Zuriga E2, La Pavoni Casa Bar, and Profitec GO Compared

Four compact portafilter machines, four very different answers to the same question. The most important difference isn’t at the top of any spec sheet, yet for most people it decides everything: one of the four can’t froth milk.

One more thing about the title: it gives three names, but four machines are compared. The La Pavoni Casa Bar comes in two versions – with and without PID – and the two differ in more than just temperature control. So: four machines from three model ranges.

Two things up front, so you know where you stand. First: of these four machines, we only carry the two La Pavoni. We don’t sell the Zuriga or the Profitec – we’re comparing them anyway, because in Switzerland they regularly end up on the same shortlist. Second: all the figures below come from the manufacturers. Where sources contradict each other or something is missing, we say so.

The question you need to answer first

Do you drink milk-based drinks?

Animation 1 · Milk or no milk – the question before all others

red = no steam wandgreen = with steam wand

Steam wand: the metal pipe you use to make milk hot and frothy. If you drink cappuccino or flat white, the E2 isn’t the machine for you – for that there’s the sister model E2-S, which has a steam wand.

Why four machines, but only three names in the title? The La Pavoni Casa Bar comes in two versions: with and without PID. That makes four machines from three model ranges. PID: an electronic controller that lets you set the brew temperature.

Sources: Zuriga support (the E2’s missing steam wand), La Pavoni and Profitec product pages. Manufacturer figures, not measured by us.

The Zuriga E2 has no steam wand. It’s a pure espresso machine. For that, Zuriga offers the sister model E2-S, which can steam. So if you drink cappuccino or flat white, the E2 simply isn’t the right machine for you – no matter how good it is otherwise.

The other three can do milk. On the Casa Bar the wand is chrome-plated brass, on the Casa Bar PID it’s stainless steel with a Cool Touch sleeve, and on the Profitec GO the steam runs through a rotary valve, complemented by a hot water function.

So is the Profitec called GO, GO 2.0 or GO 100?

The manufacturer simply calls it GO. Neither “2.0” nor “100” appears on Profitec’s product pages.

The suffixes come from retailers. “GO 2.0” distinguishes the revised version from the first one – Profitec itself announced the revision, but calls it “the new GO” and kept the model name. “GO 100” goes back to the internal item number; the user manual is listed as “GO 10100”, and spare-parts dealers list the machine as “Pro100”.

In practice this means: if you come across “GO”, “GO 2.0” and “GO 100”, they generally refer to the same machine. Some retailers still list the first version as remaining stock and call it “GO 1.0”. The figures in this article refer to the current version.

How do the four differ technically?

ManufacturerEvery figure in this table is a manufacturer figure, not measured by us – we haven’t put the boiler, temperature, power, weight, dimensions or heat-up time through any testing of our own. “Not specified” means we didn’t find a manufacturer figure for it – not that the feature is missing. For the Zuriga E2, the manufacturer’s own sources also contradict each other: the product page gives 9 kilograms, the user manual 9.5; for pressure, the product page says “15 bar, reduced to 9 bar”, the manufacturer’s journal “16 bar”.

What does “no boiler” mean on the Zuriga?

It means the water isn’t preheated in a vessel but heated as it flows through. Zuriga writes that the machine “no longer needs a boiler”; heating is done by a unit the manufacturer calls Z2, with the group head and the steam side heated separately.

In practice this means two things. First: a heat-up time of one and a half minutes – the biggest gap in the whole comparison; the Profitec needs around seven minutes. Second: according to the manufacturer, the temperature is regulated more than ten times per second, with a deviation of less than 1.1 degrees – but at a fixed 93 degrees that can’t be changed. Heat-up time, control rate and the 1.1-degree deviation are manufacturer figures, not measured by us.

Whether that’s an advantage or a drawback depends on how you work. If you also want to play with the temperature when dialling in your espresso, you can do that on the Casa Bar PID and the Profitec GO – but not on the Zuriga.

Why the portafilter makes the difference

Animation 2 · 3 millimetres, two accessory worlds

58 mm – outer circle55 mm – inner circle

True to scale: the gap between the circles is exactly as large as in reality. Portafilter: the handle with the basket you fill with ground coffee.

58 mm – the market standard. Zuriga E2 · Casa Bar PID · Profitec GO. Filter baskets, tampers, distributors, puck screens and bottomless portafilters are available from many manufacturers.

55 mm – a special size. La Pavoni Casa Bar (without PID). Far less choice; a lot of it is only available from the manufacturer itself.

