Jura D6 Automatic Coffee Machine Review 2024

Are you in the market for a great superautomatic coffee machine that will enable you to make all your favorite specialty coffee creations from home, any time you like?

If so, your quest has probably unearthed a number of possibilities, and you’ve likely encountered some of the biggest names and brightest stars in the industry: Breville, De’Longhi, Gaggia, and of course, Jura.

Jura is one of the industry giants, and they make incredibly good products. Unfortunately, we don’t regard this as being one of those, and in our in-depth Jura D6 review, we’ll outline exactly why.

Understand that this is a solid machine. It’s got good bones and a good pedigree. The core issue is that compared to other models in the same price range, this one comes up short. It has some key weaknesses that, in our view, make it a relatively poor value for money.

Not to worry, at the end of this review, we’ll point you toward a couple of other models that we believe offer a much better value at this price point. For the moment, though, let’s take a closer look at this one because who knows? You may find yourself disagreeing with our conclusion, and that’s fine too!

An Overview of the Jura D6 Automatic Coffee Machine

Before we get into the particulars, let’s start by saying that the D6 is actually an upgraded variant of the venerable D60. Functionally, the two machines are virtually identical, and in fact, the user manual we linked to is for both the D6 and the D60 because the machines are virtually identical.

That said, let’s dig into the particulars of this model.

Form Factor, Footprint & Aesthetic

The Jura coffee machine D6 is a great-looking machine with graceful lines and European styling. If you decide you want one, you can get either the Jura D6 platinum automatic coffee center with black accents or you can order one in high gloss piano black, at your preference.

These are not enormous machines. In fact, the footprint is just 11” W x 13.6” H x 16.3” D, and the unit weighs under 20 pounds (19.2 to be exact).

The bean hopper is top-loading, and the water tank is side-loading. But even with the bean hopper on the top, depending on the height of your kitchen cabinets, it may be possible to load the bean hopper without pulling it out from beneath the cabinets. Even if it’s not, though, the unit is light enough that moving it about when you need to is no problem.

Reservoir Size

This is another strong segment of our Jura D6 review. Not only is the water tank easy to get to—being conveniently located on the side—it’s also quite large, holding an impressive 63.6 ounces of water.

Even if you drink a ton of coffee every day, the size of the reservoir is sufficient that you won’t be stuck having to refill it on a constant basis, and that’s a good thing.

The one wrinkle, though, lies in the fact that there’s no sensor or indicator on the front of the unit to give you a clue as to the current level of the water in the tank.

It’s not a huge deal, and it won’t cause you problems very often, but it would have been an easy thing to create a clear window on the front face of the unit that would allow you to see the tank level—a small but definite weak point in the design.

An Average Built-In Grinder and a Smallish Bean Hopper

So far, we’ve had mostly good things to say about the Jura D6 espresso machine, but here’s where things begin to go a little sideways. The top-loading bean hopper is a little on the small side, given the size of the water reservoir. 

With a capacity of 7.1 ounces, it’s fine if you’re a casual coffee drinker, but if you’re a power drinker or live in a bustling household with several others, it’s going to run low on beans with annoying frequency.

By itself, that’s not so bad, but the grinder is also not great. It’s got six grind settings, which is about average, but it also utilizes stainless steel burrs.

Ceramic burrs are better because the stainless steel variety tends to heat up. Too much heat and you’ll burn your beans which will ruin the flavor of whatever drink you’re making. You can work around that by making sure you give the grinder plenty of time to cool down between uses, but there’s something else to consider here.

Almost every specialty coffee machine on the market today has a bypass chute, which allows you to use ground coffee if you want to. The Jura D6 coffee maker doesn’t. By itself, any one of those shortcomings isn’t awful. But taken together, they represent a significant shortcoming in our view.

Opinions inevitably vary, of course. It may be the case that you can live with all of the stuff we just talked about. If so, then this machine is still a good option for you, but for us, this is an almost crippling weakness.

The Boiler System

The D6 Jura coffee machine has a single boiler system, which means that there will be a bit of a delay when you shift gears from brewing to milk steaming. The delay isn’t unbearably long, and if you’re only a casual coffee drinker, it’s something you may not even notice. 

Power drinkers will find it moderately frustrating, but more single-boiler machines are on the market today than double-boiler systems, so this limitation is hardly unique to the D6.

Even so, it’s something to keep in the back of your mind as you’re evaluating your various options.

