JURA E8 REVIEW: EXPERT TAKE ON THIS AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINE

The Jura E8 has long been one of the brand’s best-selling espresso makers. It falls in the middle of the product line, nicely balancing advanced features with a relatively approachable price tag. It offers one-touch brewing for everything from black coffee to flat whites, with enough customization options to satisfy even the pickiest coffee lover.

The latest generation of the E8 is the most luxurious yet, so I was excited to get my hands on one for a review. Read on for my unbiased opinion of this super-automatic espresso machine.

The Full Review Of The Jura E8 Coffee Machine 

The Jura E8 is a premium espresso machine with plenty of bells and whistles, including an automatic milk frother, cutting-edge brewing technology, and a sleek color display. There’s no denying its hefty price tag, but the value is there for the right user. Keep reading to see if that user is you.

How We Rated It

• Design And Build
• Brewing System
• Coffee Flavor And Versatility
• Ease Of Use
• Value For Money

4.2

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What Is Special About The Jura E8?

The Jura E8 is a premium super-automatic espresso machine that offers a dizzying array of pre-programmed specialty drinks. At the press of a button, you can make an espresso, coffee, Americano, cortado, cappuccino, macchiato, flat white, or latte macchiato – or a simple portion of milk foam or hot water.

Each drink is prepared using freshly ground coffee and can be fully customizable to your liking. You can add an extra espresso shot, adjust coffee strength between 10 levels, and choose between three brew water temperatures. For milk-based drinks, you can program the amount of milk and the ratio between milk and foam.

Setting aside all the one-touch convenience, my personal favorite thing about the E8 (and most of the best Jura machines) is that it accommodates a large coffee dose of up to 16 grams. Many espresso makers max out around 10 grams, which really limits the intensity of coffee flavor. For example, a Nespresso pod only contains about 5 grams of coffee (1)!

Unique Features And Technology

Jura stands out from other brands in the space with an impressive R&D department that constantly develops new brewing technology. As a reviewer, this drives me crazy because my reviews are constantly rendered obsolete as they update models. But as a consumer, it’s why you should consider spending more for a Jura machine.

The Jura E8 offers a 2.8” color LCD screen flanked by six physical buttons that correspond to on-screen selections. I know some people prefer the touchscreen of the fancier models, but I find buttons more practical – avoiding unsightly smudges on the screen.

One of the biggest changes to the latest E8 model is navigation through the various settings. I found it much easier to select, customize, and brew my drinks. Using the Jura E8 is intuitive enough that you don’t even need to pull out the User Manual—though I suggest you do because it’s packed with helpful tips and options you might otherwise miss.

If you’d rather not deal with the screen and buttons, the E8 features Jura Smart Connect, compatible with the J.O.E. app. You can program your favorite drinks, share recipes with other users, and monitor your machine’s usage and maintenance needs.

Coffee And Espresso Extraction Technology

The E8 includes Jura’s three top-of-the-line technologies for optimal extraction, including:

• The Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma System (IPBAS) is not your average pre-infusion. It evaluates your coffee quantity and grind size and adjusts the volume of pre-infusion water accordingly.
• The Pulse Extraction Process uses a pulsed rather than a steady water flow during extraction, slightly increasing the extraction time for a more flavorful espresso (2).
• The 3D Brewing Technology is Jura’s newest addition and a significant update since I last reviewed this machine. While the details aren’t publicly available, it evidently flows water through the ground coffee at multiple levels to enhance extraction.

The Jura E8 has a 15-bar pump and a single thermoblock heating system, so it can’t make coffee and froth milk at the same time. There is a short lag between the two processes, but in my experience, it’s less than 30 seconds and doesn’t have an appreciable impact on drink quality. Still, at these prices, a dual thermoblock would be nice.

The Grinder

The grinder is another update from my last review. The newest Jura E8 comes with the Professional Aroma Grinder which “guarantees 12.2% more aroma.” I don’t know how they test and quantify aroma, but I can say that it is noticeably faster and quieter than older models. 

There is also a bypass chute for pre-ground coffee, so you can switch up your morning brew without emptying the hopper. I use it for an occasional decaf, but it’s also great for flavored coffee, which can contaminate a grinder.

The Milk System

I have mixed feelings about the HP3/CX3 milk frothing system on the E8. On the one hand, the quality of frothy drinks is impressive. The milk is at an ideal temperature, and there is a notable difference between the cappuccino (a light, airy froth) and the latte (a creamier, smoother foam). It doesn’t quite nail the latte microfoam, but it gets impressively close for a machine without a steam wand.

My only quality complaint is that you can’t adjust the frothing time or temperature, so it is difficult to dial it in for plant-based milk (3).

On the other hand, I found the frother’s design a little cumbersome. The milk spout is located on the side of the machine and uses a flexible silicone hose to draw milk from a separate vessel. Jura will happily sell you a milk carafe, or you can draw milk straight from any jug. 

First, it’s a little annoying to have to connect the tube and have a separate milk container, though I recognize there are some advantages to having an independent milk reservoir. But my bigger issue is that you have to move your mug between dispensing coffee and milk. So while you can order a cappuccino at the touch of a button, it isn’t a hands-off procedure. It’s a minor inconvenience, but at this price, I’d like to be able to walk away.

Drink Quality

Coffee nerds tend to scoff at super-automatic espresso machines, saying they trade coffee quality for convenience. While this is certainly true of cheaper machines, it’s substantially less true for the Jura E8. 

