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 doesn't top any spec sheet, but for most people it decides everything: one of the four can't froth milk.

Two things upfront, 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 compare them anyway, because in Switzerland they regularly end up in 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 coffee drinks?

Steam wand: the first deciding factor

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

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; on the Profitec GO, steam runs through a rotary valve, complemented by a hot water function.

Is the Profitec called GO, GO 2.0, or GO 100?

At the manufacturer, it's simply called GO. Neither “2.0” nor “100” appears on Profitec's product pages.

The additions come from retailers. „GO 2.0“ sets the revised version apart from the first one – Profitec itself has announced the revision, but calls it “the new GO” and kept the model name. „GO 100“ goes back to the internal item number; the manual runs under “GO 10100”, and spare-parts retailers list the machine as “Pro100”.

In practice this means: if you come across “GO”, “GO 2.0”, and “GO 100”, it's usually the same machine. The first version is still listed as a clearance item by some retailers and called “GO 1.0” there. The figures in this article refer to the current version.

How do the four differ technically?

“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 even contradict each other: the product page states 9 kilograms, the manual 9.5; for pressure, the product page says “15 bar, reduced to 9 bar”, while the manufacturer's journal says “16 bar”.

What does “no boiler” mean for the Zuriga?

That the water isn't preheated in a tank, but heated as it flows through. Zuriga writes that the machine “no longer needs a boiler”; heating happens via a unit the manufacturer calls Z2, with the group head and steam side heated separately.

In practice this means two things. First: a heat-up time of one and a half minutes – that's the biggest gap in the whole comparison; the Profitec needs about seven minutes. Second: according to the manufacturer, the temperature is regulated more than ten times per second, with a deviation of under 1.1 degrees, but at a fixed 93 degrees that can't be changed.

Whether that's an advantage or a drawback depends on how you work. Anyone who also wants to adjust the temperature during Espresso Dial-in can do so on the Casa Bar PID and the Profitec GO – not on the Zuriga.

Why the portafilter makes the difference

Why 55 instead of 58 millimeters matters

Three of the four are at 58 millimeters, the common standard. Only the Casa Bar without PID has 55 millimeters. That sounds like three millimeters of a minor detail, but in practice it's the point where the accessory market is decided.

Precision filter baskets, tampers, distributors, and dosing funnels are available for 58 millimeters from many manufacturers. At 55 millimeters, the selection is noticeably smaller. What that means in practice is covered in our article on precision filter baskets and our article on precision tamper.

Is the extra cost for the PID version justified?

The question is different than the name suggests. The difference between the Casa Bar and the Casa Bar PID is not just temperature control. According to the manufacturer, six things change at once:

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 on the inside – which usually helps with temperature stability.

Both models, La Pavoni Casa Bar and La Pavoni Casa Bar PID, you'll find in our shop.

What the Profitec GO does differently

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

Add to that switchable pre-infusion, Shot Timer, OLED display, hot water function, programmable on/off times, and an ECO mode. For this price range, that's an unusual amount.

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

We currently don't carry the Profitec GO. We include it in this comparison because it factually belongs here – not because we want to sell it. We couldn't find two figures at the manufacturer: the PID's adjustment range in degrees, and a rated pump pressure in bar. The often-cited value of 9 bar comes from retailers, not from Profitec.

How much space do the four need?

The Zuriga, at 17 centimeters wide, is the narrowest, and with a 700-milliliter tank, the smallest. It's clearly built for small kitchens where the tank gets refilled fresh every day.

At 21 centimeters, the Profitec GO is narrower than both La Pavoni, but at 36 centimeters it's the deepest – that becomes relevant under a tight wall cabinet. The Casa Bar PID, at 37 centimeters, is the tallest.

For maximum cup height, Zuriga states 8 centimeters. For La Pavoni and Profitec, we couldn't find a manufacturer figure for this – if you use tall glasses for latte macchiato, measure beforehand.

Which one fits whom?

What none of these rows say: which one makes better espresso. That's decided to a large extent by the grinder – more so than by the machine. If you have to save money, it's better to save on the machine than on the coffee grinders.

Frequently asked questions about the 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 and the Profitec GO have a steam wand.

Is the Profitec really called GO 2.0?

No, not at 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's 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, the boiler (steel 0.22 liters vs. brass 0.3 liters), portafilter (55 vs. 58 millimeters), power (950 vs. 1320 watts), weight (8.0 vs. 13.3 kilograms), and steam wand (chrome-plated brass vs. stainless steel with Cool Touch) all differ. The PID version also has a Shot Timer.

Which of the four has the most features?

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

What brew temperature does the Zuriga E2 have?

93 degrees, fixed and not adjustable. The manufacturer states that the temperature is measured and regulated more than ten times per second, with a deviation of under 1.1 degrees. The Casa Bar PID is set to 92 degrees from 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 the fastest?

The Zuriga E2. The manufacturer states one and a half minutes, because the machine doesn't need to heat up a boiler but heats the water as it flows through. Profitec states 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 millimeters is the common standard, for which filter baskets, tampers, and distributors are widely available. The Zuriga E2, Casa Bar PID, and Profitec GO have 58 millimeters; only the Casa Bar without PID has 55.

Are these machines certified to the SCA standard?

This can't be verified for any of the four. The SCA-350 standard for espresso machines exists, but the Specialty Coffee Association's public list of certified devices lists only home brewers and grinders. Neither Zuriga, nor La Pavoni, nor Profitec appear there.

Which of the four should I buy?

That hinges on 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 operating comfort matters to you? Without milk and with little space, there's a lot to be said for the Zuriga E2. With milk and a tight budget, for the Casa Bar. For 58-millimeter accessories and adjustable temperature, for the Casa Bar PID. For the most features and tinkering-friendliness, for the Profitec GO.

So, what now?

The most honest next step is to get your hands on the machines instead of reading spec sheets. Our showrooms in Bern and Zürich have machines you can experience yourself – and in our workshops we go through it together.

How you dial in the espresso afterward is covered in the Espresso Dial-in article. Which bean suits it, you'll find among our coffee beans. And why a thick crema says nothing about quality is covered in the espresso article. We are United by Coffee – no matter which of the four sits on your counter.

Sources and context

• Zuriga E2: product pages ZEEU401 and ZEEU402, Generation 2 manual, and the manufacturer's journal on the second generation, all at zuriga.com. Missing steam wand and distinction from the E2-S: Zuriga Support.
• La Pavoni New Casabar and New Casabar PID: product pages from lapavoni.com for the Steel and Black variants, as well as the “Manual coffee machines” range overview.
• Profitec GO: product page and blog post on the revised version at profitec-espresso.com; manufactured in Milan according to the manufacturer's “Handmade” page. The names “GO 2.0” and “GO 100” come from retailers and can't be verified at 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 figure at all for heat-up time.
• Not found: pump manufacturer for all four machines, the PID adjustment range of the Profitec GO in degrees, rated pump pressure of the Profitec at the manufacturer, housing material of the GO according to the manufacturer, and figures on gauge and cup warmer for the Zuriga.
• For the Profitec GO's boiler volume, several retailers state 0.4 liters; the manufacturer states 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 devices only lists 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 in our range. For current information on the two La Pavoni, the respective product page is authoritative.