I came from the Gaggia Classic and am thoroughly satisfied with the upgrade. This is the Cadillac of single boiler machines and if I ever stop using it the only reason will be because I’ve gone opened up the wallet for a dual boiler. I’ve had it for well over one year and not a single maintenance issue. I love it.
Same here…just got it. Still trying to dial in my steaming. Had it really down with the Gaggia with a single hole addition. Steaming on this is a little different for sure. But love the shots so far!
I had my go since July 2023. It produces great espresso and milk. Heat up times as you mentioned are pretty quick even when transitioning from espresso to steam. I personally love the machine and it’s quality has been good. I have had zero issues with it. I did add some black tape around drip tray and water tank lid to help with rattles.
@@absba9Once you hit the steam button, if you purge the wand twice for 5 seconds each with 10 seconds in between then it takes about 40 seconds total for it to reach temp
Love my Go. Had it nearly a year. Served me well as my first machine and I’d only upgrade for a dual boiler but frankly it’s the prettiest and best proportioned machine even at higher price. Only upgrade was silicon seal; and a new basket. Neither of which were probably 100% necessary.
excellent review, really enjoy your channel - got my Profitec Go 1 month ago and 100% agree, this machine is super impressive. The brand is very in-tune with what the ideal home barista experience be. Makes delicious espresso and definitely punches above its weight for its features and build quality - also important to note that you need a good grinder and some fresh beans to get the most out of your experience. For me pairing this with a Eureka Facile, is an end game home setup. For a work/office setting go with a $6k-$8k top of the line setup. But for home you will be very happy with the Go
To counter the vibrating noise you can rest the water cover on the lip of the plastic water reservoir. Once you do that it’s extremely quiet. The pump is an olab silent pump and compared to the regular ulka pumps you find in other machines it’s a very noticeable reduction in noise.
Yeah I’m sure there are solutions, but I think my job here, at least when it comes to reviews, is to provide feedback using a machine as designed so people know what they’re coming into.
What's a good affordable rotary compressor machine for home. Also are rotary ones better than vibrating ones? Or does it not matter? I have a dedica. Im satisfied but i wonder if i can do better. Please advise
@@taplubambhos2869 Some say the more gradual rise on pressure that the vibration pumps deliver produces better shots. I'd consider a rotary pump more of a sound upgrade then an espresso quality upgrade.
I bought a Go earlier this week, after a few months of highly variable ( from great to bad) results on the Flair Pro 2. What sold it for me was the PID, quality internal water path, OPV access, and size. As an espresso novice it offers me quality with minimal adjustability. Which is great as it allows me to focus on grind and pup prep, without the temptation of things like flow profiling, which are great for those with experience, but would serve only to derail a novice like me from focusing on more fundamental skills. So far I’m happy. It’s great to be able to address problem shots quickly, in contrast to the Flair
Congrats on the upgrade! The Flair is solid but a pump driven machine is a completely different beast, and this is a solid one to learn the ropes on and should keep you plenty build and exploring for some time.
I have a similar circumstance. I went from the Cafelat Robot to the Go. I spent many days trying to dial in the Cafelat but the workflow is so cumbersome. I also have a manual grinder which makes it especially bad. I also picked up the Turin D64 Gen 2. I haven't received either yet (still waiting on shipping), but I am excited to make the move.
As a long time Gaggia Classic (modded) user, After steaming, I put the empty portafilter back in the group head and run about 3 seconds of water to drop heat back near the brew temp. This also refills the boiler. 2nd tip is that the "4oz double spout glass" from Amazon will fit around the portafilter spouts and lets you use a thin scale (lift glass and slide scale under). A couple of tips that could be used for the Profitec.
I have had the Go since July, replacing a 15 year old Gaggia Classic. I wanted built-in temp control and easy pressure adjustments. I rarely make milk drinks, so a single boiler made the most sense. It has been a great machine for me so far, and I get delicious shots from it. I hope in future iterations they put something on the water tank lid to dampen the vibration noise.
Nice! Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying it issue free for five-ish months. It’s definitely a step up from the Classic, especially if you don’t want to dig into it to get the same kind of control, and the PID is great by comparison too. On the noise front, if it were mine to keep I would order some rubber strips that have adhesive on one side and shore up the lid and tray.
@@calisson47 yes, I have used my Eureka Mignon Specialita on both machines and get better results with the Go. But, my Gaggia was the older model that I couldn't find different OPV springs for, so I was stuck with the factory pressure which was pretty high. I can't say how it compares to a newer Gaggia with a 9bar spring mod. Temp is definitely more stable.
I've owned the Go for a few months. Placing a thin 0.5 mm adhesive rubber strip along the water tank and drip tray edges reduces the rattling noise somewhat.
I've had the go now for ~9months and really happy with it. The price to possibilities & quality ratio is very high (PID, OPV, 58mm basket, ...). I put it on a smart outlet with the "on" button always pressed so when I wake up I can start to heat it and indeed after 10minutes everything is nice and warm. Besides some rattling indeed I'm only slightly disappointed in the temperature stability when engaging the pump. After I've pushed some water through (only 5sec) the temperature typically drops ~5°C. Not sure what the impact in the taste is though, since this is my only espresso machine and it is a huge upgrade from my previous 15year old Illy Francis Francis X1. Thanks for the valuable insights as always. I always look forward to your videos :)
Funny you mention the temperature dropping because a few people were talking about this as well. The e1 setting probably needs to be adjusted. I think the machines are usually set at 25 (F) but after doing some reading I set mine to 32F and noticing a more stable temperature at the group and a better tasting espresso. Definitely worth looking into. But I agree with everything you said about this machine. Had mine going on 5 months and I love everything about it. It’s a great bang for your buck and honestly probably one of the best single boilers out there for the money and the features it has to offer. I’m also running off a smart plug like you. Makes everything super convenient that you can control it right from your phone
I absolutely love my Profitec Go. If you only need it for yourself at home it’s perfect. If you want many back to back drinks then sure a dual boiler may be the way to go but for me this GO is amazing. My only wish is pre infusion. Surprised to not see more reviews and talk of this machine on the internet. For sure the best single boiler!
I've had my go for about a year now and love it. As far as i can tell the only real issue people might have is the lack of a hot water dispenser for long blacks or americanos (though i dont drink them so no issue for me) Coming from the rancillio silvia the pid was a godsend to avoid any temp surfing. I think this is going to become the new single boiler standard by which all others are measured.
To get hot water - put in the blind basket, turn on brew and open the steam wand. Inelegant, but it works. I keep an extra portafilter with the blind basket to refill the boiler after using the steam and for back flushing.
Hi there, thanks for the great video on this machine! I actually had two of these, bought the black one in August 2023, I had to sell it for my own reasons (not because there was any issue with it), but when I was in the position to buy another one, I went ahead and bought another Profitec Go just now in May 2024 (from all the machines I could’ve chosen) and I noticed a few improvements. As you have mentioned, the driptray on the earlier model was a bit rattly, loose making quite a bit of noise, but the new model seem to have this fixed, the tray and grill feels more robust, hefty, not as loose as the old, so no noise from there anymore. Also seems a bit more well built in general. I can’t say about the water tank lid as I put some foam tape on the side to prevent any moving. I think Profitec listened to the complaints and improved in some areas. Both models came with no burn steamwands. Also got the blue one this time, people should consider this colour as well, it is very subtle and has a nice vibe to it. Amazing little coffee machine, perfect shot quality, ramps up the pressure real slow, sort of pre infusing it. I had a lot of machines before, HX Vibiemme, ECM Classika PID, etc, still chose the go (don’t have to disassemble the e61 grouphead for lubrication every 1-2 weeks for lubrication after backflush).
Hi there, I bought this machine in Ginex-espresso from Germany as I’m in Europe. Clive coffee sounds like a good option or maybe WLL? I’d probably go with the one that sells it for cheaper. Another update on the new machine: the grouphead seems to be level now, on the earlier version this was hanging down a bit, so if you attached the portafilter with a straight handle it wasn’t perfectly horizontal (you can see it on some of the videos) but now it is :)
I’m using the Go for a year now after an unreliable double boiler Lelit Elizabeth that I sold after ten months. Apart from the weak steam and the need to wait for it, this compact machine produce cup after cup the same espresso taste as the previous machine. Quite nice. I don’t miss the preinfusion and I love the PID.
I find the steam more than adequate. Do you purge some water from steam wand right after switching to steam mode to make headroom for steam in the boiler?
@@edschaub yes, and quite a lot. But I was used to a big heat exchanger before that never ran out of dry steam. So the small Profitec is ok in comparison.
I found that by ramping up the steam temp to max (282 F I believe) really helped me out and noticed a difference in terms of steaming the milk. I still do the purge as well like you mentioned. Give it a shot see if you notice a difference
Had mine 2 weeks now. Took 3 days to dial in with a Niche Zero but nailing perfect shots now every single time back to back. Steaming almost perfect now also after I adjusted technique. Gorgeous retro look (have the blue one) and build quality is superb especially for an entry level machine. I expect this will be more than enough tor us for many years.
