Most coffee lovers around the world are already familiar with the stylish Jura machines on the market. These high-quality and compact espresso makers are very popular amongst those with a proclivity for rich, caffeinated beverages. The only difficulty that arises when it comes to purchasing your machine is which, out of a wide selection of great models, to choose from.
Our list is here to help! What you will find here is a selection of what we believe to be the best automatic espresso machines from Jura. We will speak on the functions and benefits of each machine so that you can decide which is best suited for your needs and circumstances.
Introducing Jura
Beginning as a manufacturer and distributor of household items in general, Jura Elektroapparate AP, the Swiss company founded by Leo Henzrioh, soon found its calling in the realm of espresso machines. All other products developed by the company were soon phased out so that Jura could focus entirely on creating high-quality coffee machines. The visible success of Jura in this pursuit is undeniable. In fact, Jura products have even been endorsed by the famous Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer.
Jura has made it its mission to keep up with the times and to produce modern and automatic espresso machines for its consumers. They have struck a balance with their high-quality components and minimalist cosmetic designs, creating products that are fashionable and will fit into a variety of interior aesthetics.
Jura is known never to stray from quality and to invest in the best components for each and every espresso-maker that they bring out. They are committed to providing the best and, as a result, there are no options in their line for those on a tight budget.
Buying the Best
Budgeting
Full disclosure, Jura products aren’t cheap, but that’s not to say there isn’t a pretty broad range when it comes to pricing. Each model of Jura espresso machine comes with a price based on its functions, its benefits, and some of its potential downsides as well.
As such, your first step should be to decide what you would be willing to spend on a coffee machine and then consider the machines, if any, which fit into this set budget. You may even want to consider second-hand or refurbished Jura machines. These are often still working like a charm and are only being sold because the owner has upgraded to a newer model. Before you can consider functionality, however, you will always want to set a price scope.
The Size of the Machine
When considering which coffee machine to buy, you will have to consider your living situation, the size of your kitchen, and the available counter space. You would also have to consider precisely how much counter space you are willing to sacrifice and what the consequences of that would be. Measure the model before you buy it, as there are some very compact machines out there that should be suitable for your space.
Aesthetics
Although the function is undoubtedly the most important aspect of an espresso machine, it doesn’t hurt when the cosmetics are on point as well. Happily, the products in the Jura range are often very sleek and pleasing to look at. They tend to fit in spectacularly in a modern kitchen and come in sophisticated colors that go with most surrounding decorum.
Choosing the color and shape of the machine that suits you and your sense of style and the theme of your kitchen or office is made easy with how aesthetically pleasing each model is. The user will undoubtedly find a color and model that contributes to the overall appearance of their modern kitchen or office space.
However, if you have a kitchen or space that is more vintage in terms of interior design, the sleek and modern appearance of the Jura coffee machine may stick out somewhat. Nevertheless, with a muted color finish, you may find that the machine can fit in snuggly nevertheless and not draw too much attention if this isn’t what you are going for.
Maintaining your Espresso Machine
Many Jura models come with a convenient self-cleaning function which greatly reduces the overall hassle on the part of the user.
Models that don’t have this function tend to be significantly cheaper, so if you are willing to put in the effort to backflush your machine weekly and ensure the overall cleanliness, you can save some cash. A manual clean is hardly difficult, and you may find that the extra cost isn’t worth it. If, however, you haven’t the time to clean the machine manually and would rather invest in the increased ease of self-cleaning, you’ll have to consider this when determining your budget.
The Quality of Coffee beans
You may see consumer reviews that are less than complimentary about certain automatic coffee machines. Some complain that the quality of coffee produced is nowhere near good enough considering the price of the machine. However, what many consumers fail to realize is that it is actually the quality of the coffee and coffee beans being used that is rendering less-than-satisfactory espressos from the machine. No matter how good your machine is, it cannot turn copper into gold, and it can only put out the quality that you put in. So, if you want to avoid being served with hot bean water, we recommend that you budget for high-quality coffee beans.
Namely, you want to be able to determine the origins of your coffee beans. Your local store may provide some fantastic organic options, which may take some getting used to at first. Basically, you want to know exactly what you’re putting into your automatic coffee machine so that you can be prepared for what you get out.
Additional Features
Depending on your circumstances and preferences, you might find that you can’t go without some of the features that are exclusive to Jura models. Other features may be less important, but nice to have as an addition.
