The JURA ENA 8 Review (2023) - A Work of Art or a Failure?

Summary

Overall Rating

85%

Design & Build Quality

92%

Features & Ease of Use

87%

Coffee Drink Quality

88%

Cleaning & Maintenance

85%

Value for Money

75%

The Bottom Line

The JURA ENA 8 is a beautiful compact super automatic espresso machine that should fit on most countertops. It comes with plenty of features to customize your coffee to suit your taste; however, it has few milk customization options. It comes with robust cleaning programs and can be taken apart to remove all milk residue. However, the brew unit cannot be removed for cleaning, which is questionable. Although expensive, this machine will save you money if you buy coffee every day. If you're looking for a beautiful compact machine that makes delicious drinks at the touch of a button, then this is a great choice!

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The JURA ENA 8 signature line is one of the best-looking automatic espresso machines on the market. It will be the centerpiece of your kitchen, and the envy of your guests.

Besides looking pretty, it is compact, full of features, and has robust cleaning and maintenance programs.

It also prepares delicious espresso and specialty coffee drinks, and it does so easily thanks to its One-Touch technology.

However, it’s an expensive machine. So before you press that buy button, read this JURA ENA 8 review to make sure this is the right machine for you.

Let’s get started!

Overview

At A Glance...

• One of the best-looking machines on the market with a 2.8-inch TFT display, and a beautiful plastic crystal-like rounded water tank, similar to premium crystal carafes or decanters.
  
  
• Made of plastic but has quality finishes - feels and looks premium.
  
  
• Very compact - perfect for small spaces.
  
  
• Includes 10 pre-programmed drinks (ristretto, espresso, espresso doppio, coffee, macchiato, latte macchiato, flat white, cappuccino, milk foam, and hot water).
  
  
• Effortlessly makes third-wave coffee drinks with its One-Touch function.
  
  
• Includes a lot of technology for maximum coffee flavor extraction, such as JURA’s Pulse Extraction Process and 3D brewing.
  
  
• All drinks are highly customizable. You can customize the coffee strength (10 levels), the coffee volume (0.5 to 2.5 oz or 0.5 to 8.0 oz depending on the drink), the temperature (3 levels), the milk foam quantity and interval time between the foamed milk and espresso pour for layering.
  
  
• Comes with the Aroma G3 coffee grinder, which is very quick and quiet. It has 7 levels of adjustment.
  
  
• A good set of cleaning and maintenance features, and graphically shows with a progress bar when you’ll need to run the next cleaning cycles.
  
  
• The milk system can be thoroughly cleaned.
  
  
• The brew unit cannot be removed for cleaning.
  
  
• The milk texture and temperature cannot be changed.
  
  
• Small bean hopper capacity and small water tank.
  
  
• Does not have a cup warmer.
  
  
• No user profiles.
  
  
• It’s expensive, and despite the cost, a milk jug is not included, and neither is the Smart Connect adaptor for wireless connectivity.

Some Useful Specs...

• Model: JURA ENA 8 (15284)
  
  
• Type: Super automatic espresso machine
  
  
• Water Tank Capacity: 37 oz, removable
  
  
• Bean Hopper Capacity: 4.4 oz
  
  
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 10.7 x 12.7 x 17.5 inches
  
  
• Weight: 21 lbs.
  
  
• Spout Height Adjustment: 2.5 to 4.3 inches (coffee spout) / 2.2 to 5.4 inches (hot water spout)
  
  
• Grinder Type: Aroma G3 burr grinder with 7 grind levels
  
  
• Dose Amount: 6 to 10 grams
  
  
• User Profiles: None
  
  
• Number of Pre-programmed Drinks: 10
  
  
• Display Type: 2.8 inch color TFT display
  
  
• Brewing System: JURA ENAS 8 Brew Group (10827) - variable brew unit
  
  
• Milk Frothing System: JURA HP1
  
  
• Ground Coffee Bypass: Yes
  
  
• Warranty: 2 years or 6,000 brews, whichever comes first
  
  
• Wireless Connectivity: Yes, but Smart Connect not included
  
  
• Power Requirements: 1,450 Watts

Design and Build Quality

The Jura ENA 8 simply looks stunning.

