance. You don’t want to over-extract your espresso and you don’t want to under-extract it, either.
These machines may not end the brew cycle for you, but that doesn’t mean they’re unnecessarily difficult to use, either. Both come equipped with integrated shot timers. Due to the built-in timers, you won’t need to use a separate timer or your smartphone in order to keep track of the duration of your shot.
Cup Warmer
A nice little bonus the Lelit Bianca and Profitec Pro 700 have is a cup-warming shelf on top. There are a couple reasons you’ll love the cup warmers.
The first is that it clears up storage space elsewhere in your kitchen. You can keep a couple of your favorite mugs right on top of your espresso machine, within easy reach.
The second benefit is that these shelves preheat your mugs for you. Pouring your hot drinks into warmed mugs will ensure that your drinks stay hot even longer. That gives you more time to savor the taste of every single espresso shot you make.
Differences
Boiler Size
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of similarities between the Bianca and Pro 700. There are also, however, a handful of crucial differences between them that will make your decision a little easier.
The first difference we noted was the size of their boilers. Remember, they each have two different boilers – a steam and brew boiler – so we examined the sizes of both.
In this comparison, the steam boiler in the Pro 700 is slightly larger. It holds up to two liters, as opposed to the Bianca’s 1.5-liter steam boiler. The steam boiler is used to froth your milk, so the slightly increased size could be important for anyone wanting to make multiple milk-based drinks in a row.
On the flipside, though, the Bianca has a bigger brew boiler. Its brew boiler holds .8 liters while the Pro 700’s holds .75 liters. This is a small difference, but it still means the Bianca can brew more shots of espresso without breaking a sweat.
Related Article: Best Dual Boiler Espresso Machines
Water Tank Capacity
If you anticipate having to make multiple drinks in a row, make drinks frequently throughout the course of the day, or provide drinks for groups of people, water tank size will be important to you. (Unless, of course, you are using the machine in its direct-connect configuration, so the water tank refills automatically from your water line.)
A larger water tank makes it possible for you to make more drinks at one time before you need to pause for a refill. In this regard, the Profitec Pro 700 wins out by a narrow margin. Its water tank holds three liters, while the Bianca’s holds 2.5.
That just means that if you were using both machines as pour-overs, the Pro 700 would be able to make more drinks on a full tank of water than the Bianca would. If you’re only going to use the espresso machine once per day or infrequently, this may not be as big a consideration for you.
Appearance
One abundantly apparent difference between the two machines is their appearances. While they are both made from stainless steel, the differences in visual design are immediately noticeable.
The Profitec Pro 700 has a very common polished look. It is all stainless steel with straight side panels and an elegant design. It’s perfect for blending in with your other stainless steel appliances.
The Lelit Bianca takes the design elements a step further. Although it has a similar shape and profile, it incorporates walnut in the handles and feet of the machine. The result is a touch of natural warmth that gives the machine personality.
This may not matter to you. If you’re going for a particular look in your home or office, though, these various visual aspects could make you choose one machine over the other.
Lelit Bianca Group Head Pressure Gauge
To be clear, both machines have multiple pressure gauges. They each have pump gauges and steam pressure gauges that you can use to monitor your machine.
The Lelit Bianca has a third pressure gauge for added security, though. This third pressure gauge is located right on top of the group head.
Why do you need that third pressure gauge? Simple: to monitor the pressure in the group head. Since the Lelit Bianca lets you adjust the flow/pressure on the fly using the profiling paddle, the group pressure gauge will tell you what range you’re in so you can ensure greater consistency in your drinks.
Lelit Bianca Flow Profiling Paddle
By far the most innovative thing about the Lelit Bianca is its flow profiling paddle located just above the group head. You can move the paddle side to side to adjust the rate of the water flowing through your espresso puck.
As a result, you can make adjustments to pressure while you are brewing the shot. This grants you an even greater degree of flexibility for customization.
If you’re an experienced barista or espresso afficionado, the flow profiling paddle will be a real treat for you. You’ll be able to tailor each shot even more precisely.
Pricing Considerations
So, what can you expect in terms of price for these machines?
At Majesty Coffee, we work to bring our customers the most competitive prices online. That’s why we’re proud to offer the Lelit Bianca in our store for $2,979.
We do not have the Profitec Pro 700 in our store at this point in time. You may be able to find it online through other sellers within a similar price range to the Lelit Bianca.
Which One is Right for You?
As you can see from this comparison, the Lelit Bianca and Profitec Pro 700 are both remarkably similar espresso machines. Frankly, if one would work in your situation, it’s likely the other would be acceptable, too.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t reasons to choose one instead of the other, though. There are certainly compelling reasons for different situations to pick the Bianca over the Pro 700 and vice versa.
For instance, the Lelit Bianca’s unique appearance could be a winner for you. If you feel plain stainless steel is a little too cool or neutral for your space, the character the Bianca gets from its walnut accents could be a breath of fresh air. It works particularly well with rustic interior designs.
Let’s look at some more technical reasons for picking one. If you foresee yourself needing to make multiple milk-based drinks at a time, you’ll want a machine with a powerful steam boiler. The Profitec Pro 700 wins out slightly in this regard, as its steam boiler is a little larger than the Bianca’s.
But what if your utmost concern is making straight espressos frequently? That’s where the brew boiler comes into play, and the Lelit Bianca is narrowly victorious in that arena.
The Lelit Bianca has other reasons in its favor if you’re looking for the most customizable espresso-brewing experience, too. Aside from its larger brew boiler, it has that brilliant flow control paddle that will give you more flexibility for tailoring each shot to your preferences.
Here is our advice:
The Lelit Bianca is the better choice for you if you want a machine that will blend in with earthier or more rustic settings. It is also the better choice for you if you want even more control over each shot of espresso.
We recommend the Profitec Pro 700 for situations when multiple milk-based drinks in a row are necessary, such as homes filled with latte and cappuccino fans.
Still confused about choosing the best espresso machine for your home or office? We’re here to help. Call us at 888-978-5224 or talk with us through the store chat to get guidance from our knowledgeable team.
Related Guides
Lelit Bianca vs ECM Synchronika
Lelit Bianca vs Rocket R58
Lelit Bianca vs Linea Mini
Lelit Bianca vs Rocket Appartamento
Lelit Bianca vs Breville Dual Boiler
Lelit Bianca vs Rocket Cinquantotto
Lelit Bianca vs Profitec Pro 800
Lelit Bianca vs GS3
Lelit Bianca vs Decent
Tony Barlow
Majesty Coffee Technical Sales Expert - Meet the Team
Tony Barlow, with over a decade of experience in the coffee industry, is the go-to technical sales expert at Majesty Coffee. He's passionate about helping businesses find the right espresso equipment for their needs.
