Last updated: March 17, 2019.
Do you love coffee but hate spending so much money at the shop by your home or office? A standard cup of coffee might cost just a few bucks, but when you drink even one cup a day, that money really adds up. We looked at a variety of machines to find out which ones actually deliver the same great flavors and drinks as coffee shops. While these machines are more expensive than your traditional home coffee system, the Jura Impressa F8 TFT Automatic Coffee Center (View on Amazon.com) is well worth its price.
One thing we found about the Impressa F8 is that each cup of coffee it made tasted as great as the first cup. The TFT display has a nice look and works well with the rotary switch to help users make their selections and view different drinks and settings. It also comes with an automatic shut down feature and the ability to name drinks that you make more often. The Jura Impressa F8 easily outperforms some of its competitors.
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Jura Impressa F8 Compared to Others
Rank | Product | |||
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1 | ![]() |
Jura Impressa F8 TFT Automatic Coffee Center | Buy on Amazon | |
2 | ![]() |
Gaggia Anima Prestige Automatic Coffee Machine | Buy on Amazon | |
3 | ![]() |
Saeco Philips Intelia Deluxe Espresso Machine | Buy on Amazon | |
4 | ![]() |
Saeco Philips Exprellia EVO Fully Automatic Espresso Machine | Buy on Amazon |
Features
TFT Display and Rotary Dial
Making selections with the F8 is as easy as picking your choices from the TFT display and turning the rotary dial. Located on the top of the coffee center, this dial helps you quickly move through all the available options. That dial also lets you select cleaning or rinsing cycles and other settings.
Aroma Plus
Aroma plays a key part in how coffee tastes to you, which is why Jura designed an aroma plus system that works with the built-in grinder. This system infuses your beans with hot water to produce a rich aroma as the beans grind. You’ll smell that aroma as the coffee brews too.
Coffee Strength Programs
If you love intense coffee with a fuller flavor, you can opt for the highest strength program on the F8. It comes with four different strength levels that you can choose from the TFT display. Each coffee drinker can select his or her strength preference.
Fine Foam System
The Impressa F8 comes with the fine foam technology patented by Jura. This lets you adjust the switch to get the texture and type of foam you want. You can opt for a richer and thicker foam for topping a cappuccino or for a finer foam suitable for hot chocolate.
Display Your Favorites
While this machine can make a number of different coffee drinks, you have the option of customizing the home screen to display only your favorites. You can add up to four drinks that will remain on the home screen every time you turn it on. This makes it easier to select your top pick.
Temperature Selections
The hotter your coffee is when it comes out, the hotter it will be in your cup later. The F8 comes with several temperature selections for those who like drinks hotter or colder. It can make a cup of espresso that is up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit or even hotter.
Rename Your Drinks
If you share this Jura model with others, you can actually rename the drinks to reflect your personal preferences. This lets your spouse make a double espresso in seconds while also letting you press a button to make a foamy cappuccino or a latte macchiato. The new name will appear right on the screen.
Hot Water Dispenser
The Impressa F8 comes with a hot water dispenser that you can use in different ways. Rinse out your cups with hot water to keep your coffee hotter. You can also use that dispenser for getting hot water to make your own hot tea or instant coffee.
Big Water Tank
Designed for groups and larger homes, the coffee center comes with a larger hot water tank. That bigger tank holds 64 ounces and can make dozens of drinks. The tank also comes out easily for the machine for cleaning.
Language Settings
With various language settings available, everyone in your office can use this machine with ease. Use the rotary dial to switch between those language settings. You can also set up the machine to use your desired language right out of the box.
Drip Tray
The chrome drip tray on this model surrounds each of your cups and does a good job of catching any spills. You can easily pop off the top of that tray to wipe up those spills and clean the liquid inside.
Easy to Use
Though it looks complicated, the Impressa F8 is actually easy to use. When you first turn on the machine, you can choose your language, temperature, drink and other settings or preferences. It retains all that information for future use.
Pros
Beverage Options: The F8 comes with a number of great beverage options, include latte, espresso and cappuccino drinks. Using the TFT display lets you adjust the strength of each drink too.
Bright TFT Display: See all your options, settings and selections clearly with the bright TFT display found on this coffee center. That display will even help you make a cup without turning on the lights and waking your whole house.
Piping Hot Coffee: As the Impressa F8 produces such hot coffee, you’ll find that each cup retains some of that warmth. Coffee can come out in the low 80s and stay in the high 70s after sitting in your cup.
Foam Options: While it doesn’t do such a great job heating up your milk, the F8 does offer different foam options. Its fine foam technology helps you get just the right amount of foam for any type of drink.
Customized Features: The F8 comes with more customized features than other models and lets you actually set the screen to display four of your favorite and most used drinks. You can also change the temperature of the water, the type of foam used and other features of those drinks.
Cons
No Touchscreen Display: Some of the more pricier coffee centers we looked at, including some from Jura, come with a touchscreen display. Though this one has a bright TFT display, you’ll need to use a traditional rotary dial instead of a touchscreen.
Milk Temperature: Depending on the drinks that you like, you might want the milk to come out scalding hot. The milk temperature on the F8 is lower than we would like. That lukewarm milk can actually drop the temperature of your coffee by a few degrees.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy This Model?
If you don’t mind the lack of a touchscreen, you should buy this model. The Jura Impressa F8 Automatic Coffee Center comes with a bright TFT display that works effortlessly with the nearby rotary dial. That dial helps you quickly scroll through settings, find different types of drinks and even enter a cleaning cycle. It also comes with Jura fine foam technology that produces thicker and thinner foams and froths based on your selections.
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You’ll also appreciate the automatic shut off setting that forces the F8 to turn itself off after a certain period of inactivity. While it does have some flaws, we love features like the big water reservoir, dedicated spout for hot water, conveniently located bean hopper, grinder settings and the temperature of the brewed coffee that it produces every time.
Comparable Models to Consider
Gaggia Anima Prestige Automatic Coffee Machine (View on Amazon.com)
While the F8 is easy to use, this Gaggia model is even easier to use because it has buttons that correspond with coffee drinks right on the front. Four of its front buttons let you make drinks like a latte or a cappuccino with ease. Other buttons let you change the aroma strength or enter the main menu. We also like that it comes with a large milk container that snaps into place on the front. With a silver finish and a dependable built-in grinder, the model works well in both homes and offices.
Saeco Philips Intelia Deluxe Espresso Machine (View on Amazon.com)
Though this model has espresso in its name, it’s more than just an espresso machine. It can also make coffee lungo and cappuccino, and it comes with a button that lets you easily access its specialty drink menu too. A built-in bean grinder on the machine’s top can store your beans and keep those beans fresh for days in between grindings. You’ll also find a dedicated milk container that the machine can use for making rich foam or delicate froth for topping your drinks.
Saeco Philips Exprellia EVO Fully Automatic Espresso Machine (View on Amazon.com)
Also from Saeco Philips is this fully automatic espresso machine that can make all your favorite drinks in no time flat. The digital screen shows you the type of drink you selected and lets you see when it enters a cleaning mode. You can select that cleaning mode yourself from a button to the right of the screen. Other buttons correspond to different drink types and settings. This is one of the only models we looked at that comes with a double boiler. That boiler ensures that both your milk and your coffee come out at the right temperature.