I have to say, I *love* my E8! I tried one at a store and, after a lot of research, settled on Jura Capresso because of the cleaning cycle feature (most others you have to remove the "brew group" once a week or so and manually clean it I was *so* not going to do that!). I settled on the E8 versus other JC''s because of the price and the features... the higher-end models'' extra features (none of which directly affect the quality of a single cup) were worth the additional cost, especially since I live alone.I''ve no complaint about the temperature of the coffee, as long as I pre-heat my cup. A little hot water out of the spiget does the trick. I use a decent coffee bean from a local store and have excellent results. I did have to play around with the grind settings, but I expected that.
The frother (I don''t have the fancy add-on) does a better-than-decent job of frothing/foaming milk; however, it''s not as good as a coffee-house machine wielded by a pro, with perfect-temperature milk and a cold pitcher. However, it works much better than any home-based espresso machine I''ve encountered, and much better than what one often gets from a disaffected coffee counter person.
The flavor is rich and full like cafe crema or espresso ought to be. While, again, a true barista with a true pro machine and the best beans can indeed produce a better cup, this is far better than what I typically get in a high-end coffee shop. That''s part of what originally sold me on it I found out the store that I sampled it at used "cheap supermarket beans" (as they put it).
One does have to be careful with the beans; if they''re oily, they''ll cling to each other and not make their way down the hopper. The solution? Stick your finger in the beans and swirl once, or don''t use oily beans (oily doesn''t necessarily mean more flavor). I like the beans I use but they do stick slightly, and a little touch with my finger fixes the ''problem''. The manual, video, web site, and talking chicken that came with the product makes this very clear.
Cleaning is a breeze every couple of days I empty the hopper that catches the pucks (grounds). Once a week or so I rinse out the drip tray. Every once in a while it alerts me that I need to run a cleaning cycle: in goes the tablet and that''s it.
My only complaint and I knew this going in is that for $1000 it ought not be 100% plastic. The spigot that the coffee comes out is plastic, and raises/lowers. I''m always careful, because if something that I have control over is going to break, it''s going to be this piece. More expensive models have metal for this piece, but I couldn''t see adding $500+ dollars for this.
I was originally concerned not having a cup warmer might be an issue. It says it has a passive cup warmer in some of the online literature, but that''s baloney the top doesn''t get any warmer than rooom temperature. However, it is no inconvenience (and I''m pretty lazy) to release some water from the spigot into the cup, and let it sit for a few seconds.
This is just about the best thing ever! I used to go to coffee shops and drop $7 $10 a day. I figure I''ll make that back after costs in about a year. It''s not expensive it''s economical in my book!
One thing I have noticed is that Miss Anna is smarter than I am. She tells me when to clean her, fill her with water, etc. And, I love that. She''s clean and polite never demanding. Here and there she does some things I am not sure of, but nothing has been serious. For instance, I also experienced what the reviewer who gave one star said intermittent coffee part way through she would just turn off. I did not call customer service, but instead did some troubleshooting on my own. I came to the conclusion that the beans I bought were a bit oily (which is warned against in all the manuals and videos) and were jamming the works. I ran it through a clean cycle with a tablet and she has been a happy coffee maker since.
Miss Anna has been a part of our family since early Jan 2005. I drink Capuccinos every morning and use the hot water a lot during the winter for tea and soup. When I am feeling rather saucy, I even make espresso with half and half. YUM. You would have to rip this thing out of my cold, dead arms to get it away from me. I love Miss Anna. When I am away on vacation, I am sad about the mediocre swill people call coffee that I have to settle for until I return home. As long as I don''t think about the money, I love this thing more than I can describe.
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I think I am a bit of a coffee snob. I have had this machine for a few weeks now and it''s going strong! I absolutely love it! I was concerned reading other reviews about Starbucks coffee not working so good in the machine, but the ''espresso'' roast is working fine in my machine and I have had no problems yet.The crema on this machine is wonderful! We''re making coffee all the time. My guests are in awe of the machine, marveling at how quickly it brews fabulous coffee drinks! I made 6 different drinks the other night in just a few minutes and everyone loved them. It''s great for entertaining.
My only issue so far is finding the right milk to froth. The fat free, lactose free milk that we normally drink doesn''t yield much froth (it''s barely milk to begin with). So, I''m going to try 2% and see how that works.
I really can''t say enough good things about this machine. It does everything it''s supposed to do and so far, has impressed the most discriminating coffee snob....ME!
Buy it, you won''t be disappointed. It''s worth every penny. I am going to name it I like it so much!
Read Best Reviews of Jura-Capresso 13187 Impressa E8 Super-Automatic Espresso Machine Here
We have had this machine for over 4 years and it has been great. I''m not kidding when I say its the machine we value most in our house a good cup of coffee is important to us and we couldnt live without it. In fact whenever we are away on a trip its the thing we miss the most.Anybody who thinks this is expensive should do the math. My wife and I used to go to stabucks every morning and spend $3.75 for a grande latte. If you add it up, thats $2,000 per year. This paid for itself in less than a year and we have had it for four.
It will break and has done so twice over 4 years. But you can send it in and get it repaired for $100 or so. Still a great investment.
Anybody who goes to starbucks would be alot better off (not to mention saving time waiting in line) buying a Jura. Its a no-brainer.
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I bought this machine about two years ago. At the time I thought it was pricey, but decided that in the long run, it would pay off. It has.PROS:
CONVENIENCE. There is nothing like coming down in the morning, pressing a button, and having a good coffee, which is freshly ground for you while you wait. The separate boilers allows you to immediately switch from foaming milk to producing espresso.
EASE. My partner and parents (who wouldn''t touch my Gaggia classic because it was too complicated) all use this machine without hesitation.
DURABILITY. After two years, our well-used machine (2-3000 cups) has not needed a repair.
VERSATILITY. The coffee bypass is extremely convenient, given that my partner and I frequently prefer different roasts it is very simple for one of us to grind our own and use the bypass to produce our preferred cup.
ECONOMY. The initial price tag for this machine is high. But when you compare it with the cost of buying 1-2 cappuccinos per day from your local barista...you can quickly see that the machine pays for itself.
CONS:
COFFEE QUALITY: Very very good, but I suspect that the pressures are just not quite high enough to make the coffee of nirvana. Still very good.
FOAM QUALITY: We''ve never been able to produce the perfect foam from this machine, but again the quality is high enough, and the convenience makes it worth it.
REGULAR MAINTENANCE: The machine does require regular (about every 5 wks) cleaning and descaling, using tablets purchased from the manufacturer. It''s a slight inconvenience, but the procedures are easy to follow and take about an hour each.
*****
UPDATE THREE YEARS AFTER PURCHASE: After three years of use, our Jura has started giving us an "Error 8" message and its first major repair, which is to replace a large chunk of the brew group. The repair guy claims that this is a common error for this machine, and is expected to cost us ~$150. We also estimate that we pay about $100/year for cleaning tablets. I still really love this coffee machine (we use is several times every day) but thought that these additional maintenance costs would be useful to see in a review.
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