Jura-Capresso 13214 Impressa Z5 Automatic Coffee Center Review

Yes, you'll flinch when you see the price tag!Right now this is the king of super automatics.My work hours are all over the place and many times there is just no time to devote to pulling the perfect espresso from a manual or semi machine.Add to that I drink cappuccino's or lattes 95% of the time.This machine was made for those who drink mostly cappuccino's or lattes and it couldn't be easier.Many long time aficionados on the coffeegeek.com forums will tell you that you cannot pull anything close to a "god shot" from a super automatic and they are correct.But what you get is pretty darn good especially if you love the taste of espresso but don't want to devote your life to making perfect shots every pull.The Z5 is the model of simplicity and produces consistent very good shots of espresso and excellent latte's & cappuccino's every time with little time.I had this machine programmed, up and going just 10 minutes out of the box.I am not an expert on pulling shots manually.Setting the knob to the hottest setting, strongest espresso and finest grind yielded a very tasty shot that was far better than any I have had at Starbuck's.I used Coffee Emergency espresso roast.The crema was good and the temperature excellent.I used a Capressa S9 a year ago and was not happy with the temperature of the shots coming out of the machine.They are much improved on the Z5. Back to cappuccino's...Fill the milk thermos with your choice of milk...set knob to cappuccino and hit the button.A gorgeous cappuccino was produced on the very first try.I didn't have to move the cup...it was all automatic!It took me ages to learn to make a decent cappuccino onsame thing manually.Again...much better than at Starbuck's and any of the local coffee houses. The Z5 has a timer that can be set to turn the machine on and off when you want it to. Settings for water level, brewing time, amount of heated milk and foam, can all be pre set or adjusted with a knob live as your beverage is being made.The unit is whisper silent even when grinding beans.It is a well built piece of equipment that is UL approved for both residential and commercial use.I couldn't be happier with it.Should you get this machine? Bottom line is that if you want to make espresso's as a hobby and are going for that ultimate "god shot" every time don't even think about this machine.If you are a working professional who just wants a great cappuccino, latte and espresso with absolute minimum fuss that will beat Starbuck's and your local coffee shop.... think about buying this machine.

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Product Description:
A coffee lover's dream: put down your cup, push one button, make perfect cappuccino--without moving the cup! The Impressa Z5 is the first automatic coffee and espresso center with professional technology and one-touch cappuccino system for home use.Beans are ground, and fresh cold milk transforms into hot, frothed milk and pours into your cup. With high pressure, hot water is forced through the perfectly ground and tamped coffee. Now, espresso flows through the thick layer of milk froth: pick up your perfect cappuccino and enjoy. In the meantime, the used coffee grounds are discarded and you can immediately start dreaming about another cappuccino, latte, espresso, or any other hot, large cup of crema coffee. The Impressa Z5 features eight preset beverage buttons. All your coffee drinks are now just one pushbutton away. Use the pre-programming or change coffee strength, coffee volume, and the amount of steamed/frothed milk while the Z5 prepares your preferred coffee beverage. The informative three-line LED display makes using the Z5 extremely user friendly.

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Jura-Capresso 66281 Descalling Tablets Review

We LOVE our Jura! And what can you say about these, other than they do their job and they keep our machine making good coffee. We used to get them at Williams-Sonoma which is within walking distance and it's a good evening walk excuse. But I believe they've discontinued Juras there? At any rate, they usually don't have them now, although they can special order. It's easier to just pop online and order them here.

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Product Description:
Use these Jura-Capresso Decalcifying Tables should your Jura-Capresso Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center indicate that decalcifying is required. This pack of 9 tablets works for Jura-Capresso Fully Automatic Coffee & Espresso Centers: Impressa Z5/Z6, S7/S9 Avantgarde, F7/F8/F60, E8/E9

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Jura-Capresso 13531 Impressa C5 Fully Automatic Coffee Center, Piano Black Review

