Jura-Capresso 13936 Impressa S9 Fully Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center

A couple of previous reviews complained about blockages that quickly developed in their machines. I had the same problem after less than a month of use, where the brewed coffee would drip out very slowly, threatening to cease altogether. I told my wife she should return the machine, but she called Jura's customer service number, which is printed on the cover of the instruction booklet. The representative gave her a fix which is not mentioned in the troubleshooting section of the manual. It's difficult to describe, but it involves removing the grounds tray, poking a finger up through the chute and finding damp grounds that are stuck by a screen there. They can be wiped away with a paper towel and that should clear up the problem.

Otherwise, I recommend reading fhimas88888888's review for realistic advice, especially about the lifespan of a machine. This is my second super-automatic espresso machine, as a Saeco awaits repairs before becoming an office machine for my wife. They make very good coffee and espresso with relative ease and convenience. They're also great conversation pieces, although by now I find it tedious to demonstrate the machine for awed guests. If you love espresso, lattes, etc., the price of a super-automatic machine is worth it, although you can find one for less than half the cost of this Jura. I give the machine four stars because I wouldn't want to live without it, but I'm withholding a fifth star because I suspect competing machines are virtually as good.

This machine boasts A LOT of features! It has a dual boiler system that allows you to go back and forth from brewing to steaming without a wait time (although you can't do them at the same time). It has a bypass doser which allows you to add preground coffee. It has a rinse cycle that comes on when you turn the machine on. You can also program the machine to certain amounts of water to go through the coffee when you press a certain button. You can also have it turn on at a certain time and turn off at a certain time. There is a stylish blue backlight that looks wonderful on the machine. The machine also has a wonderful milk steamer that with the automatic frother and with the steamer itself allows wonderful steaming with ease.

Now my complaints. The steamer cannot get the milk anywhere as hot as my Expobar Office Control (semi automatic) or my old Rancilio Silvia (semi automatic). Also the froth quality is very bad with the automatic air injectors. This machine can only get the milk up to around 160, and after that the foam quality decreases.

The machine is HUGE! Before you even think about buying the machine (and if you do buy this machine, buy it online without tax) go to a place like William Sonoma and see the machine. Also it is helpful to try the coffee that is produced by the machine. The machine looks much different up close then in the Capresso glorified pictures.

The espresso quality is uncomparable to espresso from a semi automatic. I have an Expobar Office Control that was bout 800 dollars. This machine is very similar to the ones that you see at your cafe, with the programmed buttons but with a portafilter where one must grind and tamp the coffee themselves. This machine I get much superior crema, aroma, and espresso quality. When I went to try the coffee at Williams Sonoma from the S9, it was uncomparable.

Finally, the price. This machine is way overpriced for what you are getting. Although it does have some nice features, all of them can be seen on the S7, which is exactly the same machine, just is black and doesn't come with the automatic frother, which can be purchased for about 80 bucks.

In conclusion.... This is a great machine and can produce a good cup, not a great cup, but a good cup. Spending the big bucks doesn't guarentee better coffee. Any super automatics in the 500 and up price range will produce the same quality coffee, just some will have more features. If you are looking for a good machine, the Gaggia Syncrony Compact can basically do everything that this does minus a few things (and is MUCH smaller) and goes for about 1500 less. Remember, all super automatics can only last about 5-7 years depending on their usage and care, so remember that before buying. This machine will not last anywhere near a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, this is a great machine, but there are many others out there that can give you the same convenience, reliability, and a price tag much smaller, that will still give you the same quality cup of espresso.

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I purchased this machine's predecessor, the Jura S90, about 4 years ago. Since no one's owned an S9 for that long, it's hard to say for certain what the maintenance costs for the S9 will be, but I thought those considering buying it might appreciate knowing that it will likely require a certain amount of annual or biennial maintenance.

The S90 has one part that needs replacing after approximately every 2000 shots, which in my house means about once every 18 months. There are also seals and similar parts that again will need service periodically. This machine appears to be mechanically very similar to the S90, so it will likely have similar maintenance characteristics.

Over the last 4 years, I've had the machine serviced twice by Jura, and once by a local repairman. The cost of repairs was around two hundred dollars including parts each time... My front panel switches are also starting to misbehave, though, so the next repair may be more expensive.

This machine costs enough (and is good enough) to be worth repairing, but if you're expecting a machine to last the ages without any repairs, you'll likely be disappointed.

I can't really fault the machine for needing periodic maintenance, though. You could get a commercial machine with heavy-duty parts for 2-3 times the price, and that would need periodic maintenance, too (though the parts would last longer). Just be aware that by buying a high end machine, you've moved out of the "disposable" machine range and into the "pay to fix it" range. "Never needs fixing" doesn't exist.

As to the quality of the coffee, I've tried this one, and the quality is the best I've tasted from a super-automatic.

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We're among three people we know who own these now, plus our local cooking supply store; their praise for this machine is universal. The quality of coffee it makes far exceeds any other method or machine I've ever used. Why?

Inspecting the grounds that I have to empty about twice a week gave me an extraordinary insight; the grounds have virtually no smell at all! The machine apparently extracts every bit of flavor and aroma from the bean and leaves grounds that might as well be vaguely damp, black sawdust. If it's in the beans, in other words, it ends up in your cup, and you get the complete experience promised by your favorite bean and roast.

Every cup (and we make mostly "standard" cups of coffee) is graced with a crema that makes the first two or three sips a true guilty pleasure. Every cup is perfectly fresh, and since you make each cup one at a time there's never leftover coffee thickening at the bottom of the drip coffeemaker. Every coffee bean that passes through the S9 shows its individual character in ways that drip and percolators could never let you experience. The steam wand uses a venturi effect to draw up cold milk and mix it with raw steam to make good, hot foam and steamed milk it's a strong feature that works very well.

Sure, if you don't use the included water filters the machine will nag you after every 200 cups to run an automatic cleaning cycle. But the machine cleans itself, for crying out loud, taking all of about 15 minutes every month or two. And every 2000 cups, as I recall, it asks for a deeper cleaning to remove any lime or calcium buildup down deep inside also essentially automatic.

The downsides are few but must be noted in fairness. It's very loud and the sounds are somewhat harsh; surprising at first. It's big. It costs a lot of money. Worst of all, once you start drinking this stuff it's impossible to completely enjoy coffee at a restaurant or local coffee bar. The restaurant probably makes drip, and the coffee bar using a big espresso machine rarely uses the high quality of beans that you'd use at home. Buyer beware: you'll get spoiled.

And I'm ready to buy a second one for my office.

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At first, we were very pleased with the machine. It makes very flavorful coffee and is easy to use. After less than one year, it developed a blockage so we had to return it for repair. This first repair was under the warranty period so we weren't terribly disappointed. Now, one year later, it has developed the exact same blockage and the minimum cost to repair it is $150. When trying to reason with the Capresso service rep. saying that it has developed the same blockage, the reply was, "sorry mam, it will be $150."

We originally bought the machine when it was $2400 and expect better performance than this. It appears that the cost is the upfront investment plus $150 per year to keep it working. We will not be buying any Capresso products in the future!