It’s one of the best-looking machines we’ve come across. The one we received is the Nordic White, but it comes in different colors such as Metropolitan Black, Full Nordic White, and Sunset Red. 

All colors have touches of back and chrome, which add to the beautiful aesthetics of this machine. For example, on the left side, the JURA ENA 8 has vents to help cool the machine. Those vents look like something out of a sports car. Simply amazing.

The removable water tank itself is beautiful, with a crystal-like texture which makes it look much more expensive than it is (the removable water tank is made of plastic). It can be removed for easy refill, and it is compatible with CLEARYL water filters.

This machine is made of plastic but has a premium glossy finish, so it doesn’t look or feel cheap.

Everything seems sturdy and well-built. For example, the ground coffee by-pass has a cap with chrome finishes, which is opened using a lever on the top left panel. The lever offers some resistance, adding to the premium feel of this machine.

The 2.8-inch TFT display sits prominently on the top front of the machine, and on each side are two buttons used to operate it. The power button is located far back on the top panel of the machine, perhaps to avoid distracting from the looks of the machine.

One of the highlights of this espresso machine is how compact it is.

It only measures 10.7 x 12.7 x 17.5 inches (W x H x D), so it should not be an issue to find some space for it, even on small kitchen counters.

This coffee maker comes with a milk pipe and all necessary components and products to clean it; however, it does not come with a milk jug.

This is surprising since this machine ain’t cheap; it costs around $2,000 (at the time of writing). So it would have been nice to at least throw in the $50 glass milk jug that JURA sells.

In short, the JURA ENA 8 is one of the best-looking espresso machines. It’s simply beautiful to look at with its chrome finishes, crystal-like water tank, and sportscar vents. It’s made of premium materials and finishes, and significantly, it’s very compact - a huge plus for those of us who struggle with kitchen counter space. 

Features and Ease of Use

The JURA ENA8 full espresso machine is chockfull of customization options and features to make your life easier.

First of all, this is a super-automatic latte machine that can prepare specialty coffee drinks such as a latte macchiato by simply pressing a button thanks to its One-Touch technology.

There are a total of 10 pre-programmed coffee recipes. These are the ristretto, espresso, espresso doppio, coffee, macchiato, latte macchiato, flat white, cappuccino, milk foam, and hot water.

It’s very easy to select the drink you want, simply scroll right or left using the buttons at the side of the screen. Once you’ve made up your mind, press the multifunction button (the one with the circle) corresponding to the drink of your choice.

You can customize each of these drinks to suit your taste. To do so, simply press and hold for 2 seconds the multifunction button beside the drink you want to customize. You can also do so during drink preparation, which is a neat feature. 

The machine will automatically save any changed settings for future use.

For black coffee drinks, you can customize the following parameters:

• Coffee strength: 10 levels which span a coffee dose of 6 to 10 grams.
  
  
• Coffee volume: 0.5 to 2.5 oz (ristretto and espresso), 0.5 to 8.0 oz (coffee)
  
  
• Temperature: low, medium, or high

The hot water temperature can also be changed - which is handy if you’d like to have different types of tea.

For milky drinks, you can customize the following additional parameters:

• Milk foam quantity: the machine will dispense foam for 3 to 120 seconds (all milky drinks).
  
  
  
• Interval time (latte macchiato only): 3 to 60 seconds, how long the machine waits before pouring the espresso into the foamed milk - for layering purposes. 

As can be seen, the level of customization for the milk leaves a bit to be desired, the foam texture and milk temperature cannot be changed.

To help you out, JURA prepared a handy table in their JURA ENA 8 instructions manual summarizing all the customization options.

The Aroma G3 grinder can also be adjusted, but this is done by rotating the ring around the coffee bean hoppers. There are a total of 7 grind settings, which is a bit scant for such a premium machine. However, the grinder is extremely quick and quiet.

Adjusting the grinder should only be done while the grinder is on, to avoid damage, as per JURA’s recommendations.

