Customer Reviews

Jura ENA5 Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center, Ristretto Black

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Have had the machine for about 3 weeks now and so far the machine is doing great. Got it refurbished for $599 through JL Hufford (recommended company). To get a $1200 machine (brand new) for $600 (pre-brewed) is a great deal and can't even tell it is previously used.

Very good machine and has several of the bells and whistles that more expensive machines have. Jura Capresso is a very reliable brand and I am very happy with the performance of the machine. Some areas for improvement, but they are very tolerable in the overall scheme of things. Sorry for the long review but wanted to make it as helpful as possible. It took me a lot of research to finally land on this machine.

What I like:
- Easy to use.
- Makes great pressure brewed coffee and good espresso. Espresso won't be as good as a manual machine but still quite good if you use the right settings and quality beans. This is the same for all super automatics.
- Has some basic programmability to remember default settings for 1 cup.
- Several ways to customize drinks (water output, grinder fineness, amount of coffee for strong, normal or mild).
- FrothXpress system is good if making multiple drinks and looks nicer as the default wand on the machine. Although, I prefer the Dual Frother Plus (traditional wand) for making one cup (more control over temp, froth, etc). TIP: make sure to rinse out the Dual Frother Plus and the FrothXpress after EVERY use. Otherwise, milk will cake up and can cause a steam explosion. Poor reviews based on this from others is user error, not the machine.
- Auto self rinsing cycle (when turned on and off) and easy to read indicators for filling water, emptying grounds, fill beans, cleaning, etc.
- Relatively quiet operation
- 1 or 2 spout dispenser
- Bypass doser
- Tall cup height
- Custom Auto off timer (1 hour, 2 hour, etc) to save energy. Zero energy pull when off.
- Slim and nice design, quality construction. But still as deep as other machines.

Areas for improvement (tolerable drawbacks):
- The temperature of drinks is somewhat inconsistent. Second drink always seems hotter, even after doing the right warm up steps. TIP: Make sure to pre warm the cups with hot water dispenser, this helps a lot.
- FrothXpress system does not heat the milk quite as good as the normal wand. TIP: If using the FrothXpress, you can do the steam only feature afterwards to heat the frothed/steamed milk a little more.
- No cup warmer. Need to use hot water dispenser. Using the hot water will actually make the cups hotter than a warming tray anyway, but it's just an extra step.
- Need to adjust cup size during processing and can't before brewing (if different than the programmed amount).
- Small water tank (37 oz). Even for a 2 person home and a few shots per day, you will refill often. Not a big deal really. But heavy users may want to take note.
- No Auto On feature for the mornings, no clock and no usage stats. Auto on would be great, but only takes a minute to warm up.
- Water filters are expensive ($20, recommended every 2 months). I'd only use if you have hard water or you absolutely feel the need to have filtered water or you don't ever want to descale. Cheaper to descale every few months. Although, with the filter you never have to descale (supposedly).
- I wish the steam wand had more range of motion.

*See added notes below review for comments after 2 months of use, and a tip for the steam wand problem*

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for quite a while trying to decide whether this machine rates as JUST OK or I LIKE IT. The truth is it's right in the middle for me personally.

PROS:
- Svelte looks, design is beautiful
- I had none of the temperature issues I read so much about with most if not all super autos. All my milk and espresso shots consistently come out HOT HOT HOT.
- Adjustable height of the nozzle is brilliant...I move the thing up and down constantly (hint: the closer you put the nozzle to the cup, the more crema you get - according to the instructions at least)
- Once you get your settings dialed in, it's so easy to make coffee drinks
- Small, relative to other superautos (but this is still a monster of a machine)

CONS:
- Cost - good lord this thing is expensive, and way overpriced in the US. Costs for superautos in Europe are much MUCH cheaper. No idea why so expensive here, maybe tariffs or something. This is the biggest strike against the unit really...cost does not justify what you get in return.

- This particular model does not justify the $400 increased cost over the ENA 4 IMO, ESPECIALLY since the main difference is the froth express (which can be added to the ENA 4!)

