Jura E6 review

Rich espresso under thick crema, from a factory shot that runs long8.8/10

The espresso is the E6's strongest suit, and it is consistently praised. Shots come out rich and aromatic with a thick crema, and the double tastes strong, not diluted. Home Coffee Expert sums it up as "Excellent crema, rich flavorful espresso with great depth and nuance".1

You can shape the cup a good deal. Strength, volume and temperature are all adjustable for each drink, and the machine remembers what you set. The americano is made in a single program, and there is hot water for tea.

The caveats are small but real. Home Coffee Expert finds the factory espresso setting uses too much water and always shortens the shot.2 Home Grounds found the shots clean and smooth but missed "the mouth-coating feeling of a really rich espresso".3 This is very good espresso by automatic standards, not a substitute for a well-run manual setup.

Fine cappuccino foam from a dial you turn yourself, and no latte on the menu6.4/10

The milk system divides opinion: the foam is good and the choices are few. Prime Kitchen Deals describes the result as "uniquely soft, fine-textured foam", and several others report dense, warm foam that sits well in a cappuccino.4

The limits show up fast if milk drinks are the routine. The milk menu is cappuccino, macchiato and plain milk foam. There is no latte or flat white, and Home Coffee Expert notes that although the milk amount is adjustable, "you can’t change the foam or temperature".5

It is also less hands-off than the top Juras. Milk is drawn through a hose from whatever container you set beside the machine, and you open and close the milk dial yourself. Coffeeness found that meant standing at the machine for the whole drink.6

A crisp color screen and a quiet grinder, with drink settings tucked in a submenu8.2/10

Day to day, the E6 is easy to live with, and its workflow is widely liked. The color display is clear, the buttons sit beside it, and a first-time user can be making coffee soon after setup. Coffeeness calls it "remarkably easy for beginners to use".7

The practical details help. The tank holds 1.9 l, the grinder is quicker and quieter than Jura's older unit, and a bypass chute takes pre-ground coffee for the occasional decaf. A smart mode moves your most-used drinks to the front of the menu.

The friction is in the finer settings. Coffeeness had to dig through a submenu to reach the drink settings, and the grinder offers less fine-tuning than some competitors.8 The spout slides up and down, but Coffeeness finds its top height stingy. At 28 × 35.1 × 44.6 cm it also needs a fair stretch of counter.

Prompted, guided cleaning, around a fixed brew group and a rinse that wants a cup7.1/10

Upkeep is mostly a matter of doing what the screen says, and that is widely liked. The machine tells you when to descale and walks you through it, and it prompts for the grounds bin, the filter and the cleaning tablet in the same way.9 With Jura's water filter fitted, descaling largely drops out of the routine.

The brew group stays inside the machine. It cannot be taken out and rinsed under the tap, so cleaning it depends on Jura's tablet cycle, and the tablets and filters are Jura's own.10 That adds to the running cost.

Two habits are worth learning early. The machine rinses through the spout every time it switches on, and Mack Robertson learned the hard way to leave a cup there: "the first time I did it it spilled everywhere".11 The milk system asks for a rinse after each milk drink, a short job with a cup of water and the hose, but one you start yourself.

Solid and expected to last years, in a casing that is plastic10.0/10

Build quality is praised almost without exception. The parts fit together neatly, the controls feel solid, and Flypresso says the E6 "feels built to last a decade".12

The long-term accounts point the same way. Brian has used his daily and reports that "after 3 years, it's still my favorite coffee machine".13 These are individual kitchens, not a survey, but nothing in the record contradicts them.

Two notes of caution. The casing is plastic, as ECS Coffee points out, even if it shrugs off stains.14 And very oily beans are best kept out of the hopper, because they can clog a grinder that is hard to clean once it gums up.15

Fair at $1,899 for a coffee-first kitchen, with rivals that pour more drinks7.5/10

At $1,899, value is widely liked, with conditions. Home Coffee Expert calls the E6 "our favorite Jura based on price vs functionality", and the case is simple: you get Jura's brewing and build without paying for a long milk menu.16

The case against is just as simple. Machines from other makers at this price offer more drinks, and a household of latte drinkers will feel the gap every morning. The Coffee Delight's advice is to save the money and buy the E6 only if the normal order is espresso, coffee, americano or cappuccino.

There are extras to count. The Wi-Fi adapter for the app is sold separately, which Home Coffee Expert finds annoying at this price, and Coffeeness wishes Jura would put a milk container in the box.17 Filters and cleaning tablets come from Jura too.

Our verdict

Buy the E6 if your household runs on espresso, coffee and americano with an occasional cappuccino, and you want a machine that should still be on the counter years from now. Skip it if lattes and flat whites are the daily order, or if a brew group you cannot remove will bother you. In the shop, find the drink settings in the menu, check the spout clears your tallest cup, and ask what the filters, tablets and a milk container add to the bill.