I've had my Go since August '22 and in the time I've had it I haven't experienced any real issues with it. I do find the boiler to be a little small for larger lattes, but that's the be expected for a single boiler and size efficient machine. The one true annoyance I've had with the machine is when the cleaning timer starts getting close it counts down with something like 5-10 more "shots" until cleaning on the LCD. The problem is, when these are being displayed nothing else can be displayed like the current temp. If you want to clean the machine a few shots early that's great, but I haven't found a way to clear the counter as well. What I end up having to do is just run a few 10+ second "shots" through to reset the counter. If any other owners have had this experience and know a better way around it I'd love to hear it! Other than that annoyance it's been a great machine and until I have the counterspace (and cash!) to upgrade to a dual boiler with flow control this is all I could really ask for
Very, very satisfied with my Profitec GO after 7 months. What a pleasure to use, Excellent value for money. The vibrating water tank lid is such an easy fix: I put a thin pad down on the top to keep the cups in place and prevent scratches, and rest the edge of the lid on it. I get no rattle from the drip tray. Removing the grid from the drip tray, leave the tray in place, gives an extra inch of clearance under the group head if you need it. The only negative is no sightglass for the tank water level. A couple of led lights flanking the grouphead would be good in the future as the espresso stream is difficult to see on the black -mine- background. Set up was a little fussy because Profitec had made small changes ahead of their manual, but Clive’s worked through it with me. As always, Thank you for the review.
Hi - in your comment you mention getting more space by removing the tray. I want to do this to fit my cup for long black (water in before shot) but I have a question if you are able to answer l please - does the group head automatically purge at the end of the shot into the tray with your cup though? Thanks!
@@MrDistracted I don’t remove the tray, I remove the GRID. The solenoid does discharge into the tray and the water is caught. It is abt 2 tablespoons of clean water so the bottom of the cup may get wet, and you should not use a scale, but it does give you more clearance. BTW there is a new double boiler option, the Profitec Move.
When I received my GO I realised the drip tray and reservoir lid needed damping due to the rattles (as mentioned in the video). I used silicon self adhesive tape and cured the problem. But that was the start of my upgrades. I continued with the following :- Fabricated a gridded stainless steel mesh platform to protect the top panel from scratches. Built a water level sensor circuit for the reservoir that illuminates a red flashing LED when water is low just under the Profitec cutout on the top panel. Added illumination LED’s underneath the group head panel. Attached LED bars on the rear to give background lighting. Extended the steam wand by 50mm with a compatible kit. I am now thinking of adding a flow control module to the pump. The GO makes great espresso and the single boiler setup is acceptable when familiar with the brewing and steaming workflow.
I don’t seem to be able to direct you to the posts I wrote about the mods to my GO. The links just get deleted. I’m guessing adding links here contravenes the rules.
I would have brought that machine 4 years ago when I dipped my toes into espresso. I recently upgraded to the Lelit Elizabeth. It's a proper dual boiler machine and has a very small footprint. Priced just a bit higher so it's the long standing competitor to this cheaper alternative.
The Elizabeth is great. Only BIG problem I see is the long heat-up time. Watched the Kaffeemacher review and I do not want to wait 25 minutes for making coffee. Also the Go in colour is beautiful in comparison to the bare metal machines but that is subjective
@@AAkCN1 That is something you always are going o get from a dual boiler machine. You need to spend a lot of money to get a machine with faster heat up time and consistency. The profitec GO is not going to be faster in that regard.
I really wanted the GO, but wife said I can't spend that much. So I had to "settle" on the Gaggia Classic Pro. I still think the GO is better than the Classic, but the price jump isn't something easily overlooked when on a limited budget.
Its a great machine like you said, on the topic of steaming just max out the steam temp on the PID adjustment to its highest setting, purge it and start steaming before it reaches the setpoint and you will get constant steam all the way through.
Surprised by no mention of the lack of hot water dispensing. To me as an Americano drinker this was a big factor in why I went for another machine in the end. Not necessary but definitely a nice workflow convenience for Americano drinkers.
The water dispenses from the group fast enough that you could make a 250ml americano in 15 seconds. So realistically it’s not much of an issue. (I owned a GO from march to October)
I do not have the Go, but Pro 300 but I can safely say I am long term user (like 5 years or so) and have to say those are great machines. Of course the steaming side is not the best (you pointed all out very well, the shape of the spout, the "dryness" of the steam ... or lack of), but the rest is rock solid. I modded my Pro 300 in a way I have full flow control (bu adding a regulator based on the sine wave frequency regulation not amplitude which makes vibratory pump work in a very large flow range - like below 1 ml/s to 6 or something + an option to switch the pump off without depressurizing the puck). Additionally I added a proper brew pressure gauge, e.g. I drilled the 3 way valve and plugged pressure meter there so I have exactly brewing pressure displayed. With that flow control I can easily pull fantastic shots back to back (I change the flow with a potentiometer on the front of my machine with and option to on/off the full power with the switch which is great for high pressure pre-infusion). You can't go wrong with those machines. Buy better grinder (I use P100, but can easily pull great shots with a hand Kinu M47 grinder) and you have fantastic coffee experience whenever you like.
Great timing on this video. My Go was packed up by the shop today and will be with me early next week. The steaming issues don't bother me as I don't drink milk drinks; only sometimes making them for others. My Sage Bambino has done a decent job but the user experience was never great so pretty sure this will feel like a decent upgrade.
Nice! Congrats on the new Go! Perfect timing indeed, and yeah you won’t be disappointed with the espresso, and the milk gets the job done when need be.
Thanks. For further down the line, do you think upgrading the shower screen might help the stream issue? Or is that just down to the flow rate?@@Sprometheus
Love my Go! Bought one in September for my birthday and I’m glad I did. Such a quality machine and I feel like it’s definitely the best bang for your buck as far as single boilers go. Came from a Bambino Plus so it was a huge upgrade for me in all aspects. I recently fooled around with the OPV. It was set at 10 bars when I got it from Clive. Knocked it down to 9 and definitely noticed a difference. Think I’m gonna go lower. In your video you said you can get it down to 7.5 bars but in the manual it says you can only drop it down to 8. Unless I misunderstood you but were you able to drop it that low? Because I definitely want to experiment with lower bars of pressure as it seems to be producing smoother and tastier espresso
can you compare this to the lelit victoria? im going crazy deciding between the 2. can anyone speak on the pre-infusion option for the lelit? is this a must have over the profitec?
Thanks! Isn't it the same group as the 58mm Lelit (PL41 + PID)? Do you plan to test the Quick Mill POP which is presented by the manufacturer as allowing to control the extraction flow. Doing Flow Profiling on a thermoblock, ... I'm curious to hear your opinion.
For me, I just make iced drinks so single boiler is the way to go, I def wasted money on my large dual boiler machine. This machine seems great. It’s absurd how much the temp control option ads to the cost of the Silvia. Rancillio needs to figure out how to at temp control as standard on the Silvia in order to compete, IMO
Interestingly the ecm casa v is basically the same machine as this. Ecm and profitec are owned by the same company. The ecm casa v has no pid and dispenses hot water through the ateam wand. The profitec go does not dispense hot water and has a pid. Everything else is nearly identical between the two machines from what i have seen. The pressure adjustment valve is identical.
My Rancilio Silvia has just packed it in and I like the look of this. Quick question, I don't see a hot water button on the machine? How do you get water out through steam wand for making Americano?
Tempted to upgrade from a Gaggia Classic. Something around $1K would make sense (X2 price). My main issue with the Gaggia is temp control. Already have the 9 bars spring, and a Bottomless filter, and doing OK with those. I do use the steam wand a fair bit, so, dual boiler maybe... Hmmm.... Dunno if it's worth it. Maybe I'll keep the Gaggia for a while. I don't want to mess around with PID mods, and would rather buy something turn-key.
I owned a GO from march to October of this year, and moved to a belleza bellona . While I was happy with the GOs espresso performance, being a single boiler was too much of a detriment to me as I mostly serve milk drinks. I have difficulty recommending it though, because it’s 1300 CAD, and the ballona is 1500CAD, but regularly goes on sale for 1000, or even 800 CAD (which I bought it for). So even if someone were only wanting espresso/americano, why pay more for a machine that has way less flexibility (aside from external opv), rather than a cheaper (it’s been on sale for maybe 5 months at $1000) more scenario capable machine?
Well for one your prices don't apply everywhere. Where I am Go is 1200 CAD and Ballona 2000 CAD. Also, for someone making a moderate amount of milk drinks, the Go has no issues. And finally it takes less space and doesn't have an ugly water tank on the outside.
I have a rancilio silvia, the newest version of it. Essentially the competitor in terms of price, and very similar spec-wise. If I put a PID on it, my total cost would end up around $950 as well. I like my machine a lot, and I really enjoy how nice the steam wand is. Like, it's comparable (albeit not as nice) as the $3000 commercial machine I use pretty regularly. However, my issue with single boilers as a whole is making multiple drinks at once. I regularly have a lot of people over, and making 6 flat whites just isn't going to happen easily unfortunately. If you're used to temp surfing like I am, it CAN be done, but the drinks come out in waves of 4 and it's awkward when you have 6 or 7 people waiting for drinks and two people finished theirs already
I watch tones of video to choose my expresso machine. It goes from Gaggia Classic to La Marzocco Micra... At the end, the best ratio Quality / Price / Features / Footprint is the Profitec Go. It's a kind of Swiss knife in the expresso machine world to my mind.
Have my go since july. Been working good, i just never been able to steam milk drinks with it. I have to always steam it twice to get my milk hot enough to drink.
Set your steam temp to the max and that gives more room to let the temp drop as you steam. Also be sure to purge the wand well to make room for steam in the boiler. I never have an issue once I do those 2 things. Never steam under 281°F and you will be fine.
This machine is pretty much my dream upgrade from my old old old Gaggia Classic. The only thing on my wishlist it's missing is pre-infusion. But the pressure adjustment is really what's important to me. But it's a really attractive looking machine.
