Jura 13332 Impressa J5 Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center, Matte Black

I have had 3 cappuccino makers prior to the Jura J5 and have always wanted to own the Impressa J5. Well, this year I went out and got one and, as far as I'm concerned, that was my biggest mistake. It makes a good espresso, that I must say; and I love the cleaning process, but the milk steamer/frother system is definitely a design flaw. The second time I used the dual frother, the wand blew off and sprayed me with steam and milk. I called customer service and they told me that the frother needs to be properly cleaned (taking the frother nozzle off to clean it) and soaked in the cleaning solution each day after it is used. Well, I have been cleaning, soaking and rinsing that frother for several months now and it still blows off intermittently when I steam coffee, blowing milk and steam everywhere. I went to a local distributor and asked them about it and they told me that they have the same problem. Surely there has to be a better frother system for such a nice cappuccino maker?

I had a Capresso C1500 for about 6 years. It started leaking and making weak coffee. So, I got the J5 as an upgrade/replacement. I have now own the J5 for about 2 months. It is definitely an improvement over the C1500.

Pros

It makes really hot beverages

Two types of frothing method: 1. Traditional way; 2. FrothXpress way

Programmable everything (e.g. water temp, strength of coffee, amount of water..etc)

Self-rinsing before startup and before shutdown.

Convenience.

Cons

Cheap Plastic Shell (Especially for a machine costing $1800!!)

Extracting the espresso too fast. (But this is with all Super-autos)

Does not have a traditional steam wand. (the wand came with it is not really a traditional one you find with other machines)

Cleaning the wand properly after use. (You really have to soak it and make sure the little holes on the wand are clean. Or else it will not steam properly)

I think maybe because now I am a bit more experienced in making espresso and understand the details that goes into it that I find I am looking for more in a machine. Yes, this is a very good machine that produces good coffee/espresso. But now I am wanting to go a step higher and get a "God" shot of espresso. The J5 (actually all super-autos) will not give you that.

What this machine will give you is convenience. The shots are hot and are good. It will give you good froth but not the true micro-foams you find in traditional semi-auto machines. I still love the machine and feel that the espresso it produces is better than 80% of the retail coffee shops.

I would recommend this machine to people who are into coffee/espresso and knows at least that good espresso does not need to taste bitter. This machine will satisfy probably 90% of the coffee drinkers out there. For the other 10%, the coffee snobs, this machine probably will not do. It does not produce "tiger stripes" shots (at least I am not able to do it). You can not control tamping. The steam wand is not traditional and in my opinion not that powerful. Does this mean I am a coffee snob?!?

But really, I can not complain too much it is still a wonderful machine. I am starting to contemplate more of a prosumer type of espresso machine. One that is semi-automatic and you really need the end user's experience/input to produce that "god" shot (e.g. Tiger Stripes crema). Well, I will use this until it dies. Then I will go the next step....

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Where to begin? This machine can do it all, from a strong shot of espresso to a flawless cappuccino, all in under minute. If you can tie your shoes, you can use one of these machines.

I looked in to this machine after using an older Capresso model at a friend's house. I was always impressed by how easily and quickly he could make a variety of drinks for guests, not to mention the quality of their appearance and flavor.

This machine comes with two different frothing systems, one is a more traditional bullet style frother, while the other can automatically steam or froth milk. This is where the J5 really shines. In no time you can froth yourself milk that would make the most seasoned barista jealous, and then push a single button to instantly brew piping hot coffee.

The machine starts with whole beans of your choosing and grinds them just for the drink you are making. This ensures that you'll get the freshest tasting coffee cup after cup.

What I like most about this machine though is the variety of drinks it can make. If you have a guest over who isn't a big coffee drinker you can use the machine to make instant hot water for tea, or my favorite trick: run chocolate milk through the steamer for instant hot chocolate. Of course for the rest of us, the pressure brewing system in this machine will allow you to say goodbye to expensive coffee drinks, and become your own favorite barista.

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We have had several of the Jura-Capresso machines. We currently have the Impress J5.

We love the coffee and lattes it makes but there is one very annoying and potentially dangerous issue.

The frothing tip on the machine flies off intermittently and sprays hot milk on us and all

over the cabinets and floor. We make a point of blowing steam through the tip for about 30 seconds

after we make each latte to make certain no milk remains in it to clog it and we also clean the

tip in solution as directed -but the problem continues. We had this issue on other Jura-Capresso

machines as well so we don't understand why they don't have screw on tips to easily solve this problem.

Making lattes has become a stressful event!

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This machine is utterly fantastic, period. I have wasted through endless Cuisinart Grind & Brew machines to no avail and spent way too much on Starbucks. This literally makes the perfect cup of coffee or espresso. The milk frother creates perfect cream. I set it to 'wake up' before I do so its ready to go. Its as easy as pie to clean and the machine tells you to do everythingadd water, beans, clean out grounds, etc. Its even Energy Saver. What else could you want?