I have purchase the new Jura-Capresso Impressa C5 before it had been released. So I had to wait for several weeks for its delivery. Once it arrived it took a good couple of hours to read through the manual, (the machine operation is not intuitive). It had all kinds of warnings for grinding: no oily beans, no flavored beans, and so on. (You could grind such beans in separate grinder and use it in the grinded beans compartment. I have not tried this yet). So, I have followed the instructions closely, and for about 5 to 7 days it worked fine. However, one morning, after the first cup of coffee I made, I could not make a second one. (There was no coffee coming out of the spouts). I try different approaches to solve the issue myself, however eventually called the company. The representative had walked me through some steps, basically squandering more and more of my good beans, but was not able to solve the problem. To his credit, once he realized he can not resolve the issue he offered to replace the body of the machine. The way it worked; the company has sent the new body and a label to send the old one back. (I had to remove all the removable parts: water tank, spout for cappuccino, and such)It took about a week for a new one to arrive. On arrival, I have noticed that the spout on the new one did not feet as well as on the old one, but I did tried to froth the milk yet. (I hope it works)
As far as quality of the coffee it makes, it is not bad; it is still not a commercial quality, but the machine makes a creama that is somewhat resembling of a good European café coffee. I have tried several different kinds of beans and came to the conclusion that quality of beans make a bigger difference than the machine itself. (I tried the good beans in the cheap espresso machine and the coffee was almost as good).The best beans I found were at the "Whole Foods" store.
Overall, I think it is way overpriced, and I would not purchase it again.



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Product Description:
Combining a compact design with user-friendly front-panel controls, this fully automatic coffee machine makes it easy to enjoy cafe-quality coffee drinks from the comfort of home. Its commercial-grade conical steel burr grinder offers six fineness settings for any type of bean for light to dark roasts, while a separate funnel for pre-ground coffee allows for making no-hassle decaf or flavored coffee drinks. To help ensure a perfect cup of coffee, the appliance comes equipped with a 1450-watt stainless-steel ThermoBlock heating system, a 15-bar high-pressure pump, and the Intelligent Pre Brew Aroma System (I.P.B.A.S.). Its I.P.B.A.S. delivers freshly ground coffee beans to the infusing cylinder as a powder from the grinder where it gets optimally compressed. Prior to brewing, the powder receives water moisture, which allows the pores to swell and flavors to be released. From here, aromatic, flavorful coffee dispenses into a cup automatically, complete with a thick layer of crema on top. The unit's variable brewing chamber holds between 5 and 16 grams of ground coffee, making it possible to brew a variety of coffee drinks--from a single 1-ounce ristretto to two 8-ounce cups of coffee at a time; the height of its coffee spout can be adjusted between 2-5/9 and 4-3/8 inches (65 and 111 mm) to fit any size cup. Even more, the machine's Connector System allows for using the Easy Cappuccino Frother, the hot water nozzle for tea or instant cocoa, and the optional two-stage frothing nozzle or the Professional Cappuccino Frother (both sold separately) to make perfect milk foam or hot milk.
Choose between coffee and espresso, and one or two cups, by simply turning the rotary dial (icons illuminate in red), then press the control for coffee in seconds. The rotary dial also offers on/off (standby), maintenance, pre-ground coffee, and steam options, and its three light segments illuminate to indicate the current coffee strength and water amount (turn the dial to adjust). Below the rotary dial and behind a concealing panel door, the machine offers a range of maintenance buttons with corresponding illuminated displays for the water tank, coffee-grounds container, bean container, and the cleaning, descaling, and filter buttons. Other highlights include a removable water tank; a bean container with an aroma-preservation cover; built-in memory that permanently stores settings and activities; self-monitoring rinsing, cleaning, and descaling programs; up to eight-hour automatic shut-off for safety and energy savings; and a Clearyl water-filtration system that purifies water and eliminates the need for decalcification. Accessories include a measuring spoon for pre-ground coffee, a milk pipe, a hot-water nozzle, a CLARIS plus filter cartridge, Jura Auto-Cappuccino cleaner, Jura cleaning tablets, Aquadur test strips, a quick reference guide, and a detailed user manual with recipes. A sleek-looking addition to any kitchen counter, the coffee machine measures 15 by 11-1/2 by 13-1/2 inches.

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Jura-Capresso 67879 Clearyl Water Care Cartridge Review

There are several different water filter types for capresso machines.This one is specifically for the skinny ENA models.I bought the wrong one the first time.

