Working with several coffee industry professionals has helped me gain insider knowledge about espresso machines. And I learned that picking the best super-automatic espresso machine can be tricky. Because of this, we analyzed hundreds of customer reviews and reached out to Jura E8 owners.
After thorough research, I can tell you that the Jura E8 is a great coffee machine, but it isn’t for everyone. Depending on your budget, the Jura E8 is a high-end machine, and its price tag can be too high for many people.
The Jura E8 serves delicious espresso drinks and is easy to use, clean, and maintain. It’s pricey, as with most super automatics, but its superior quality and performance make it worth the money. Moreover, many happy customers claim that it’s the best Jura espresso machine for this price.
But don’t rush it. Read our review to learn the pros, cons, and main features of the Jura E8, so that you can make a good decision.
Let’s get to it!
Jura E8 Overview
Jura E8 is an excellent bean-to-cup coffee machine. It can offer a good espresso drink with the push of a button. It grinds the coffee beans on demand for each cup and includes milk-based beverages like cappuccino and macchiato.
Who would love a Jura E8?
It’s an excellent option for people who enjoy espresso drinks but don’t have the time or the interest to become home baristas.
The Jura E8 is one of the best super-automatic espresso machines. As such, this machine produces delicious milk-based espresso drinks at a button. Additionally, it has superior maintenance and cleaning features.
Unlike most super automatics, the Jura E8 offers reasonable customization. You can play with advanced espresso factors like water hardness, temperature, and ratio.
Who shouldn’t buy a Jura E8?
The Jura E8 is a no-no for black coffee drinkers. If you’re looking for an espresso machine without a milk frother, you can have excellent espresso with the push of a button and spend less than half by choosing a Jura A1.
Some coffee drinkers love milk-based beverages like cappuccinos, while others avoid foam on top of their coffee. If you don’t like your coffee texturized and frothy, avoid the Jura E8. It can’t heat milk without adding some texture and foam to it.
Espresso perfectionists and coffee geeks should stay away too. And from any super-automatic espresso machine, for that matter.
Why?
Because:
- It doesn’t need any skill or knowledge to operate properly.
- You won’t learn anything about espresso extraction using it, nor will you become a home barista after practicing with it.
- Offers a good degree of customization but nothing close to espresso perfectionist standards. For instance, it offers only eight different grind settings.
Jura Coffee Machines: What’s the difference?
Jura is one of the best brands of super-automatic coffee machines. The company offers a wide range of options, so it can be challenging to pick one.
To simplify the selection process, it’s worth noting that Jura organizes the models alphabetically from the most basic to the most complete ones. In other words, the Jura A1 is the most basic one, capable only of serving espresso, ristretto, and black coffee. On the other end, the Z series offers the most expensive and versatile coffee machines.
So, where does the E series stand here? This is the sweet spot between cost and value. While the E machines are pricey, they have plenty of features without becoming too expensive like the S and the Z series machines.
Jura E8 Coffee Machine Review
After analyzing the features of the Jura E8, I drilled down the main benefits and shortcomings of buying this machine.
Keep reading below to learn more about it.
Good tasting coffee
The Jura E8 has three features that set it apart from most super-automatic espresso machines:
- Professional Aroma Grinder
- Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P®)
- Smart Water Filter
Jura developed top-notch technology to brew delicious espresso. But it doesn’t make sense to see these features separately because their combined power makes the difference.
The best part of having a Jura E8 is the taste and aroma of the coffee. A good built-in grinder, an advanced water filter, and extraction technology (P.E.P®) produce a bold and delicious espresso shot.
Let me explain a bit better. The most critical piece of equipment to get a delicious cup of coffee is a high-quality burr grinder. Jura knows this, and their professional Aroma grinder is outstanding.
Thanks to the Jura E8 built-in grinder, the espresso doesn’t have undesirable bitterness or sourness. The grinder can’t make perfect coffee alone. The extraction technology enhances the taste and body of espresso. You won’t get anything like those watery coffee drinks that cheap automatic machines produce.
The Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P®) is very different from the conventional espresso machine system too. Regular espresso machines extract coffee using a pressurized basket with a steady water flow through a fine coffee bed. In contrast, the P.E.P® “shoots” hot water several times through the coffee grounds inside a pressurized chamber, adding some degree of turbulence -or agitation- to the espresso brewing.
Achieving a reliable and precise extraction process is very complex. Still, the Jura E8 manages to make good coffee, shot after shot. To accomplish this, we only have one crucial factor: water quality.
The Smart Water Filter feature can be easily underestimated, but bear in mind that water makes for most of your cup of coffee. Even an espresso is more than 90% water. For this reason, having an advanced system for controlling water quality makes a huge difference.
This proprietary filtering technology from Jura prevents chlorine, natural minerals in the water, and other chemicals from ruining your coffee taste.
Easy to use
The Jura E8 is user-friendly. The only issue we noticed here is that it doesn’t have a touch screen display, which isn’t on par with most high-end coffee machines. Still, pushing the buttons at the side of the LED screen isn’t challenging by any means.
After setting up the machine, you can press a button and get an espresso or any of its preset drinks. You can create your coffee recipes and make some tweaks to all of the drinks available.
Changing the water temperature is relatively easy to do. This feature is a winner for many people who prefer to have their coffee very hot.
Adjusting coffee strength and grind settings is straightforward too. You can make most of the customizations by pressing a button or turning a dial.
You can also program your favorite drinks to have default options for regular guests or special occasions. In my case, I prefer to have a latte macchiato in the afternoon, but my friends prefer cappuccinos. I know that some of them like coffee very hot and others warm. The Jura E8 allows you to consider these differences and program different beverages.
Overall, ease of use is one of the Jura E8 superpowers.
Convenient cleaning and maintenance process
Coffee capsules and pods’ main feature is convenience. Cleaning espresso machines is hard work and usually a time-consuming endeavor. That’s why Jura coffee machines are one of the most popular in the market because you can get as close as possible to the capsule system experience without compromising coffee quality.
And among Jura espresso machines, the Jura E8 has one of the best automatic cleaning system. Actually, it’s one of the main reasons people love this machine so much. It’s straightforward to clean and maintain.
To clean the Jura E8, you only need to run the rinsing program once every day. Additionally, make sure that you always have some cleaning and descaling tablets for the machine and the milk frother. The coffeemaker will let you know when it needs some cleaning or descaling.
You’ll have to run the rinsing process every day, but it’s worth it. A clean espresso machine will produce delicious drinks without any off smell or flavor. Moreover, it will last longer, and the rinsing process is simple.
If you’re serving milk-based drinks daily, it’s crucial to clean the wand appropriately. The milk frothing system is the most demanding, cleaning-wise. Still, the process is as simple as placing a container with water, cleaning tablets properly, and pushing a button.
Excellent milk frother, with limited settings
The Jura E8 has superior milk frother but doesn’t accommodate a wide range of settings. The Jura E8 won’t do the job if you prefer hot milk without a frothy texture.
Now, if you love a frothy cappuccino, the Jura E8 is perfect. The milk frother is excellent for the job and provides rich and good-looking texturized milk.
Another detail about the milk frother that can be upsetting is that it’s messy. If you use a short glass or cup, you’ll immediately notice that the frother sprays out some of the milk.
It isn’t a huge mess, but depending on your cleaning standards, it can be more or less annoying. The milk sprays near the frother most of the time, and you can solve it quickly by using a taller mug or glass.
Good design and build quality
Jura has a knack for product aesthetics, and the Jura E8 is a good example. This super-automatic looks good and neat and comes in different colors and finishes.
The chrome finish is pretty elegant and my personal favorite. Still, both white and black are very appealing.
The build quality is excellent, and most customers agree on its durability and sturdiness.