The Auto Start feature, for example, is great if you are often in a rush in the mornings before work. This feature will get the machine started as soon as you wake up and before you’ve even gathered the courage to come downstairs. By the time you are just about ready to leave, you may have a fresh cup of coffee ready and waiting.
Many Jura coffee machines also give a great deal of control to the user and come with programmable brewing options so that you can design your own drink to fit your tastes perfectly.
Jura machines also come with a range of useful attachments that can be bought separately if the machine itself doesn’t meet every single one of your desires. With some useful accessories, you could potentially have a coffee machine that suits your preferences perfectly.
The Pros and Cons of Jura Super-Automatic Espresso Machines
Putting the price of each model aside, we will now consider all the useful features and benefits of the Jura coffee machines, while also considering the areas in which some of these models may be lacking. This should give you a good sense of which model will be best suited for your needs and circumstances.
The Benefits of Jura Espresso Machines
Jura machines come in sophisticated colors, including a platinum or chrome finish, allowing them to blend in perfectly with a modern kitchen full of muted tones.
With an unmatched design, Jura machines are made up of quality components that are long-lasting and compact. Where the machine makes use of aluminum or plastic components, they are high-quality. Each component contributes to the longevity and high-functioning capacities of the machine.
If you want to use whole coffee beans in your machine, you will likely find that the cone or disk grinders that the Jura machines are equipped with are more than suitable for this. These grinders are often variable to give the user greater control over the grinding and espresso-making process altogether.
The Pulse Extraction Process (PEP) and Intelligent Water System (IWS) that many Jura machines are equipped with greatly contribute to the quality of the coffee that these machines prepare. Users also seem to enjoy the option of individual coffee profile programs, the one-touch function, and the extra-shot function that often comes standard with Jura espresso machines.
Jura machines also give a lot of control to the user and allow them to vary the temperature, aroma level, strength, and grind quantity in their chosen beverage.
Although phrases like “fine foam technology” sound like fancy buzzwords used in marketing, you may be surprised to learn that this is a very real and very effective feature that creates very light and smooth foam to go on top of lattes and other drinks.
Jura machines are also very user-friendly, and after a few minutes of the user pressing buttons and becoming familiar with all the functions on their machine, either using the touchpad on the machine or a smart device, they will surely become very used to the system itself.
All but one Jura model come with an automatic frothing system. The Jura A1 is a single exception but, in general, Jura wants to leave the tedious manual frothing behind and give the user increased convenience by automating this process.
The automated cleaning and descaling processes that come with the machines are incredibly well-designed and efficient, and it’s very clear that the manufacturer put a lot of thought into this feature.
The Shortcomings of Jura Automatic Espresso Machines
As stated previously, Jura products are costly, often above standard market pricing, and you won’t find discounts terribly often either. This renders these products somewhat inaccessible to a lot of users, and you might find that there are cheaper products that are just as good out there.
In addition to the arguably excessive costs of the machines, the accessories often seem somewhat pointless. Using a WLAN adapter-equipped carafe instead of a regular milk container seems a little over the top and is an unnecessary expense.
On account of the fixed brew group, repairs to Jura machines can be expensive and complex. Maintenance of these products can also be pretty tedious.
Accessories
The less expensive Jura machines often go without some of the more ostentatious add-ons than come with more costly models. However, these add-ons are often sold separately if there is a particular accessory that you feel you simply can’t go without. It may benefit you to go for a cheaper model and simply buy the accessories that you need, rather than a more expensive one that has a ton of additions that you won’t ever use.
Some of the accessories that are sold separately are as follows:
The Milk Frother
The Automatic Milk Frother can produce hot, warm, or cold foam to top of a decadent latte or macchiato. At a single touch, the frother gets going, and it pairs with all the Jura espresso makers on the market. If your chosen machine lacks a milk frother, this is a good option to purchase separately.
The Cool Control Basic
Using the Basic Compact Milk Cooler, these containers will keep milk at 39.20F, which is optimum for great-tasting foam on your espresso or other specially designed drink. The containers come in a few different sizes, so whether you live alone or have a household full of coffee drinkers, you should be able to find an optimum size to meet your requirements.
The Stainless Steel Vacuum Milk Container
These portable milk containers also come in various sizes depending on what the consumer needs and can keep milk or milk-based drinks cool for 12 hours. As a result, any milk that has gone unused in your morning cup won’t be spoiled by the afternoon. It can also keep your cappuccino fresh for the whole day if you don’t get to it immediately.