Other features worth mentioning include…

• The ground coffee by-pass. This machine includes a funnel to avoid messes and a measuring spoon. However, the point of these machines is to have freshly ground coffee.
  
  
  
• The coffee hopper lid has a freshness seal.
  
  
  
• The coffee spout height can be adjusted from 2.5 to 4.3 inches to match your espresso cup.
  
  
  
• The JURA ENA 8 has power-saving features, such as drawing no power on stand-by mode and a programmable switch-off mode.

The base JURA ENA 8 lacks some features that some cheaper coffee makers include. 

• There is no cup warmer.
  
  
  
• No user profiles - if you customized that cappuccino you may have to do it again if someone else from your household likes their drinks differently.
  
  
  
• No milk jug is included - you will need to use a mug or pay more money for a JURA one. We do not recommend using the whole milk cartoon because taking it in and out of the fridge will not be good for the milk's freshness.
  
  
  
• If you want connectivity you will have to cough up $50 more for their Smart Connect. We did not test this feature.

In summary, the JURA ENA 8 comes with plenty of features to make your life easier and customize your coffee drink the way you want it. However, it lacks some features we would have expected at this price point, such as a milk jug, user profiles, and a cup warmer.

Coffee Drink Quality

The JURA ENA 8 looks amazing and has plenty of features, but does it make great coffee?

The answer is yes - provided you take a bit of time to customize the drinks from the default settings.

We tried the espresso using the default settings and found it a bit weak.

We are fans of rich espresso drinks, which means we selected the maximum coffee strength and changed the coffee volume setting. We also had to mess a bit with the grinder. Knowing the brew chamber capacity at max strength is 10 grams, we managed to achieve a 1:2 brew ratio which is typical of espresso.

After these changes, the espresso had plenty of crema, a great mouthfeel, and it tasted great! It also came out quite hot!

And this is not surprising given JURA’s reputation and the technology that comes with the ENA 8.

This coffee maker incorporates JURA’s Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P) which optimizes the extraction time by forcing hot water through the coffee grounds in short bursts. This JURA coffee maker also included their 3D brewing technology, which ensures an even water flow through the grows for better aroma extraction.

So all in all, this machine prepares one of the best espressos within super automatic espresso machines.

You can also easily make double espresso shots by selecting the espresso doppio drink. This drink consists of two separate extractions of the espresso drink.

Although not a pre-programmed drink, you can easily make americanos by using the hot water dispenser. Hopefully, JURA programs this drink in a future update, since the machine already comes with the necessary hardware to make true americanos.

What about milk drinks?

The foam that comes out has a great consistency, but as we mentioned, the milk system does not allow you to change the milk texture or temperature. This means you will get the same foam texture for all milky drinks, whether you are making a cappuccino or latte.

Nevertheless, I was able to easily and consistently prepare delicious flat whites (my go-to milk drink).

In short, the JURA ENA 8 prepares excellent black coffee drinks with a bit of tinkering. The milk drinks are also delicious; however, the milk texture and temperature cannot be customized.

Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance

The JURA ENA 8 is a super automatic espresso machine, which means you should regularly clean it…

Otherwise, bacteria galore!

Before we dive into the cleaning processes and features of this coffee maker, let’s get something out of the way.

The brew unit cannot be removed. This is typical of JURA coffee machines - it seems they are confident enough of the machine’s internal self-cleaning system.

But we’ve seen brew units from other machines that also self-clean, and upon removal, there is always coffee debris that can only be cleaned manually.

So we are a bit skeptical that after years of use the brew unit will be perfectly clean. This also has the potential to lower the lifespan of your machine and deteriorate the coffee flavor.

Nevertheless, this coffee maker comes equipped with great cleaning and maintenance features that help you keep your machine clean.

Although not on purpose, the coffee hopper and water tank are small. This is good and bad - although it increases maintenance workload, this ensures that you have fresh coffee beans and water inside your machine.

Something we liked is how the machine’s user interface graphically shows what your machine needs. For example, when it’s time to clean the milk system, the option will light up in red, as shown in the picture below.