Baratza Vario Ceramic Burr Coffee Grinder

I spent way too much time looking for a good burr grinder and decided on the Breville Smart Grinder (Breville BCG800XL Smart Grinder). As detailed in my review of the Breville, one of the contenders was the Vario, which I borrowed from a friend to try out. I loved it, but the price was a bit too steep.

Low and behold, I got a Vario as a gift! Absolutely love it, but now that I've been using it side-by-side with the Breville for a few weeks, there are a few trade-offs:

Build quality: Both are good, but the Vario feels more substantial. Less plastic, more metal. I uploaded a picture of them side by side.

Burr quality: although the Breville has a decent set of conical burrs, the ceramic flat burrs in the Vario are far more meaty and substantive.

Ease of changing grind: draw. Both are simple to use.

Degree of control over the grind: the Vario wins hands down. It's about a close as you can get to a stepless grinder while still retaining the ease of use of a stepped design.

Mess when not using the cup: the Breville is much, much less prone to over spray when grinding directly into a portafilter or filter basket. The Vario is not horrible, but you need to clean up after it.

Mess when using the cup: Again, the Breville has zero over spray. The Vario is pretty close, however. Both have nicely anti-static cups. The Breville has a nicer design with an air-tight cap.

Controls: The Breville's display is very clear and easy to read. The Vario is easy to use, but the timer display is totally unreadable unless it's right at eye level. It desperately needs a back lit display.

Changing beans: Breville wins hands down. The hopper has a gate lock so you can take it off when full and only have to dump out what's in the grinding chamber. I keep a second hopper filled with different beans for quick change-over. The Vario has no hopper lock, so you have to dump the whole hopper when you want to change to a different type of bean. The hopper lid on the Breville is also much nicer, with a rubber gasket and a handy handle loop.

Consistency of grind: this is the big one, and the reason we spend money on grinders and put up with all the fuss and muss. This is also where the Vario pulls ahead strongly. No matter what the setting, the grind is spot on uniform. Just perfect. Now, the Breville is pretty good as well, but there are size variations in the grind that you just don't see with the Vario.

So, if I had to do it again, would I buy the Breville? My pocketbook says that's the one, but my coffee cup wants the Vario. It clearly produces a better grind.

I pulled a series of espresso shots using the Breville and the Vario. Same beans, same espresso machine. Both were dialed in to produce the best they could. In a taste test after a dinner party, the shots from the Vario won each and every time. Same with a pour over test, although that was a lot closer with a few people unable to tell a difference.

So, if you are absolutely limited to $200, must have a fancy-looking display, and can't tolerate even a small amount of stray grinds, the Breville is the way to go. If, however, the main goal is to produce a cup of coffee or espresso that is the best you can produce, spring for the Vario. You will taste the difference, and the taste will ease the pain in the wallet and the mess on the counter top.

If the Baratza people read these reviews: please, please, PLEASE improve the display! Keep everything else the same (although a gate lock on the hopper for easy change-over of beans would be nice). It's no use to have a fancy display that times the grind length to a tenth of a second when you can't read the numbers!

Update: Sept 2012 I had a problem with the grinder not responding to grind level changes. The Baratza website explained how to calibrate the grinder, but unfortunately that didn't solve the problem. I'm pleased to report that their customer service is outstanding. I got a same-day reply to every email I sent, and Baratza replaced my machine without any fuss or bother. Plus, they paid 100% of the shipping costs both ways! The rep I worked with was helpful, polite and responsive it's so nice to get an actual reply to a question rather than a boilerplate email. I remain very pleased with their grinder, and am especially pleased with their customer service.

I agonized for a long time before spending over $400 on a grinder. I started off thinking that I would spend no more than a quarter of that amount but after reading numerous reviews, I came to the conclusion that the cheap grinders just don't work very well. The Vario is so new that I didn't find any meaningful reviews but I took a chance based on its specifications. I'm very satisfied with it. It looks good, it grinds extremely fast (at least compared to anything I have used before, 20 sec. for enough coffee for a 32 oz French press), there are lots of different grind settings (macro and micro giving lots of combinations), and there are no static problems to throw grounds over the kitchen worktop. The grind appears to be uniform as far as I can tell.

I use it for grinding coffee for a French press. I find setting it a little finer than filter gives the right results for my tastes -I don't know whether that means its pre-settings are too coarse or whether I just prefer a rich, dirty cup of coffee (I think probably the latter as I'm a Greek/Turkish coffee fan as well as a fan of French press). I have tried it for Greek/Turkish coffee on its finest setting but it did not get it fine enough for that purpose -that does not matter to me as I already have an Athena brass hand-mill. I use the Vario twice a day to make coffee for my French press and it works just great albeit I set it finer than the manufacturer's setting for French press.