The Cup Warmer
Once poured into a cold porcelain mug, the temperature of your coffee decreases immediately and significantly. Jura’s cup warmer reduces this loss of heat by keeping your cups at 131oF, which is an ideal temperature to keep a hot coffee reasonably hot for a longer period of time.
The cup warmer is incredibly small and has a timer that can be programmed to warm the cup up prior to receiving your coffee.
The Professional Fine Foam Frother
Jura machines that are equipped with a Connector System are improved upon when paired with a Professional Fine Foam Frother. Using a two-stage milk frothing process, this frother creates light and creamy foam with an ideal texture for your brew.
Let’s Learn Some of the Jura Nomenclature
Being one of the most innovative coffee machine producers in the world, it’s no surprise that Jura has created a unique language when it comes to the technology and components of their machines. Some of the terms you’ll want to become familiar with as you become a member of Jura’s consumer base are as follows:
The ‘Aroma + Grinder’
‘Aroma’, when used in the context of coffee, refers, not to the smell of the beverage, but to how the grinds impact the quality. The display screen on your Jura coffee machine should include Aroma settings, which are exhibited using an image of the coffee beans under the ‘Aroma’ profile in the settings.
The Aroma display should give some insight into the strength of your prospective cup of coffee considering the fineness of the grind. The machine will usually be equipped with up to five settings that the user can choose from so that they can start at the lowest setting and play around with how finely they grind their beans. Most Jura models will come with the ‘Aroma + Grinder’, although the grinders will vary from model to model in some ways.
By design, Jura grinders are known to be silent and quick, producing quality coffee powder without undue noise disturbance for the user.
The IPBAS
The Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma System or ‘IPBAS’ creates the perfect brew by adding a small quantity of water to the coffee prior to starting up the brewing process. This serves to moisten the ground coffee and pre-infuse it to an extent as well. It contributes to the richness and quality of the flavor altogether and, although often overlooked, is an important cog in the overall clockwork of the machine’s brewing process.
The PEP
The Pulse Extraction Process or ‘PEP’ comes shortly after the IPBAs process and serves to enhance the withdrawal of the coffee from the ground beans. It also maintains a meticulous shot pulling by ensuring that exact amounts of hot water are pumped through the grounds in a manner that best suits the beverage selected by the user.
The CLARIS Filter System
The CLARIS Filter System uses anti-scaling technology to filter out any unwanted minerals in the water used for the coffee. This helps to ensure that the minerals don’t start to accumulate on the heating component of the machine.
This is incredibly useful, as you won’t need to use harsh chemicals on the machine to rid it of these irritating deposits of minerals. It also reduces the damage to the heating component that could result from the build-up of the minerals. This increases the performance and longevity of the device, as it prevents slow degradation of the heating component.
Fine Foam Technology
Both alliterative by name and effective by function, Jura’s fine foam technology system double froths the milk in two distinct chambers before gently and carefully pouring the foam on top of your coffee. This process creates foam of fantastic texture and density – like a cloud in your cup!
The Intelligent Water Systems (IWS)
You may be feeling rightfully dubious at the prospect of an intelligent coffee machine but fear not! This machine is unlikely to develop sentience and take that out on you. In this context, the intelligence of the Water System refers to its innovative and futuristic nature.
Using detection technology, the IWS runs a series of diagnostic tests on the machine. The System can determine how hard the water being used is and can alert the user to any maintenance needs on the part of their coffee machine so that any issues can be resolved before they turn into a real problem. The IWS will alert the user when it’s time to change the machine’s filters and when it is necessary to clean the machine, among other useful alerts.
TFT Display
The Thin Film Transistor or ‘TFT’ is the screen that displays all the machine’s settings and coffee options. This display is maneuvered using the Rotatory Switch, which allows the user to set custom settings according to their particular preferences. Using the display screen, the user can select one of the optional beverages or design one of their own. Then, at the tap of a button, the machine makes pops out an espresso to their taste.
The Bypass Doser
This is a nifty little function that allows you to swap out the coffee being used quickly and without hassle. If you have a guest that only wants to drink decaffeinated beverages, for example, you can quickly switch your regular beans for a more suitable alternative.
