Jura X8 Review: Why People Return to the Office!

I’ve really been enjoying looking into some of the professional grade super automatic espresso machines lately. So, I’d like to continue my exploration today with this Jura X8 review.

The Jura X8 is a professional level espresso maker, which means it can make enough coffee and milk drinks to power a small office or a house full of coffee lovers.

What’s more is that is has the power to entice remote workers back to the office. In fact, I’d lead with that when recruiting new hires.

Will bring people back to the office

Jura X8

Perfect for office environments

High capacity brewing

A perk that will bring people back to the office!

Perfect for hosting office guests!

User friendly app

Excellent milk froth

Lots of customization

Takes up a lot of space

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Jura X8 Review Overview

This beautiful super automatic coffee machine is loaded with features designed to make coffee beverages, just like you find in coffee shops, with minimal effort. In fact, you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas, thanks to the J.O.E. app. Well, depending on your workplace, that is!

The Swiss made $3,499.00 also boasts customization of each of its 21 specialty drink options. That’s really what you’re paying for when it comes to these big automatic machines; the option to brew coffees how you like them.

And with Jura’s Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.), fine foam technology and dual boiler machines inside, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Quality coffee flavor, some of the best cappuccino you’ve ever had and tons of other specialty coffee drinks.

Jura X8 First Impressions

So, the first thing that stands out to me as I conduct this Jura X8 review is the clean, sleek look for which Jura machines are known. Indeed, it’s larger than the home use super automatic machine models. The bean hopper and the water tank are double the size of what you’d find on the Z8, for example.

It might be a little much for a one person household, but it’s a dream for power coffee drinkers. The color TFT display isn’t a touch screen, unfortunately, but it’s easy to understand and the layout is user friendly.

The brew group still isn’t removable, but Jura has a few pre-programmed cleaning cycles to keep everything fresh. They say that’s all you need, which I used to be skeptical about. However, after using a Jura coffee maker for a full year, I dismantled it to see if Jura’s claims were true. To make a long story short, I had to eat some humble pie. The machine was surprisingly clean!

The above said, there’s still value in bringing in your espresso machine to Jura every two years or so for maintenance and cleaning.

Moving on, let’s dive in and see what this Jura X8 review will reveal in terms of features, shall we?

Jura X8 Features

The Jura X8’s professional level rating comes with some professional level bells and whistles, which is what you’d expect, of course. 

Colors

First off, you get what you get in the way of color options for the X8. It’s the standard Jura silver and black, and of course, it looks great.

It would be nice if it also came in Piano Black, like several of the home use espresso machines, but in the end, the color doesn’t really matter. As long as the X8 can crank out a top notch espresso or flat white consistently, you’re golden.

User Interface

Speaking of things looking great, the TFT display is bright and easy to understand, but it’s not a touchscreen. Instead, you have to navigate with the buttons on either side of the display. It’s definitely not a deal breaker, although touchscreen functionality would feel a lot more luxe. It’s also at a slight up angle, which makes for easy viewing.

Ultimately, I can understand why Jura went with button controls. Much like the GIGA W3, if you’re going to have a high capacity machine brewing most of the day, you really want a user interface that can take a beating. 

Grinder

So, to get a really good coffee or espresso, you need a good grinder. The Jura X8 has an integrated Aroma G3 burr grinder which can crush your whole beans down to perfection. It’s adjustable, too, in case you need to fine tune your coffee beans to suit your taste. The efficiency of the G3 technology ensures you’ll get the perfect coffee flavor and aroma every time. 

Water Reservoir

Next, let’s talk about the water tank. This thing is huge, at 167.3 ounces (4.9 liters). It’s great if you don’t like refilling the water often. But, if you don’t go through that many coffee beverages, it’s still important to empty the reservoir when you’re done with the machine for the day.

Ideally, you should give the reservoir a quick rinse and allow it to dry completely overnight. Doing so will prevent anything from growing inside the water tank.

Luckily, Jura includes a Claris Pro Smart Water Filter that sits inside the water tank that will ensure your favorite specialty coffee or other hot drinks (like green tea) will taste wonderful. I highly recommend installing the water filter during the initial setup of your machine.

Also, be sure to change the filter out when prompted to do so. This will prevent limescale buildup, thus reducing maintenance.

Spout Height

Like most Jura coffee makers, the Jura X8 has a height adjustable spout. It can lift from 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters) to 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) for larger travel mugs. That will also help ensure you don’t accidentally dip the nozzles in your favorite milk drink.

Specialty Coffees

So, what types of drinks can the Jura X8 make? As I said above in this Jura X8 review, there are 21 options to choose from. Of course, you can dispense hot water, hot milk or just milk foam at the touch of a button. I also like the fact it can brew a 40 ounce (1.2 liter) pot for meetings.