Looks like a really nice machine, and I love the translucent milk pitcher in the video ❤ As a Rancilio Silvia owner, you can get a form of ramp up, in pressure. If you know your machine well, the air cushion inside the boiler from steaming, if you leave some of this air, and don't fill the boiler completely. You get a slow ramp up of pressure when pulling shots, but you need to know your machine, too low water level will damage the heat element !!
Thanks for the video, amazing work as always. I am on the fence between this machine, the Diletta Mio or the Ascaso Duo. I know prices are a big range but I'm thinking on what's the best for me with my usecase. I almost always will make 2 or 3 milk based drinks back to back when I use my machine, so the times between steaming and pulling shots of the Go kind of concern me. Especially coming from the wonderfully convenient Breville Bambino Plus. What would you say is best for that usecase?
I'm in the same boat, but the go and mio (and the Ascaso steel uno) seem like too big a premium (double the price) over the gaggia classic pro. It feels like no one is even within spitting distance of the GCP's price for single boiler. I'll be coming from a breville barista express and spending the extra few hundred for the steel duo. In the dual "boiler" category, everything else is ugly and more expensive.
@@Kiaulen yeah the three machines I mentioned have a big price range variation but I don't have a specific budget, just want to get something reasonable for my usecase as well as clearly upgrading from my BBP. The more I think, the more I think the Diletta Mio is a good option, but the issues people have experienced concern me a bit
Great show, Is the 600 as noisey as the go seems to be or is the fit and finish better making it quieter. As they both have vibration pumps all that noise would put me off. I'm looking at the 600 myself.👍👍😎🇬🇧
I would say the Go is louder, and likely because it’s got less weight and material around it. But as I pointed out to another commenter, I’m just showing you how it performs as designed, there are definitely some quick fixes for the heavy vibrations.
@@Sprometheus yeh, i have to agree about rubber strips reducing noise, I was just a bit surprised how bad the noise was in your review. Anyway thx for the reply. Look forward to your next show. Also a lot of new things coming out soon, from what I see at hostmilan, looking forward to your reviews 👍👍😎🇬🇧
The video misses the biggest downside of the machine: the PID and temperature offset are inaccurate on many machines. Some people need to increase the temperature offset in order to get proper brew temps. Most of us don't have Scace devices, so we're flying blind with regards to what our real brew temperature is. Wish your review had done some temperature tests.
The real comparison here is more w/Silvia, no? And it seems like this comes out on top, w/pressure control and pid. Lot of bang for the buck in a small package. Could one hope for preinfusion at this price point?
It would be a closer comparison yes, but not having direct experience with the Silvia and only with the Pro X it would be more speculation than anything else. Pre-infusion could be a nice touch, but even the Pro X has “soft infusion” and it didn’t seem to make as much of a difference in the cup as being able to set the peak brew pressure on the Go.
I've had mine since Jan 2023, and updated the PID to newer firmware via module exchange. I enjoy it, but also find steam to be the weakest point. I also wish the OPV had more range to go lower than 6-7 bar. I'd still buy it again for the price point and features.
@@SaltySaltySalty. I contacted my dealer and they exchanged the v1.01 module for the v1.06 module under warranty. While it could technically be done in the field, you'd need a special UART-style serial cable and programming software that they're not willing to distribute or loan out. Honestly, v1.01 didn't time out the seaming cycle nearly as quickly, requiring you to turn the steam button off, then on again to continue heating at the steaming temp. I get that it's to save energy and the heating element, but it's annoying and not documented.
Do you have the new version with fast heat up and the olab silent green or the older versions with different pumps (I think they were Ulka before), since the Olab has a lot lower flowrate and slower pressure rise.
I had a Breville 800ESXL that I bought, fixed and used for years but it finally died. I decided on the Go over the Evo. I don't mind trading the instant steam from the breville for more control over the brew temp and pressure. I also like the brass boiler over aluminum with coating. Would love to get something like the BZ13 but it's beyond the current budget. I'm hoping the Go is a nice upgrade.
I (and quite a few other people) would love to know what the E1 value (PID boiler offset) on your machine is. It's in the advanced menu that you access while holding down both buttons on the PID while the machine boots up. There's been some debate as to what the E1 value should be set to since there isn't really any guidance for it online yet (see Clive's PID support page).
As a former Pro 600 owner, I 'downgraded' to the Go as I don't drink milk - I literally never turned on the steam boiler. My only complaints are the lack of preinfusion, the fact you can't turn the OPV below 8.5 bar (ish) on the gauge (~7.5 at the group) and the rattling. All minor and/or solvable with some DIY.
@@richardw2801 Was coming from a Silvia, and wanted an E61 based machine with a PID, preinfusion, etc, and all without DIYing. At the time (2013(, the options were limited, and my local shop had just received the new Profitec stuff, so I got a deal and went that route.
@@calisson47 Dynamat inside on a few surfaces to reduce vibrations; a couple vacuum sealed bags of lead shot under the tank shelf to increase weight and prevent the machine moving when locking in/out; custom cut sorbothane gasket under the pump to reduce vibrations; audiophile style vibration reducing 'feet' to replace existing feet - increases height so I can use a scale stand, reduce vibrations, and super grippy on the counter; cut thin strips of self-adhesive black fireplace gasket to eliminate rattle in the tank lid and drip tray; glued magnets to the inside (hidden) sections of both the drip tray and lid to hold them firmly in place (tank lid locks to back of machine now); bent down the weird flange on the back plate and added a larger custom made stainless steel water tank, with both a holder for a standard water softerner cartridge, and a ring mount for an immersion heater, obviously a water softener, and an immersion heater wired to AC for keeping tank water warmer; an inline switching regulator circuit (with inductor and capacitor) to lower voltage to pump for either preinfusion or to reduce group pressure below 8.5 bar. Yah, I'm crazy. Also an electrical engineer 🤷🏽♂ lol who loves to tinker. Next upgrades will be to plumb in so I can use the tank space for a rotary pump, raspberry pi/arduino and some additional sensors, flow meter, etc so I can do full temperature/pressure/flow profiling. Also likely a group head heater. Current workflow is Eureka Single Dose direct to PF/Spirit basket > ETSY spirograph WDT, gravity leveler thingy, 30lb tamp on clickmat, 1.7mm 100µm screen, MHW-3Bomber screen, 4s 3.3bar preinfusion, ~16-18s extraction at 6.6bar for ~24% EY.
The problem I find with single boilers is the time to make more than two back to back milk drinks, let alone for a crowd, it becomes fairly challenging to be quick about it. If you’re making two drinks at a time, you’ll have a great time, and probably the GO is the best of that bunch.
Yeah. I think it really depends on your life situation. Right now I only make one milk drink per day and don't foresee a time when that would change, at least in the near future. But I could definitely imagine needing to make two or more and then it would come in handy. I think I would probably just want to move to having two machines though: a dual boiler and a lever machine.
So far since I’m coming from a Breville Mini Barista, this is a game changer. I have it paired with an Eureka Mignon Manuale, and I must say this machine has a learning curve but after you’re there, it can produce beautifull results. I had the opportunity to test a Gaggia for 2 weeks in the past, and I used the same grinder. As an experience, the Go outperforms the beloved Gaggia, and personally I could never have the patience to temperature surf. Also, the stock basket is high quality, search online but besides the shape, holes are identically precise and immaculate as of an IMS (which of course I also bought for the fun of it xD ) About single boiler… well I didn’t want to spend the money to buy an Ascaso Steel Duo, but that machine seems to be the future, meaning no more boilers (which has only benefits). The only downside for me is the showerscreen (I will switch it with an IMS one, keeps it easier to clean). P.S. it was a Black Friday buy at 10% discount, making it 900EUR instead of 1000EUR, so I think it’s fair.
I also bought one in black Friday deal. I threw in an ECM bottomless portafilter and wound up paying slightly less than than then usual price of the machine by itself. I haven't unboxed it yet though as it was a Christmas present to myself; so I'm waiting until next weekend. Have you upgraded the shower scree yet? I was wondering if that might help the stream issue mentioned here.
Ive been in the market for my first non-manual machine for awhile now. Keeping my Flair 58 as my espresso pressure profile experimentation station, but want to find something simple for good PID controlled shots with the occasional milk drink. Thinking this, the Ascaso uno or the Quick Mill silvano evo. Wondering if the steam process is better or worse here than the single thermoblock uno or the interesting single boiler with dedicated themroblock for steam on silvano. Anyways great video as always!
I've had my Gaggia Classic Pro for a few years now. I don't really have any need for a fancy heat xchanger or dual boiler...I make a single cup of espresso a day...but the 100ml boiler is REALLY getting to me now. Steam pressure is just never enough. After the OPV mod, I have to refill the boiler manually and it's just a clunky experience. Decent enough for the price, but after a few years in the espresso game, I think I'm ready to move on to a better machine
I suggest folks should seriously consider the recently released Turin Legato. At half the price theLegato beats the Go in features particularly the separate turbo block for steam.😊
hello. I really enjoyed your video. , I have a Profitec go which I bought it recently, the problem I have is that the pressure gage goes up after 2 -3 seconds and gets to 9 bar and starts extracting , I was wondering if it can be increased to 6 or 7 seconds? it seems there is no pre infusion at all. I get 36 gram of espresso on 18 grams in 25 seconds. thanks
Great review. I have a bambino and just make espresso (no milk). Love the look of this. Thinking about treating myself to this and also getting a DF54 grinder (replace sage smart grinder). Should I notice a difference?
You should definitely note a difference! I have just recently switched my setup from a Solis Barista Gran Gusto and a Sage Smart Grinder Pro (which truly frustrated me as I spend tons of coffee just for dialing in!) to a Profitec Go (1.06 software version; the most recent) which I got at the bay for under €700,- and a Niche Zero and it’s a hell of a difference! Dialing in with the Niche is a breeze and I love the PID regulation on the Profitec Go, as it hits the 93 degrees C on the spot!
