Jura E4 vs ENA 8: black coffee or milk drinks?

E4 vs ENA 8 at a glance

Head to head

The better result in each row is marked, based on my testing and the manufacturer specs. Rows where the two machines are level have no winner.

Keep in mind that the tally is not my verdict. Some rows matter far more than others, and which ones matter depends on what you drink.

What the E4 and ENA 8 have in common

Different as they are, these two share a few important things.

Both are fully automatic bean-to-cup machines with Jura’s Pulse Extraction Process✕Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.)Instead of pushing water through the coffee in one steady stream, the machine sends it in short, rapid pulses. It helps short drinks like espresso extract more evenly., both grind with the Professional Aroma Grinder and both make rich espresso with a dense crema.

Both have a separate hot water spout, so both can make proper americanos and tea. Both recognize Jura’s CLEARYL Smart+✕CLEARYL Smart+ filterJura’s water filter cartridge. It sits in the tank and removes minerals and off-flavors, so the machine needs descaling far less often. and both have fixed brew units cleaned with a tablet when prompted.

So you are not choosing between a basic machine and a good one. You are choosing between capacity and milk.

If nobody in your home will ever want a cappuccino, the E4’s case is very strong. If anyone will, the ENA 8 avoids a daily compromise.

Both are also quick from a cold start, ready to brew in about a minute after switching on.

And both are well built, with solid housings that showed no wear after a month of daily use.

Design, size and build

The Jura E4 is a classic full-size Jura: about 11 inches wide, 13.8 inches tall and 17.6 inches deep, at about 22 lb. It has a row of lit icons and a hot water spout to one side.

The Jura ENA 8 is about 10.7 inches wide, 12.7 inches tall and 17.5 inches deep, at about 20.7 lb. Its tall, narrow tank sits at the back and gives it a striking, design-led shape.

Under my low wall cabinets, the ENA 8 fit with room to lift the hopper lid. The E4 needed a short pull forward.

The ENA 8’s compact body and rear tank make it the more striking machine.

Height on the counter. Lower is easier under wall cabinets.

The ENA 8 needs room beside it for a milk container. The E4 needs nothing beside it, but a few inches on its tank side.

Both housings feel solid. The ENA 8 is the one guests comment on.

Our tip: Measure the gap under your wall cabinets, because the ENA 8 fits about an inch lower than the E4.

In a dark kitchen, the ENA 8’s glowing touchscreen lights the spout area a little. The E4’s lit icons are subtler.

Both need a little space for their tanks: the E4 to one side, the ENA 8 behind. Think about where the machine will actually sit before you choose.

Lit buttons vs touchscreen

The Jura E4 has no display. You press lit icons for espresso, coffee and their doubles, and program strength and volume by holding buttons. Once set, it repeats the same drink perfectly every time.

The Jura ENA 8 has a 2.8-inch color touchscreen. It is small but bright and logical, and I had it mastered within a day.

The ENA 8 also has Wi-Fi built in and works with Jura’s app. The E4 has no app.

For one person with one routine, the E4’s buttons are perfect. For two people with different drinks, the ENA 8’s screen is far easier.

The E4’s lit icons are simple, but settings live in your memory rather than on a screen.

Our tip: On the E4, write your programmed volumes on a sticky note inside a cupboard door, so nobody has to remember them.

Both show maintenance alerts clearly, so you always know when a filter change or cleaning cycle is due.

Water tank, hopper and dose

This is the E4’s biggest advantage.

The E4 holds about 64 ounces of water and 10 ounces of beans, with a grounds bin for about 16 pucks. The ENA 8 holds about 37 ounces of water and 4.4 ounces of beans, with a bin for about 10 pucks.

The dose✕DoseThe weight of ground coffee used for one brew. A bigger dose gives a stronger, fuller drink. differs too. The E4 takes 5 to 16 grams per brew, so a double or a big mug is made in one pass. The ENA 8 takes about 6 to 10 grams, so they take two cycles.

Manufacturer figures, rounded.

For two people, the ENA 8 needed water about once a day. The E4 went three or four days between refills.

Milk drinks stretch the ENA 8’s tank a little, because milk replaces some of the water in each cup.

Our tip: Fill the ENA 8’s tank every evening, so the first coffee of the day never stops halfway for a refill.

A practical tip if you choose the ENA 8 for its milk drinks: keep a jug of filtered water beside it, so refills take seconds.

Grinder and noise

Both use Jura’s Professional Aroma Grinder with steel conical burrs✕Conical burrsTwo cone-shaped grinding parts, one inside the other. Beans are crushed between them, and the gap sets how fine the coffee is., and both grind quickly, which limits heat and keeps the aromas intact.

The difference in the cup comes from the dose rather than the grinder. The E4’s 16-gram brew unit gave its shots more body; the ENA 8’s smaller dose gave a slightly brighter shot.

Both are quiet machines. The ENA 8 was a touch quieter in my kitchen, and neither woke anyone early in the morning.

Relative loudness from side-by-side use. Shorter bars are quieter.

If you make coffee very early in an open-plan apartment, both are good neighbors.

Both machines also let you change grind settings easily, though I only did so once or twice after the first week.