Besides espresso and coffee, some of the milk drink options include the ever popular flat white, latte macchiato or cappuccino. Also, the X8 is one of the few machines that can make two drinks with milk at the same time, whereas most machines can only do coffee without milk in pairs.

App

I mentioned earlier about J.O.E., Jura’s app that is compatible with the Jura X8. The good news is the transmitter comes standard in the box with the machine, instead of as an optional separate purchase. It’s like they say: there’s an app for that! I, for one, love the option of ordering a coffee without having to leave my desk. It saves me time and maximizes my efficiency. That’s so much better than waiting around at the coffee maker.

On top of that, in case my phone is low on battery or if I’m in a call, I can also use my Apple Watch to order one of my top three drinks from the X8. Now, if only I had an app to help me get out of more meetings!

Siri Knows JOE

Furthermore, if I don’t feel like tapping my preference into my smartphone or Apple Watch, I can just ask Siri to do it. 

Siri’s voice command software is compatible with Jura’s J.O.E. app. All you need to do is specify the way you like your latte macchiato, flat white or double espresso in the app on your smart device. Then, create a Siri shortcut for your favorite drinks.

How to Use the Jura X8 Coffee Machine

Using the Jura X8 is pretty straightforward. Once you have your coffee beans in the bean hopper and your water tank full, power on the coffee machine. 

Next, if this is the first time you’re setting up the machine, I highly recommend using the Claris Pro Smart water filter. If it’s not, then let’s skip brewing coffee. 

Preparing coffee or espresso is super easy. Get your cup in place, then select your drink of choice. Press the button, and your drink is dispensed according to your preferences.

For a pot of coffee, you choose how many brewing operations (up to five) you want per pot in the preferences menu, and that becomes a one touch brew too.

To make a milk drink like a flat white or a cappuccino, connect your milk to the dual spout and put a glass in place. Scroll through the menu to find your drink, and hit the button to dispense. That’s it! 

Jura X8 Coffee Machine Cleaning

Like I mentioned before, the Jura X8 brew group is not removable. However, I’ve tested and proven to the world that their claims are true. You really don’t have to remove the brew group on a Jura to keep the machine clean!

The first thing to note is if you install the Claris Pro Smart Water Filter right out of the gate, you don’t need to descale your machine at all. It will monitor the filter via its Intelligent Water System (I.W.S) with RFID technology to let you know when to replace the spent filter.

If you didn’t install the filter, you’ll need to descale the X8 according to the instructions in the user manual. Maybe that’s a job for the new guy or gal in the office!

Other than that, cleaning is essentially a program on the machine that you run when the Jura X8 notifies you it’s time. You should also do a quick clean the milk system and frothing components daily, and do a deeper cleaning periodically. I recommend once a month for the milk system.

In general, though, all the X8 requires is a cleaning tablet and about twenty minutes, if you can go that long without a delicious coffee!

Jura X8 Milk Foam

One thing you can’t go wrong with is the milk system on a Jura machine, and the Jura X8 is no exception. Through its fine foam technology, the X8 delivers exceptional foam for milk based drinks like cappuccinos.

The milk system can also switch over from foam to milk on the fly, creating properly layered milk drinks. Which, by the way, is a feat that less advanced super automatic machines struggle to achieve.

Honestly, if you like microfoam, you’re gonna love Jura!

Jura X8 Accessories

Next, let’s talk about accessories.

For all the features the Jura X8 offers, there’s one thing that’s missing; the milk container. Sure, you can use something you have on hand. But for the price tag of this machine, you’d imagine they’d include one in the box. 

Nevertheless, you can purchase one separately to go with the machine. They have the standard glass container that you can put in the fridge when it’s not in use, or you can go all out and pick up a Cool Control milk container which keeps your dairy fresh and cold right on the counter.

Other cool accessories include the bean hopper extension, in case you need MORE room for beans, and a cup warmer to keep your cups at the optimal temperature for exceptional coffee. This is a nice touch for when you’re hosting guests.

Oh, and don’t forget that the Jura X8 has an inline fresh water kit option that you can have installed professionally, so you never have to fill the water tank again. Bliss!

Jura X8 Coffee Maker Specifications

Jura X8 vs Other Super Automatics

So now that we’ve covered the basics of the Jura X8, let’s take a look at some other super automatic espresso machine models. Afterall, no Jura X8 review would be complete without something to compare it to! And, more likely than not, if you’ve been tasked with researching this topic for your company, you need to present options.

The machines below have similar features with varying price points. Just keep in mind they are designed for home use, as opposed to the Jura X8’s professional rating. That to say, they could work for a super small office … perhaps one that’s equal in size to a typical family unit.