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Seems to grind pretty much flawlessly, without jamming. I think beans have stuck in it twice in the year I've been using it, and I like a nice oily roast. Other grinders jam constantly.

I like the preprogrammed time settings. I just use this thing for daily drip grinding. I like the electronic timer much more than spring-wound timers.

I have found the grind to be consistent and uniform. I am hoping the ceramic burrs last as long as they are supposed to.

Dislikes:

I had to file down the housing a little to get the hopper to slide in and out smoothly. I am disappointed but not too surprised as high end coffee grinders have got to be on small production runs, with inconsistent quality.

I find the blue LED indicator lights to be piercing. I would prefer a more low-key color, like amber.

By far my biggest gripe: The time display is an LCD panel. It's cheap, and its main characteristic is that unless you are facing it directly, you cannot read it. Therefore, to read the display, I have to crouch down to countertop level, or tilt the grinder back. A $450 grinder should certainly have been made with an LED, not LCD, display that is visible from any angle. This is a full-on design flaw, in my book.

All in all I am happy with it. I feel like I have a workhorse of a grinder that will last.

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I rarely post reviews but I have to agree with the other one star reviewers here. I have a lot of experience with espresso machines and grinders. In fact I use a commercial Rancilio S27 for my home machine, plumbed in to the water and drain line. I wanted a smaller grinder with adjustability and the ability to grind directly into the portafilter. The Baratza got good reviews and because it can also grind into a container and is programmable, I thought I could replace my two larger burr grinders with this one unit.

Well, like the other reviewer here, I was able to grind beans at espresso fine for about 20-30 seconds. I pulled a couple of shots, then went back to grind and the grinder jammed up. I tried everything. After taking it apart and putting it back together I was able to grind again for another 20-30 seconds, then had the same problem. Basically, in the end, what was happening is that the belt on the belt drive was slipping. I actually had no idea this was a belt driven grinder or I would not have purchased it. Commercial grinders are direct drive. There may be some good reasons for a belt drive design here related to all the adjustability, but at the end of the day the adjustability and features don't do you any good if you can't actually grind espresso.

After fiddling with the thing I was able to get it to grind consistently at a coarser setting for say french press or drip. But every time I took it back down to espresso (with the grinder running as instructed) I ended up with the belt slipping and the grinder stopping. So back in the box it went. Very disappointing. I love the look and design concept, but for this price I can get a commercial grinder that will run all day long and grind out Turkish if I want... so what's the point of trying to get this thing to work?

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This grinder is a little pricey compared to so many that you can get for less, but fully worth it. It is solidly made, easy to use, will last for many, many years, and comes from a great company. I have had mine 2 years, and use it almost daily. The grind is extremely consistent, and the adjustments allow going from espresso grind to french press and back very easily. Recently, mine suddenly stopped working, and it is a full year out of warranty. I called Baratza, and within 10 minutes they confirmed was was wrong, and sent me a replacement powerboard with two days shipping for no charge. Their customer service is amazing. I purchased a Virtuoso grinder for my parents, and they have loved it for years, and have had similarily excellent customer service from Baratza.

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Perfect Pod Maker Deluxe Coffee and Tea Pod Maker ( New Upgraded Model)

I purchased this awhile ago. It does work well and for the reviewers that are saying they are having a problem with it sealing, they are doing something wrong. You have to be very careful when filling the pods with the coffee. You cannot get any coffee in the area where it will get sealed otherwise it will not seal properly. This product does, in fact work very well. But, the cost of the filters and the shipping is crazy. Don't waste your money on this. I learned my lesson. Get the Coffeeduck. You pay once and do not have to invest in filters. Works very well, still get the great cream and rich flavor of your own coffee.

The perfect pod maker makes pods perfectly just as the name says. I put 2 teaspoons of expresso coffee in it an it still seals perfectly. I would recommend anyone that has a pod maker to pick this up and stop wasting your time buying the premade ones. I like that its more environmentally safe than the k-cups, which use plastic. I have a keurig and a single cup pod maker and would easily choose my coffee pod machine over the keurig anyday. Oh, yea, also, when sealing the filter, make sure theres no grinds where the 2 lids meet or else you will have a partially unsealed pod.

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This is GREAT took a couple of tries to get it working correctly but now we make up pods and have them ready. love it there is no mess of having to wash the mesh filter anymore just throw the paper pod in trash and your done, plus we love trying new coffee flavors. It works great with the Keurig coffee maker

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I found this pod maker to work well; although it seems to take a few seconds longer to make the pods as the instructions indicate. The paper pod filters that came with the pod were not well package and somewhat deformed ergo they did not work very well; however, I did find that the Easy Pack pod fiters were a much superior product. The Easy Pack filters are well-packaged and fit the Perfect Pod Maker exceptionally well. The Easy Pack filters, fit snuggly into the pod maker and the covering flap easily folds back allowing the coffee to be added much easier. I recommend the Perfect Pod Maker but not their filters.