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Product Description:
The Clearyl Water Care Cartridge is an important part of the cleaning process for your Jura-Capresso ENA Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center. It removes chlorine, lead, aluminum and copper for a better tasting coffee. A special organic additive removes almost all carbon and practically eliminates decalcifying. Each cartridge filters 60 liters of water. To ensure that you always have the best water possible change the cartridge when the indicator light on your ENA Coffee Center illuminates.

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Jura-Capresso 13299 Impressa Z6 Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center Review

I recently purchased the new Z6 after seeing one at William's Sonoma around Christmas.I resisted the temptation to purchase until a friend of mine called and told me he found one under the Christmas tree!We both purchased the Capresso 1500 about 3 years ago and thought those were the "Cat's Meow".Now fast forward to 2007 and the Z6 is here as the super automatic on steroids.

After unpacking I sat down and watched the included DVD twice.Once with my wife and once alone as I set up the machine.After you get through the initial setup and programming the machine is very easy to operate and maintain.Making a coffee drink is as simple as pushing one of 8 drink buttons on the front panel. I like the idea of the thermal milk storage tank but it's recommended that you don't store milk in it after use.I find this a little inconvenient to have to pour the milk into another container.With my previous C1500 I just put the plastic milk jug in the refrigerator and used it the next day.

I bought this unit to replace my C1500 for two major reasons. The first was my C1500 struggled to make a really hot coffee drink.I found myself drinking the beverage too quickly to avoid it getting cold or putting it into the microwave to heat it back up.The Z6 makes a hotter beverage that is much improved but still could be a few degrees hotter in my opinion.The second reason I purchased the Z6 was to get a bigger cup under the spouts.The C1500 was limited in what size cup I could place under the spouts and the Z6 allows me to put virtually any reasonable sized cup under the spout.

The Z6 is a beautiful piece to look at sitting on your counter and will be the envy of many a guest.However it has a chrome finish which appears durable but I would caution you to take extra precautions not to scratch the finish as it would be permanent.I place a paper towel on the lower tray when using ceramic type mugs to avoid scratching.

Update on 05/26/2008

I would like to say that the Z6 has been performing flawlessly for the past year and a half.As long as you perform the routine maintenance the Z6 will provide many years of trouble-free performance.I've also been putting the thermal milk container in the refrigerator with milk in it with no issues.

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Product Description:
The Jura-Capresso Impressa Z6 Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center gleams with a high-polish chrome plated metal front housing, a unique mirror LED display and a hand-polished zinc die-cast oversized tray.A coffee lover's dream, the Impressa Z6 has professional technology and one-touch cappuccino system. Beans are ground, and fresh, cold milk transforms into hot, frothed milk and pours into your cup. With high pressure, hot water is forced through the perfectly ground and tamped coffee. Now espresso flows through the thick layer of milk froth: pick up your perfect cappuccino and enjoy. In the meantime the used coffee grounds are discarded and you can immediately start dreaming about another cappuccino, latte, espresso, or any other hot large cup of crema coffee.

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Jura-Capresso 13215 Impressa S9 Avantgarde Automatic Coffee Center Review

For a little information about me, I'm not a connoisseur of coffee. I like sweet coffee's (Carmel lattes) and never drink my coffee black. I like a nice sweet coffee in the morning as something smooth in the morning to get the day started, and occasionally at night when it's cold and if we are just relaxing I like to have a nice warm something or other. My wife will drink her coffee black and with almost no sweetener, she's a cappuccino person.

We've gone to Starbucks on and off for years and recently a little coffee house opened up down the street. We have been going there every morning for the last month. We always get small coffees and at $6 a visit it was a shocker when we realized we had spent about $120 in a month on coffee... that's when we started looking around.

Luckily a friend of mine had gotten the Jura-Capresso Z5 last year and couldn't stop talking about it, so I started my search there. After a lot of research on the web, and seeing the $1k difference between this machine and the Z5 which essentially only adds the One-touch cappuccino we decided to go with this machine.

So far we've had the machine a few days and within the first few hours I was making sweet/frothy/creamy drinks that were on par with any coffee shop I had ever been to. It's really easy.