I’ll do a quick comparison with each so you can see how they stack up alongside the X8.

Jura X8 vs Jura Z8

The Jura Z8 is a discontinued machine, but you can still find it on Amazon and Seattle Coffee Gear. This fully automatic is pretty close to the Jura X8 in regards to operating features. They both sport the pulse extraction process, an Aroma G3 grinder and come with the transmitter for the app as a standard feature.

In addition, they both also have the I.W.S that I mentioned above in the water tank section, including the Claris filter and similar cleaning programs.

The differences come down to capacity, as the Jura Z8 is a home use machine. The Z8 also has a touchscreen interface. Oh, and at $4,999.99, it’s also more expensive than the Jura X8.

See Also: Jura Z8 Hands On Review

Jura X8 vs Jura E8

Again, the Jura E8 and Jura X8 both come with the good old Jura standards, namely the pulse extraction process and the water filtration system. They also both have the same type of TFT display and buttons as the user interface.

In contrast, the water tank and bean hopper capacity is much less on the E8 than the Jura X8. Also, you can choose from three color options as the E8 comes in black, white and chrome finishes. The E8 comes with a technology called a Fine Foam Frother G3 as part of its milk system too. Marketing!

A drawback to the E8 is it has only one thermoblock heating system as opposed to the X8’s double thermoblock design. And you have to purchase the Smart Connect transmitter separately if you’d like to use the J.O.E. app with Jura E8 model. 

On to the Miele!

See Also: Jura E8 Hands On Review

Jura X8 vs Miele CM 6360

In terms of similarities to the Jura X8, the $2,454.28 Miele CM 6360 has got some game.

Typical of Miele, the quality of the construction is very nice. There’s a stainless steel conical burr grinder and even a pot function for those tough mornings.

The display functions similarly, too. It’s not a touch screen, though; just a text display with buttons to select your drinks. 

Let’s call a spade a spade, though. The display on the Jura X8 is much nicer than the Miele 6360. And for some reason, the Miele 6360 boasts a “double Venturi process”, which I don’t believe makes much of a difference.

Cleaning the Miele 6360 is easy, as it does indeed have a removable brew group. It doesn’t, however, have any super fancy cleaning cycles. So, it is a little more labor intensive than the Jura X8 to keep clean. But, at least you know you’re doing a good job. 

On the plus side, the Miele comes in five fashionable colors, just waiting to pretty up your kitchen counter. And while it makes a great coffee, I still gotta give the award to Jura for that category.

See Also: Miele CM 6360 Hands On Review

Jura X8 vs Philips LatteGo 3200

The ultra affordable $699.00 Phillips LatteGo 3200 is a very different automatic coffee machine than the Jura X8. They do, however, have a couple of similarities.

Firstly, both machines make great espresso, though Jura’s still superior. The pump pressure is also the same at 15 bar, which is a bit of overkill, but I’m not complaining. They’re both well built, too, but that’s really where the similarities end.

The LatteGo 3200 is much louder than the Jura X8, even though it has a ceramic burr grinder. Also, since the Jura X8 is considered a professional level machine, its bean and water capacities are over double that of the 3200.

Not only that, but the 3200 has a carafe style milk system, as compared to the Jura X8’s cappuccinatore. And, the 3200 doesn’t have a display, but that makes sense given that it only has five drink options.

What the 3200 does have going for it is the cost; the functionality for the price of the LatteGo 3200 can’t be beat. It’s a great starter machine, but definitely not ideal for an office setting. The noise would definitely be an issue.

See Also: Philips LatteGo 3200 Hands On Review

Jura X8 vs Other Super Automatics Comparison Chart

Verdict: Jura X8 Review

Will bring people back to the office

Jura X8

Perfect for office environments

High capacity brewing

A perk that will bring people back to the office!

Perfect for hosting office guests!

User friendly app

Excellent milk froth

Lots of customization

Takes up a lot of space

	CHECK PRICE
	CHECK PRICE

With the colossal water tank size and large bean hopper, it almost feels as if there’s no refilling maintenance with this machine. That’s a good thing because none of us want more work to do, especially when it comes to our coffee. 

Although, I can’t help but wonder if you’re not brewing a cup of coffee steadily from this machine, over time the beans could start degrading. To me, that totally defeats the purpose of a machine designed to make fresh coffee, bean to cup.

Nonetheless, I think the Jura X8 would be an amazing automatic coffee machine for a large family or for office use. When you pick up this machine, do yourself a favor and get a milk container at the same time.

You really can’t beat the quality workmanship the Swiss put into the Jura X8, and you’ll never be disappointed with coffee!

Jura X8 Coffee Machine FAQ