Jura Coffee Machine Selection Advice
So you’ve extensively researched the wide range of coffee machine brands that exist: Jura, Seaco, Severin, Delonghi, Krups, Miele, etc. and we’ve probably left some out, since there are quite a number of these coffee machines today. Therefore, you would have noticed that Jura appears pretty much everywhere on the internet. That’s not to say Jura coffee machines aren’t without their drawbacks. We will try to give advice which is objective so you can find the right Jura Coffee Machine.
First things first. The main reason you might not want to choose a Jura coffee machine is of course – Price.
Jura machines are quite feature rich and also not cheap ranging anywhere from R7 000 up to R80 000. There are other automatic coffee machines on the market which can do the same for less, however, other models may not make coffee quite as well nor as easily. So, if you are not too discerning about the quality and taste of your coffee as long as it is black, then any more common household brands would do. Coffee machines from Krups and Delonghi are two of the most reasonably priced machines and they might be just what you are looking for.
If you can afford the cost, here are 3 primary features, which we think, make Jura coffee machines stand out from the crowd.
A removable brewing unit means that you have to take out what is pretty much the heart of the coffee machine and clean it everyday. If you have ever had to do this you would have realised it’s neither fun nor easy – every Jura machine has been designed to allow the machine to do all the hard work for you. Big plus!
Most coffee machines on the market today can froth milk – well almost. Frothing milk involves supplying a burst of steam to the milk in a venturi type system to create an even thick, hot froth. If there was only one reason why we would choose a Jura coffee machine, then it would be for the quality of the milk froth. Frothing from most automatic coffee machines – at least from the range we have tried, do make some kind of milk froth, but the only one we found to make a fine shaving cream like froth, is from a Jura coffee machine.
Just like frothing, proper coffee extraction is a prerequisite on all bean-to-cup automatic coffee machines. Yet again, there are different levels of coffee extraction. Try out the following exercise: Buy your favourite coffee brand and take it to store where they stock a variety of coffee machines including Jura. Then, ask them to make a cup of coffee on each coffee machine. If you are an experienced coffee connoisseur, you will be amazed at the remarkable difference between coffee machines. If you can’t really notice the difference (tastes vary), then rather save the extra money buy the cheaper brand.
Which Jura Coffee Machine?
Jura coffee machines are divided into 3 main categories: Domestic, Office and Large Office/Commercial.
The Domestic Jura Range
Consists of the Ena1 Micro, Ena 9 and Ena 9 micro.
If you are an espresso nut and your dinner friends continually demand cappuccinos then you should go for the ENA1 model – and of course save quite a bit of money with your selection. The price of the ENA 1 as of 1 October 2014 is R8400.00 (ex. VAT) and includes a milk frother.
If you prefer the one-touch cappuccino, then the ENA 9 micro, despite having a smaller water tank than the ENA 9, is the better buy. The only difference between the 2 machines is a couple of thousand rand, which you can rather spend on some great coffee. The ENA 9 Micro price is R11 600 (ex. VAT) and the ENA 9 price is R13 500 (ex. VAT).
The Jura Office Range
The office range consists of the F50 and F7 as well as the J and Z range.
There is quite a large variance in price in this range so we would suggest the following picks:
F50/F7 – Right choice if one-touch is a requirement. F50 price is R10 900 (ex. VAT) and F7 prices are and R11 900 (ex. VAT) respectively which are about half the price of the other contenders.
J range – If an LCD screen is important to you, then this is the machine for you. If not, then the Z or F range is a good alternative. The J9.3 TFT price starts at R24 600 (ex. VAT).
Z range – If price is no concern, this is the model range for you. No machine looks better or is as sleek and easy to use as the Z range in our opinion. However such sleekness comes at a significant cost as the Z9 price starts off at R27 100.00 (ex. VAT).
The Jura Commercial Range
Jura commercial machines range from the XS9 to the Giga range which are really beautiful, but come at an expectantly matched price. This decision is a bit trickier than in the other categories as it really depends on the environment where the machine will be used – Restaurant, Training centre, Office, etc.
To get a better in-depth view of the Jura options pop us an email or give us call and we’ll try our best to help you out. When you are spending this type of money, you really need to be sure you make the right choice.
The Jura XS9 price starts at R22 100 (ex. VAT) and the most expensive machine the Giga X8-c goes for R73 400 (ex. VAT).