As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve cooked with a wide variety of pizza ovens in both personal and professional settings. In this article, I’ll compare two high-end models I’ve personally used—Cru Champion and Alfa Futuro 2. I evaluated them across the most important criteria: quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and a real pizza cooking test to see how long it takes and how the results taste. You can also check my separate article for a detailed look at how I test pizza ovens.
The Cru Champion is a handcrafted wood-fired oven made in Portugal, known for its impressive cooking surface, premium build, and powerful heat retention for serious outdoor cooking.
The Alfa Futuro 2 is a beautifully designed gas-powered oven made in Italy, with excellent heating power and capacity, designed for performance and efficiency in a stylish shell.
I’ve conducted thorough tests to compare Cru Champion and Alfa Futuro 2, detailed in this article.
This article includes referral links. If you decide to buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It really helps support my blog and lets me keep testing gear like this.
Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Quality and Materials
| The Cru Champion is built in Portugal with dual-walled AISI 304 stainless steel and thick ceramic insulation. The cordierite cooking bricks are heavy-duty and retain heat exceptionally well. Most of the oven held up flawlessly over time—only the chimney showed mild discoloration. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 is designed and handcrafted in Italy using premium stainless steel. The iconic curved arch, large viewing glass door, and patented flue system showcase its craftsmanship. It’s solid, but lacks the raw ruggedness of the Cru Champion.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Temperature Control
| The Cru Champion retains heat beautifully once fully preheated, requiring less fuel and attention between bakes. It reached 850°F in just under 13 minutes in my tests, quicker than advertised. The oven holds steady, letting you focus on cooking, not fire management. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 also performs well, reaching up to 1000°F in about 30 minutes. Its heat circulation is efficient, though preheating takes longer. It’s consistent, but not as fuel-efficient or hands-off as the Cru Champion during continuous use.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Shape
| The Cru Champion’s semi-round dome and large square cooking surface (24” x 24”) make it extremely versatile—ideal for large pizzas, roasting meats, or grilling vegetables. The dome shape promotes natural airflow and excellent heat reflection. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 has a sleek, curved dome and spacious rectangular floor (70 x 40 cm), with thoughtful features like a glass door and ergonomic handles. It’s stylish and functional, but prioritizes form alongside function.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: First-Time Usage Impressions
| Setup for the Cru Champion took just 10 minutes, and most parts came pre-assembled. Despite its size, it was intuitive to use from the start. The large cooking surface and fast heat-up time left a strong first impression. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 also came well-packaged with clear instructions. Assembly took about 30 minutes and required help due to its weight. First use was smooth, though managing two pizzas at once took some practice.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Power Source
| The Cru Champion runs on wood or charcoal, giving you flexibility and deep smoky flavor. It’s made for traditionalists who love hands-on cooking and aroma-rich results. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 is gas-powered by default, but offers an optional wood-burning hybrid kit (sold separately). It’s convenient, but wood flavor requires an extra purchase.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Size
| With a 24″ x 24″ cooking surface and 17.5″ wide opening, the Cru Champion easily fits pizzas up to 18″, roasts, or two 10″ pizzas at once. It’s ideal for group cooking and events. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 is slightly narrower, fitting two pizzas or a 2kg bread loaf. It’s spacious, but slightly less open and flexible than the Cru Champion for large-format items.
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Cru Champion VS Alfa Futuro 2: Ease of Cleaning
| Cleaning the Cru Champion is simple—remove ashes, wipe down the dome, and brush the bricks. The removable floor bricks make it even easier to clean deeply between uses. |
The Alfa Futuro 2 is also easy to maintain but slightly more challenging due to its deeper chamber. Scraping debris and checking the flue requires more effort due to limited access.
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Pizza Cooking Test: Cru Champion vs Alfa Futuro 2
The Cru Champion surprised me with how fast it heated up—despite its size, it reached 850°F in just under 13 minutes, faster than the 20 minutes listed by the manufacturer. Once hot, I slid in a classic Margherita pizza. It cooked perfectly in 96 seconds, with a beautifully charred crust, evenly melted mozzarella, and just the right amount of smoky aroma that only wood or charcoal can provide. The flavor had that classic wood-fired depth, and the crust had the crispy, chewy texture I look for in a high-end oven.
The Alfa Futuro 2 needed about 30 minutes to preheat to its full potential of 1000°F, which is right in line with Alfa’s specs. Once ready, it cooked two Margherita pizzas in 90 seconds. The pizzas came out evenly baked with a soft, puffy crust and nicely caramelized toppings. The results were excellent, especially for a gas-powered oven, but the flavor didn’t have quite the same wood-fired character unless the optional hybrid wood kit is added.
How We Tested
To compare the Cru Champion and Alfa Futuro 2 fairly, I used both ovens in my professional outdoor cooking area at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston. I assembled each oven according to the manufacturer’s instructions and cooked several Margherita pizzas using the same ingredients and dough recipe to keep things consistent.
I paid close attention to how fast each oven heated up, how the cooking process felt in real use, and how the pizzas turned out in terms of crust texture, flavor, and evenness. I also considered the overall usability of each oven—whether they were easy to handle, how smoothly they performed during a busy cooking session, and how simple they were to clean afterward.
All of my impressions come from repeated hands-on experience, so everything I’m sharing is based on what it’s actually like to cook with the Cru Champion and Alfa Futuro 2, not just manufacturer claims.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, whether you choose the Cru Champion or the Alfa Futuro 2 depends on what kind of pizza experience you’re looking for. The Cru Champion offers unbeatable heat retention, generous cooking space, and that authentic wood-fired flavor that’s hard to replicate. Meanwhile, the Alfa Futuro 2 delivers sleek design, gas-powered convenience, and the ability to cook multiple pizzas with speed and precision.
Both ovens are excellent, and you can’t go wrong either way—it really comes down to your preferences and cooking style.
If you decide to purchase one, I’d truly appreciate it if you use my referral links below. It won’t cost you anything extra, but I may earn a small commission, which helps keep this blog alive and allows me to keep testing pizza ovens for you.
Thanks for reading—and happy pizza-making!