A cult Jura brand belongs to Swiss Elektroapparate AG, which produces premium home appliances since 1931. The coffee machines became the company’s main focus in the early 90s. Today it’s one of the leaders in this segment.
Like Bosch, Melitta, Nivona, and some other brands, Jura produces coffee machines at the Eugster/Frismag company factories in Portugal and Switzerland. Today Eugster/Frismag and Saeco are the world’s leading manufacturer of automatic coffee machines and OEM suppliers (original equipment manufacturer) for many well-known companies.
To be fair, one of its main competitors, the Italian Delonghi, uses its own production facilities, including three development and production locations in Switzerland, a production facility in Portugal, some factories in Romania and stakes in several Chinese joint ventures. But most modern coffee machines are produced in OEM mode.
More recently, the Jura lineup included compact A and Ena, full-size mid-range D, E, S, J, Z series, and luxury Giga models. But several years ago the company replaced the compact A-series with the new C-series, which can be positioned as its improved version. In spring 2024 the company represented Jura C8 as the first ‘premium economy’ model from Jura.
For some unknown reason, the company strictly avoids equipping its models with manual steam wands or cappuccinatore. Almost all Jura coffee machines have an automatic milk frothing system. But the dairy-free Jura ENA 4/5, E4, D4, etc don’t even have a steam wand and are intended exclusively for fans of traditional black coffee.
The new Jura C3 could be positioned as a cheaper version of the Jura ENA 4 (2022), which has been successfully competing in this segment for several years and today costs ~ $ 980.
Platform
Both models:
-Professional Aroma Grinder (P.A.G.) with 7 level.
The virtually silent P.A.G. with Swiss reliability is rightfully positioned as one of the best in the industry, providing perfectly uniform grinding. But traditionally for most grinders, grind settings adjustment is only available when rotating, which prevents the risk of damaging the burrs due to beans trapped between them. However, in Jura E8 EC the company first used P.A.G. gen 2 with the ability to change the grind setting when the grinder is turned off. Unfortunately, the C3 uses the first version without this option;
– powder chute for ground coffee (for example, for making decaffeinated coffee);
– Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.).
In this mode, the water is pulsed through the coffee tablet, which increases extraction efficiency and reducing brewing time;
– 15 bar pump;
– one thermoblock;
– CLARIS Smart+ filter cartridge with auto detection;
– individually programmable quantity of water for coffee and 3 levels of coffee strength;
– integrated rinsing, cleaning and descaling programme, monitored drip tray and TUV certification (german ‘Technischer Uberwachungsverein’);
– Wi-Fi connection;
– simbol display (Easy Control Panel with four buttons);
– J.O.E. (Jura Operating Experience) support – beverage temp, coffee strength or water quantity settings;
– Energy Save Mode (E.S.M.), Zero-Energy Switch or power switch and programmable switch-off time;
– made in Portugal.
Jura C3 vs ENA 4
Programs
C3 – Espresso, 2 x Espresso, Coffee and 2 x Coffee;
ENA 4 – Espresso, Espresso Doppio, Coffee, Coffee Doppio.
Just in case, for reference:
– Espresso vs Coffee
Espresso is thicker and more intense due to the lower grounds-to-water ratio, the finer grind and the pressurized brewing method op to 9 bars. The regular coffee is prepared from a coarser grind and with a more water. In this case, the extraction is carried out by the process of water seeping through the coffee tablet under the influence of gravity. This technology is used, for example, in drip coffee makers;
– Doppio is a double espresso, in which the amount of water and coffee is doubled, without changing its strength.
In contrast, Americano is an espresso diluted with water, the strength of which is, of course, less.
In fact, both models offer identical programs under different names.
Differences (ENA 4 vs C3):
– variable brewing unit – (6 - 10) grams vs (5 – 16) grams (full-size brewing unit);
– individually programmable brewing temperature – no vs 3 levels;
– single dispenser spout vs dual-cup function;
– height-adjustable/width-adjustable coffee spout – 75 - 105 mm vs 80 – 110 mm;
– colors – Metropolitan Black and Nordic White vs Piano Black;
– water tank capacity / bean container holding capacity / coffee grounds container – 1.1 liter / 125 g / 10 vs 1.6 liter / 200 g / 16;
– weight and dimensions – 8.4 kg and 27.1 × 32.3 × 44.5 cm vs 8.8 kg and 26 × 32.5 × 43.7 cm.
Paradoxically, with an increase in the capacity of the water tank, bean and coffee grounds containers, the C3 is slightly heavier, but more compact.
Conclusions
As known, the company previously used several platforms, including the compact ENA, the versatile ECAM and high-reliability ETAM. The new ‘C’ series became an intermediate version between the budget-friendly ENA and ECAM. The company positions it as ‘premium economy’. Strictly speaking, its platform offers all the full-size model’s specs, but the functionality of its models differs significantly. For example, the Jura C8 with auto milk frother offers Espresso, Coffee, Cappuccino and Latte macchiato vs dairy-free C3. Therefore, the comparison of popular ENA 4 vs new C3 seems quite relevant.
However, its results are discouragingly unambiguous. The C3 clearly surpasses its conditional predecessor in almost all aspects. With the same functionality (4 black coffee programs) and dimensions, C3 vs ENA 4:
– full-size components – 1.6 liter / 200 g / 16 coffee grounds / 16 g brewing unit vs 1.1 liter / 125 g / 10 coffee grounds / 10 g brewing unit;
– programmable brewing temperature;
– dual-cup function with two-spout dispenser vs single-spout dispenser.
But most importantly, C3 is significantly cheaper. Its price varies from € 700 to € 800 vs $ 980 or € 1,200 for ENA 4 Metropolitan Black. Of course, such superiority in price-quality ratio leaves little chance for ENA models. But perhaps the company plans to replace the compact budget-friendly ENA series with a full-size ‘C’ series. In any case, fans of traditional black coffee get a superb dairy-free model. Its price may be a bit high for this segment, but the excellent Swiss quality, backed by a long-standing impeccable reputation, is well worth it.
The video presents the new dairy-free, fully automatic Jura C3 coffee machine.