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Like others in reviews, I felt the pods you buy in the store like Senseo pods to be way too weak. I own the Bunn My Cafe Pourover Commercial-Grade Pod Brewer and the only way to get stronger coffee is to select a lower amount of water which doesn't even give you half a cup. I purchased this and solved my problem. We buy the grind-your-own gourmet coffee at the grocery store and make our own pods. I find if you fill the pods up to the top it's the perfect cup in my brewer. One note concerning the Bunn Pod Brewer like mine, you have to turn the pods so that the rim of the pod is at the bottom of the slide-in tray and use your finger to smooth the pod out and below the top of the tray or you'll get water pouring out the side of the slide-in tray as it's brewing. It took me a while to figure out where the water was coming from but it works great now. I highly recommend this product!

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Oggi EZ Grip Regular Coffee Canister, Black

I love this coffee can. I just wish it could hold a whole pound of coffee (or that it said somewhere in the description how much coffee it could hold). Otherwise it is a great product. Cute, blocks out harmful light, airtight, easy to open and shut, and comes with a nifty tablespoon that it holds on its side. Nice. Why couldn't I find anything close to this when I went out shopping? Bless the internet.

Great way to store coffee that protects coffee from its two greatest enemies: light and air. Finding the perfect solution has been a challenge; I'm so glad I stumbled on this canister.

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I purchased this airtight canister to hold my coffee. It does provide an airtight seal IF the metal clasp would function properly. Initially upon receiving this, the clasp was not secure as the metal prongs go into the metal attachment. We had to take a pair of plyers to try and make it more secure. I thought that was the trick, but now I find myself every other day, having to manually tighten. It is small, and would not hold all of my coffee, I did have to use a ziploc bag for the remaining. I am definitely returning and will purchase something that will actually work.

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These look good, but they do not seal and are not airtight as advertised. I expected truely airtight canisters to keep coffee and tea in....these are going right back to Amazon.

The silicon seal is a poor design and will not seal air/liquids. The closing mechanism is cheap and inadequate...it does not align properly and bends easily. The wire loop clasp distorts (bottom of the loop opens) when closed...so much so that it easily slips out of the clasp when pressure is applied during closing. If you're handy, you could probably braise or solder the loop shut to solve that problem; however, that would still not solve the inability to seal.

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This coffee canister is the perfect size no matter how much counter space a kitchen has.

-easy to open/close

-easy to grab from top shelves

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Farberware FES15B 15-Bar Pump-Driven Espresso Machine

I had this machine for about eight months. I drink espresso nearly every day (yes I know...I have a problem). The Farberware machine was great until most recently the handle separated from the metal dish that holds the coffee beans. I called technical support and the lady whom I spoke with informed me that the part was discontinued and that I could not get a replacement part, even if I wanted to purchase it. The only solution offered was that if I had a receipt, she could provide me with a comparable machine. This thing was a gift from my mother... Where o where could that receipt be?

Humorously, I can still use the machine by twisting the metal container into the housing without the wand. It does still work, but talk about shoddy. Great machine...poor ingenuity on the wand.

Light usage over the course of a year. The handle puled a part from the metal cup that holds the espresso beans. I would not recommend this for anyone that wants to get more than say 40 espressos out of their machine. Up until this point, I was relatively happy with it's performance and design.

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Two years ago, I bought this from a local electronics store for $30. It was on sale and I decided to try the machine. Before buying it, I checked reviews and they were unanimously horrible. However, for the low cost, it was worth a try. I am surprised this unit is still being sold. I used this machine once and it was dead the second time I tried to use it. The one time I used it, it produced acceptable froth and a decently tasting cup of coffee. Since this machine broke, I have used and own two Delonghi machines Both are dependable and produce excellent results.

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i thought this was a fantastic machine when i got it for christmas... until 2 months after i got it. the handle broke off the thing that you put the coffee in... and if the handle breaks so does the part that the coffee comes out of... and the pressure is messed up so it leaks everywhere now. and there is no way to geat a replacement. this is not even made by the manufacture anymore, so they cant replace the part. If anyone can help me find a replacement please let me know, because i searched 4 months with no luck.

now i have to go buy another coffee machine because this one had such a short life.

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Quit working after the second cup. Very difficult to steam milk because of the room to place the milk holder. Your are not provided with a cup or receptacle for the milk. It is very procedure oriented to make the espresso and messy after doing so. Forget this machine and look elsewhere. :-{

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