Customer Reviews

Jura 13332 Impressa J5 Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center, Matte Black

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have had 3 cappuccino makers prior to the Jura J5 and have always wanted to own the Impressa J5. Well, this year I went out and got one and, as far as I'm concerned, that was my biggest mistake. It makes a good espresso, that I must say; and I love the cleaning process, but the milk steamer/frother system is definitely a design flaw. The second time I used the dual frother, the wand blew off and sprayed me with steam and milk. I called customer service and they told me that the frother needs to be properly cleaned (taking the frother nozzle off to clean it) and soaked in the cleaning solution each day after it is used. Well, I have been cleaning, soaking and rinsing that frother for several months now and it still blows off intermittently when I steam coffee, blowing milk and steam everywhere. I went to a local distributor and asked them about it and they told me that they have the same problem. Surely there has to be a better frother system for such a nice cappuccino maker?

I had a Capresso C1500 for about 6 years. It started leaking and making weak coffee. So, I got the J5 as an upgrade/replacement. I have now own the J5 for about 2 months. It is definitely an improvement over the C1500.

Pros
- It makes really hot beverages
- Two types of frothing method: 1. Traditional way; 2. FrothXpress way
- Programmable everything (e.g. water temp, strength of coffee, amount of water..etc)
- Self-rinsing before startup and before shutdown.
- Convenience.

Cons
- Cheap Plastic Shell (Especially for a machine costing $1800!!)
- Extracting the espresso too fast. (But this is with all Super-autos)
- Does not have a traditional steam wand. (the wand came with it is not really a traditional one you find with other machines)
- Cleaning the wand properly after use. (You really have to soak it and make sure the little holes on the wand are clean. Or else it will not steam properly)

I think maybe because now I am a bit more experienced in making espresso and understand the details that goes into it that I find I am looking for more in a machine. Yes, this is a very good machine that produces good coffee/espresso. But now I am wanting to go a step higher and get a "God" shot of espresso. The J5 (actually all super-autos) will not give you that.

What this machine will give you is convenience. The shots are hot and are good. It will give you good froth but not the true micro-foams you find in traditional semi-auto machines. I still love the machine and feel that the espresso it produces is better than 80% of the retail coffee shops.

I would recommend this machine to people who are into coffee/espresso and knows at least that good espresso does not need to taste bitter. This machine will satisfy probably 90% of the coffee drinkers out there. For the other 10%, the coffee snobs, this machine probably will not do. It does not produce "tiger stripes" shots (at least I am not able to do it). You can not control tamping. The steam wand is not traditional and in my opinion not that powerful. Does this mean I am a coffee snob?!?

But really, I can not complain too much it is still a wonderful machine. I am starting to contemplate more of a prosumer type of espresso machine. One that is semi-automatic and you really need the end user's experience/input to produce that "god" shot (e.g. Tiger Stripes crema). Well, I will use this until it dies. Then I will go the next step....

Where to begin? This machine can do it all, from a strong shot of espresso to a flawless cappuccino, all in under minute. If you can tie your shoes, you can use one of these machines.

I looked in to this machine after using an older Capresso model at a friend's house. I was always impressed by how easily and quickly he could make a variety of drinks for guests, not to mention the quality of their appearance and flavor.

This machine comes with two different frothing systems, one is a more traditional bullet style frother, while the other can automatically steam or froth milk. This is where the J5 really shines. In no time you can froth yourself milk that would make the most seasoned barista jealous, and then push a single button to instantly brew piping hot coffee.

The machine starts with whole beans of your choosing and grinds them just for the drink you are making. This ensures that you'll get the freshest tasting coffee cup after cup.

What I like most about this machine though is the variety of drinks it can make. If you have a guest over who isn't a big coffee drinker you can use the machine to make instant hot water for tea, or my favorite trick: run chocolate milk through the steamer for instant hot chocolate. Of course for the rest of us, the pressure brewing system in this machine will allow you to say goodbye to expensive coffee drinks, and become your own favorite barista.

We have had several of the Jura-Capresso machines. We currently have the Impress J5.
We love the coffee and lattes it makes but there is one very annoying and potentially dangerous issue.
The frothing tip on the machine flies off intermittently and sprays hot milk on us and all
over the cabinets and floor. We make a point of blowing steam through the tip for about 30 seconds
after we make each latte to make certain no milk remains in it to clog it and we also clean the
tip in solution as directed -but the problem continues. We had this issue on other Jura-Capresso
machines as well so we don't understand why they don't have screw on tips to easily solve this problem.
Making lattes has become a stressful event!

This machine is utterly fantastic, period. I have wasted through endless Cuisinart Grind & Brew machines to no avail and spent way too much on Starbucks. This literally makes the perfect cup of coffee or espresso. The milk frother creates perfect cream. I set it to 'wake up' before I do so its ready to go. Its as easy as pie to clean and the machine tells you to do everything- add water, beans, clean out grounds, etc. Its even Energy Saver. What else could you want?

When we have already owned or used several Jura Capresso Automatic Coffee Centers, it is difficult to come up with more superlatives. This machine is at or near the top of our experience with many European coffee machines. It grinds fresh coffee beans, tamps automatically either one cup or two cups worth, then brews the coffee to our own taste and measure, then disposes of the used coffee grounds,in less than 30 seconds. From bean to cup espresso, coffee, cappucino, cafe latte, and even makes hot water for tea, faster than a microwave.
What a great Swiss invention. Completely programable and infinitely adjustable for coffee fanatics. Simple enough for the rest of us.

Super easy to use, tastes just as good as any latte you can get at any coffee shop.

We purchased this coffee machine after many long hours of research. At first it seemed wonderful, about a month into it the frothXpress stopped working like it should. Three months into it, we didn't realize at the time, it was leaking. The machine was near our sink, there was water puddled up many times and thought the kids were forgetting to wipe down the counters after the dishes were done. (I did apologize to the kids when we figured out what the real problem was!) Finally, after 8 months the leak was so bad, you would fill the tank and within a minute the entire counter would be flooded. The next morning the machine wigged out, spitting water out when it was supposed to be pulling a shot. The motor sounded like it was working overtime, I tried to unplug it and let it sit for a few hours, when I plugged it back in it did the same thing. Luckily I purchased it at Costco and they took it back. We did order the J6, I'm hoping we just got a dud and the next one is better! The coffee was amazing, every time we made a cup it smelled like a coffee shop in our house!

This is a wonderful machine. Every day I am grateful we invested in it. It works like a charm. We keep it clean and use it regularly. We did have a bit of a clog after using ground coffee (instead of using the brilliant internal burr grinder). However, it simply took a quick and EASY clean/wipe down and presto! perfect again!! The Jura-Capresso machine is a well made, efficient and solid machine. We have had various other types of machines and this tops the list. I recommend it highly!!

Just got the machine yesterday and am still experimenting with the settings. I do like what I've seen so far in terms of functionality. I had some questions about my order and contacted AABREE customer service, they were terrific and went out of their way to modify my order after I asked about the availaibility of the piano white trim, which nobody else could get.
They contacted Capresso and arranged a piano white model and the Machine arrived september 9th rather than the 2 to 4 week delay quoted by amazon.