Dubbed the monster truck of superautomatic espresso machines, the Jura Impressa XJ9 is certainly living up to its name. Featuring a revved up bean hopper, a supersized tank and one touch functionality, it’s ideal for both large households or small offices that crave capacity, convenience and excellent build quality.
On top of that, the Jura also come with a colorful TFT screen with various settings for milk quantity, volume, dosage, custom temperature and more so that you can make the perfect espresso every single time. But what stands out the most about it is the fact that it can actually brew 2 coffees or espressos at the same time. Talk about efficiency and convenience in one package!
Features
The XJ9 has a wide range of features that will help users prepare the perfect espresso every single time. For instance, the unit features a fifteen bar thermoblock system and high performance pump, but also a Variable Brewing Unit which allows you to use between five to sixteen grams of coffee in order to prepare a wide range of coffee based drinks.
Jura’s special pre-infusion cycle is also present in this model and it helps you extract the most aroma and flavor out of your coffee. Even more, you can prepare several drinks with just a simple touch of a button and they include cappuccinos, latte macchiatos, ristrettos, espressos, but also double and single coffees.
You can also customize each part of the coffee brewing process, including the hot water temperature (three settings), the brewing temperature (two settings), coffee strength (five settings) and the amount of water to be used for each type of beverage you want to prepare. After you’ve selected the type of beverage you’d like to brew, the machine is going to do the necessary prep work and eventually dispense the drink into the cup.
You’ll also love the fact that Jura decided to add a beverage dispenser (height adjustable) to this model which allows you to brew coffee into cups of up to four point four inches tall.
Steaming and Frothing
The Professional Cappuccino Frother on the XJ9 is very useful and will certainly come in handy every time you need to siphon and steam or froth fresh milk to prepare a delicious cappuccino or macchiato. Just keep in mind though that if you use this system, then you’re going to have to clean it after each use. Luckily, you can use the automatic maintenance option and the machine is going to rinse itself automatically, therefore saving yourself the effort of having to do this manually. One thing you need to know about the machine’s Professional Cappuccino Frother is that it’s compatible with the Cool control milk container and the Jura SS thermal milk container.
Water Features
Thanks to a large four liter water reservoir which can be easily removed for cleaning and filling, the XJ9 allows you to prepare dozens of drinks without having to worry about refilling the tank too often. Since Jura is all about making high quality espresso machines, they’ve ensured that the XJ9 is fitted with a Clearyl water filter to ensure the quality of the water is as best as possible. What the filter does is that it prevents scale buildup and also removes minerals from tap water. If you don’t want to brew with filtered water though, then you should know that you can also use the adjustable water hardness feature.
Temperature Settings
There are 3 temperature settings you can choose from, including low, normal and high. For instance, if you plan on making hot chocolate, then you should use the low setting, but if you’d like to make a very hot tea, then go for the high setting.
Bypass Doser, Bean Hopper and Grinder
The XJ9’s bean hopper features a lid in order to preserve the beans’ aroma and it can store a total of seventeen point six oz of coffee beans. For fresh tasting coffee, you can use the burr grinder in order to grind the coffee beans and if you wish, you can even fine-tune it. However, you can also skip the grinding process and use pre-ground coffee instead.
Energy Setting
Jura is all about making environmentally friendly products and the XJ9 is no exception from that philosophy. In fact, once it enters the standby model the machine, is entirely disconnected from the power supply and therefore wastes no energy. As a result, the XJ9 will reduce energy consumption and also reduce its environmental footprint.
Extra Features
Maintaining the XJ9 is very simple thanks to its automatic descaling and cleaning programs. The machine also features a high-end finish, a rotary dial and a chrome plated (glossy) front panel. In terms of weight, the unit weighs twenty nine lbs.
Pros:
- Thanks to its large drip tray, hopper and reservoir, the Jura XJ9 is ideal for use not only in large households, but also in small office environments.
- The interface of the machine is very simple and thank sot the intuitive menu and the large and easy to read screen, preparing a delicious cappuccino or macchiato takes just a few seconds. In fact, even if you’ve used a similar machine in the past or not, you’ll find it’s very easy to prepare your preferred drink with it.
Cons
- It’s true that the hopper can hold about an lbs of whole beans and even more than that, but the truth is that it has a high profile which some people found unnecessary. This is especially the case if you plan on using/storing the machine in a kitchen with limited countertop space.
- You can only use the auto-froth system only. There is no manual steaming function with this model, which is somewhat of a disappointment, especially considering the price of the XJ9.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy This Model?
If you’re the type who loves preparing a wide range of coffee based drinks without having to worry about spending too much time doing so, then the Jura XJ9 is definitely a great espresso machine to consider. Not only is it built like a tank, features a glossy and high quality front panel and an overall modern design, but its one touch operation is certainly going to be appreciated by many who just want to prepare a delicious cappuccino or espresso without fiddling with the machine too much. Given the fact that the Jura XJ9 also extracts maximum aroma and flavor out of your coffee makes it the ideal choice for every coffee lover out there.
Comparable Models to consider
Breville BES980XL: If you’d like to take advantage of similar functions at a lower price, but also prepare equally delicious coffee drinks, then you may also want to consider this model.
Jura Giga 5: The Jura Giga 5 seems to be ideal for those who really care about the taste of their coffee and also want to take advantage of more features.
Jura IMPRESSA F8 Automatic: The F8 is an excellent choice if you’d like to prepare a wider range of drinks without worrying about cutting down on quality.