The coffee flavor isn’t quite cafe quality, but it’s much better than the average home machine. If you’re upgrading from a pod-based coffee brewer, you’ll notice a huge flavor upgrade thanks to the freshly ground coffee beans.

The espresso shots I tried were rich, sweet, smooth, and topped with an impressive dense layer of crema. I credit this to the extraction technologies, pre-infusion, and large coffee dose – features that many home machines lack or that home baristas don’t know how to use. 

Even lighter roasts were properly extracted, which is a test I always use to separate the best machines from the rest. Low-end espresso makers simply cannot handle a light roast.

The milk-based drinks are also delicious, especially if you like a frothy cappuccino. As I mentioned earlier, the E8 couldn’t quite deliver the proper silky milk texture for a latte. You really need a steam wand and the high pressure created by a steam boiler for that.

Cleaning And Maintenance

Super automatic espresso machines, by their nature, require a lot of care and maintenance, but Jura has done an impressive job of automating the process.

When I first plugged the E8 in, it had me use the included test strip to check my water hardness. It then automatically set up descaling intervals to optimize maintenance. However, a better strategy is to use the Jura-brand CLEARYL water filters, which use RFID tags to monitor water quality, block unwanted contaminants, and alert you when they need replacement (4). 

Naysayers might argue that this is simply a way to lock users into using Jura filters, and they’re right. But locking users into using a product because it works best is hardly nefarious.

Similarly, Jura brewing units aren’t removable, so you can’t clean them by hand. The E8 runs automatic rinsing and cleaning cycles on every start-up, and after 180 drinks, it will ask you to run a more thorough cleaning cycle using a Jura tablet. Both the brew unit and milk cleaning cycles are fully automated. 

Maintaining a Jura is a bit pricier than average, but you can’t fault the convenience (5).

High-Quality Swiss Engineering And Design

Jura coffee machines are immediately identifiable by their beautiful design, with sleek curves that feel equally modern and classic. The E8 is available in three colors – piano black, glossy white, or polished chrome with black sides and accents – and all are equally stunning. I will say that the Chrome is most inclined to show dirt and fingerprints, so keep a microfiber cloth handy if that’s your preference.

An often unheralded benefit of the E8 is the cup illumination feature. Weirdly, Jura advertises this as a way to make your finished drink look stylish, but I found it more useful for brewing without turning on all the lights in the morning.

The Jura E8 is not one of Jura’s more compact machines, but it is fairly average-sized among super-automatic espresso makers. It is quite deep, at 17.6”, but the 13.8” height and 11.0” width make it practical for most countertops. I could easily slide mine under my upper cupboards with some maneuvering room left over to refill the bean hopper.

The water tank holds 1.9 liters, the bean hopper holds 10 ounces, and the waste container holds roughly 16 servings of used coffee grounds. I mention these simultaneously because they correspond nicely; they all seemed to run out or fill up at the same time (about once a week for two drinks a day).

Is The Jura E8 Worth The Money?

The Jura E8 espresso machine retails for around $2500, which is no small investment. I wouldn’t recommend this coffee machine for everyone. Serious home baristas should probably put that budget towards a prosumer-grade semi-automatic machine, and average coffee enthusiasts can easily find a cheaper alternative.

Two key things justify the price, in my opinon. First is the quality of coffee. The E8 makes the best coffee of any fully automatic coffee machine I’ve tried. So if you value convenience and great coffee equally, this machine will satisfy both needs.

Second is the build quality. Not only will the E8 outlast cheaper super-automatics, but it will cause you fewer headaches during its lifetime.

How long does a Jura E8 last?

Thanks to their excellent build quality and all-metal exterior, Jura coffee makers are the longest-lasting super-automatic machines on the market. It’s not unusual to find 15-year-old Juras still going strong.

It’s also common to find refurbished Juras for sale. This is a testament to their impressive quality – and a potentially great way to buy an incredible machine at a bargain price.

How long is the warranty on a Jura E8?

The E8 comes with a warranty of 2 years or 6,000 cups, whichever comes first.

Don’t Buy The Jura E8 Automatic Coffee Machine If…

• You want a more affordable option: If you can’t stomach the price tag of the E8 or your coffee habits don’t warrant something so fancy, there are plenty of alternatives. The Gaggia Brera requires a little more hands-on skill but offers impressive build quality at a budget price. The Philips 3200 Lattego is a good bean to cup machine that comes with an automatic frother and a price tag under $1000. 

If you want to stick with the Jura brand, the Jura E6 is a slightly pared-down version of the E8. It has fewer drink specialties but delivers the same excellent cups of coffee for a few hundred dollars less.

• You want something more compact: The Jura ENA8 is one of the brand’s most compact models, making it a great option for anyone with high coffee standards but limited counter space.

• You prefer hands-on control: If you’re looking to develop your barista skills, opt for a semi-automatic or automatic espresso machine. The Breville Barista Touch is a wonderful user-friendly automatic brewer. Or check out the Lelit Elizabeth for a professional-grade double boiler machine that lets you brew and steam simultaneously.

The Verdict

The Jura E8 Automatic Coffee Maker is a beautiful machine with an array of premium features, including a color display, programmable beverage modes, and automated maintenance. With its advanced brewing technologies, it delivered the best coffee and espresso of any super automatic machine I’ve tested – plus delightful frothy milk drinks.

It’s an undeniably expensive machine, but if you have the budget and you place equal importance on premium coffee and time-saving convenience, I promise you won’t face any buyer’s remorse.

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