As long as you don’t mind pulling your hot water from the group for Americanos, or from a kettle (which is my preferred method) because it doesn’t have a hot water tap.
You mentioned the Go produced a better tasting shot than the Pro X, with pre-infusion on, across all roast levels. How about shots from the Pro X without pre-infusion? Is the Go still better? I'm struggling to understand why. Is the ramp-up pressure on the Go significantly different? Or is it just that being able to brew at a lower pressure on the Go produces a better tasting shot?
A question I have with OPV valves is that they effectively route some of the hot water back into the tank to reduce pressure - doesn't that make temperature later in the shop drop more the lower you set the pressure? That's a real problem with machines like my Silvia that don't have a PID and temperate at the start and ends of the shots will be worlds apart
I would like to see more development for good workflow boilerless/hybrid machines. My main wish is to save time to not wait for heat up or flushing/purging protocols to get to the right temperatures for brewing or steaming but also be Energy efficient by not keeping a boiler warm. There was some indication at Host Milan that this is the direction of the future, but I guess I will have to wait a few years now
I'm a bit torn between the Go and Ecm Classika. Think about Classika as it has a bigger boiler and I would like to pracyice latte art. I'm not fond of an HX machine and I like the Classika aethetics. If anyone has experience with both or one of them would appreciate comments.
I've read that you can't dispense hot water for an americano with this machine without pouring it in from the group head, which is kind of a bummer. Is that true?
You said the boiler loses 20F when pulling a shot, so the end of the shot gets much cooler water? I thought the PID controller would do a better job of holding constant temperature.
I could be mistaken but I believe the temperature during shot doesn’t fluctuate. The temperature sensor is probably reading boiler temp as new water is refilling.
It seems to be a more persistent issue. Maybe there’s some aftermarket screens that could help. I do love the way the IMS screens separate the water flow.
That's a great little machine. I love the Gaggia Evo Classic Pro more but I would never buy it due to the coating inside the boiler which may or may not be hazardous. For this reason alone I would rather buy the Profitec Go.
@@vncdvncd8331 "The coating is actually very safe." To declare that something is safe doesn't make it true. By your reasoning, because the tobacco industry said that smoking is safe, then smoking must be safe. Where is the data that proves that the use of a chemical coating inside of a super hot boiler is safe over any period of time? Gaggia uses Exelia 3010-B242. Exelia is used in the cooking and baking industry. The Food & Drug Administration has also approved the use of Exelia 3010-B242. Does it matter? The FDA also approved the use of Teflon and which has been proven to cause cancer. The Exelia coating is only on the new Evo model introduced this year with a new boiler, presumably because the previous design had concerns of galvanic corrosion. Apparently it's a fluoropolymer and there's one document that mentions PTFE so it's probably just PTFE or something extremely similar. Check out: "Condor pump's Declaration of Conformity to Contact with Food." In this study, water was tested at 40º celsius, only 104º fahrenheit for 24 hours. There was no long term testing. Water is a powerfully corrosive over time. It's amazing to me that no one is raising red flags about the use of Exelia in Gaggia's boilers. Boiling water is not as hot oven temperatures but it does not mean using Exelia 3010-B242 is safe either. Fluctuating water temperature, from refrigerated to near boiling, sits inside the boiler for multiple hours, days, and weeks. Where is the data proving that Exelia 3010-B242 is safe? What is the list of chemicals in Exelia 3010-B242? Why isn't the list of chemicals used in Exelia publicly available? How are the chemicals bonded together? How is Exelia 3010-B242 bonded to the aluminum boiler? If Gaggia used Exelia 3010-B242 to save costs then is the cost savings at the expense of the consumer? Finally, why doesn't Gaggia simply use a stainless steel boiler? Stainless steel would put this issue to rest and buyers would gladly pay the increase in material costs for this iconic machine. When are we going to learn to question how things are made and whether or not they are safe?
@@Sprometheus ^^ I just added to my comment explaining the coating that Gaggia uses in their boilers. Especially because espresso machines use boiling water and steam, the use of plastics and coatings in the areas that touch water and steam should be alarming.
@@Sprometheus some kind of coating that Gaggia decided to use to prevent scaling and galvanic corrosion. I believe its not really teflon, but some other thing. Also Gaggia is well known company and Im pretty sure they know what they are doing with this and are very aware of health standards in eu/us
Great and thorough review. I’m going to buy one by end of week but am having a bit of anxiety over the retailer - the two listed on the Profitec site for the USA get mixed reviews. Has anyone purchased one recently from either the USA or Canada and had a great experience? A small shop near me in Berkeley has a black in stock but I think that the red is the one.
Before you buy the Profitec Go do take note: the Profitec Go makes a hell of a noise PID is located at a very inconvenient low place You always have to bend over to view and work with the PID. Do take care not to burn your fingers Rather irritating The lid of the watertank is sitting losely on top and rattles when the vibration pump is working. It doesn't slide in neatly too Why not a hinge? The driptray itself is rather small and doesn't slip in neatly as well: metal on metal Driptray becomes very hot and there is a great chance that the solder joints become loose. Even solder hot spots are visible. The sidepanels and back panel are connected to each other in a clumsey way You have to purge the steamwand twice before making a cappuccino. Making Americano's is tricky because of the short distance. And there is no dedicated hot water switch. The Profitec Go has no smooth workaround and is sloppily put together. All in all definately not barista friendly The ECM Casa or ECM Classika are far better choices.
If I have to use a taller cup I remove the grill from the drip tray and set the cup inside, gets you another inch. If your grouphead is clean you can just run hot water through, without a portafilter, for tea. Or you can put in your blind basket and turn on the brew cycle and run water through the steam wand, inelegant but it works. Personally I use the microwave for tea water. 😊
I've had my Go since March 2023, always surprised by the lack of coverage this machine gets online, its an absolute dream.
Same, lots of Reddit thread research before purchasing. Glad to see this machine getting some well deserved attention on UA-cam
I came from the Gaggia Classic and am thoroughly satisfied with the upgrade. This is the Cadillac of single boiler machines and if I ever stop using it the only reason will be because I’ve gone opened up the wallet for a dual boiler. I’ve had it for well over one year and not a single maintenance issue. I love it.
Same here…just got it. Still trying to dial in my steaming. Had it really down with the Gaggia with a single hole addition. Steaming on this is a little different for sure. But love the shots so far!
I had my go since July 2023. It produces great espresso and milk. Heat up times as you mentioned are pretty quick even when transitioning from espresso to steam. I personally love the machine and it’s quality has been good. I have had zero issues with it. I did add some black tape around drip tray and water tank lid to help with rattles.
how long does it take to steam milk after pulling a shot?
@@absba9Once you hit the steam button, if you purge the wand twice for 5 seconds each with 10 seconds in between then it takes about 40 seconds total for it to reach temp
@@absba9 you should steam the milk before pulling shot. But you have to cool it down which is a hassle!
Love my Go. Had it nearly a year. Served me well as my first machine and I’d only upgrade for a dual boiler but frankly it’s the prettiest and best proportioned machine even at higher price.
Only upgrade was silicon seal; and a new basket. Neither of which were probably 100% necessary.
excellent review, really enjoy your channel - got my Profitec Go 1 month ago and 100% agree, this machine is super impressive. The brand is very in-tune with what the ideal home barista experience be. Makes delicious espresso and definitely punches above its weight for its features and build quality - also important to note that you need a good grinder and some fresh beans to get the most out of your experience. For me pairing this with a Eureka Facile, is an end game home setup. For a work/office setting go with a $6k-$8k top of the line setup. But for home you will be very happy with the Go
To counter the vibrating noise you can rest the water cover on the lip of the plastic water reservoir. Once you do that it’s extremely quiet. The pump is an olab silent pump and compared to the regular ulka pumps you find in other machines it’s a very noticeable reduction in noise.
Yeah I’m sure there are solutions, but I think my job here, at least when it comes to reviews, is to provide feedback using a machine as designed so people know what they’re coming into.
What's a good affordable rotary compressor machine for home. Also are rotary ones better than vibrating ones? Or does it not matter? I have a dedica. Im satisfied but i wonder if i can do better. Please advise
@@taplubambhos2869 Some say the more gradual rise on pressure that the vibration pumps deliver produces better shots. I'd consider a rotary pump more of a sound upgrade then an espresso quality upgrade.
I bought a Go earlier this week, after a few months of highly variable ( from great to bad) results on the Flair Pro 2. What sold it for me was the PID, quality internal water path, OPV access, and size. As an espresso novice it offers me quality with minimal adjustability. Which is great as it allows me to focus on grind and pup prep, without the temptation of things like flow profiling, which are great for those with experience, but would serve only to derail a novice like me from focusing on more fundamental skills. So far I’m happy. It’s great to be able to address problem shots quickly, in contrast to the Flair
You did exactly what I did. Moving from the Flair I really appreciated the Go’s control and clarity!
Tengo 2 flair me encanta su simplicidad y que no tiene nada que se pueda romper y ahhh me la llevo de vacaciones.
Congrats on the upgrade! The Flair is solid but a pump driven machine is a completely different beast, and this is a solid one to learn the ropes on and should keep you plenty build and exploring for some time.
U had it less than a week and think you'll do better with this than a flair - I think you are in for a surprise.
I have a similar circumstance. I went from the Cafelat Robot to the Go. I spent many days trying to dial in the Cafelat but the workflow is so cumbersome. I also have a manual grinder which makes it especially bad. I also picked up the Turin D64 Gen 2. I haven't received either yet (still waiting on shipping), but I am excited to make the move.