The pre-sets are pretty good if you aren't too picky, but I'm *really* picky about my coffee even though I'm not a fancy burista or anything. The S9 comes with the frothXpress attachment so if you are into just hitting buttons and drinking coffee with no effort, you can totally do that. But I use the default manual frothing attachment and like to froth my coffee a certain way and my wife likes it another way.

We also use the hot water spout to make tea at night sometimes.

I'll admit that looking at this for $2500 then looking at some of the other machines that *seem* to have the same attachments for $400 is hard to swallow. The real magic of this machine is a combination of all the automation (push a button, drink coffee) as well as the fine-tuned control over everything and lastly over how exactly the items are heated, pressed and filtered. If you are curious, search for the S9 review on CoffeeGeek, the guy knows more about coffee than an entire country. He reviewed this machine after having it for over a year and loaning it out to people and restaurants. He got into the detail of how much pressure is used to brew the coffee (apparently very important) and also how hot and how fast the milk is heated (which is important I guess as well so you don't kill the naturally sweet proteins in the milk)... it's a ton of detail but at the end of the entire thing he gave the S9 his rank of favorite super automatic and I agree.

If you go to Starbucks or a local coffee shop that is run by relatively normal/educated people and you are someone that doesn't mind spending some time or take pride in making a good drink, I don't think you would have any problem recreating that quality of drink with this machine, it's fantastically easy.

If you are lazy and just want drinks handed to you so you can drink them and have a fairly wide range of acceptable tastes for your coffee, you can probably just spend the $2500 at Starbucks and let someone else do it.

Overall the machine is fantastic. The finish is plated plastic which I thought was cheap feeling, but it looks fine because it's sort of brushed and not super shiney. That only bothered me for about 5mins, then I just forgot about it and drank the coffee.

Another thing I like is that the machine is really intelligent about keeping itself clean. It tells you when it needs to rinse and does it once or twice a day, keeping everything in tip top shape. It also monitors the levels of everything in the machine (grounds, beans, water, filter, etc.) and tells you exactly what to do on the screen. Also, I didn't mention this in much detail, but you can control and adjust the values of everything in the setup menu. How strong you want your coffee or espresso to be, how much water is in it, how much steam in the milk, the temperature, how finely ground the beans are, how hard your water is and just about everything else that can effect coffee.

The only cleanup after making coffee to speak of are the parts that touch the milk. For me that's just the wand that steams the milk. I just pop it off, rinse it and let it air dry for the next time. So that is something to consider if you think that you can just get this machine and push a button every morning and never need to think about it again. There are little things you need to do (like empty the grounds and the drip tray) every other day if you are making around 4-6 coffees a day. If it's just you or you are only making around 2 coffees a day, you can probably let it go 4-6 days between just rinsing it out, maybe 30 seconds worth of work.

So my take-away advice for anyone reading this is:
A) If you like coffee from anywhere (Starbucks, McDonalds, your house, etc.) this is totally overkill. Just stick to a normal brewing coffee maker and call it a day. This is like not being able to tell the difference between a Honda Civic and a Lexus GS400... if you can't tell the difference, then save all that money and get the Civic. Some people just can't tell.

B) If you like good coffee, and get frustrated when you get the same coffee every single morning from a store like Starbucks and some mornings it's good, and other mornings it's not and you are paying good money for it (like I was) and you feel cheated on the mornings it stinks, then you'll love this machine. It will give you the chance to perfect your cup of coffee and make it whenever you want with perfect accuracy. It's also handy to make simple things like hot chocolate and tea with, so it has more functions than just the espresso or cappuccino.

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Product Description:
In a class of its own!Grind, tamp, brew and clean in under 60 seconds-with a push of a button.Make perfect espressos, cappuccinos, lattes and crema coffee..every time.The Impressa S9 Avantgarde is one of the fastest and most versatile Automatic Coffee and Espresso Centers on the market today.With its 96-ounce capacity, two stainless steel lined thermoblock heating systems, a traditional frother and the automatic frothXpress Plus system it produces coffees, espressos and unlimited amounts of hot frothed and steamed milk for cappuccinos and lattes with no down time.Four pre-set beverage buttons and a unique "a la carte" button give you endless possibilities of creating your own coffee fantasies.A separate hot water spout for tea, a separate ground coffee funnel and a stainless steel warming tray on top make this a complete hot beverage center.With its UL listing for household and commercial use the S9 Avantgarde is the right machine for home, office and any small restaurant.

