Coffee machines under the legendary Jura brand are developed by the Swiss company Elektroapparate AG, which has been producing and selling premium household appliances since 1931. The company cooperates with eminent Swiss Eugster Frismag AG, which is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). For reference, this leading global manufacturer also makes models under the Saeco, Philips, Gaggia, Bosch, Nivona and Melitta brands.
Jura uses a fairly simple and convenient naming system for its models, changing only the letter article number in the series, which corresponds to the year of development. For example, in 2020, the E6 EB replaced the previous E6 EA. Last year, E6 EC replaced E6 EB (2020), and E8 EC became an improved version of E8 EB (2020).
The new series offers several colors, including Jura E8 EC 15582 Platin, 15583 Dark Inox, 15584 Piano Black and 15585 Piano White.
Jura E8 EB vs E8 EC
The list of improvements is short and includes:
– a new display, the diagonal of which has increased from 2.8″ / 7 cm to 3.5″ / 9 cm.
Of course, the developers have also improved the interface by increasing the size of the icons and the distance between them. Unfortunately, as before, the ‘working screens’ with drinks are scrolled only forward without going back;
– dots-icons of contextual control keys on the sides of the display simplify the positioning of the finger when pressing;
– new Professional Aroma Grinder gen 2.
It‘s more productive and after each cycle automatically makes one turn in the opposite direction, freeing the millstones from grain fragments. This algorithm reduces wear, increasing its service life.
In addition, it solved one of the traditional problems of all grinders in coffee machines. To prevent the risk of damaging the millstones due to beans clamped between them, grind adjustment was available only during its operation. E8 EC became the first coffee machine with the ability to change the grind setting of a switched off coffee grinder. Increasing the number of grinding degrees from 6 to 7 and a more convenient regulator became additional bonuses.
By the way, the developers changed the scale. In previous models, an increase in the number corresponded to a coarser grind. Now the 7 level corresponds to the finest grind. Just in case, the coffee grinder offers hints (7 / intense – fine grind for strong rich coffee, 1 / mild – coarse grind for light coffee).
Unfortunately, the useful Extra shot function with two consecutive grinds and with two pouring coffee into a cup is still not available for Americano program.
Platform
The updated E8 EC series retains all the pros of Jura coffee machines, including:
– Jura’s non-removable screw brewing unit with a capacity of up to 16 grams of coffee per cup;
– superb espresso, the taste of which is almost identical to espresso using a professional carob coffee maker;
– ideal milk foam consistency with an Jura’s HP3/CX3 milk system.
– reliability due to high-quality components;
– quiet operation.
Except for the new 3.5″ color button display and PAG 2 grinder, the other components are unchanged. The model uses:
– 1450W thermoblock;
– 15 Bar Sysko pump with pulsation damper;
– tray filling sensor;
– twin coffee dispenser with backlight and separate water nozzle in the center (up to 111 mm cup height);
– separate coffee and milk dispenser on the right (up to 153 mm cup height);
– capacity of water / beans / coffee grounds container – 1.9 l / 280 g / 16 shots.
Of course, in addition to coffee and milk-based coffee drinks, the coffee machine can dispense milk foam and hot water. The delivery time is 22 sec by default for milk, and is adjustable from 1 to 45 sec. For water, these values are 220 ml and 25-300 ml.
Programs
– espresso (P.E.P. or Pulse Extraction Process for improved extraction) – 45 ml preset / 15-80 ml settings (~ 5 ml remains in the coffee tablet);
– coffee / lungo (without P.E.P.) – 100 ml / 25-240 ml;
– Americano (previous name barista coffee) – 60 ml espresso + 40 ml hot water (100 ml total) / 25-240 ml coffee + 0-240 ml hot water on top (total max 480 ml);
– lungo (previous name lungo barista) – 120 ml coffee + 100 ml water / 25-240 ml coffee + 0-240 ml water.
Lungo differs from Americano only in the preset setting;
– doppio (double espresso with double-click the Espresso) – two consecutive espressos, settings are similar to espresso;
– cappuccino (milk foam, coffee without P.E.P.) – 12 sec milk foam supply (1 sec ~ 8-10 ml milk), 60 ml coffee / milk foam up to 45 sec (~ up to 400 ml), 25 – 240 ml coffee ;
– latte macchiato – 20 sec foam, 30 sec pause, 45 ml coffee / foam up to 45 sec (~ 400 ml), 0 – 60 sec pause, 25 – 240 ml coffee;
– flat white (classic cappuccino, coffee without P.E.P., then milk foam) – 60 ml coffee + 12 sec of milk foam supply (~ 100 ml) / 25-240 ml coffee + 1- 45 sec milk foam;
– macchiato (low milk froth and espresso with P.E.P.) – 3 sec foam + 25 ml espresso / 1- 45 sec milk foam + 15-80 ml espresso;
– cortado (inverted macchiato – espresso with P.E.P. and little milk froth) – 25 ml espresso + 3 sec milk froth / 15-80 ml espresso + 1-45 sec milk foam.
In fact, this is a richer classic cappuccino with P.E.P. espresso.
Key Features
Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato and Flat White programs support Extra Shot option. This modifier is activated through a submenu that pops up when you press the lower left button with the cup and dot icon.
In this case, the coffee machine makes two coffees in succession, producing a double espresso. It’s ideal for fans of a bright coffee component in milk-based coffee drinks.
The screen displays only 4 program shortcuts. Therefore, the interface includes 3 screens with drinks, which are scrolled using the lower right key. In addition, it has a service screen for entering the cleaning submenu and global settings, including language, water hardness, auto-off time, etc.
A few nuances:
– opening the lid of the ground coffee container requires a free space of at least 3 cm between the back panel and the wall;
– corrugated surface of the water tank impairs readability and control of the water level, especially in black modifications;
– the absence of a holder for the milk tube reduces usability and worsens the aesthetics;
– a quick rinse of the milk circuit cleans only the cappuccino maker module in the dispenser.
Accordingly, the milk hose must be disconnected and washed under the tap manually. However, experienced coffee lovers often place a cup of clean water under the hose and turn on the preparation of frothed milk for a few seconds. Finally, the user can also use the separate cleaning program of the cappuccino maker.
Conclusions
In fact, in the Jura E8 EC the developers have improved the display and the coffee grinder, which is quite adequate for the increase in price from € 900 to € 1,100. At the same time, the Jura E8 series maintains a superb price-quality ratio, offering Swiss reliability, backed by impeccable quality over many decades. However, in addition to its reputation, the E8 EC offers a traditionally high level of innovation (P.E.P., PAG 2, Extra Shot mode, etc.) and wide functionality, including more than 10 of the most popular recipes.
These factors promise the series bright marketing prospects, and perhaps a place among the bestsellers. In any case, the expansion of the range always pleases the consumer market.
This video shows new Jura E8 EC (2023).
