It’s finally happened! A super-automatic coffee machine comparable to the highest level of barista-style coffee at last exists, and you can have it in your own home!
The Jura S8 has been held in high esteem since its inception. Some connoisseurs claim it is the best coffee machine. You’ve come here seeking the truth, and the truth you shall have!
Jura S8 Review
Now that you know what you’re in store for, let’s get on with the show.
Jura S8 Automatic Coffee Machine Summary
Pros
- Large, intuitive touchscreen
- It works with both whole bean and ground coffee
- A wide range of drink options
- Endless customization options
- Solid build quality
Cons
- Milk container is separate and not included
- Smart Connect is not included; you’ll need to buy the receiver separately
- It is a costly coffee machine
Design and Construction
The Jura S8 is a marvel of Swiss design. It is the next level in coffee machines and has improved in every aspect from previous versions.
Starting at the top, the Jura S8 has a chrome bean container lid. While many other machines have plastic lids, this chrome lid was chosen specifically to seal the freshness of the whole beans. The weight helps the seal stay tight.
Behind the hopper lid are two other panels. The one on the left is a chute for pre-ground coffee. This chute bypasses the hopper. It’s handy when you want to try other coffee or drink decaf after dinner. You don’t need to replace the beans in the hopper. The one on the right hides the dial for the grind setting. You’ll have your perfect coffee grinds for any beans.
Slotted into the left side rests the 64 fl. oz (1.9L) water tank. Inside, you can find the smart filter with an RFID chip in it. The filter and intelligent water system prevent scaling and help give the coffee a purer taste.
There is a large touchscreen on the front of the Jura S8 coffee maker, which has all the options for coffee brewing. The two spouts in the middle can pour one or two cups of coffee at once, and the milk spout on the side connects to the milk system.
The milk frothing spout can put out milk, water, and coffee, so you can make milk-based coffee beverages using just that spout without moving the cup. All the spouts are height adjustable.
Below the spouts rests the drip tray. It connects to the drawer that catches the coffee grounds. The grounds come out in dense, dry pucks, so there is no mess.
Drink Options
The Jura S8 fully automatic coffee machine is a marvel of drink mastery. It comes with 15 drink options preprogrammed, and each one can be customized and reprogrammed.
Black Coffee includes the Ristretto, Espresso, and Coffee, and you can choose single or double shots for these drinks.
Milk-based drinks include Caffè Latte, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Flat white, Macchiato, and more. You can also make milk form or hot milk for hot chocolate or other coffee specialties. If you are a tea drinker as well, hot water for green tea is available.
S8 is one of the most versatile mid-range Jura coffee machines.
Brew Performance
You will not find a better brewing machine than this. The Jura S8 grinds coffee beans with the latest Aroma G3 grinder in the quietest manner possible. Seriously, it’s very quiet. It’s also much faster than the built-in grinders in previous Jura espresso machines.
As a mid-range Jura coffee machine, S8 uses Jura’s latest Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.) tech.
Pulse Extraction Process is a one-of-a-kind patented technology that blasts hot water through the grounds to extract coffee flavor. By brewing this way, the maximum airy flavor is preserved in every cup. It works similarly to the pre-infusion in the brewing process. A small amount of hot water wet the coffee, so the coffee grounds swell and develop aroma compounds.
Drink Quality
The most surprising thing about the Jura S8 is just how much of a difference it has in drink quality compared to other automatic coffee machines.
Thanks to the Pulse Extraction Process mentioned above, every cup comes out rich and robust. It produces the perfect crema and balanced flavor of your espresso consistently shots after shots. You’ll never be able to go back to coffee from another machine.
The milk frother is also a stunning example of just how high-quality this espresso machine is. You can have drinks with steamed milk or foamed milk. Depending on the drink, the Jura S8 will even switch to pouring the milk or coffee first for the best effect.
For example, to make a Cappuccino, S8 will produce much more fluffy froth that you can pick it up on a spoon and hold the spoon upside-down, and it won’t fall off or lose shape. And the machine will first prepare the milk then pull a shot over the milk foam.
If you make a latte macchiato, it will froth the milk first, then let the milk foam settle for 30 seconds before pull espresso shots. So the end product will have the beautiful three layers.
If you brew a flat white, it will pull a shot first, then add the fine microform. No matter you are making Espresso macchiato, caffe latte, or any other beverage, the professional fine foam frother will make you barista-quality drinks, just like the ones you get from the coffee shops.
Interface Design
Making coffee has never been easier. The Jura S8 is a streamlined and user-friendly device with all the latest technologies to help you along.
The extra-large touchscreen display is in full color and is super sensitive to the touch. Eight most common coffee drinks are shown on the home screen of the Jura S8, and the other eight can be accessed from a button in the top right. If you have a preset you want to make, it’s as straightforward as placing a cup and pressing a button.
Let’s say you want to make a cappuccino. You have the milk, water, and coffee beans ready. Now all you have to do is place your glass under the frother, turn the frother to the cappuccino setting, and select the cappuccino option.
But wait, let’s say you are using a smaller glass than usual. Press on the cappuccino button until it opens the options. From there, you can adjust the amount you want. You can even reduce the foam to get the same amount of coffee.
If you got the settings wrong and the drink is starting to overfill, just cancel or adjust the settings as it pours.
Programming
Programming the Jura S8 is easy. By pressing and holding any drink or clicking on the P icon, you can change the saved options for any drink.
Each drink can be fully customized. You have ten coffee strength settings. That’s more than many other coffee makers. You can also just the temperature, coffee volume, time (amount) for milk, type of milk (there is a dial on the frother to take it from foamed to steamed), and crema.