As a long time Gaggia Classic (modded) user, After steaming, I put the empty portafilter back in the group head and run about 3 seconds of water to drop heat back near the brew temp. This also refills the boiler. 2nd tip is that the "4oz double spout glass" from Amazon will fit around the portafilter spouts and lets you use a thin scale (lift glass and slide scale under). A couple of tips that could be used for the Profitec.
I have had the Go since July, replacing a 15 year old Gaggia Classic. I wanted built-in temp control and easy pressure adjustments. I rarely make milk drinks, so a single boiler made the most sense. It has been a great machine for me so far, and I get delicious shots from it. I hope in future iterations they put something on the water tank lid to dampen the vibration noise.
Nice! Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying it issue free for five-ish months. It’s definitely a step up from the Classic, especially if you don’t want to dig into it to get the same kind of control, and the PID is great by comparison too.
On the noise front, if it were mine to keep I would order some rubber strips that have adhesive on one side and shore up the lid and tray.
Do you notice that the quality of the espresso is noticeably better than what you got from the GC, using the same grinder and beans?
@@calisson47 yes, I have used my Eureka Mignon Specialita on both machines and get better results with the Go. But, my Gaggia was the older model that I couldn't find different OPV springs for, so I was stuck with the factory pressure which was pretty high. I can't say how it compares to a newer Gaggia with a 9bar spring mod. Temp is definitely more stable.
I've owned the Go for a few months. Placing a thin 0.5 mm adhesive rubber strip along the water tank and drip tray edges reduces the rattling noise somewhat.
I've had the go now for ~9months and really happy with it. The price to possibilities & quality ratio is very high (PID, OPV, 58mm basket, ...). I put it on a smart outlet with the "on" button always pressed so when I wake up I can start to heat it and indeed after 10minutes everything is nice and warm. Besides some rattling indeed I'm only slightly disappointed in the temperature stability when engaging the pump. After I've pushed some water through (only 5sec) the temperature typically drops ~5°C. Not sure what the impact in the taste is though, since this is my only espresso machine and it is a huge upgrade from my previous 15year old Illy Francis Francis X1. Thanks for the valuable insights as always. I always look forward to your videos :)
Funny you mention the temperature dropping because a few people were talking about this as well. The e1 setting probably needs to be adjusted. I think the machines are usually set at 25 (F) but after doing some reading I set mine to 32F and noticing a more stable temperature at the group and a better tasting espresso. Definitely worth looking into. But I agree with everything you said about this machine. Had mine going on 5 months and I love everything about it. It’s a great bang for your buck and honestly probably one of the best single boilers out there for the money and the features it has to offer. I’m also running off a smart plug like you. Makes everything super convenient that you can control it right from your phone
I absolutely love my Profitec Go. If you only need it for yourself at home it’s perfect. If you want many back to back drinks then sure a dual boiler may be the way to go but for me this GO is amazing. My only wish is pre infusion. Surprised to not see more reviews and talk of this machine on the internet. For sure the best single boiler!
I've had my go for about a year now and love it. As far as i can tell the only real issue people might have is the lack of a hot water dispenser for long blacks or americanos (though i dont drink them so no issue for me)
Coming from the rancillio silvia the pid was a godsend to avoid any temp surfing. I think this is going to become the new single boiler standard by which all others are measured.
To get hot water - put in the blind basket, turn on brew and open the steam wand.
Inelegant, but it works. I keep an extra portafilter with the blind basket to refill the boiler after using the steam and for back flushing.
@@user-ge9uz9nn6j oh great tip, thanks mate, much appreciated
Hi there, thanks for the great video on this machine! I actually had two of these, bought the black one in August 2023, I had to sell it for my own reasons (not because there was any issue with it), but when I was in the position to buy another one, I went ahead and bought another Profitec Go just now in May 2024 (from all the machines I could’ve chosen) and I noticed a few improvements. As you have mentioned, the driptray on the earlier model was a bit rattly, loose making quite a bit of noise, but the new model seem to have this fixed, the tray and grill feels more robust, hefty, not as loose as the old, so no noise from there anymore. Also seems a bit more well built in general. I can’t say about the water tank lid as I put some foam tape on the side to prevent any moving. I think Profitec listened to the complaints and improved in some areas. Both models came with no burn steamwands. Also got the blue one this time, people should consider this colour as well, it is very subtle and has a nice vibe to it. Amazing little coffee machine, perfect shot quality, ramps up the pressure real slow, sort of pre infusing it. I had a lot of machines before, HX Vibiemme, ECM Classika PID, etc, still chose the go (don’t have to disassemble the e61 grouphead for lubrication every 1-2 weeks for lubrication after backflush).
Thanks for the updates. Where is the best place to buy this machine? I was looking at Clive Coffee.?
Hi there, I bought this machine in Ginex-espresso from Germany as I’m in Europe. Clive coffee sounds like a good option or maybe WLL? I’d probably go with the one that sells it for cheaper. Another update on the new machine: the grouphead seems to be level now, on the earlier version this was hanging down a bit, so if you attached the portafilter with a straight handle it wasn’t perfectly horizontal (you can see it on some of the videos) but now it is :)
I’m using the Go for a year now after an unreliable double boiler Lelit Elizabeth that I sold after ten months. Apart from the weak steam and the need to wait for it, this compact machine produce cup after cup the same espresso taste as the previous machine. Quite nice. I don’t miss the preinfusion and I love the PID.
I find the steam more than adequate. Do you purge some water from steam wand right after switching to steam mode to make headroom for steam in the boiler?
@@edschaub yes, and quite a lot. But I was used to a big heat exchanger before that never ran out of dry steam. So the small Profitec is ok in comparison.
@@fredericl6190I found that cranking up the steam temp to max helped a lot actually
I found that by ramping up the steam temp to max (282 F I believe) really helped me out and noticed a difference in terms of steaming the milk. I still do the purge as well like you mentioned. Give it a shot see if you notice a difference
This seems like a really nice mid level machine! I really like the ease of pressure adjustment.
It has a timer and that's really helpful . Great review as usual !
I agree, I like the addition of a timer. It definitely is a benefit. Thanks for watching and the kind words!
I got the GO 6 mos ago and am very happy with it. I mostly make cappucinos (with lots of milk). I have no complaints about the steaming.
I purchased the go and I’m enjoying it and your right about the sharp edges near the drip tray, which has cut my finger!
Had mine 2 weeks now. Took 3 days to dial in with a Niche Zero but nailing perfect shots now every single time back to back. Steaming almost perfect now also after I adjusted technique. Gorgeous retro look (have the blue one) and build quality is superb especially for an entry level machine. I expect this will be more than enough tor us for many years.
Any tips for dialling in? I know the theory, but anything specific to the Go? I'm also in UK and am awaiting delivery of mine from Bella Barista.
Yea, I love my GO but having issues dialing in consistent shots. I do have a lower lever grinder from what I’ve been told that could be the issues.
and then you have to dial it again with new beans. It is a constant dialing in. Oh brother!
Sprometheus dropping a banger after a banger
Happy to provide! Cheers!
Just received my Profitec Go in the post. So excited. Time to mess things up in the kitchen!
I've had my Go since August '22 and in the time I've had it I haven't experienced any real issues with it. I do find the boiler to be a little small for larger lattes, but that's the be expected for a single boiler and size efficient machine. The one true annoyance I've had with the machine is when the cleaning timer starts getting close it counts down with something like 5-10 more "shots" until cleaning on the LCD. The problem is, when these are being displayed nothing else can be displayed like the current temp. If you want to clean the machine a few shots early that's great, but I haven't found a way to clear the counter as well. What I end up having to do is just run a few 10+ second "shots" through to reset the counter. If any other owners have had this experience and know a better way around it I'd love to hear it!
Other than that annoyance it's been a great machine and until I have the counterspace (and cash!) to upgrade to a dual boiler with flow control this is all I could really ask for
Very, very satisfied with my Profitec GO after 7 months. What a pleasure to use, Excellent value for money.
The vibrating water tank lid is such an easy fix: I put a thin pad down on the top to keep the cups in place and prevent scratches, and rest the edge of the lid on it. I get no rattle from the drip tray. Removing the grid from the drip tray, leave the tray in place, gives an extra inch of clearance under the group head if you need it.
The only negative is no sightglass for the tank water level. A couple of led lights flanking the grouphead would be good in the future as the espresso stream is difficult to see on the black -mine- background. Set up was a little fussy because Profitec had made small changes ahead of their manual, but Clive’s worked through it with me. As always, Thank you for the review.
Hi - in your comment you mention getting more space by removing the tray.
I want to do this to fit my cup for long black (water in before shot) but I have a question if you are able to answer l please - does the group head automatically purge at the end of the shot into the tray with your cup though?
Thanks!
@@MrDistracted I don’t remove the tray, I remove the GRID. The solenoid does discharge into the tray and the water is caught. It is abt 2 tablespoons of clean water so the bottom of the cup may get wet, and you should not use a scale, but it does give you more clearance. BTW there is a new double boiler option, the Profitec Move.
@@user-ge9uz9nn6j thank you!
I have one and it's the perfect first machine. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and consistent shot after shot. Love mine.
When I received my GO I realised the drip tray and reservoir lid needed damping due to the rattles (as mentioned in the video).
I used silicon self adhesive tape and cured the problem.
But that was the start of my upgrades. I continued with the following :-
Fabricated a gridded stainless steel mesh platform to protect the top panel from scratches.
Built a water level sensor circuit for the reservoir that illuminates a red flashing LED when water is low just under the Profitec cutout on the top panel.