A Quick Look at what Jura has to Offer
Jura’s growth in popularity has led to a significant increase in terms of variety when it comes to its product line as well. At this stage, they have developed a plethora of innovative coffee machines to suit the needs of even the pickiest consumer. Some of the products currently available are as follows:
The ENA Micro Line
This line includes 6 super-compact coffee machines that, despite their reduced size, still blow consumers away in terms of their function and efficiency. Models in the ENA Micro Line still come with an abundance of useful functions, such as variable strength selection and an intelligent coffee spout.
The A Line
Jura’s A Line is made of 3 particularly sleek, stylish, and compact one-cup models that are ideal for the buyer who loves a pleasing aesthetic as well as unmatched functionality.
The D Line
This line comes with 7 spectacular models, all of which are designed for increased simplicity and intuitive operation. Each model is equipped with ergonomically optimized switches and a plain text display for ease of use and selection. Each model is also stylish and cosmetically pleasing to boot.
The E Line
This line includes the infamous E8, one of the most popular models amongst consumers since the Jura started up. The E line includes 16 machines that are made with special functions, including a one-touch cappuccino function for those who love milk-based drinks. Each model on this line also used the Pulse Extraction Process that Jura is known for.
The S Line
The S line is made up of around 15 models, all of which come with incredibly fashionable colors and finishes, stylish accents, and delightful functions that are intelligent and intuitive.
The J Line
The models found in the J line are considered the most aesthetically pleasing machines in Jura’s product line as of today. All 13 models in this line use innovative and intelligent technology to produce rich and high-quality coffee. These models also produce different kinds of beverages for the user who likes to have a variety to choose from. The machines have a highly efficient maintenance program, providing easy longevity and quality performance, while also being user-friendly and intuitive.
The Z Line
Each of the 13 models on the Z Line make use of the Pulse Extraction Process to enhance the coffee-making process and create specialty cups of coffee for the user. These models also provide a great example of the quality of Swiss innovation by producing the perfect cup of coffee every time.
The Giga Line
The Giga Line has 28 great models to choose from, which provides some insight into why most users love this line in particular. Equipped with advanced and innovative espresso machine technology and user-friendly and simple controls, each and every model will blow away user expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Right Size of Machine for My Circumstances?
Jura coffee machines come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some are heavier than others as well. In deciding on which model to go for, users should consider their kitchen’s space and, in particular, how much counter space they are willing to sacrifice. Some Jura models are compact enough to fit in a small apartment kitchen, whereas others will require an entire corner to themselves.
Do Jura Coffee Machines Need a lot of Maintenance?
Jura’s self-cleaning technology makes hygiene and descaling of the coffee machine as simple as can be and greatly reduces some of the tedious cleaning processes that are often the case with other coffee machines.
It is important, however, to select the right cleaning products for your coffee machine and to ensure that you activate the self-cleaning process regularly to keep your machine running at optimum performance.
What is the Best Jura Machine in the Product Line?
It’s difficult to say with certainty whether any one machine on the Jura line is the best of them all. They all have great qualities and are truly top-of-the-range machines. Deciding on what is the best model for you depends on your preferences and personal circumstances. Whatever you decide, you can be assured that you are getting a quality product.
Consider, also, what kind of coffee you like. If you like your coffee black, you can skip out on the milk frother. If you like variety, you can select a model on the line that comes with an abundance of beverage options. Consider your own expectations of what a coffee machine should provide, and we are sure you’ll find the right fit for you in Jura’s product line.
Is Jura the Best Brand Out There?
We can say with confidence that Jura is an exceptional brand and that every model they come out with will create high-quality and delicious coffee. The unique functions of Jura’s machines are developed through strenuous research and a commitment to innovation and development. Each model, furthermore, is designed with the interests of the consumer in mind. As such, you will struggle to find coffee machines that match those of Jura when it comes to simplicity and convenience. The only possible downside of the Jura line is the cost, and it is perfectly reasonable to seek a cheaper option.
Conclusion
We know this wasn’t the lightest read, but we hope this in-depth look at each product line that Jura has to offer will be of assistance to you if you are seeking out the perfect coffee machine for your kitchen.
Jura products are costly, each model being over $1000, but all are completely automatic and come with the benefit of variety and innovation. There are a number of useful accessories that a user can buy as well to further customize their machine and get the exact right beverage out of the device.
It may be intimidating to have to choose between the huge range of products that Jura has to offer, but at least you can be certain that each and every model produced by Jura is reliable and of great quality. No matter the choice you make, you will likely be satisfied in the end.