Automatic espresso machines are a quick, mostly hands-free way to make cafe-style coffee drinks yourself. We've tested several for our guide to the best espresso machines, and the Jura Z10 ranks as the best super-automatic espresso machine. The Jura Z10 stands alone in the sea of sub-par automatic espresso machines on the market — though not without a few shortcomings of its own.
The Switzerland-based brand has been developing automatic espresso machines for more than 50 years. We love the Z10 because it pulls out all the regular espresso, latté, cappuccino, and macchiato stops while adding a cold-brewing feature. This is the most expensive machine in our top picks, but it's worth noting that the brand has released the Jura ENA 4, which is closer to the Breville Barista Express Impress price range.
Read on for our thoughts on the Jura Z10 espresso machine.
Jura's Z10 is as close as you're going to get to cafe-quality espresso drinks and even cold brew with just a touch of a button.
- Highest-quality espresso we've tried from an automatic machine
- Extensive menu of hot and cold drinks
- Fast brewing and easy to navigate interface
- Large and prohibitively expensive for many people
- Milk accessories sold separately
Testing the built-in grinder
The best burr grinder is, apart from the coffee beans themselves, the first make-or-break step in quality espresso. The Z10's "product-recognizing grinder" (PRG) has a sensor that dials grind size based on the beans and adjusts in real time to optimize brewing. Using a densitometer and the Instituto Espresso Italiano's standards, we found that the Jura produces perfect espresso grounds. (It's a total dissolved solids (TDS) between 7% and 12% TDS, if you're curious.)
This is the first of any of the automatic espresso machines we've tested that has actually achieved true espresso as defined by the IEI. Others have come close, and most have sadly been far from it.
If you'd like to bypass the grinder in favor of one you already have, there's a shoot for pre-ground coffee in the back. We put our coffee through the best espresso grinder, the Baratza Sette 270, and sent it into the shoot as well to see what came out. The espresso was even better, but know that the Jura's built-in grinder more than suffices.
Basic brewing
The Jura lists 16 different programmable beverages, and each comes as a single and a double. You get an array of espressos (hot and cold); long black or Americano coffees; and milk-based macchiatos, cortados, lattes, and cappuccinos. Kitchen editor Lily Alig uses the Jura primarily for regular coffee: "While I love having lattes on command, a standard cup of coffee from the Jura brews quickly and with an amplified flavor."
We based our Jura evaluation primarily on the balance of the espresso we made using three different fresh bags of beans, but were impressed by the reliability of the milk-based beverages. Each drink had a perfect coffee-to-milk balance, and the milk was never burned.
For lattes and such, Jura makes a Cool Control container, a pricy accessory that keeps milk at 39 degrees Fahrenheit. It is shockingly pricey and takes up even more space on your counter. We found that you can just as easily use a jug of milk that you just keep in your fridge until coffee time. Alig says she uses anything from a quart container to a lowball glass to hold milk when making lattes and never has a problem.
Cold brew espresso
One of the big standouts for the Z10 is its "cold brew" function. It doesn't exactly make cold-brew coffee — the beverage is akin to a somewhat watery nitro brew, which is impressive considering it's served up in less than a minute. Even the best cold brew makers can take eight hours or more, but fine grounds and high pressure allow for the Z10 to expedite the process.
We tried cold-brew macchiatos and lattes that were enjoyable enough for this stodgy espresso snob. If you want a proper cold brew, look elsewhere, but if you are happy with something close to nitro with minimal effort, the Z10 will serve you well.
Cleanup
The worst thing about this machine, and any automatic machine that incorporates milk, is the cleanup. Because it draws milk through tubes and into what is, in effect, the group head, you'll want to make sure you clean the machine and the accessories after every milk-based drink. Unlike with a semi-automatic espresso machine and a steam wand, the cleaning process is clunkier and more involved than a quick steam purge.
The Z10 comes with a cleaning tray and a cleaning solution that will last several cleaning cycles, but you'll want to pick up something like Urnex Cafiza Powder for future cleanings.
Cons to consider
Unfortunately, we found dealing with Jura's customer service to be a frustrating experience. One day into using the machine, we found we were unable to brew coffee using the secondary shoot for pre ground coffee. We entered a live chat with a technician's assistant and were directed to a payment page to continue chatting for $40. In our opinion, no one should have to pay to consult a technician on a nearly $4,000 machine.
The brand doesn't make it crystal clear, but the machine is Bluetooth- and WiFi-compatible with the addition of "WiFi Connect," a plug-in piece of hardware which you can even operate through Siri, but you'll have to buy that separately, too.
What are your alternatives?
For real espresso aficionados, the Jura Z10 is the only super-automatic machine that aces our tests. However, if you're willing to sacrifice a little in quality or customizability, there are some more affordable options
- Best automatic espresso machine under $1,000: Cafe Affetto – See at Best Buy
This is a great introduction to making espresso, and is significantly cheaper than most other automatic machines. - Best Nespresso machine: Nespresso Essenza Mini — See at Amazon
Nespresso Original machines use a 19-bar high pressure extraction system that produces a brew closer to true espresso than any other pod brewer.
The bottom line
In the end, no fully automatic espresso machine we've tried competes with a quality semi-automatic machine and a perfectly dialed burr grinder. But if convenience is your primary concern and you have the budget for it, the Jura Z10 is the best automatic espresso machine on the market.
The biggest downsides of the machine are its size, price, and expensive accessories that we think should be included with the almost $4,000 base machine. Otherwise, this is an almost flawless machine that makes nearly cafe-quality espresso drinks with no plastic or aluminum waste at the push of a button.
Pros: Best espresso we've tried from an automatic machine, makes almost every coffee beverage we can think of
Cons: Large, poor customer service, accessories (including WiFi connectivity) sold separately
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