Added illumination LED’s underneath the group head panel.
Attached LED bars on the rear to give background lighting.
Extended the steam wand by 50mm with a compatible kit.
I am now thinking of adding a flow control module to the pump.
The GO makes great espresso and the single boiler setup is acceptable when familiar with the brewing and steaming workflow.
I just got the GO, would love to see your upgrades.
Would love to see your upgrades?
Recently added a filter cartridge to the reservoir using a suction cup silicon tube and zip tie.
I don’t seem to be able to direct you to the posts I wrote about the mods to my GO. The links just get deleted. I’m guessing adding links here contravenes the rules.
How are you going to go about adding flow control?
I would have brought that machine 4 years ago when I dipped my toes into espresso. I recently upgraded to the Lelit Elizabeth. It's a proper dual boiler machine and has a very small footprint. Priced just a bit higher so it's the long standing competitor to this cheaper alternative.
The Elizabeth is great. Only BIG problem I see is the long heat-up time. Watched the Kaffeemacher review and I do not want to wait 25 minutes for making coffee. Also the Go in colour is beautiful in comparison to the bare metal machines but that is subjective
@@AAkCN1 That is something you always are going o get from a dual boiler machine. You need to spend a lot of money to get a machine with faster heat up time and consistency. The profitec GO is not going to be faster in that regard.
@@CannedLaughter00The Profitec Go is ready after 7 minutes and hits the desired 93 degrees C on the spot then!
I really wanted the GO, but wife said I can't spend that much. So I had to "settle" on the Gaggia Classic Pro. I still think the GO is better than the Classic, but the price jump isn't something easily overlooked when on a limited budget.
Its a great machine like you said, on the topic of steaming just max out the steam temp on the PID adjustment to its highest setting, purge it and start steaming before it reaches the setpoint and you will get constant steam all the way through.
Surprised by no mention of the lack of hot water dispensing. To me as an Americano drinker this was a big factor in why I went for another machine in the end. Not necessary but definitely a nice workflow convenience for Americano drinkers.
The water dispenses from the group fast enough that you could make a 250ml americano in 15 seconds. So realistically it’s not much of an issue. (I owned a GO from march to October)
I have been using this since April 2023
Profitec Go is a great home espresso machine.
I do not have the Go, but Pro 300 but I can safely say I am long term user (like 5 years or so) and have to say those are great machines. Of course the steaming side is not the best (you pointed all out very well, the shape of the spout, the "dryness" of the steam ... or lack of), but the rest is rock solid. I modded my Pro 300 in a way I have full flow control (bu adding a regulator based on the sine wave frequency regulation not amplitude which makes vibratory pump work in a very large flow range - like below 1 ml/s to 6 or something + an option to switch the pump off without depressurizing the puck). Additionally I added a proper brew pressure gauge, e.g. I drilled the 3 way valve and plugged pressure meter there so I have exactly brewing pressure displayed. With that flow control I can easily pull fantastic shots back to back (I change the flow with a potentiometer on the front of my machine with and option to on/off the full power with the switch which is great for high pressure pre-infusion). You can't go wrong with those machines. Buy better grinder (I use P100, but can easily pull great shots with a hand Kinu M47 grinder) and you have fantastic coffee experience whenever you like.
Great timing on this video. My Go was packed up by the shop today and will be with me early next week. The steaming issues don't bother me as I don't drink milk drinks; only sometimes making them for others. My Sage Bambino has done a decent job but the user experience was never great so pretty sure this will feel like a decent upgrade.
Nice! Congrats on the new Go! Perfect timing indeed, and yeah you won’t be disappointed with the espresso, and the milk gets the job done when need be.
Thanks. For further down the line, do you think upgrading the shower screen might help the stream issue? Or is that just down to the flow rate?@@Sprometheus
Love my Go! Bought one in September for my birthday and I’m glad I did. Such a quality machine and I feel like it’s definitely the best bang for your buck as far as single boilers go. Came from a Bambino Plus so it was a huge upgrade for me in all aspects. I recently fooled around with the OPV. It was set at 10 bars when I got it from Clive. Knocked it down to 9 and definitely noticed a difference. Think I’m gonna go lower. In your video you said you can get it down to 7.5 bars but in the manual it says you can only drop it down to 8. Unless I misunderstood you but were you able to drop it that low? Because I definitely want to experiment with lower bars of pressure as it seems to be producing smoother and tastier espresso
Just fyi but clive sets it to read 10 but it’s actually 9 at the group.
@@dearcoffee85yea I am aware. Nonetheless I lowered it and am getting better tasting espresso
can you compare this to the lelit victoria? im going crazy deciding between the 2. can anyone speak on the pre-infusion option for the lelit? is this a must have over the profitec?
Thanks! Isn't it the same group as the 58mm Lelit (PL41 + PID)?
Do you plan to test the Quick Mill POP which is presented by the manufacturer as allowing to control the extraction flow. Doing Flow Profiling on a thermoblock, ... I'm curious to hear your opinion.
For me, I just make iced drinks so single boiler is the way to go, I def wasted money on my large dual boiler machine. This machine seems great. It’s absurd how much the temp control option ads to the cost of the Silvia. Rancillio needs to figure out how to at temp control as standard on the Silvia in order to compete, IMO
Interestingly the ecm casa v is basically the same machine as this. Ecm and profitec are owned by the same company. The ecm casa v has no pid and dispenses hot water through the ateam wand. The profitec go does not dispense hot water and has a pid. Everything else is nearly identical between the two machines from what i have seen. The pressure adjustment valve is identical.
You can also dispense hit water through the steam wand on the GO. Insert the blind basket, turn in brew cycle and open the steam wand knob.
Great timing, just bought a Profitec Go 2 weeks ago, because in EU, I couldn’t buy a Crossland CC1
The Crossland is a solid single boiler for sure, but overall the feel of the Profitec just hits different for me. Had a proper, prosumer vibe.
My Rancilio Silvia has just packed it in and I like the look of this. Quick question, I don't see a hot water button on the machine? How do you get water out through steam wand for making Americano?
Tempted to upgrade from a Gaggia Classic. Something around $1K would make sense (X2 price).
My main issue with the Gaggia is temp control. Already have the 9 bars spring, and a Bottomless filter, and doing OK with those. I do use the steam wand a fair bit, so, dual boiler maybe...
Hmmm.... Dunno if it's worth it. Maybe I'll keep the Gaggia for a while. I don't want to mess around with PID mods, and would rather buy something turn-key.
Me and my partner just got one for ourselves, it’s our first machine we’re super excited to start making drinks at home now
Lelit victoria is also a single boiler pid control machine but with a preinfusion so which one do you think is better if you ever use the lelit
technically they both are pretty much the same, but with the lelit you definitely get more for less money …
I owned a GO from march to October of this year, and moved to a belleza bellona . While I was happy with the GOs espresso performance, being a single boiler was too much of a detriment to me as I mostly serve milk drinks. I have difficulty recommending it though, because it’s 1300 CAD, and the ballona is 1500CAD, but regularly goes on sale for 1000, or even 800 CAD (which I bought it for). So even if someone were only wanting espresso/americano, why pay more for a machine that has way less flexibility (aside from external opv), rather than a cheaper (it’s been on sale for maybe 5 months at $1000) more scenario capable machine?
Well for one your prices don't apply everywhere. Where I am Go is 1200 CAD and Ballona 2000 CAD. Also, for someone making a moderate amount of milk drinks, the Go has no issues. And finally it takes less space and doesn't have an ugly water tank on the outside.
I have a rancilio silvia, the newest version of it. Essentially the competitor in terms of price, and very similar spec-wise. If I put a PID on it, my total cost would end up around $950 as well. I like my machine a lot, and I really enjoy how nice the steam wand is. Like, it's comparable (albeit not as nice) as the $3000 commercial machine I use pretty regularly. However, my issue with single boilers as a whole is making multiple drinks at once. I regularly have a lot of people over, and making 6 flat whites just isn't going to happen easily unfortunately. If you're used to temp surfing like I am, it CAN be done, but the drinks come out in waves of 4 and it's awkward when you have 6 or 7 people waiting for drinks and two people finished theirs already
I watch tones of video to choose my expresso machine. It goes from Gaggia Classic to La Marzocco Micra... At the end, the best ratio Quality / Price / Features / Footprint is the Profitec Go.
It's a kind of Swiss knife in the expresso machine world to my mind.
Yeah, but a Swiss knife made in Germany. ✌️😉
Have my go since july. Been working good, i just never been able to steam milk drinks with it. I have to always steam it twice to get my milk hot enough to drink.
Set your steam temp to the max and that gives more room to let the temp drop as you steam. Also be sure to purge the wand well to make room for steam in the boiler. I never have an issue once I do those 2 things. Never steam under 281°F and you will be fine.
This machine is pretty much my dream upgrade from my old old old Gaggia Classic. The only thing on my wishlist it's missing is pre-infusion. But the pressure adjustment is really what's important to me. But it's a really attractive looking machine.
it practically has pre-infusion, since the pressure builds up slow, around 10secs to reach full pressure. It is not configurable though.
Is it £100 better than a Lelit Victoria ? They seem to be very similar in everything including styling
Looks like a really nice machine, and I love the translucent milk pitcher in the video ❤
As a Rancilio Silvia owner, you can get a form of ramp up, in pressure.
If you know your machine well, the air cushion inside the boiler from steaming, if you leave some of this air, and don't fill the boiler completely.
You get a slow ramp up of pressure when pulling shots, but you need to know your machine, too low water level will damage the heat element !!
