Jura E8 Automatic Espresso Machine: Tested and Approved

The Grind

The JURA E8 has a 10-ounce capacity bean container, which holds coffee and grinds it to order, meaning that espresso is always freshly ground without any morning fuss or muss. The grind can be adjusted to suit the degree of the roast of the coffee by turning the grinder adjustment switch while the grinder is running; the machine offers six different grind settings for different results, so experimenting with the grind will offer a sense of preference. 

The different grinder settings change the extraction rate and, thus, the final result of the coffee. But the JURA offers an additional step, too, on its digital interface: users can also select the strength of their cup of coffee, from mild to strong, as well as the volume of each cup, from four to eight ounces. The truest luxury, for me, however, lay in not having to grind coffee, or suffer the utter indignity of drinking coffee made from pre-ground beans. 

The Design

I came from a DeLonghi background, and I never thought I’d care very much about a sleek, image-forward design. But, as it turns out, being greeted each morning by an image of a frothy coffee drink did wonders for my mood. It also helped parse the broad spectrum of drinks that my machine offered. If I wasn’t quite sure what a flat white was before the JURA came into my life, the image displayed on the interface certainly cleared that up for me. 

The digital aspect of JURA makes it very easy to use, even for a Luddite like me, who prefers light switches to Nest systems. I was able to figure out—without my husband’s assistance—how to strengthen and weaken a cup of coffee; how to toggle between various drinks; and how to increase and decrease the volume of my drink, depending on how the mood struck. I appreciated the ease of use just as much as I appreciated looking at the machine every morning. 

The Coffee

Given the price point, I needed the JURA E8 to truly perform. And I’m happy to report that it did. Much of the coffee–and its crema, I’ll argue–has to do with the 15 bars of pressure applied to the grounds through the pump. The result is a smooth roast with no detectable bitterness or off-notes. 

Cups are easily configured to line up beneath the two spouts, and because the volume is customizable, it’s virtually impossible to overfill a coffee cup. In fact, the spouts can be brought down, closer to an espresso cup, for an even more precise, clean pour. In experimenting with the machine’s various offerings (17 drinks is a lot, and covered the bases of things I had never heard of), I was impressed over and over again. Milk, which I refrigerated in the machine’s resealable container, for use as needed, was always frothy and voluminous. And the machine consistently told us when it needed to be cleaned, adjusted, replenished with more beans, and refilled with water–all for the benefit of better coffee. 

Price at time of publish: $2,380

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

James Beard Award-nominated writer Hannah Selinger has written about food and drinks for local and national publications since 2015, and is currently at work on a food-related memoir, to be published by Little, Brown in 2025. A former sommelier and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Hannah has worked for some of New York’s top restaurant groups. Her writing has appeared in Eater, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, The New York Times Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, Bon Appétit, and elsewhere. Hannah lives with a coffee-obsessive, whose unparalleled taste informs her high level of coffee-based knowledge.