Espresso quality

Both make excellent espresso, and the E4 edged it.

The Jura E4 pulled thick, sweet espresso with a dense, stable crema✕CremaThe golden, foamy layer on top of a fresh espresso. It forms when pressure pushes oils and gases out of the coffee. and a heavier body, thanks to its bigger dose.

The Jura ENA 8 pulled rich espresso with a dense, tiger-striped crema and a sweet middle. For such a compact machine, it was genuinely impressive.

My espresso scores

My scores out of 10 for body, crema, flavor and consistency.

The E4’s 16-gram dose gave its espresso the heavier body.

With lighter roasts, both kept their sweetness on a finer setting. The E4’s shots were slightly rounder, the ENA 8’s slightly brighter.

In milk drinks, the difference disappears, because a cappuccino hides much of the gap in body.

Americano and long coffee

Both make a proper americano✕AmericanoEspresso topped up with hot water. Done properly, the water is added separately instead of pushed through the coffee. with their separate hot water spouts: pull an espresso, then add water.

On the E4, you twist a switch to release the water, up to about 10 ounces. On the ENA 8, the spout is controlled from the touchscreen.

For long coffee, the E4 makes a big mug in one pass, softer and rounder. The ENA 8 makes it in two cycles, which takes longer and fills its small bin faster.

If a big mug every morning is your habit, the E4 is noticeably quicker.

Over the month, I made far more americanos on the E4, simply because one-pass brewing and a big tank made it so effortless. On the ENA 8, I drank more flat whites instead.

Milk drinks: the deciding difference

The Jura E4 has no milk system at all.

The Jura ENA 8 draws milk through a hose and froths it with the Venturi effect✕Venturi effectWhen steam rushes through a narrow channel, it creates suction. Jura frothers use it to pull milk up the hose and mix in air.. Its foam was fine and velvety, a true microfoam✕MicrofoamMilk foam with bubbles so small you can barely see them. It feels silky and glossy, which is what a good flat white or cappuccino needs. that held its texture to the last sip.

It makes one-touch cappuccinos and flat white✕Flat whiteA short milk coffee with a double shot and a thin layer of silky microfoam. Stronger and less foamy than a cappuccino.s, and its milk system rinses itself after use.

For a couple who drink a cappuccino each morning, this is the whole comparison. The ENA 8 does it at one touch; the E4 cannot do it without a separate frother.

Plant milks behaved predictably on the ENA 8. Barista-style oat milk foamed well, regular oat and almond made looser foam and whole milk gave the sweetest result.

The ENA 8’s velvety foam and one-touch flat white are the main reason to choose it.

If you own the E4 and want an occasional cappuccino, a handheld frother gets you part of the way. It is a workaround, and it adds another gadget to the counter.

The ENA 8’s automatic milk rinse is a real everyday advantage. After a cappuccino, I simply walked away, and the milk path was clean by the time I sat down.

Hot water and tea

Both have a separate hot water spout, which is unusual and very welcome.

The E4’s is released with a manual twist switch. The ENA 8’s is controlled from the screen.

Both gave a clean stream that never touched the coffee or milk path, and both were good for green, herbal and black tea.

For a household with a daily tea drinker, both are genuinely useful. You can retire the kettle with either one for most teas.

My tea-drinking partner used both daily and was happy with each.

Cleaning and upkeep

The E4 is the easiest Jura to clean that I have tested, because it has no milk system.

Both rinse their coffee paths on switching on and off, both have fixed brew unit✕Brew unitThe part that compresses the ground coffee, holds it while water passes through and ejects the used puck.s cleaned with a tablet when prompted and both stretch the descaling✕DescalingRunning a mild acid through the machine to dissolve the mineral scale that hard water leaves in the heater and pipes. interval with filter recognition.

The ENA 8 adds the milk side, but its automatic rinse keeps the extra work small. Its small grounds bin needs emptying almost daily.

My cleaning scores out of 10.

Our tip: Empty the ENA 8’s grounds bin every evening, even if it is not full, so coffee never sits in it overnight.

Over a month, the ENA 8’s milk side added only around ten minutes of cleaning, thanks to its automatic rinse.

Daily use and noise

Both settled into a quick rhythm: switch on, let it rinse, press a button. From button to cup took about a minute.

The E4 suited a black coffee routine perfectly. Same drink, same button, every morning, with refills a couple of times a week.

The ENA 8 suited a couple with a milk drinker. A flat white and an espresso before work, from a machine that took up very little space.

Both were quiet. Neither woke anyone in my house.

Both heated up quickly from cold and recovered fast between drinks.

For two people and a small kitchen, the ENA 8 felt perfectly sized.

One habit I picked up on the ENA 8: refilling the tank and emptying the bin every evening. With that routine, its small size never caught me out in the morning.

On the E4, I refilled the tank twice a week and the beans once a week, which felt almost effortless.

Which suits which household

The table makes it simple. Any milk drinker points to the ENA 8. A black coffee household of two or more points to the E4.

Guests are another clue. On the ENA 8, visitors could make a cappuccino. On the E4, I had to apologize for the lack of milk.