In brief. Tamper: the press you use to compact the ground coffee in the basket. Distributor: spreads the ground coffee evenly before you tamp it. Puck screen: a fine metal screen placed on top of the ground coffee. Bottomless portafilter: open at the bottom – you can watch the coffee as it runs out and see straight away if it’s flowing through unevenly.

Dimensions: Zuriga support (58 mm), La Pavoni product pages (55 and 58 mm respectively). Profitec doesn’t state the size itself – 58 mm is a retailer and test-review figure. That there are more accessories for 58 mm is a market assessment, not a count – estimated, not counted.

Three of the four are at 58 millimetres, the widespread standard. Only the Casa Bar without PID has 55 millimetres. That sounds like a three-millimetre side issue, but in practice it’s the point where the accessory market is decided.

Precision filter baskets, tampers, distributors and dosing funnels for 58 millimetres are available from many manufacturers. At 55 millimetres the choice is considerably smaller. What that actually gets you is covered under precision filter baskets and the precision tamper.

Is the extra cost of the PID version justified?

The question isn’t quite the one the name suggests. The difference between the Casa Bar and the Casa Bar PID is not just the temperature control. According to the manufacturer, no fewer than six things change:

Then there’s the weight: 13.3 instead of 8.0 kilograms. That’s not an end in itself but a sign of more metal inside – which generally helps with temperature stability.

ManufacturerThe six differences above are manufacturer figures, not measured by us. EstimateThat more metal keeps the temperature more stable is an assessment based on practical experience – estimated, not measured: we haven’t recorded the temperature curves of the two machines.

You’ll find both models, the La Pavoni Casa Bar and the La Pavoni Casa Bar PID, in our shop.

What the Profitec GO does differently

It’s the most fully equipped of the four – and the only one where you can tinker with the brew pressure without opening the housing. Profitec fits an externally accessible expansion valve and a pump pressure gauge as standard.

On top of that come switchable pre-infusion, a Shot Timer, an OLED display, a hot water function, programmable on and off times and an ECO mode. That’s an unusual amount for this price range.

The trade-off is the design: the GO is a single-boiler machine with a 0.3-litre brass boiler, so you brew and steam one after the other, not at the same time. And with around seven minutes of heat-up time, it’s the most patient of the four. It doesn’t use an E61 group head but a ring group head – which is why it gets by with 12.9 kilograms, while E61 machines from the same maker weigh over 20 kilograms. Heat-up time and weights are manufacturer figures, not measured by us.

We don’t currently carry the Profitec GO. We’ve included it in this comparison because it belongs here on the facts – not because we want to sell it. There were two figures we couldn’t find from the manufacturer: the PID’s adjustment range in degrees and a rated pump pressure in bar. The often-quoted 9 bar comes from retailers, not from Profitec.

How much space do the four need?

At 17 centimetres wide, the Zuriga is the narrowest, and with a 700-millilitre tank the smallest. It’s clearly built for small kitchens where the tank is filled fresh every day.

At 21 centimetres, the Profitec GO is narrower than both La Pavoni, but at 36 centimetres it’s the deepest – which matters under a low wall cabinet. The Casa Bar PID, at 37 centimetres, is the tallest.

ManufacturerThe dimensions and tank sizes in this section are manufacturer figures too, not measured by us – if space is tight, it’s worth getting out your own tape measure before you buy. For maximum cup height, Zuriga gives 8 centimetres. For La Pavoni and Profitec we couldn’t find a manufacturer figure – if you use tall glasses for latte macchiato, measure first.

Which one suits whom?

What none of these rows tells you: which one makes the better espresso. That’s largely decided by the grinder – more so than by the machine; that’s our experience from courses and advice sessions, estimated rather than measured. If you have to save, it makes more sense to save on the machine than on the grinder.

Frequently asked questions about this comparison

Does the Zuriga E2 have a steam wand?

No. The Zuriga E2 is a pure espresso machine without steam. If you want to froth milk, you need the sister model E2-S. The two La Pavoni Casa Bar models and the Profitec GO have a steam wand.

Is the Profitec really called GO 2.0?

No, not by the manufacturer. Profitec consistently calls the model just “GO”. The names “GO 2.0” and “GO 100” come from retailers: “2.0” distinguishes the revised version from the first one, “100” goes back to the internal item number Pro100. There is only one current model.

What’s the difference between the La Pavoni Casa Bar and the Casa Bar PID?

