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There’s a reason why coffee or espresso from a café often tastes better than what you make at home. Sure, you can use the best store-bought coffee beans and add in your favorite creamer, but something still tastes different. Is it a placebo effect of having a branded to-go cup that makes your brain think that it tastes better? Possibly — but the real reason lies in the espresso machine cafés use. Chances are, you don’t have a top-notch, industrial coffee machine sitting on your counter, but a quick trip to the Costco website can change that.
The JURA E6 Automatic Coffee Machine has been raking up great reviews; on Costco’s website, it currently boasts a 4.6-star rating with 144 reviews. Customers report that the coffee it produces tastes excellent, and the machine itself is easy to use. If you’re ready to splurge on your first café-grade espresso machine, the JURA E6 will set you back $1,299 at the time of this writing.
Price is what holds many back from investing in the best café-grade espresso machine. These aren’t cheap — a quality entry-level machine will start around $500, with others, like the JURA E6, typically ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. If you’re someone who is serious about coffee and often finds themselves seeking out cafés for a better-quality brew, this machine will likely encourage you to make coffee at home more often. While it’s a big initial investment, a machine like this will reduce your café spending in the long run.
Features of the JURA Automatic Coffee Machine
What makes this machine so great that it costs as much as a month’s rent? Well, for starters, the name of the machine hints at one of its best features: It’s automatic. This is great news for the newbie home brewer — you don’t need to be a barista to man this machine. Once it is set up, all that is left to do is select what coffee you want from the digital screen using side buttons. The machine makes several types of coffees, including espresso, cappuccino, and Americano.
There’s no need to manually grind the beans — the Jura has a built-in grinder that does the job in under 30 seconds. The same is true for milk; if you want a cappuccino or macchiato, the machine takes care of frothing the milk and dispensing a cloud-like foam. For true coffee aficionados, while the machine is fully automatic, know that it is possible to adjust grind coarseness and the volume of the milk foam.
Every machine is going to have some cons. Aside from the price, some customers find it frustrating that the milk container that fits into the machine doesn’t come included and must be purchased separately for about $40. The initial set-up, while not particularly complex, can feel somewhat overwhelming. It involves steps like testing your water hardness (test strips are included) and running both the filter and machine rinse process before using for the first time. Nonetheless, once these steps are done, you’re looking at a machine that many customers love using and found well worth the price.