Thanks for the video, amazing work as always. I am on the fence between this machine, the Diletta Mio or the Ascaso Duo. I know prices are a big range but I'm thinking on what's the best for me with my usecase. I almost always will make 2 or 3 milk based drinks back to back when I use my machine, so the times between steaming and pulling shots of the Go kind of concern me. Especially coming from the wonderfully convenient Breville Bambino Plus. What would you say is best for that usecase?
I'm in the same boat, but the go and mio (and the Ascaso steel uno) seem like too big a premium (double the price) over the gaggia classic pro. It feels like no one is even within spitting distance of the GCP's price for single boiler.
I'll be coming from a breville barista express and spending the extra few hundred for the steel duo. In the dual "boiler" category, everything else is ugly and more expensive.
@@Kiaulen yeah the three machines I mentioned have a big price range variation but I don't have a specific budget, just want to get something reasonable for my usecase as well as clearly upgrading from my BBP.
The more I think, the more I think the Diletta Mio is a good option, but the issues people have experienced concern me a bit
Great show,
Is the 600 as noisey as the go seems to be or is the fit and finish better making it quieter. As they both have vibration pumps all that noise would put me off. I'm looking at the 600 myself.👍👍😎🇬🇧
I would say the Go is louder, and likely because it’s got less weight and material around it. But as I pointed out to another commenter, I’m just showing you how it performs as designed, there are definitely some quick fixes for the heavy vibrations.
@@Sprometheus yeh, i have to agree about rubber strips reducing noise, I was just a bit surprised how bad the noise was in your review.
Anyway thx for the reply. Look forward to your next show. Also a lot of new things coming out soon, from what I see at hostmilan, looking forward to your reviews
👍👍😎🇬🇧
The video misses the biggest downside of the machine: the PID and temperature offset are inaccurate on many machines. Some people need to increase the temperature offset in order to get proper brew temps. Most of us don't have Scace devices, so we're flying blind with regards to what our real brew temperature is. Wish your review had done some temperature tests.
How do you recommend identifying if my machine is off?
The real comparison here is more w/Silvia, no? And it seems like this comes out on top, w/pressure control and pid. Lot of bang for the buck in a small package. Could one hope for preinfusion at this price point?
It would be a closer comparison yes, but not having direct experience with the Silvia and only with the Pro X it would be more speculation than anything else.
Pre-infusion could be a nice touch, but even the Pro X has “soft infusion” and it didn’t seem to make as much of a difference in the cup as being able to set the peak brew pressure on the Go.
I've had mine since Jan 2023, and updated the PID to newer firmware via module exchange. I enjoy it, but also find steam to be the weakest point. I also wish the OPV had more range to go lower than 6-7 bar. I'd still buy it again for the price point and features.
My OPV only goes down to 8 bars (which should be 7 at the group).
how did you update the PID firmware?
@@SaltySaltySalty. I contacted my dealer and they exchanged the v1.01 module for the v1.06 module under warranty. While it could technically be done in the field, you'd need a special UART-style serial cable and programming software that they're not willing to distribute or loan out.
Honestly, v1.01 didn't time out the seaming cycle nearly as quickly, requiring you to turn the steam button off, then on again to continue heating at the steaming temp. I get that it's to save energy and the heating element, but it's annoying and not documented.
@@RickJohnson thx for explaining! I ordered the Profitec Go yesterday. It will be interesting to see the firmware version
Do you have the new version with fast heat up and the olab silent green or the older versions with different pumps (I think they were Ulka before), since the Olab has a lot lower flowrate and slower pressure rise.
The fast heat feature says ready in 8.5 min, my GO without it is ready in 10 min.
Don’t know about the difference in pumps.
I had a Breville 800ESXL that I bought, fixed and used for years but it finally died. I decided on the Go over the Evo. I don't mind trading the instant steam from the breville for more control over the brew temp and pressure. I also like the brass boiler over aluminum with coating. Would love to get something like the BZ13 but it's beyond the current budget. I'm hoping the Go is a nice upgrade.
I (and quite a few other people) would love to know what the E1 value (PID boiler offset) on your machine is. It's in the advanced menu that you access while holding down both buttons on the PID while the machine boots up. There's been some debate as to what the E1 value should be set to since there isn't really any guidance for it online yet (see Clive's PID support page).
Good question, and honestly I was happy with the shot temps and extractions so I didn't actually check until I read this comment, but it is set to 32.
@@Sprometheus thanks for looking!
I got a feeling this might be my new coffee machine ! Thanks
As a former Pro 600 owner, I 'downgraded' to the Go as I don't drink milk - I literally never turned on the steam boiler. My only complaints are the lack of preinfusion, the fact you can't turn the OPV below 8.5 bar (ish) on the gauge (~7.5 at the group) and the rattling. All minor and/or solvable with some DIY.
Why did you ever buy a dual boiler then?
so what DIY did you do?
@@richardw2801 Was coming from a Silvia, and wanted an E61 based machine with a PID, preinfusion, etc, and all without DIYing. At the time (2013(, the options were limited, and my local shop had just received the new Profitec stuff, so I got a deal and went that route.
@@calisson47 Dynamat inside on a few surfaces to reduce vibrations; a couple vacuum sealed bags of lead shot under the tank shelf to increase weight and prevent the machine moving when locking in/out; custom cut sorbothane gasket under the pump to reduce vibrations; audiophile style vibration reducing 'feet' to replace existing feet - increases height so I can use a scale stand, reduce vibrations, and super grippy on the counter; cut thin strips of self-adhesive black fireplace gasket to eliminate rattle in the tank lid and drip tray; glued magnets to the inside (hidden) sections of both the drip tray and lid to hold them firmly in place (tank lid locks to back of machine now); bent down the weird flange on the back plate and added a larger custom made stainless steel water tank, with both a holder for a standard water softerner cartridge, and a ring mount for an immersion heater, obviously a water softener, and an immersion heater wired to AC for keeping tank water warmer; an inline switching regulator circuit (with inductor and capacitor) to lower voltage to pump for either preinfusion or to reduce group pressure below 8.5 bar.
Yah, I'm crazy. Also an electrical engineer 🤷🏽♂ lol who loves to tinker. Next upgrades will be to plumb in so I can use the tank space for a rotary pump, raspberry pi/arduino and some additional sensors, flow meter, etc so I can do full temperature/pressure/flow profiling. Also likely a group head heater.
Current workflow is Eureka Single Dose direct to PF/Spirit basket > ETSY spirograph WDT, gravity leveler thingy, 30lb tamp on clickmat, 1.7mm 100µm screen, MHW-3Bomber screen, 4s 3.3bar preinfusion, ~16-18s extraction at 6.6bar for ~24% EY.
@@cameronwheler7367 and people say the Gaggia Classic Pro needs mods!!
The problem I find with single boilers is the time to make more than two back to back milk drinks, let alone for a crowd, it becomes fairly challenging to be quick about it. If you’re making two drinks at a time, you’ll have a great time, and probably the GO is the best of that bunch.
Yeah. I think it really depends on your life situation. Right now I only make one milk drink per day and don't foresee a time when that would change, at least in the near future. But I could definitely imagine needing to make two or more and then it would come in handy. I think I would probably just want to move to having two machines though: a dual boiler and a lever machine.
So far since I’m coming from a Breville Mini Barista, this is a game changer.
I have it paired with an Eureka Mignon Manuale, and I must say this machine has a learning curve but after you’re there, it can produce beautifull results.
I had the opportunity to test a Gaggia for 2 weeks in the past, and I used the same grinder.
As an experience, the Go outperforms the beloved Gaggia, and personally I could never have the patience to temperature surf. Also, the stock basket is high quality, search online but besides the shape, holes are identically precise and immaculate as of an IMS (which of course I also bought for the fun of it xD )
About single boiler… well I didn’t want to spend the money to buy an Ascaso Steel Duo, but that machine seems to be the future, meaning no more boilers (which has only benefits).
The only downside for me is the showerscreen (I will switch it with an IMS one, keeps it easier to clean).
P.S. it was a Black Friday buy at 10% discount, making it 900EUR instead of 1000EUR, so I think it’s fair.
I also bought one in black Friday deal. I threw in an ECM bottomless portafilter and wound up paying slightly less than than then usual price of the machine by itself. I haven't unboxed it yet though as it was a Christmas present to myself; so I'm waiting until next weekend. Have you upgraded the shower scree yet? I was wondering if that might help the stream issue mentioned here.
I have been using a paper filter on the top of the puck since I got my GO, for a year, and my shower screen is immaculate.
This coffee machine looks great and the coffee oil is been extracted very well.
@5:57 wow that is perfectly done shot to demonstrate this :o
Ive been in the market for my first non-manual machine for awhile now. Keeping my Flair 58 as my espresso pressure profile experimentation station, but want to find something simple for good PID controlled shots with the occasional milk drink. Thinking this, the Ascaso uno or the Quick Mill silvano evo. Wondering if the steam process is better or worse here than the single thermoblock uno or the interesting single boiler with dedicated themroblock for steam on silvano. Anyways great video as always!
I've had my Gaggia Classic Pro for a few years now. I don't really have any need for a fancy heat xchanger or dual boiler...I make a single cup of espresso a day...but the 100ml boiler is REALLY getting to me now. Steam pressure is just never enough. After the OPV mod, I have to refill the boiler manually and it's just a clunky experience. Decent enough for the price, but after a few years in the espresso game, I think I'm ready to move on to a better machine
SB with PID. Nice Profitec!
A solid piece of kit for sure!