In terms of shortcomings, several customers complain about the chrome finish. Fingerprints, tiny drops of coffee and milk, all are too visible. Fortunately, it’s easy to wipe and clean, but it’s annoying that the surface is so delicate.
Water capacity
Before using the Jura E8, you might think the water tank is huge. But most users claim that this machine runs out of water before expected.
But don’t fret. The Jura E8 can serve eight drinks in a row without losing pressure or getting dry.
The Jura E8 uses more water than expected because of its self-cleaning technology. Regular rinsing and cleaning consume a high amount of water, and even more when starting the cleaning process that includes the milk frother.
So, checking the water level when you are serving guests at home is preferable. The heating system is faster than conventional boilers, but you’ll still need enough water to make more than a few dozens of drinks in a row.
A good espresso drinks menu
The Jura E8 offers a decent range of specialty drinks with 17 options.
Black coffee: it’s capable of serving espresso, espresso doppio, Americano, ristretto, and long coffee.
Milk-based espresso drinks: this machine serves cappuccino, macchiato, latte macchiato, cortado, caffe latte, and flat white.
Additionally, it offers more customization options for drinks. For instance, add extra espresso shots, serve steamed milk with milk foam, or dispense hot water.
Overall, it’s an extremely versatile coffee machine compared to other high-end competitors.
What can I get instead of the Jura E8?
Depending on your preferences and budget, you can find suitable alternatives to the Jura E8.
Jura Z8
Jura Z8 – $4,499
from: 1st in coffee
The E8 is a mid-range super-automatic with some premium features and an excellent coffee taste, thanks to the Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P) technology. But, if you’re looking for the best super-automatic espresso machine that money can buy, you should check the Jura Z8.
It offers a more extensive selection of drinks, improved capacity, and enhanced customization features.
Some authors recommend checking the Jura S8 instead. I think it’s better to consider the highest-end of Jura, the Z series, for that matter.
Additionally, it is ready to connect with Jura’s proprietary smartphone app without paying for upgrades.
Jura A1
Jura A1 White – $799
from: 1st in coffee
If you enjoy espresso more than anything and prefer to avoid milk-based drinks, the A1 is a better option. Its price goes around ⅓ of the Jura E8 by the time I wrote this review. Surprisingly, it can be pricier than other affordable models, but the espresso quality is impressive.
To some extent, if you’re upgrading from a Nespresso machine, getting a Jura A1 is quite an improvement. You’ll immediately notice the difference, not only in terms of freshness but also in the wider variety of coffee beans that you can try and afford.
Curiously enough, you’ll even save some money while getting higher-quality coffee.
Additionally, the Jura A1 looks great, particularly if you’re a fan of minimalistic design like me.
DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300
The DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM 3300 is a good option if you’re thinking about more affordable alternatives. It’s reliable, durable, and makes decent espresso drinks.
The price difference is noticeable. Mainly because it has simpler technology, the cleaning process requires some extra effort and requires learning a few tricks to get the best of it.
Last but not least, the design isn’t as elegant as the Jura E8.
Phillips 3200
Since Phillips acquired Saeco, their machines have been better and better. The Phillips 3200 is a convenient and affordable machine with a more sleek design than the Magnifica.
Still, it has some shortcomings. This machine has a more straightforward range of drinks, a sound cleaning system, and an excellent built-in water filtering system.
The main shortcoming is the strength and quality of espresso drinks. They are decent overall but can be better.
The Verdict
The Jura E8 is the best super-automatic espresso machine from a value-minded point of view. Pricier models can be better, but in this price range is hard to find an espresso machine that can:
- Deliver good-tasting espresso
- Get perfectly texturized and frothy cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos
- Clean itself -basically- just by placing a container with a few tablets and water in it
- Make your countertop or home espresso bar look better
So, if you love espresso but don’t want to spend hours cleaning an espresso machine every week, the Jura E8 might be just for you!