Telescoping Coffee Spigot

This will be a relatively short section. The Jura D6 coffee machine has a height-adjusting coffee spigot that can be set anywhere between 2.5” to 4.3” depending on the drink you’re making and the type of cup you’re using.

That’s about average, but the maximum height is a bit on the low side. If you drink lots of coffee and have a jumbo-sized mug, there’s no way it’s going to fit under the spigot, so you’ll have to brew into a smaller cup and then transfer to your larger one.

The Brew Unit and Control System

We regard this as another relatively weak point in our Jura D6 review. The one big thing that the D6 has going for it is the fact that it’s incredibly easy to use—a handful of buttons and two knobs, paired with a simple LED display. That’s it.

It will probably take you longer to unpack your new coffee machine and get it ready for first use than it will to master the basics of its use.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of downsides to consider. For one thing, it’s super easy to use because it doesn’t really do a lot.

In terms of customizing your coffee drinks, you can choose from 4 different coffee strength settings and two temperature level settings. That’s it. There is no precise temperature control, and there’s not really enough here to say you can truly “customize” your coffee creations.

Even so, having a couple of basic options available is better than not having any at all, so that’s something at least.

Note too that on the company’s website, they say that this unit is capable of making seven different coffee drinks. That’s only true if you count milk foam, hot water, double coffee, and double espresso as separate drinks. Take those out, and you get:

The three options this machine makes available are good options. The D6 has the basics covered, but given the price of this model, we were expecting more—not faux more, but actually more. 

The fact that it’s just not present here when combined with the weaknesses in the bean hopper and grinder just further cement our view that this machine doesn’t deliver the value we were expecting.

The Milk Frothing System

In the world of specialty coffee machines, there are two options: steam wands and auto frothers. Steam wands take time and practice to use. They’re adored by anyone who wants to take a hands-on approach to custom-creating their preferred coffee drinks.

The D6 uses an auto frother, which is the more convenient hands-free option. You turn the dial to milk, put the feeder hose into a supply of milk, and place your coffee cup under the spigot, and magic happens.

The D6 has a pretty good auto frother. It’s not great, but it’s probably a cut above average for machines at this price point. That’s a good thing, but nobody we know ever purchased a coffee machine on the strength of the milk frothing system.

Very Easy to Use and Clean

We’ll keep this section short and sweet. The D6 is easy to use (simple control system, and it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles to begin with) and easy to clean. 

The LED is dated tech at this point, but it does an admirable job of pinging you when something needs your attention. As to the maintenance routines themselves, the manual is clearly written and outlines what you need to do and how to go about it. 

Note too that the dregs tray has a sixteen-puck capacity, so you won’t have to empty it every time you turn around. It’s a minor point but definitely a nod in the D6’s favor.

Pros & Cons of Jura D6 Coffee Machine

In no particular order, here are the things we think you’ll like best about the Jura D6:

Unfortunately, as we’ve pointed out in this review, the bean hopper is a little undersized, and the grinders are stainless steel, which isn’t optimal. There’s no bypass chute, and it just doesn’t make lots of different kinds of drinks.

We could look past any one of those. We could maybe forgive any two, but the combined weight of all of them makes this a hard machine to love.

Other Options to Consider

If you agree with our assessment of this machine, here are a couple of other options that deliver more value for the money spent:

De’Longhi La Specialista

This is a great option if you’re interested in taking a more hands-on approach to making your favorite coffee drinks. It has an industrial appearance that would look right at home in your favorite coffee bar. And if you’re willing to put in a little practice, you can make some amazing coffee creations with this surprisingly low-priced unit.

De’Longhi Dinamica ECAM35020B

In our view, this is the machine that the D6 desperately wants to be, except that this machine is categorically better. The only thing that the D6 has on it is the app control feature, which is pretty cool, but honestly, that alone isn’t enough to change our minds. We think you’ll love this one, though.

Jura D6 Review Conclusion

Jura is a great company, and most of their machines are outstanding. Sadly, this isn’t one of them. We can’t, in good conscience, recommend it.

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Official Manufacturer Support

Sources & Resources

• Jura, Official Brand Website. 
• Jura D6 Automatic Coffee Machine User Manual.
• 5 Reasons Why Your Coffee Tastes Bad (And How to Fix It Next Time), kitchn.
• New Coffee Brewing Study Challenges Water Temp Norms, Daily Coffee News.
• 23 Coffee Recipes That Let You Be Your Own Barista, The Spruce Eats.