Jura Z8 Automatic Coffee Machine Review 2025

Are you a coffee fanatic? Are regular trips to your neighborhood coffee bar a part of your daily routine? Are you looking for a way to replicate the coffee shop experience from the comfort of your own home, any time you like?

If you answered yes to the questions above, you’re going to love reading our Jura Z8 review. This is one of the best models the company makes and also one of its most expensive. It’s a fantastic, full-featured super-automatic espresso machine that does just about everything.

That, combined with the fact that Jura is one of the top companies in the home espresso machine ecosystem, makes this a model to pay particular attention to.

Having said that, it’s expensive, which means that although many may fall in love with it, not everyone is going to be able to afford one. If your budget will support it, though, it’s a wonder by any definition.

In the sections that follow, we’ll step you through everything the mighty Jura Impressa Z8 has to offer, and we’ll point out its (very few) limitations so you’ll have a complete picture before spending your hard-earned money. If that sounds good to you, read on, and let’s take a closer look.

An Overview of the Jura Z8 Automatic Coffee Machine

Form Factor, Footprint & Aesthetic

First impressions are important, and the Z8 makes a very good one. It has sleek lines, a stainless steel frame accented with black highlights, and an impressively sized 4.3” touchscreen display, which serves as the heart of the control system for the unit.

We’ll have more to say about that a little later. For now, it’s enough to note that the Z8 cuts an impressive figure and would make an attractive addition to almost any home kitchen.

In terms of size, its footprint isn’t excessive. The Jura Z8’s dimensions are 12.6” W x 15” H x 17.7” D, and it weighs 29.5 pounds.

That’s heavier than you might think—given its size—but bear in mind, this model has a stainless steel housing with only a nominal amount of plastic present on the exterior.

While it’s not enormous, it is big enough that you’ll want to measure carefully to make sure there’s sufficient space to store the unit under your kitchen cabinets if that’s your plan.

Also, note that it’s got some heft to it. Thirty pounds isn’t excessive, but it’s heavy enough that you’re not going to want to move it around more than you have to—so bear that in mind when you’re deciding where you want to put it.

Reservoir Size

The water tank of the Z8 coffee machine is side-mounted and has a capacity of 81.3 ounces, which is beyond impressive. Even if you’re a power drinker or live in a bustling household with several others, you won’t have to stop too often to top up the water supply.

Granted, it would be even better if this machine supported a dedicated water line, but barring that, the tank size is exceptional. We love it, and we think you will too. Even better, being side-mounted, it’s easy to tell at a glance what the current tank level is, so you’ll know when it’s time to add more water—very convenient.

Integrated Grinder & Bean Hopper

In our view, this is a somewhat disappointing section of our Jura Z8 review and one of the few weak points in the Z8’s design.

We find the top-loading bean hopper to be a little on the small size, with a capacity of 9.9 ounces.

Your mileage may vary, depending on exactly how you use the machine, but we’d prefer a more expansive bean hopper. It’s not the end of the world, but it is worth drawing your attention to it.

A potentially more troubling issue is the Aroma G3 Grinder that Jura has paired with it. We love that it’s fast. We love that it’s relatively quiet, but we don’t love that it’s only got six grind settings.

It’s not difficult (at all) to find machines with more than twice the number of grind settings on offer here, and more grind settings equal more flexibility. While there’s no formal standard, six grind settings are about average. But given the price of the Z8, we have to admit to being a little underwhelmed here.

On the other hand, Jura did utilize ceramic burrs here rather than stainless steel. That matters because stainless steel heats up when you grind. If the burrs get too hot, it could burn your freshly ground coffee and ruin the flavor of whatever drink you’re making.

Two final points to mention here: 

First, the Z8 has a bypass chute, which allows you to use pre-ground coffee if you’d rather. This is something that just about every machine on the market offers, but this section wouldn’t have been complete without at least giving it a quick mention.

Second, and this isn’t something that’s unique to the Z8 but a common limitation to all super-automatics, is don’t use oily beans! If you do, you’ll dramatically reduce the lifespan of your grinder and it will require much more frequent cleanings. For best results, use a good, medium roast!

The Boiler System

This is another very strong point of our Jura Z8 coffee machine review. As you might expect from a machine at this price point, the Z8 is a double boiler system with 2 Thermoblocks.

From your perspective as the user of the machine, this means you can brew coffee and steam milk simultaneously. The boilers heat very rapidly, and that, combined with the fact that you don’t have to wait for the boiler to shift gears as you do with a single boiler system, means that using the Z8 is always fast and convenient. 

Telescoping Coffee Spigot

This will be a relatively short section, but we did want to draw your attention to the fact that the Z8 has a telescoping coffee spigot that allows you to adjust the height of the coffee spouts depending on what type of cup you have sitting beneath them.