- Froth Express is almost a gimmick IMO and too slow to be of real world use on a regular basis. The company seems to agree with that the way they write about it in the instruction booklet. Even when I am doing two lattes at a time, I find it MUCH faster to just wand-steam enough milk for two in a container, then pour half into one of the cups. The "express" frother is MUCH slower, and you will sit there forever while it spits and foams all over the place. Not to mention the fact that you need to do a lot more cleanup after using it (cleaning out the tube)

- Water reservoir is way too small. Note that they market this particular model as smaller intentionally, so I am not really knocking off points for this, but just know that if more than one person will be using this, you will be refilling constantly. Big pain, IMO, and I probably would have chosen a different brand/model for this alone had I known it would be such a constant deal.

- If you are not waiting AT the machine when the STEAM function is ready, be prepared to put water into your milk, because it reverts back VERY quickly. Oversight in the design, IMO, but just know that if you aren't there waiting the 30 seconds or so, that you should double check that the STEAM function is still in play, otherwise...water.

- Not a huge fan of the design overall. I think the DeLonghi 5500 has it right for those that do milk based drinks a lot, or even the Lattissima. A superauto, IMO, should really be automatic. For instance, with the 5500, you truly just press a button if you want a latte, and you get a latte (because a removable milk container is built into the unit) With the Ena's, you have to separately prepare the milk, then do your shot (or vice versa). Feels more like an automatic than a super automatic in that regard.

- the steam wand missle launch is not a myth unfortunately (and will likely scare the bejeesus out of you the first time it happens - I liken it to realizing that a bottle rocket or big nasty firework is heading RIGHT TOWARDS YOU :)). This is just piss poor design really, and I can certainly understand others wanting to return the machine over this issue. It's happened to me a couple of times RIGHT AFTER I cleaned the wand thoroughly, so I will chalk this up to design error. My previous espresso maker with wand attachment NEVER did this once in the 8 years I had it (and I rarely cleaned it).

Overall, it would be hard for me to recommend this unit to someone unless the price REALLY came down, BUT I DO like it a lot. Main gripes are that it is not truly automatic for milk based drinks, and that it requires CONSTANT water filling. Between these two issues, I have no doubt that I could knock out coffee drinks with my old espresso maker with frothing wand, just as quickly. Still, it is nice to just have ONE coffee machine on the counter (instead of a grinder, an espresso maker, and a beans container). If DeLonghi machines had better reviews and track records in terms of reliability, I definitely would have gone that route for their cool built in milk container deal alone.

ADDENDUM: After a couple of months of use, I stand by the rating, and will reiterate some points: I partially solved the tiny water tank issue by NOT replacing the filter after it asked me to, and running sans filter (but using filtered water from fridge). This has helped quite a bit as the filter does displace quite a bit of water. The more I have used the unit, the better I have gotten at dialing it in to be able to knock out exactly what I want in terms of strength, volume, etc. There is a learning curve here, maybe a few weeks. Finally, I noticed that many of my shots pulled were very weak, and the unfortunate work around is to take the lid of the bean hopper and kind of stir the beans before and as the machine starts to grind. What was happening was the oilier beans were not sliding into the chamber, and so less beans = weaker pull of course. So my super auto is definitely NOT a "push a button and you're done" type deal like some others I have seen. It takes a LOT of constant maintenance (clean machine, replace filter, empty grounds, fill with water, stir beans, clean frother, etc. For all the work I do behind and along with the machine, as well as having to wait for the steam, I don't think it's a great solution if you are looking for ultimate convenience. One thing it does beat my previous manual morning coffee dance at is cleanliness: using a separate grinder, grinding beans, pouring grounds, tamping, etc with separates always caused a huge mess. The Ena is self contained, so there is virtually no mess (maybe some dripping off the steam wand).

