The E8 is the latest generation of Jura's best-selling line of fully-automatic espresso machines that successfully finds a middle ground between build-quality, price, and performance.
What exactly does that mean?
- Build quality: It's a Jura, which means the E8 is made from high-quality internal brewing components and assembled either Switzerland or Portugal.
- Price: Though certainly not the cheapest super-automatic espresso machine, the E8 is competitively priced in Jura's product line. It has a similar price point as the more limiting and less feature-rich ENA 8, but it also has many of the impressive features of the much-pricier S8.
- Performance: In terms of brew quality, the E8 is right up there with every high-end Jura espresso machine (with a few unique, advanced features built in). But, in order to shave 20-25% off the cost of the S8, a few nice-to-have features needed to go.
Which features did Jura leave off the E8 that you'll find on the pricier S8?
- The E8 has a 2.8" color display without touch functionality compared to the S8's 4.3" color touch display.
- The E8 doesn't offer ristretto, double ristretto shot, macchiato, and latte macchiato.
- The E8 has a slightly shorter cup clearances for the coffee and cappuccino spouts (0.2" less) and much less clearance under the hot water spout (1.8" less).
For many caffeine-needy consumers, those features aren't important enough to justify paying 20-25% more, which is why Jura E Series espresso machines have achieved such wide acclaim.
Still, other consumers figure that if they're going to spend $1,500-$2,000 or more on a super-automatic espresso machine, they may as well do it right. After all, this thing is going to be your daily coffee companion for years.
