Most of us don’t live in a mansion where the kitchen is bigger than a living room.
In fact, at my house, when every family member is stumbling into the kitchen to grab some coffee in the morning, there’s barely enough room to turn around.
Recently, I tried the Jura S8 coffee machine to see how it competes with previous models I’ve tested and other high-end coffeemakers. More compact and able to fit on a counter without any problems, the main feature is that this unit is not so massive that it can’t sit under cabinets.
Yet, the S8 is a highly capable machine. I loved how many different custom blends you can make — about 27 of them in total. I will admit to mostly using the basic coffee button, but you can make espresso blends, lattes, and even just pour a cup of hot water for tea.
This model is available in black or chrome. I tested the all-black version.
The 4.3-inch touchscreen is responsive and allows you to select which blend you want to use, swiping through the options easily enough. For each option, you can customize the mixture for a darker or lighter brew and then save that setting for later use.
As far as the quality, Jura knows how to make a tasty cup of coffee.
I experimented with lighter and darker blends, and all of them tasted like something you would buy at a coffee shop — although explaining the exact light blend you want likely won’t go over that well at Starbucks.
Like most Jura models, you add the coffee beans right into the machine so it can grind and brew your cup on the spot. It’s like a really amazing and high-end version of a Keurig, minus the K-Cups. I tested several different coffee varieties, and the S8 handled them perfectly.
I also played around with a few other settings. You can adjust the coffee temperature in three ways. I found I liked a hotter cup than most people, possibly because I tend to sip over a long period, so I might as well make the cup last longer by starting at a higher temp. Other people in my household preferred a mid-level temperature. I also prefer a lighter roast.
The S8 is more affordable than some of the high-end Jura machines that have two bean bins and are so large they can’t sit under a counter. The S8 costs $2,599 (and cheaper on Amazon), while some of the higher-end Jura coffee machines can cost closer to $4,000 or more.I’m a huge fan of this model and tend to like the speed of operation for the S8.
For the price, it feels just about right. When everyone is hankering for a cup, the S8 can grind and brew one in only a few minutes. That’s not an eternity compared to driving to a coffee shop.
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