If you want to make the freshest coffee, you need a separate grinder. If you want to make different types of coffee drinks, you need different coffee makers.
Rather than taking up your counter space with a huge collection of coffee equipment, you can get a complete coffee system like the Jura J80.
This complete coffee maker is convenient, it offers a variety of drinks, it comes with a built-in grinder, and it provides on-demand hot water.
Jura is a Swiss company that makes its products to Swiss precision standards. The J80 is a sophisticated machine that offers an intuitive user interface and a variety of settings for different brews and beverages.
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Things to Consider Before Buying a Coffee Maker
What benefits should you cook for in a complete coffee maker?
Convenience
If you want to get full value out of a complete coffee maker, you need one that can brew multiple cups at the same time or one drink, if that’s all you require.
Also, a complete coffee maker should be able to handle these different tasks at the push of a button. You certainly do not want a machine that requires you to change equipment between jobs manually.
Variety
Instead of one type of coffee brew, an excellent complete coffee system with be able to make all of them, including espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and pure brewed coffee.
A Grinder
Freshness matters when it comes to coffee. Quality complete systems provide a high level of freshness with a built-in coffee grinder.
Hot Water and Steam
A complete coffee system has a steam wand so that you can make coffee drinks with steamed milk. It can also produce hot water on demand. With these systems, you can also accommodate the non-coffee drinkers by heating drinks like hot chocolate and providing hot water for tea.
Here are some other general coffee maker traits to consider
Capacity
One of the fundamental decisions you should make when buying a coffee maker of any kind is the capacity. How many cups of coffee can you expect to get out of it? The average is between 8 and 12 cups, and this should be good enough for a single person or a family.
Filtration
The quality of the water you use to brew your coffee matters because it will impact how your coffee tastes. High-end coffee makers feature carbon water filters, which will help if you’re dealing with hard or impure water. These filters also handle chlorinated water, which can give the coffee a chemical taste.
On the other hand, if you already have good quality water or are filtering it before using it to make coffee, then a water filtration system in your coffee maker will probably be redundant. Also, remember that an integrated filtration system in your coffee maker means additional maintenance. You have to replace the filter after it gets old for optimal performance.
Storage
Simple coffee makers have glass pots. With these vessels, the coffee will decline in quality if left too long after brewing as it won’t stay hot. To retain warmth, you have to let the heating element remain on, which could potentially burn the coffee. High-end coffee makers have stainless steel carafe pots with vacuum insulation that can keep coffee hot for extended periods.
Bells and Whistles
Complete coffee systems can offer extras. These extras add value if you use them.
What are some examples of bells and whistles that add value? Some makers feature scheduled brewing, which allows you to set up the coffee maker the night before so you can wake up to a hot cup of coffee the next morning.
Other makers have a freshness timer to tell you whether your pot of coffee is still fresh. These timers measure how long it’s been since the machine stopped brewing. These and many other extra features, while not essential, but if you use them, they certainly add to the convenience and value of a coffee maker.
Overview of the Jura J80 Coffee Center
The Jura J80 automatic coffee center is easy to use, but it has a robust set of capabilities. This coffee maker can make you an espresso, ristretto, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and many other espresso-and-milk-based drinks.
The hot water reservoir and foaming feature allow you to customize the settings for frothed milk and hot water. You can also make hot cocoa and tea lattes, as well as a variety of other non-coffee drinks with this foaming feature.
A Diverse Drink Menu
What’s the difference between latte, macchiato, and cappuccino? The density of milk matters when you are making these different drinks. Getting the correct amount of foam and milk that is the right temperature is difficult with a fully-manual machine.
With the J80, you have control over the density. You can even adjust it during steaming to create a cappuccino with the right ratio of foam and steamed milk.
Another thing I like about the J80 is the Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma (IPBA) pre-infusion feature. This high-tech component controls the water flow so that the grounds get completely soaked before brewing. This feature makes for optimal espresso extraction.
The controls also include strength settings. You can adjust these settings depending on how strong you want your coffee to be.
Additional Features
The Jura J80 features a conical multi-layered burr grinder for effective on-demand grinding. You can also pour pre-ground coffee directly into your chosen brew group.
The Jura J80 has an LCD UI screen that shows you your choice of drinks as well as a settings page where you can fine-tune the brewing details. It also has a rotary dial that you can use to cycle through your options on the LCD screen.
Are there any drawbacks to this coffee system?
Sometimes the milk foam can be a bit on the warm side, and the milk pipes need regular maintenance. You need to replace them four times a year.
If you have a large family or make coffee in an office setting, the J80’s capacity of 8 cups may not produce enough coffee for your needs.
Pros
- The Jura J80 has adjustments for hard water, allowing you to calibrate the filter to adjust for different types of water quality.
- It’s easy to set the density of the milk frothing.
