Jura ENA 4 vs E4: best Jura for black coffee

ENA 4 vs E4 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 ENA 4 and E4 have in common

These two share a philosophy: great black coffee with as little fuss as possible.

Both are fully automatic bean-to-cup machines with no milk system. Both use 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., which pushes water through the coffee in short bursts, and both grind with the Professional Aroma Grinder.

Both use simple buttons rather than a screen, 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. automatically and both are among the easiest Jura machines to keep clean.

So you are not choosing between a simple machine and a complicated one. Both are simple. You are choosing between compact and full-size, and between having hot water or not.

Those two differences shape everything else in this comparison.

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

And both are built to last. The housings, spouts and drip trays on both felt solid and showed no wear after a month of daily use.

Design, size and build

The ENA 4 is the one people notice. Its tall, narrow tank at the back and compact body make it look like a design piece rather than an appliance.

It measures about 10.7 inches wide, 12.7 inches tall and 17.5 inches deep, and weighs about 19 lb.

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, with its tank on the side and a separate hot water spout off to one side.

The ENA 4’s compact body and rear tank make it the statement machine of the two.

Height on the counter

Lower is easier under wall cabinets.

Under my low wall cabinets, the ENA 4 left room to lift its hopper lid. The E4 needed a short pull forward.

The tank position matters too. The ENA 4 needs a little space behind it; the E4 needs a few inches to one side.

Our tip: Measure the gap under your wall cabinets first, because that extra inch often decides between these two.

Both housings feel solid, with no flex in the panels. The ENA 4 is the one guests comment on; the E4 looks more like a traditional appliance.

Buttons and settings

Neither machine has a screen, and that is the point.

The Jura ENA 4 has symbol buttons on top for espresso, coffee and their doubles. The Jura E4 has a row of lit icons on the front for the same drinks, plus a twist switch for hot water.

On both, strength and volume are programmed by holding buttons, and then the machine does the same thing every time.

The ENA 4 can connect to Jura’s app with an optional adapter. The E4 has no app.

For one person with one routine, both are perfect. For a household, settings living in your memory can cause the odd mix-up.

The E4’s lit icons and separate hot water spout keep its front simple.

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

Guests found both easy once shown, though the ENA 4’s symbols are a little more abstract than the E4’s front icons.

Both show lit symbols when the filter needs changing or the machine wants a cleaning cycle, so nothing ever catches you by surprise.

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 4 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 12-ounce mug is made in one pass. The ENA 4 takes about 6 to 10 grams, so doubles and big mugs take two cycles.

Capacity side by side

Manufacturer figures, rounded.

For one person drinking two or three espressos a day, the ENA 4 was perfectly sized. I refilled the water every day or two.

For a couple drinking big mugs, the E4 felt far calmer, with refills every few days and big drinks made in one go.

Our tip: Fill the ENA 4’s tank every evening, so the first coffee of the day never stops halfway for a refill.

A practical tip if you love the ENA 4 but worry about capacity: keep a jug of filtered water and a spare bag of beans beside it, so refills take seconds.

Espresso quality

Both make excellent espresso, and the E4 edged it.

The Jura ENA 4 pulled sweet, balanced espresso with a dense golden crema✕CremaThe golden, foamy layer on top of a fresh espresso. It forms when pressure pushes oils and gases out of the coffee.. It is the kind of shot you can drink without sugar, and its short pre-infusion✕Pre-infusionA short soak of the ground coffee before full pressure starts, so water flows through the puck evenly. kept extraction even.

The Jura E4 pulled thick, sweet espresso with a dense, stable crema and a heavier body, thanks to its bigger dose.

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 of the two.

With lighter roasts, both kept their sweetness on a finer setting. The ENA 4’s shots were slightly brighter, the E4’s slightly rounder.

Both kept their crema thick and stable all month with fresh beans, and neither ever pulled a watery shot.

Long coffee and americano

This is where the E4 pulls clearly ahead.

A proper americano✕AmericanoEspresso topped up with hot water. Done properly, the water is added separately instead of pushed through the coffee. is espresso plus hot water added separately. On the E4, you pull an espresso, then twist a switch to release hot water from the separate spout, up to about 10 ounces.

The ENA 4 has no hot water at all, so an americano means a kettle. Its long coffee was its weakest drink in my tests: mild, and made in two cycles for a big mug.

The E4’s long coffee was softer and rounder, suited to travel mugs, and made in one pass. For a big black coffee every morning, it was the more satisfying machine.

If a big mug of coffee is your daily habit, the E4’s one-pass brewing alone may be reason enough to choose it.

On the ENA 4, I ended up drinking more espresso and fewer long coffees, simply because espresso is what it does best.

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 ENA 4 is the quieter machine. Its grinder makes a soft, short burst, and it was the quietest Jura I have tested. The E4 is quiet too, just slightly louder in the same kitchen.

In the cup, the grinders felt very similar. The E4’s heavier body came from its bigger dose rather than a different grind.

The E4’s grinder and full-size brew unit give its shots a heavier body.

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

If you make coffee at 6 a.m. in an open-plan apartment, the ENA 4’s quietness is a real advantage. In a separate kitchen, you will hardly notice the difference.

Our tip: Only change the grind while the grinder is running on either machine, so beans never jam the burrs.

Hot water and tea

The E4 has a separate hot water spout, released with a manual twist switch. It gives a clean stream that never touches the coffee path.