There are also progress bars, graphically showing how soon you will need to descale, change the filter or execute the cleaning cycle. This is also shown in the picture below.

In terms of daily maintenance, you should do the following things:

• Remove the drip tray and spent coffee grounds container and rinse them under warm water.
  
  
• Rinse and refill the water tank.
  
  
• Clean the milk system using JURA’s cleaning container and solution.
  
  
• Remove and take apart the dual spout and milk system.
  
  
• Wipe the machine with a soft damp cloth.

Milk is the number one culprit when it comes to bacteria inside your coffee machine. JURA recognizes this. So at a minimum, if you used the milk system, this espresso machine will ask you to run the milk cleaning cycle (which requires a small amount of JURA’s milk cleaner solution).

If you do not run it, the machine will still rinse the milk system within 15 minutes or when you turn it off. Further, the “clean the milk system” icon will show up in red, and it won’t go away unless you run the milk cleaning cycle.

In short, you need to dedicate some time every day to clean your JURA ENA 8 but this is normal for a super automatic espresso machine. If you used the milk system, this can take at least 15 minutes of your day. Unfortunately, the brew unit cannot be removed, so who knows what hides inside the inner of your machine.

Value for Money

We’ve already hinted that this is an expensive fully automatic espresso machine. Is it worth your money?

This depends on your habits. If you are a coffee lover who purchases coffee from your local coffee shop every day, then yes, it’s worth it.

Forgive us in advance if you don’t like math, but numbers don’t lie!

A typical coffee will cost you $3 to $5 depending on what you get. If you drink coffee daily, this means you spend about $1,095 to $1,825 per year on coffee, and you don’t have anything to show for it (except the experiences of drinking coffee while rushing to work…)

At the time of writing this machine costs about $2,000. Assuming you have double-shot drinks every day (about 20 grams of coffee), you will need 7,300 grams of coffee beans per year. You can purchase good quality espresso beans for about $20 for 2 lb (908 grams). This works out to about $160 worth of coffee beans per year.

So the total cost of Year 1 of owning this machine would be in the ballpark of $2,160.

This means that depending on your habits and preferences, this coffee machine could pay for itself within a year and a few months. And after that time, you will have a beautiful JURA espresso machine to show for all that money spent.

If your household has two or more coffee drinkers, then this machine will pay for itself even quicker!

This all sounds great; however, the price of this machine is steep relative to its features. You are paying for how compact it is, and for JURA's high quality and gorgeous design.

Something to note is that despite spending a big chunk of cash you will not get a milk jug. So you will need to spend even more money or use this beautiful machine with a mug. You will also need to pay extra for the Smart Connect adaptor. It seems JURA was a bit stingy on that front.

In short, this machine will save you money if you buy coffee at a coffee shop daily. However, there are less expensive espresso machines with similar features, such as the De’Longhi Magnifica ESAM3300, whose design has stood the test of time. But you are paying more for a gorgeous machine and JURA’s reputation. It’s up to you to decide if this is worth the extra cost.

Verdict

Who is the JURA ENA 8 For?

The JURA ENA 8 is for those who want a compact premium super automatic espresso machine.

It’s also for coffee lovers who want a machine that prepares specialty coffee drinks by simply touching a button.

If you’re willing to pay more for beautiful aesthetics, then this machine is for you.

Who should avoid the JURA ENA 8?

The JURA ENA 8 should be avoided if you want full control of your coffee preparation, from dosing and tamping to frothing the milk.

If you only care about functionality and prefer to avoid paying a premium for looks, then perhaps check the De’Longhi ESAM 3300. This espresso machine has been on the market for over 20 years, for a reason.

A good compromise between automation and being in control of your coffee preparation is the Breville Oracle Touch - although this automatic espresso machine is quite expensive.

If you want a fully automatic espresso that has more milk options, consider the Miele CM6350 as it has milk forth and milk steaming options.

If you want even more convenience, a Nespresso machine could be for you but in the long run, the capsules could be expensive.

Feel free to check our best super automatic espresso machines post for more options!

Frequently Asked Questions