- You can use both coffee beans and pre-ground coffee.
- The rotary dial and LCD are very user-friendly and intuitive.
Cons
- The frothed milk might be too warm for some users.
- The J80 does not have enough capacity for a large family.
- The milk frothing pipes could eventually need to be replaced.
Features and Benefits
The Jura J80 has a long menu of benefits and features.
Fine Foam Technology
The Jura J80 has a feature called Fine Foam Frother Technology. This feature instantly steams fresh milk and then siphons it to your cup for a latte or cappuccino.
There is a button on the frother that allows you to regulate the density and texture of the milk. Using these controls, you can set the frother beforehand or adjust it during brewing.
The Jura will prompt you to clean the milk circuit after brewing, so it’s clean and ready for the next use.
Adjustable Height and Width
The J80 addresses one common problem that I often have with coffee makers. Some coffee makers only allow standard-size mugs. The Jura has an adjustable spout that can move six inches. If you have a tall cup, it can accommodate you.
The J80 also has a two-spout setting if you want a traditional double shot of espresso that produces the proper amount of crema.
Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma Technology
An excellent complete coffee system allows you to control the strength of your brew. The J80 will enable you to choose anywhere from five grams to 16 grams of coffee in your beverage. The system’s Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma Technology will soak the coffee grounds complete before brewing for maximum flavor extraction.
High-Pressure Thermoblock
With pressure levels matching some of the most potent professional coffee makers, the Jura’s thermoblock heats the water rapidly so you can get your coffee or hot water on-demand.
How powerful is this machine? The Jura J80 operates at 15 bars of pressure, which squeezes the hot water through the coffee grounds as powerfully as a professional espresso machine. This level of power makes it possible to extract the oils from the coffee and give you high-quality coffee.
Multi-Level Conical Burr Grinder
Burr grinders are the gold standard of the coffee maker world. The significant advantage that burr grinders offer over blade grinders is that the coffee beans get ground to a consistent coarseness.
The J80 goes a step further in the grinding process by introducing multiple levels in the conical burr grinder and by grinding the beans at a right angle. At this angle, the coffee gets ground in less time, which is vital because excessive grinding heats the coffee and produces a bitter taste during brewing.
This grinder is also quiet, which puts it ahead of other countertop coffee mills with the same level of power.
LCD Display
Another great thing about this coffee maker is its intuitive user interface. You can tell what you’re making since the LCD shows images and names for every drink.
You can cycle through the menu using the rotary dial underneath the screen. Once you get the drink that you want, selecting it is as easy as pressing a button.
You can also use the dial and display to customize your selection by choosing different options, including temperature, volume, milk froth density, and strength.
You can save these settings so that you do not have to enter them the next time you make your drink.
Cleaning Reminder
The Jura J80 comes with a strip that you can use to test the hardness of your water. On setup, the machine asks you to input the quality of the water you have so it can personalize the descaling schedule for you.
It then gives you a reminder whenever you’re supposed to do the descaling. It also has a Clearyl Blue Water Filter to prevent mineral building up in the reservoir.
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Alternatives and Conclusion
The Jura J80 is a complete coffee system. If you are a coffee lover, and you use all the features that it provides, it could be an excellent value.
You will be able to make many different specialty drinks and the recipe. You could technically use the controls to create a brand new coffee drink.
Thanks to the controls and features, you can even use the J80 to make non-coffee beverages such as tea lattes or hot chocolate.
The Jura is a complete system with features like a water filter, milk density setting, and the burr grinder.
There are a few drawbacks to this coffee maker, but the biggest is the price. The Jura J80 is an investment. It provides value to true coffee aficionados, who will take advantage of its features and appreciate the quality of the coffee that it produces.
Alternatives
Perhaps you like the idea of a complete coffee system but could do without some of the features that drive up the Jura J80’s price tag.
Jura has a variety of espresso machines that can make quality espresso drinks without offering all the extra bells and whistles that the J80 has.
If you like brewed coffee in the morning, you can consider a pod brewer. These offer the convenience of the Jura without all the bells, whistles, and drink options.
Since these makers use pods, you do not have to worry about grinding. You can choose between the Keurig and the Breville Bambino Plus, which has the smallest footprint if you need to minimize space requirements.
If you would use the features of the J80, it could be a worthwhile investment. The alternative could be putting together a system with all the separate pieces, such as a stand-alone grinder, water filter, and steam wand. The Jura J80 has all these high-quality components in one compact package.
This package offers exceptional quality and control. It is up to consumers to decide if the features and convenience are worth the price tag.
Jura J80 Automatic Coffee Center Review: A Complete Coffee System
The Jura J80 is an extreme coffee brewing machine that can do all the tricks including grinding, brewing, and frothing. Check out our list of pros and cons for this multi-use machine.
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