The ENA 4 has no hot water function. Tea drinkers and americano fans will need a kettle beside it, which takes back some of the space it saves.

In my house, that made the E4 the more complete machine. My partner’s afternoon tea came from the same machine as my espresso.

Neither is ideal for very delicate green tea, because the E4 has one water temperature. For green tea, I let the water cool for a minute before steeping.

Cleaning and upkeep

Both are among the easiest Jura machines to keep clean, because neither has a 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 recognize the water filter, stretching the descaling✕DescalingRunning a mild acid through the machine to dissolve the mineral scale that hard water leaves in the heater and pipes. interval.

The ENA 4’s small grounds bin and drip tray need emptying almost daily. The E4’s bigger bin lasted two or three days for one person.

My cleaning scores

My scores out of 10 for daily and weekly care.

Our tip: Empty the grounds bin every evening on either machine, even if it is not full, so coffee never sits in it overnight.

Over a month, total cleaning time was tiny on both, a few minutes a week beyond emptying the tray and bin.

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 on each.

The ENA 4 suited my solo espresso mornings perfectly, and it was the quietest Jura I have tested.

The E4 suited a household routine better, with americanos, long coffees and tea all from one machine.

Both heated up quickly from cold and recovered fast between drinks. Neither woke anyone early in the morning.

For a solo espresso drinker in a small kitchen, the ENA 4 is about as simple as it gets.

One habit I picked up on the ENA 4: refilling the tank 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

During my test, both served the same two people: an espresso drinker and an americano drinker who also drinks tea.

The Jura ENA 4 made the espresso drinker very happy. The americano and tea drinker needed a kettle.

The Jura E4 made both happy from one machine.

Guests are another clue. Both are easy, but on the E4 visitors could make their own tea, while on the ENA 4 I had to boil the kettle for them.

For a solo black coffee drinker, both are excellent. The choice is really about whether anyone else in the home wants tea or americanos.

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 ENA 4 made six drinks: four espressos and two long coffees, each long coffee in two cycles. Tea came from the kettle. It needed one water refill and a bin empty.

The E4 made eight drinks: four espressos, two americanos and two teas from its hot water spout. It needed no refills.

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

On a solo weekday, the gap disappeared. Three espressos each, no refills on either and almost no cleaning.

On days when I only drank espresso, I preferred the ENA 4’s brighter, sweeter shots. On days with guests or tea, the E4 was the obvious winner.

Making either work in a small kitchen

Many people reading this are trying to fit a good machine into a small space.

The ENA 4 can sit tight between a kettle and a wall, because its tank lifts out from the back and nothing needs to sit beside it. The E4 needs a few inches on its tank side and about an inch more height.

In return, the E4 replaces the kettle for tea and americanos, which can actually save counter space overall.

Counter clutter for a black coffee and tea household.

If you drink only espresso, the ENA 4 is the tidier choice. If you also drink tea or americanos, the E4 may be the more space-efficient one after all.

Both machines look good on a counter, so you are not trading style for space either way. The ENA 4 is simply the more sculptural of the two.

Which gives you more for your money?

In my reviews, the E4 scored 8.5 and the ENA 4 8.3.

The E4 gives you more of everything practical: a bigger tank and hopper, a full dose, a hot water spout and true americanos.

The ENA 4 gives you a smaller, quieter, more beautiful machine with espresso that is nearly as good.

Think about the next few years too. If a partner who drinks tea moves in, the ENA 4 cannot grow with you. The E4 already covers it.

My scores out of 10 from my single reviews.

If you can fit the E4, it is the safer long-term choice. If you cannot, the ENA 4 is the best black coffee Jura you can actually place.

What I would change on each

On the Jura ENA 4, I would add a hot water spout and a bigger tank. Those two changes would make it close to perfect for small homes.

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

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

Neither left me wishing I had bought something else for black coffee. These two are the purest Juras you can buy.

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. Programming volumes took a few minutes with the manual, and then I never touched them again.

Week two: espresso

Both pulled lovely espresso from day three. The E4’s shots had a little more body; the ENA 4’s were a little brighter.

Week three: americanos and tea

My partner wanted americanos and tea. The E4 handled both; the ENA 4 brought the kettle back to the counter.

Week four: maintenance

Both asked for almost nothing. The ENA 4’s small bin needed emptying most evenings; the E4’s every few days.

By week four, the E4 had become the black coffee machine for the whole household.

By the end of the month, the pattern was clear. The ENA 4 is a beautiful solo espresso machine. The E4 is a complete black coffee and tea station for the household.

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 4’s hopper holds only 4.4 ounces, a 12-ounce bag lasts about three refills, which keeps beans fresh.

Fill the tanks with fresh, cold water daily, use the filter if your water is moderately hard and skip distilled water. Both use Jura filters and cleaning tablets.

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

Check what is included where you buy, because filters and cleaning tablets vary between bundles.

Common mistakes to avoid

All of these become habits within a week.

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 E4 was the household machine and the ENA 4 the solo one.

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 ENA 4

Jura E4

Overall, I rate the ENA 4 8.3 and the E4 8.5. The E4 is the better black coffee all-rounder; the ENA 4 is the best one for small spaces.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to space and hot water. Small kitchens point to the ENA 4; americanos and tea point to the E4.

For most black coffee drinkers, the E4 is the more complete machine.

Jura ENA 4 vs E4 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, doubles and, on the E4, americanos and tea water.

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