Edited (again): For the unfortunate souls who bought this Ena that regularly want to make steamed milk and coffee drinks, I found a great solution: It's an additional expense ($45-$50, but then again, you probably paid at least $1000 for the Ena, so I think you can afford it!), and another unit on the counter, but so, so worth it. And no danger of being impaled by a steam-powered, scalding hot metal missle! It's the Capresso FrothPro (link below)(note it's not a Jura-Capresso product like this Ena), and there are a couple of advantages beyond not scaring the bejeebus out of you in the morning before you're properly awake:

1. Makes 10x better hot, frothy foam than the attachments on the Ena.
2. No waiting for the single boiler on the Ena to heat up to the temp to make steam...so you can be foaming/frothing/heating your milk WHILE you are making your espresso on the Ena. This to me is the best advantage, which I didn't even think about before buying it.
3. It's COMPLETELY automatic. You literally push a button and wait for it to do it's thing. My wife would NEVER use the steam wand on our Ena for her lattes, (not even because of the inherent danger), just because she didn't want to sit there holding the cup under the steam wand forever. This solves that problem, and she is now completely self-sufficient in making her lattes! (we live in a hard world, I know).
4. This thing screams quality. So well made, it's one of those things that you realize you paid a premium for, but the quality and functionality is so good, that you don't mind. I actually smile every time this thing has finished doing its deed. Don't usually smile at products!

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-202-04-frothPRO/dp/B003LXY2HA/ref=sr_du_1_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1327850981&sr=8-1

My steam wand (even after trying several fixes, including the one suggested using the braces rubberbands) finally would just constantly shoot off every time I would use it, so I got fed up and took matters into my own hands. Didn't want to go through the hassle of sending the big monster back to the mfr for repair (which since I think it's an inherent design flaw, there probably is nothing TO repair).

We switched from a Nespresso machine to the Jura ENA 5 some weeks ago, because we loved the sleek compact design, and felt that the Nespresso system was wasteful.

The Ena 5 has been a huge disappointment in terms of reliability and usability - less so the quality of the espresso.

Reliability: after only *19 days*, the machine failed on us. When set to "2 cups" it started to dump the coffee in the internal tray, instead of in the cups. The Jura hotline confirmed that the machine was faulty and should be replaced. However, after receiving the machine and confirming that it was probably a production error, they insisted rather obnoxiously on a repair rather than replacement since the machine was older than 14 days. The arrogance with which Jura treats its customers is typical of businesses that enjoy a strong market position.

Usability: due to the extremely small repositories for coffee beans and water, the machine is continuously prompting to be refilled or emptied. The position of the tap switch directly above the tap is unfortunate.

Quality of taste: In the short time that the machine was working we experimented with a number of quality beans and ground settings, but felt that the coffee was good, but didn't quite come close to the quality of the Nespresso machine (which was still working after 4 years!). I am also not convinced that the TCO of the Nespresso system is so bad after all, and the customer service was always excellent.

I would strongly recommend anyone from purchasing the Jura machine.

**Update October 2009**

After repair the machine worked for a further 6 weeks before failing again with the same failure mode!! Jura again refused to replace the machine. We received it back again today, and are just waiting for it to break once more.

You have been warned!

This thing is great. I read reviews and labored over this purchase for weeks because of all of the mixed reviews and the suggestions that none of these things are reliable. It makes great coffee and the milk steamer is too easy. I'm now addicted and can't go back to sleep if I wake up because I'm now like Pavlov's dogs. My mouth waters for a cappuccino as soon as I wake up.

Who knows, maybe this thing will break and I'll be disappointed, but so far, i have only good things to say about this machine.

As a maker of complicated mechanical and electrical devices and as the guy who writes the owner's manuals and provides customer service for problems that get escalated, I suspect that many of the complaints are from those who don't read manuals and have no patience for maintenance of any kind. Keep the steamer attachments clean, make sure you dry out your oily beans and use the filter or good water and the results are fabulous. I highly recommend this machine to careful users. If you can't or refuse to give it the attention it deserves, buy a Mr. Coffee or ask for Starbucks gift certificates for Christmas or your birthday.