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Jura-Capresso 13289 Impressa S7 Avantgarde Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center Review

Not sure if the first reviewer is misdirecting his dissatisfaction. Sounds like the spending of the vacation money was the real problem. Because this machine is perfect, and I have nothing bad to say about it. Other than that it does look a little Spartan, but only in a minor way.

It brews an wonderfull espresso, with thick, golden, foamy crema. It brews it absolutely perfectly, and consistently everytime. Overall the functionality of this machine is superb, and very customizable. Each button can be programmed to YOUR specifications, so easily a monkey could do it. The cup warmer is genious, the clean-up is easier than ANY drip maker I have used/owned. Overall the machine is also very quiet.

The 'Foofy' drinks (as I like to call them) are top notch! My wife prefers the lattes, Chai teas,etc. The frother on this machine has it's own dedicated thermoblock boiler, so there is no lag time, and the froth is excellent. Micro-bubbles as good as any Barista. Water filtering system is great, easy to activate, grinds, tamps beans which is excellent. Also has a chute for already ground coffee, good for Decaf, or flavored.

I guess you could complain about the plastic on the outside, but this does not bother me at all. and frankly seems easier to keep clean, which is a concern since milk etc splatters on the machine when you froth. Also keeps the machine lighter and enables you to move it without breaking your neck.

The ONLY difference between this machine and the S9A is the following:

Exterior look, S7A has black accents, S9A has the same plastic accents, but in silver.

S9A comes with the Frother X-Press, which quite honestly is useless unless you are entertaining and brewing several milk drinks at once. Anyway, frothing in the cup is fun.

The cup warmer on the S9A has stainless tray, whereas the S7A is plastic.

Otherwise, the functionality and insides of the machines is the same. And this is where both of these machines shine, on their functionality. They brew excellent, hot, delicious, rich, coffee in less than 60 seconds. They are tried and true, well-reviewed models.

If you are in the market, don't think twice about a Jura, the quality is fantastic, and end result brew is second to only a Semi-Auto.

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Product Description:
Combining dramatic aesthetics with advanced technology, this fully automatic coffee and espresso center grinds, tamps, brews, and cleans in under 60 seconds--with the simple push of a button. The unit's integrated, professional, solid-steel conical burr grinder offers quiet operation and six fineness settings for any type of bean, while a separate pre-ground funnel accommodates pre-ground coffee, which is great for making decaf or flavored coffee drinks when entertaining. A two-step pre-infusion cycle moistens and conditions the ground coffee for maximum flavor extraction with perfect crema topping. The machine features an 18-bar power pump with a dual 1250-watt stainless-steel lined ThermoBlock heating system where water and coffee never come in contact with aluminum, along with two frothers, the Dual Frother Plus and the frothXpress PLUS system, which allow for completely automated or manually controlled steaming and frothing.
Behind the door is a rotary dial with a black button, which allows for controlling any of the 15 functions, like water hardness, rinse, temperature, coffee strength, and steam. The machine provides four one-touch individually programmable beverage buttons, all with an override option for temperature, strength, and cup-size while brewing, along with an a la carte button for creating individualized cup size and strength just before brewing. For added convenience, its two-line LED display dialog system gives short, simple instructions like "select product", "fill water", and "clean unit". Selecting from "continuous-on" or "auto-off" from 1/2-hour to 15 hours in 1-hour increments makes sure the machine stays on as long as needed.
Other useful features include a 96-ounce removable water tank, a 10-ounce bean container, a height-adjustable coffee spout, a separate hot water spout for tea or hot chocolate, and a five-level water-hardness selector. In addition, its Clearyl water-care system removes chlorine, lead, aluminum, and copper for better tasting coffee, and an electronic water-level sensor ensures the machine never operates without water. Designed in matte-black housing with silver-metallic accents and a chrome-plated coffee spout, the coffee and espresso machine makes for a beautiful addition to any home or small office. The unit measures 15-3/4 by 14-3/4 by 13-3/4 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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