Do not listen to those who would discourage you from getting a machine like this!
Positive Product Points
Quality of Product Usability Value
Negative Product Points
Fit and Finish: It would be nice if this machine was stainless steel instead of plastic.
Detailed Commentary
I have been using the Jura E-8 for several years. It is a wonderful machine! I love waking up in the morning to use this baby which gets the most out of my home roasted coffee. All you have to do is fill the easily removable reservoir with water and fill the bean hopper. Turn it on and the water heats up. The machine tells you to press the rinse button which quickly rinses machine and once you do, you are good to go. The machine filters the water for your espresso which comes out out nice and hot. You can choose the strength you want your espresso (mild, normal, or strong) with the turn of a dial. The control layout is simple and logical. The machine spells out directions in english and what is not initially intuitive, is clearly explained in the owners manual.
When you shut off the machine, it rinses itself. Then all you do is wipe the screen with a paper towel, dump the grounds, rinse out the tray and out the door you go. The machine can be left on all day. It will tell you when to dump the grounds if you go too long without doing so. The machine even tells you when it needs to be cleaned. The entire machine is effectively cleaned with a tablet using the machine's built in cleaning cycle. How cool is that! If you miss doing a back flush, or soaking and brushing individual parts of your machine by hand, or some other insanity, you can always spend the time you save by using the Jura to clean the rest of your kitchen.
The consistency, quality, and ease of use that the Jura provides me are quite remarkable. I can steam or froth right in the cup I will be using, hit it with espresso and bam! I would never return back the Stone Age and use a semi-automatic machine to get my espresso anymore than I would use an abacus to balance my checkbook.
Buying Experience
Amazon.com sent me two machines instead of one. They charged me for both which caused problems with my bank. Eventually I got it straightened out.