The range can be set from as low as 3.2” to as high as 6”. It’s a good span that will accommodate a wide range of cup types.

True, if your favorite coffee cup is exceptionally large, you’ll probably need to brew in one cup and transfer to your favorite, but the height range offered here is quite good.

The Brew Unit and Control System

In our view, this is the best and strongest portion of our Jura Z8 review. While we’ve read a few customer reviews that complain that the software that drives the unit isn’t the best, we respectfully disagree. It seems fine to us, and we found it to be both intuitive and very easy to use.

Even better, from the large touch screen, you’ll find full-color images of the impressive array of drinks you can order—all at the touch of a button. The Z8 offers:

In addition to that, from the unit’s rotary control, you can also order double portions of the following:

This is flat-out amazing, but it gets even better. The Jura Z8 espresso machine can be controlled via an app from your smartphone, which makes it that much more convenient to use.

Every drink you can make can be customized via simple touchscreen controls. You can adjust the extraction time, amount of water, and coffee strength—saving your preferred settings for one-touch recall later.

The brew unit features Jura’s patented PEP technology. PEP stands for “Pulse Extraction Process,” which ensures perfect extraction every time by running pulses of water through the ground coffee. This is one of the reasons why the Z8 gives you highly consistent, great-tasting results every single time.

The Milk Frothing System

Where milk frothing is concerned, there are two different strategies a machine can employ: either a steam wand or an auto frother.

Steam wands are ideal for those who want to take a more hands-on approach to creating their favorite drinks. They take practice to use well, but they do offer fine-grained control.

The Z8 doesn’t use that approach, opting for increased convenience over control. The auto frother is easy to use and produces decent quality foam, but it’s not exceptional. It’s not that this is a bad feature implementation; it’s just not as impressive as some of the other aspects of the machine. 

In other words, you’ll be pleased by the foam you get, but you won’t be dazzled or blown away.

Incredibly Easy to Clean

The Jura Z8 cleaning routine is amazing. Cleaning isn’t nearly as exciting as most of the other aspects of coffee machines, but it is super important, and anything that any company can do to automate the process or make it less time-consuming is awesome.

Here, there are two key things Jura does that you’ll love.

First, the company uses their proprietary CLARIS water filter, which completely eliminates the need to descale your machine—so that maintenance task goes away entirely.

Second, the milk frother is set to run an auto-clean cycle after each use, so there’s less risk of contamination, which is also incredible.

In addition to that, you can run the Z8’s twenty-minute auto-clean cycle any time you wish—at the touch of a button. About the only thing you’ll have to do on a regular or semi-regular basis is to periodically wash the brew unit, wipe the unit down between drinks, and periodically empty the 20-portion capacity grounds container. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Pros & Cons of Jura Z8 Coffee Machine

The Z8 is a machine with very few weaknesses. Since we’ve spent most of this review singing the praises of this machine, we’ll just draw your attention to the two shortcomings we found in the design.

First, the bean hopper may be a little on the small side for power drinkers or households with several coffee lovers. And in a related vein, the grinder has a somewhat underwhelming number of grind settings on offer.

Second, it’s expensive. So expensive, in fact, that it will simply be out of the reach of many people who may want one. Assuming that those points of weakness aren’t deal breakers for you, you’re probably going to fall in love with the Z8.

Jura Z8 Review Conclusion

This is one of the best machines on the market today. Yes, it’s pricey, but it can do just about everything, and it can make a simply staggering range of specialty coffee drinks—all offered at the touch of a button.

That, combined with the app controls and the incredible ease with which the machine can be kept clean, makes it awfully hard to resist the Z8. This one comes highly recommended.

Other Options to Consider

If, for some reason, the Jura Z8 automatic coffee machine isn’t a good fit for you, here are a couple of alternatives to consider:

Jura Giga 6

The Giga 6 is even more expensive than the machine we just reviewed, but it’s an absolute masterpiece of engineering and design. It gives you more hands-on control, including the use of a wand rather than an auto frothing system, and sports not one but two ceramic grinders.

This machine truly gives you the best of both worlds—cutting-edge touch screen convenience paired with more control and the ability to create just about any custom coffee drink you can imagine. It’s a coffee bar in your kitchen!

Saeco Xelsis

This is a less expensive alternative to the machine we just reviewed. Although less expensive, it is very nearly as capable—offering only a slightly less impressive listing of coffee drinks (offered with one-touch convenience) and, in our view, sporting a better grinder. If the Z8 is too expensive to comfortably fit into your budget, this is a great alternative to consider.

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Official Manufacturer Support

Sources & Resources

• Jura USA, Official Brand Website. 
• Jura Z8 Automatic Coffee Machine User Manual.
• 5 Healthy Benefits of Consuming Espresso, About Time Magazine.
• 9 Rules for How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee, Eating Well.
• Coffee and Antioxidants: Everything You Need to Know, Healthline.