Pros: Very easy to customize your cup of coffee - controls are intuitive and user friendly; FrothExpress is an awesome feature for steamed or frothed milk; self-cleaning process is very nice, and the machine overall is very low maintenance; makes a consistent, tasty cup of your favorite coffee beverage with excellent crema each and every time!; small footprint takes up less space than just about any coffee maker out there; less than 2 minutes from the time you press the "on" button until you have a fresh brewed, custom coffee drink; the water tank, bean hopper, and dregs box are easily accessed.

Cons: When you set the "auto off" feature, be sure to keep a cup under the coffee nozzle - when the machine turns off, it rinses the nozzles, and will splash the machine and counter otherwise (this is a minor annoyance); the water tank and bean hopper will need to be refilled often, because you WILL hit this machine a lot (since this is a function of the small machine footprint, I don't really mark it down on this basis, but wanted readers to be aware); the FrothExpress spews a little water before the steamed/frothed milk flows; That's it!

My wife and I bought this for ourselves for Christmas, and we have absolutely no regrets. The only question remaining for me is the longevity of the machine. We'll have to see on that one.

Dealing with Amazon was awesome, as usual, and we had our machine in a matter of a few days. Set up was very easy, and the included CD made it fun to set up and use. I know this machine is a major investment, but in my opinion all coffee lovers will get much use and enjoyment out of this machine.

For the first frustrating week or so, the frothing nozzle flew off almost every time I used the Dual Frother Plus on my ENA5, but it has not happened since I realized that the heat was baking the milk and clogging up the sleeve and tip of the wand. So now I disassemble the frother and soak the parts for 15 minutes in a cup of hot water with a cap of Rinza Urnex Rinza Milk Frother Cleaner 12-MILK6-32 32oz. Bottle. I do this each and every day, and it keeps the frother scrupulously clean and completely trouble-free. Now that I have learned the ropes with the frother, I think I may try the frothXpress system that came standard with my machine, because I have the as-yet-unused Jura Cool Control milk chiller Jura 67083 Cool Control Milk Cooler sitting on the counter. But because of my memories of the hot, splattered milk with the Dual Frother, I may wait a few weeks longer before I try any new tricks.

And the coffee I make, with Illy beans illy Caffe Normale Whole Bean (Red Top) Coffee, 8.8 Ounce Tins (Pack of 2), is delicious. I never had a cup of black coffee in my entire life, not even when I lived in Rome, believe it or not, until I tried making a 1-ounce ristretto with my ENA5. (I bought the machine to make cappuccinos, but I hadn't yet solved the frother problem.) I was shocked at how tasty it was, even from the very first sip. Now, maybe because of the small, 1-ounce sizes that I like, the first cup is not very hot, but the second cup always is. When I forget to turn the dial down to the 1-ounce setting, though, the larger volume of coffee that most of you will opt for will be hot from the very first cup.

The learning curve for the superautomatic was a little longer than I had expected. It looks so easy on the DVD, and it is, but that's only after some practice. I still go back to the instruction manual and video to pick up some subtle points that I might have missed.

Update: I just hooked up the Jura Cool Control milk chiller to the frothXpress steamer, and they both worked to my complete satisfaction. The instructions were easy to understand, and I made a fine cappuccino. As you can tell, I am really happy with my espresso maker, and I hope that you will be too!

The Swiss made Ena5 is the low end of high end coffee makers $1,200. As perfectos (coffee snobs) call it,"superautomatics". The Ena5 makes good, rich coffee. Great crema! Nice, frother. It's easy to use. The only drawback, and it's a BIG one is that the coffee isn't as hot as most people would like it. If you linger over your coffee, your out of luck. Short of paying $3,000 plus to get perfection (with NO guarantees) I'll give this Ena5 a fair chance. I absolutely love the slim look. Doesn't take up a lot of space on the counter. Very easy to use & maintain. American coffee machines are super inferior in every way.