You can also rename each drink, save preferred settings, preset it to make one or two drinks, copy, delete, and add new coffee recipes to the main page. Then you can create barista-quality coffee with a touch of a button.
Pressing the P button will also take you to all the options like cleaning, product settings, shop, statistics, and instructions.
If you and a family member both like espresso in the morning but like them done differently, you can individually program presets for two of the same drink and then add them to the most commonly used 8.
Let’s say you like a strong, hot espresso, and your significant other likes a lighter, frothier espresso. Simply select the espresso drink, choose the settings, pick a fun name, replace one of the most common 8 drinks with it, and voila, a new preset. Do the same for your SO’s drink, and there you have it, two preset espressos with different preferences.
Maintenance and Cleaning
The Jura S8 does all the work for you when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. Once the coffee is brewed, it forms a dense puck that gets deposited in a tray in the machine. Because the puck is solid, there are no loose grounds to deal with, and the machine will tell you when the tray is full, so you don’t even need to check.
The coffee system can be cleaned with a specialized Jura cleaning tablet. Pop one in the ground coffee port and set the machine to auto clean. The clean cycle is quick and efficient and gets to all the parts you can’t reach.
Thanks to the smart filter with an RFID chip, you never have to worry about descaling your Jura S8. The filter softens hard water and removes harsh minerals that would otherwise build up in the machine. Your Jura will tell you when it needs to be replaced.
To clean the milk frother, the Jura S8 comes with a small tray and cleaning solution. Put the cleaning solution in one part of the tray, put the tube’s intake end in it, then align the other part of the tray under the nozzle. The automatic cleaning cycle will flush out any milk residue.
Other Superb Features
Some special features unique to the Jura S8 include a two-year warranty that includes parts and labor, sensors for everything, and smart device-enabled ordering.
The warranty is fabulous as it comes at no extra cost to you and guarantees a perfect product.
The water filter, milk frother, drip tray, and used grounds tray have sensors to tell you when they need to be changed, cleaned, and emptied. You never have to check because the machine checks for you. It even knows when you are using it without a filter.
The Jura S8 has an app that gives you access to all the settings and options on the coffee machine. You can adjust it right from your phone and even enable voice commands for ordering ahead of time. However, you’ll need to buy a Bluetooth receiver accessory to activate this feature. It’s not coming with the purchase.
Is Jura S8 Worth the Cost?
The long and short is that the Jura S8 is more expensive than other mid-range Jura models, but if you are even considering getting a Jura, then you should get the S8.
The larger touchscreen, a plethora of drink options, easy maintenance, and customizability all put the Jura S8 leagues ahead of other Jura machines, not to mention other brands. You may not be able to try it now, but trust that the difference in taste alone is worth buying the Jura S8.
This machine will last forever. It is of higher quality, has a better design, and is made from higher-end parts than any other machine. Aside from buying a commercial espresso maker, you won’t find a better machine.
Jura S8 Alternatives
If, for some inexplicable reason, you are not already rushing out to buy the Jura S8, here are some alternatives that may strike your fancy. These machines are quite similar save a few aspects here and there.
Jura E8
| Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jura E8 Piano Black Automatic Coffee Machine, 64... | 87 Reviews | See on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-05-30 / As an Amazon Associate, if you buy via the links, Brewcoffeehome earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
The Jura E8 is extremely similar to the Jura S8 but comes at a slightly more affordable price. It has similar drink options to the Jura S8 but a small touchscreen along with physical buttons, and fewer options for customizing.
The design is nearly identical to the Jura S8 aside from the abovementioned.
Breville BES990BSS Oracle Touch
| Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Breville Oracle Touch Espresso Machine, Brushed... | 398 Reviews | See on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-05-30 / As an Amazon Associate, if you buy via the links, Brewcoffeehome earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
The Breville Oracle is a café-style coffee machine that also features a touchscreen, dual boilers, and a professional steam wand. It offers many similar personalization options similar to Jura products. You can change each brew’s strength, temperature, and milk texture and even name saved drinks just like the Jura S8.
Overall it is less glamorous than the Jura S8 and does not have any smart features. But if you want to show off your barista skills instead of making a coffee with a push of a button, this is your choice.
Saeco Xelsis Super Automatic Espresso Machine
| Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PHILIPS Saeco Xelsis Super Automatic Espresso... | 377 Reviews | See on Amazon |
Last update on 2023-05-30 / As an Amazon Associate, if you buy via the links, Brewcoffeehome earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
For the perfect middle ground between the Jura S8 and Breville Oracle, try the Saeco Xelsis. This machine has the same double spout (albeit with more room than the Oracle), milk frother, and touchscreen.
The Xelsis is a wiz for programming drink settings. It has the usual temperature, volume, ratio, and milk controls that the other machines do, but it also has something even the Jura S8 doesn’t: profile. Each user can save their favorite drinks under their profiles for easy access.
The Verdict – Who Is Jura S8 Suitable For？
Jura S8 is suitable for coffee lovers who enjoy making great-tasting coffee without hassles. With this automatic espresso machine, you don’t need to spend money in coffee shops anymore. Everyone deserves coffee this good.
The only limitations you may encounter are price and countertop space. While the Jura S8 is not huge, it does take up a fair bit of room.
Between the massive touchscreen full of amazing and customizable blends and the out-of-this-world coffee beverages, the Jura S8 shows just what coffee can be. It’s the best coffee machine you will ever own.