Considerably more than the temperature control. According to the manufacturer, they differ in boiler (steel 0.22 litres versus brass 0.3 litres), portafilter (55 versus 58 millimetres), power (950 versus 1320 watts), weight (8.0 versus 13.3 kilograms) and steam wand (chrome-plated brass versus stainless steel with Cool Touch). The PID version also has a Shot Timer.

Which of the four has the most features?

The Profitec GO. It comes with PID, a pump pressure gauge, switchable pre-infusion, a Shot Timer, an OLED display, a hot water function, programmable on and off times and an externally accessible expansion valve for adjusting the brew pressure. At 12.9 kilograms, though, it’s no mini machine either.

What brew temperature does the Zuriga E2 have?

93 degrees, fixed and not adjustable. The manufacturer states that it measures and regulates the temperature more than ten times per second, with a deviation of less than 1.1 degrees – a manufacturer figure, not measured by us. The Casa Bar PID is set to 92 degrees at the factory and can be adjusted; for the Profitec GO we couldn’t find an adjustment range in degrees.

Which machine is ready to use fastest?

The Zuriga E2. The manufacturer gives one and a half minutes, because the machine doesn’t have to heat up a boiler but heats the water as it flows through. Profitec gives around seven minutes for the GO in Fast Heat-Up mode. For the two La Pavoni we couldn’t find a manufacturer figure for heat-up time.

Which portafilter diameter is better?

Not better, but more practical: 58 millimetres is the widespread standard, with a large choice of filter baskets, tampers and distributors. The Zuriga E2, Casa Bar PID and Profitec GO have 58 millimetres; only the Casa Bar without PID has 55.

Are these machines certified to the SCA standard?

That can’t be verified for any of the four. The SCA-350 standard for espresso machines does exist, but the Specialty Coffee Association’s public list of certified equipment only includes home brewers and grinders. Neither Zuriga nor La Pavoni nor Profitec appears there.

Which of the four should I buy?

It comes down to four questions: do you need milk foam, how much space do you have, do you want to set the brew temperature yourself, and how much ease of use matters to you? Without milk and with little space, a lot speaks for the Zuriga E2. With milk and a tight budget, for the Casa Bar. For 58-millimetre accessories and adjustable temperature, for the Casa Bar PID. For the most features and the most scope for tinkering, for the Profitec GO.

What next?

The most honest next step is to get your hands on the machines instead of reading spec sheets. In our showrooms in Bern and Zurich there are machines you can pull shots on yourself – and in the workshops we go through it together.

How to dial in your espresso afterwards is covered in the Espresso Dial-in article. Which beans suit it, you’ll find among our coffee beans. And why a thick crema says nothing about quality is explained in the espresso article. We’re United by Coffee – whichever of the four ends up on your counter.

Sources and context

• Zuriga E2: product pages ZEEU401 and ZEEU402, the Generation 2 user manual and the manufacturer’s journal on the second generation, all on zuriga.com. Missing steam wand and distinction from the E2-S: Zuriga support.
• La Pavoni New Casabar and New Casabar PID: lapavoni.com product pages for the Steel and Black versions, and the “Manual coffee machines” range overview.
• Profitec GO: product page and blog post on the revised version at profitec-espresso.com. On origin: the brand is based in Bammental near Heidelberg, but the manufacturer’s “Handmade” page explicitly states that the GO and the PRO 300 are built in Milan (Italy) and all other Profitec machines in Germany. Where “Germany” is given as the origin of this machine, it refers to the brand, not the place of manufacture. The names “GO 2.0” and “GO 100” come from retailers and can’t be verified with the manufacturer.
• Heat-up time of the Casa Bar PID: retailer figure, not a manufacturer figure. For the Casa Bar without PID, we found no heat-up figure at all.
• Not found: pump manufacturer for any of the four machines, the Profitec GO’s PID adjustment range in degrees, the rated pressure of the Profitec pump from the manufacturer, the GO’s housing material according to the manufacturer, details on a pressure gauge and cup warmer for the Zuriga.
• For the Profitec GO’s boiler volume, several retailers give 0.4 litres; the manufacturer gives 0.3. We follow the manufacturer’s figure.
• SCA-350: the standard for espresso machines exists, but the Specialty Coffee Association’s public list of certified equipment only includes home brewers and grinders. Certification can’t be verified for any of the four machines.
• We don’t carry the Zuriga E2 or the Profitec GO. For up-to-date details on the two La Pavoni, the respective product page is authoritative.