I suggest folks should seriously consider the recently released Turin Legato. At half the price theLegato beats the Go in features particularly the separate turbo block for steam.😊
Great video! Do you know if I can use my bottomless portafilter from my Gaggia classic?
hello. I really enjoyed your video. , I have a Profitec go which I bought it recently, the problem I have is that the pressure gage goes up after 2 -3 seconds and gets to 9 bar and starts extracting , I was wondering if it can be increased to 6 or 7 seconds? it seems there is no pre infusion at all. I get 36 gram of espresso on 18 grams in 25 seconds. thanks
Great vid as always! Do you think you will review the new profitec drive? It looks like a very interesting machine.
Great review. I have a bambino and just make espresso (no milk). Love the look of this. Thinking about treating myself to this and also getting a DF54 grinder (replace sage smart grinder). Should I notice a difference?
You should definitely note a difference!
I have just recently switched my setup from a Solis Barista Gran Gusto and a Sage Smart Grinder Pro (which truly frustrated me as I spend tons of coffee just for dialing in!) to a Profitec Go (1.06 software version; the most recent) which I got at the bay for under €700,- and a Niche Zero and it’s a hell of a difference!
Dialing in with the Niche is a breeze and I love the PID regulation on the Profitec Go, as it hits the 93 degrees C on the spot!
I think it would be an excellent second machine for the cottage.
Should be good for americano's
As long as you don’t mind pulling your hot water from the group for Americanos, or from a kettle (which is my preferred method) because it doesn’t have a hot water tap.
@Sprometheus where it got a small boiler it keeps water fresher.
I find taking water from a large steam boiler terrible.
You mentioned the Go produced a better tasting shot than the Pro X, with pre-infusion on, across all roast levels. How about shots from the Pro X without pre-infusion? Is the Go still better? I'm struggling to understand why. Is the ramp-up pressure on the Go significantly different? Or is it just that being able to brew at a lower pressure on the Go produces a better tasting shot?
Thank you my friend.
Of course! Always happy to hear from you every week! Cheers!
@@Sprometheus 👊🏻
I'm still debating between the Profitec GO, the Diletta Mio & Ascaso Steel UNO.. (Regardless of the price dif.) Any suggestions/ feedback?
A question I have with OPV valves is that they effectively route some of the hot water back into the tank to reduce pressure - doesn't that make temperature later in the shop drop more the lower you set the pressure? That's a real problem with machines like my Silvia that don't have a PID and temperate at the start and ends of the shots will be worlds apart
I would like to see more development for good workflow boilerless/hybrid machines.
My main wish is to save time to not wait for heat up or flushing/purging protocols to get to the right temperatures for brewing or steaming but also be Energy efficient by not keeping a boiler warm.
There was some indication at Host Milan that this is the direction of the future, but I guess I will have to wait a few years now
Nope now. Look at the Ascaso Duo Steel. It's a beaut
@@paolocoletti3424I'm not entirely convinced about the current Ascaso products. I'm more looking for products like the Decent
I'm a bit torn between the Go and Ecm Classika. Think about Classika as it has a bigger boiler and I would like to pracyice latte art. I'm not fond of an HX machine and I like the Classika aethetics. If anyone has experience with both or one of them would appreciate comments.
Would you recommend this over the Silvia
I've read that you can't dispense hot water for an americano with this machine without pouring it in from the group head, which is kind of a bummer. Is that true?
That is true. There is no hot water tap, so if you want hot water for your Americano it’s the group or a kettle.
Do I need a better machine (HX/DB) to perform well with light roasts or the Go is enough?
You said the boiler loses 20F when pulling a shot, so the end of the shot gets much cooler water? I thought the PID controller would do a better job of holding constant temperature.
I could be mistaken but I believe the temperature during shot doesn’t fluctuate. The temperature sensor is probably reading boiler temp as new water is refilling.
Thought it was just my Go regarding the waterfall screen. sometime its like a water hose.
It seems to be a more persistent issue. Maybe there’s some aftermarket screens that could help. I do love the way the IMS screens separate the water flow.
Man tvis machone is almost perfect. The only thing I would miss is pre-infusion and a flow meter
That's a great little machine. I love the Gaggia Evo Classic Pro more but I would never buy it due to the coating inside the boiler which may or may not be hazardous. For this reason alone I would rather buy the Profitec Go.
The coating is actually very safe. It was the reason for me to buy it over standard Classic Pro
@@vncdvncd8331 "The coating is actually very safe." To declare that something is safe doesn't make it true. By your reasoning, because the tobacco industry said that smoking is safe, then smoking must be safe. Where is the data that proves that the use of a chemical coating inside of a super hot boiler is safe over any period of time?
Gaggia uses Exelia 3010-B242. Exelia is used in the cooking and baking industry. The Food & Drug Administration has also approved the use of Exelia 3010-B242. Does it matter? The FDA also approved the use of Teflon and which has been proven to cause cancer. The Exelia coating is only on the new Evo model introduced this year with a new boiler, presumably because the previous design had concerns of galvanic corrosion. Apparently it's a fluoropolymer and there's one document that mentions PTFE so it's probably just PTFE or something extremely similar.
Check out: "Condor pump's Declaration of Conformity to Contact with Food." In this study, water was tested at 40º celsius, only 104º fahrenheit for 24 hours. There was no long term testing. Water is a powerfully corrosive over time. It's amazing to me that no one is raising red flags about the use of Exelia in Gaggia's boilers. Boiling water is not as hot oven temperatures but it does not mean using Exelia 3010-B242 is safe either. Fluctuating water temperature, from refrigerated to near boiling, sits inside the boiler for multiple hours, days, and weeks.
Where is the data proving that Exelia 3010-B242 is safe? What is the list of chemicals in Exelia 3010-B242? Why isn't the list of chemicals used in Exelia publicly available? How are the chemicals bonded together? How is Exelia 3010-B242 bonded to the aluminum boiler? If Gaggia used Exelia 3010-B242 to save costs then is the cost savings at the expense of the consumer? Finally, why doesn't Gaggia simply use a stainless steel boiler? Stainless steel would put this issue to rest and buyers would gladly pay the increase in material costs for this iconic machine. When are we going to learn to question how things are made and whether or not they are safe?
Hmm, I haven’t tried the Evo. What’s inside the boiler?
@@Sprometheus ^^ I just added to my comment explaining the coating that Gaggia uses in their boilers. Especially because espresso machines use boiling water and steam, the use of plastics and coatings in the areas that touch water and steam should be alarming.
@@Sprometheus some kind of coating that Gaggia decided to use to prevent scaling and galvanic corrosion. I believe its not really teflon, but some other thing. Also Gaggia is well known company and Im pretty sure they know what they are doing with this and are very aware of health standards in eu/us
Hi, can I adjust the opv srcew on the top as I brew to imitate "flow control"?
I hope you get to review the MiiCoffee Apex which has a PID and flow control (without an OPV) for $499!
I would rather drink tea if I had to purchase from clive coffee EVER AGAIN !
The Go has an issue. It doesn’t have a nice workflow for getting hot water. For those like myself that do a lot of americanos, it can be a big deal.
Which grinder would you recommend with this?
It would have been the perfected single boiler if it had the preinfusion feature found on PRO 400.
It costs 2,5 gaggia classics or 1.3 ranchilio Silvias so I would say it’s a bit more in terms of price range
Another great video. Would love a Simonelli Oscar 2 review. Should be a steaming monster and very budget friendly.
Thanks Frederik, I’ll definitely look into it. I don’t think I’ve had a Simonelli on the channel yet either.
used to own an oscar 1. a very capable machine, good espresso and good steam.
Great and thorough review. I’m going to buy one by end of week but am having a bit of anxiety over the retailer - the two listed on the Profitec site for the USA get mixed reviews. Has anyone purchased one recently from either the USA or Canada and had a great experience? A small shop near me in Berkeley has a black in stock but I think that the red is the one.
I just picked up a Pro 400 from clive (west coast importer). They were great!
@@shrednut-gm9if that is great to hear. I'm in San Francisco, and honestly thought of driving up to Portland to visit a cousin and shop at Clive.
I also used CLIVE and they are very responsive. I recently asked- via email- about draining the boiler for storage and they replied the next day. 👍
Which website can buy the best price in the USA?
How does this compare to a Lelit Mara?
☕☕☕
Love Is Important ...
❤❤❤
Indeed my friend! Thank you for watching
Before you buy the Profitec Go do take note:
the Profitec Go makes a hell of a noise
PID is located at a very inconvenient low
place
You always have to bend over to view and work with the PID.
Do take care not to burn your fingers
Rather irritating
The lid of the watertank is sitting losely on top and rattles when the vibration pump is working.
It doesn't slide in neatly too
Why not a hinge?
The driptray itself is rather small
and doesn't slip in neatly as well:
metal on metal
Driptray becomes very hot and
there is a great chance that the solder joints become loose.
Even solder hot spots are visible.
The sidepanels and back panel are connected to each
other in a clumsey way
You have to purge the steamwand twice before making a cappuccino.
Making Americano's is tricky because of the short distance.
And there is no dedicated hot water switch.
The Profitec Go has no smooth workaround
and is sloppily put together.
All in all definately not barista friendly
The ECM Casa or ECM Classika are far better choices.
I’m kinda soured on single boilers, I’d rather have a good solid thermoblock over a single boiler.
How do you make a "Tall Coffee" with it or get hot water for a cup of tea?
If I have to use a taller cup I remove the grill from the drip tray and set the cup inside, gets you another inch. If your grouphead is clean you can just run hot water through, without a portafilter, for tea. Or you can put in your blind basket and turn on the brew cycle and run water through the steam wand, inelegant but it works. Personally I use the microwave for tea water. 😊