For a solo black coffee drinker, both work. The E4 simply asks for less attention and makes the fuller shot.

What a full day of drinks looked like

I logged every drink each machine made on an ordinary Saturday with two adults at home.

The E4 made seven drinks: three espressos, two americanos and two teas. It needed no refills. My partner skipped her usual flat white.

The ENA 8 made eight drinks: the same, plus a flat white and a cappuccino, minus one americano. It needed one water refill and a bin empty.

One Saturday, two adults, each machine on a different weekend.

The E4 needed less attention. The ENA 8 made the drinks my partner actually wanted.

On a quiet weekday with only black coffee, the E4 was the clear winner: no refills, no bin, no thinking.

Making either work in a small kitchen

The ENA 8 can sit tight between a kettle and a wall, because its tank lifts out from the back. It also replaces the kettle for tea, thanks to its hot water spout.

The E4 also has a hot water spout, so both can replace a kettle for most teas. The E4 just needs a few inches on its tank side and an inch more height.

If space is your main constraint, the ENA 8 is the easier fit. If refills are, the E4 is the calmer machine.

Our tip: Keep a jug of filtered water and a spare bag of beans next to the ENA 8, so refills take seconds.

Both look good on a counter. The ENA 8 is the more sculptural; the E4 looks like a classic appliance.

Which gives you more for your money?

In my reviews, the E4 scored 8.5 and the ENA 8 8.4. The scores are close because each excels at a different routine.

The E4 gives you better espresso, far more capacity, one-pass big drinks and the least cleaning. The ENA 8 gives you milk drinks, a touchscreen, Wi-Fi and a compact body.

If milk is part of your life, the ENA 8 is the better value by a long way. If it never will be, the E4 is.

My scores out of 10 from my single reviews.

Think about the next few years too. If a partner who loves cappuccinos moves in, the E4 cannot grow with you.

If you can only choose one, ask a simple question: will anyone in your home want a cappuccino in the next year? A yes means the ENA 8.

What I would change on each

On the Jura E4, I would replace the manual hot water switch with a button and add a small display.

On the Jura ENA 8, I would add a bigger tank and a larger dose per cycle.

Both left me satisfied after a month. These are refinements, not reasons to avoid either one.

Neither change would alter my verdict. Each machine is very good at the routine it is built for.

My four weeks with both machines

Living with each machine for a month showed things a quick test never does.

Week one: setup

Both were ready in minutes. The ENA 8’s touchscreen took a day to learn; the E4 needed a few minutes with the manual to program volumes.

Week two: espresso

The E4 pulled the heavier shot from day one. The ENA 8 came close with very fresh beans.

Week three: milk

In week three, my partner wanted flat whites. The ENA 8 made them at one touch; on the E4, that meant a handheld frother.

Week four: routine

The E4 asked for almost nothing. The ENA 8 needed its small bin emptied most evenings.

By week four, the E4 had proven itself as the lowest-effort machine for black coffee.

By the end of the month, the pattern was clear: the E4 for a black coffee household, the ENA 8 for anyone who wants milk in a small space.

Beans, water and supplies

Both reward fresh whole beans used within a few weeks of roasting. Avoid very oily or flavored beans, which can clog the grinder.

Medium and medium-dark roasts worked best on both. Because the ENA 8’s hopper holds only 4.4 ounces, a 12-ounce bag lasts about three refills.

Fill the tanks with fresh, cold water daily, use the filter if your water is moderately hard and skip distilled water. Check what is included where you buy, because filters and cleaning tablets vary between bundles.

Our tip: Buy beans you can finish within three weeks, because both grinders show off fresh coffee far better than stale.

Both use Jura cleaning tablets, and the ENA 8 also uses Jura’s milk cleaner, so supplies are simple either way.

Common mistakes to avoid

All of these become habits within a week.

None of these are reasons to choose one machine over the other. They are simply the habits that keep both running well.

Real-life scenarios

Specs only go so far. These are the situations where one machine clearly pulled ahead during my testing.

Lived with side by side, the ENA 8 was the milk machine and the E4 the black coffee workhorse.

My scorecard

These are my own scores out of 10. The first four come from my single reviews of each machine, and I added two rows that decide this matchup.

Jura E4

Jura ENA 8

Overall, I rate the E4 8.5 and the ENA 8 8.4. The E4 is the better black coffee machine; the ENA 8 is the better choice if anyone drinks milk.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to milk. If anyone wants a cappuccino, buy the ENA 8. If not, the E4.

For homes where anyone drinks milk drinks, the ENA 8 is the one to buy.

Jura E4 vs ENA 8 specifications

From manufacturer specifications and my own testing.

How I tested and compared them

I used each machine as my everyday coffee maker for four weeks, making espresso, long coffee, americanos and tea water, plus cappuccinos and flat whites on the ENA 8.

I counted refills, logged a full day of drinks on each and timed my cleaning.

I then compared my notes with Jura’s specifications, owner documentation and published test data.

• Coffee: dose, crema, body and consistency.
• Milk: foam texture, temperature and drink range.
• Workflow: controls, menus and daily routine.
• Ownership: noise, cleaning, water care and footprint.