Jura E8 Chrome 15646

Why it's worth it

The Jura E8 is a bean-to-cup super-automatic with up to 17 drink options, a 3.5-inch color display, and automatic milk system cleaning. It grinds, brews, froths and rinses itself, which is exactly right for a household that wants coffee without a hobby.

Some mornings you don't want to be a barista. The E8 grinds fresh beans, brews, textures milk and cleans its own milk lines at a button press. Up to 17 drinks are programmed in, and the color display walks you through them with pictures rather than cryptic icons. Anyone in the house can use it, including guests, including before coffee.

The milk system cleaning is the feature that actually keeps these machines in service. Automatic frothers on cheaper super-automatics turn into science experiments because nobody wants to disassemble tubing daily. Jura runs a cleaning cycle at one touch, in under a minute, and the drip tray lifts out one-handed. Low friction maintenance is maintenance that happens.

From our review of 7 espresso machines for home baristas, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +Some mornings you don't want to be a barista
• +The milk system cleaning is the feature that actually keeps these machines in service
• +Jura's CLARIS filter cartridges are rated to treat up to 50 liters each, and the machine's water system adjusts based on…

What to know

• –Consumer Reports' lab work consistently finds super-automatics score well on ease of use but lower on espresso quality — crema,…
• –There's no manual steam wand, so latte art is off the table