Update: I've had the Ena5 for a year & a half and absolutely love it. Can't wait to have my coffee each morning. If it broke tomorrow, I would have to order a new one asap.

This machine is at the bottom of the price range for Jura Superautomatics, and as such there are some compromises compared to their $3000+ machines, as you would expect. This is my second Super Automatic machine, the first, a Gagggia Titanium failed after 6 weeks, hence the Jura. I have owned the Jura for about 6 months, it gets multiple daily use, and has been a great machine.

The minusus: smallish bean hopper and water reservoir, requiring more constant filling. The instruction manual could be improved, needs a good index so that you know where to look for specifics instead of having to scroll thru all of the pages.

The plusses: the rotary dial system, once you learn it, it is great! You can pre-program your usual coffee settings (size, strength, temp) but can override the coffee cup size while brewing (very nice).
Smaller overall size, a definate plus for me. Water reservoir is easy to remove and replace. Machine has LOTS of feedback on the lcd screen....such as: water low, beans low, empty grounds container, tray not fully inserted, time to clean, time to descale, etc.

On Caveat....you must be rigorous about cleaning the steam wand EVERY time you use it to prevent dried, caked milk from causing the wand to blow off as experienced by several reviewers. Keep it clean and there is no problem here. Also, get some coffee cleaning wipes and learn how to remove the tray and get your hand up inside and clean the bottom of the ground press part of the brewunit about once a week. This was told to me by a Jura technician, and indeed you do get a lot of grounds debris out of this area.

The most important thing of all: this machine makes coffee as good as my daughters top of the line Jura, which is to say...excellent!

I give this machine 4 stars, not 5, not because I find any faults, but the fifth star for me requires it to be working as well, without problems, for several years, and that remains to be seen.

This "review" is really just a fix suggestion for users. Jura has a design issue with the nozzle for the dual foam manual steamer. Normally about halfway through steaming up to 160 the nozzle suddenly and rather forcefully blasts into your pitcher or cup. Steam is flowing from above and there is a nice spray of milk in the neighborhood of the machine. Definitely gets your adrenaline going first thing in the morning, first from shock then from anger as you curse the Swiss for missing this problem. You can see this leads to returns of the machine by some of the reviewers.
Go ahead and return it if you wish but I have a fix I use and one you could obviously apply. I used my daughters Orthodontic latex Elastics, 1/4" which happen to be 14HV to put some tension at the rubber connector. I arrived at 3 bands as the number that even with partial occlusion of the nozzle (achieved by not rinsing the nozzle for about 3 pitchers of milk) ended this morning drama for myself and my wife.
The espresso is excellent and the overall design of the machine is above average. It is perfect for the 2 latte family and can function well above that but the water tank demands fresh water after 4-6 shots and steaming. I have owned 2 Supers before made by Gaggia. So far I would rate this machine above them. The micro foam on the espresso is excellent and the most importantly the steamer is powerful and fast (a weakness of the dual core Gaggia oddly was slow steaming). I would like to be able to access the brew unit as I could with the Gaggia (now owned by Saeco) and I worry (well not that much) that bitterness and screen occlusion will eventually ensue from this maintenance neglect. I have a friend who has the Impressa top of the line and have to admit that after 5 years or so the product is excellent.
The programability seems adequate though the Gaggia gave some options missing here like shot temp and grind options.
All in all I am keeping it. I bought on sale at Costco so I have a year to change my mind and I will post if I do.

I've owned the ENA5 for about a month and love it. It delivers great tasting espresso drinks with almost no effort.

The Good: Brews consistently; easy to setup and adjust; very easy to clean; clean lines and simple user interface; relatively (compared to peers) small footprint; heats up quickly, but isn't hot to the touch...or too warm near bean hopper.

The Meh (no bad to report): The amount of coffee it grinds has three settings...mild, normal, and strong...wish it were more specific to the grams it actually grinds; the milk heated through the siphon system isn't hot enough for my taste if it came directly out of the fridge...a quick trip to the microwave prior to steaming fixes this easily though.

This machine is worth every penny.