Jura ENA 8 vs E6: compact style or more capacity?

ENA 8 vs E6 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 8 and E6 have in common

Both are fully automatic bean-to-cup machines from Jura’s entry range for milk drinks. Press a button, and each one grinds, tamps, brews and ejects a dry puck on its own.

Both heat water with a thermoblock, so they are ready quickly and move between coffee, milk and hot water without long waits.

Both use the 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 sends water through the coffee in short bursts for even extraction of short drinks.

So the choice is not about build quality or brand. It is about size, capacity, the milk menu and how you drink black coffee.

Design, size and build

The ENA 8 is the one people comment on. Its tall, narrow water 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 20.7 lb.

The Jura E6 is a classic full-size Jura: about 11 inches wide, 13.8 inches tall and 17.3 inches deep, at about 22 lb, with its tank on the side and physical buttons on both sides of the screen.

The ENA 8’s compact body and tall rear tank make it the statement machine of the two.

Height on the counter

Lower is easier under wall cabinets.

That inch of height made a real difference under my wall cabinets. The ENA 8 let me lift the hopper lid without sliding it forward, while the E6 needed a little pull.

The E6’s glossy housing felt solid, with no flex, and wiped clean easily. The ENA 8 felt equally well made, just smaller.

Our tip: Measure the gap under your wall cabinets first, because the ENA 8 fits spaces where the E6 has to be pulled forward to refill.

The ENA 8’s rear tank also changes where you can put it. Because you lift the tank out from the back, it needs a little space behind it or a quick quarter-turn to refill.

The E6’s side tank is easier to reach in a corner, but it needs a few inches of space to one side. Think about where the machine will actually sit before you choose.

Water tank, hopper and grounds bin

This is where the E6 wins clearly, and for many homes it is the deciding factor.

The E6’s side tank holds about 64 ounces of water and its hopper about 10 ounces of beans. The ENA 8 holds about 37 ounces of water and 4.4 ounces of beans.

The grounds bin follows the same pattern, at roughly 16 pucks on the E6 against about 10 on the ENA 8.

Capacity side by side

Manufacturer figures, rounded.

For two people making three or four drinks a day, the ENA 8 was fine. I refilled the water about once a day and beans every couple of days.

When guests stayed, the E6 felt far more relaxed. It made a round of drinks for six without asking for water or an empty bin.

The E6’s side tank holds nearly twice the water of the ENA 8.

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 love the ENA 8 but worry about capacity: keep a second bag of beans and a jug of filtered water next to it. Refills then take seconds, and the small tank becomes far less of an issue.

Touchscreen vs buttons

The ENA 8 uses a 2.8-inch color touchscreen. It is small but bright and logical, and I had its settings mastered within a day.

The Jura E6 uses a color screen of about the same size, flanked by real, chunky buttons. They have a firm press and work with damp fingers.

The E6 also has Smart Mode, which tracks your most-made drinks and moves them to the first page. By the end of my first week, americano and espresso sat at the front.

The ENA 8 has Wi-Fi built in and works with Jura’s J.O.E. app. I did not use an app with the E6, so I leave that out of the head-to-head.

If you want buttons, the E6 is the one. If you want a clean front with no buttons, the ENA 8 looks tidier.

The E6’s screen sits between real buttons, and Smart Mode moves your usual drink to the front.

Grinder and dose

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.. The E6’s grinder sits on rubber mounts and was the quieter of the two.

The bigger difference is the dose✕DoseThe weight of ground coffee used for one brew. A bigger dose gives a stronger, fuller drink.. The E6 takes 5 to 16 grams per brew, enough for a double or a 12-ounce mug in one pass. The ENA 8 takes about 6 to 10 grams per cycle.

On the ENA 8, doubles and big mugs are made in two cycles. That does not hurt the taste, but it takes longer and fills the small bin faster.

Maximum dose per brew cycle

A bigger dose means big drinks in one pass.

The E6 has six grind settings on a dial. Setting 3 with the strongest level became my default for a medium-dark blend.

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

Espresso quality

Both make excellent espresso for their class, and the E6 edged it.

The E6’s shot had a heavy body and a thick crema✕CremaThe golden, foamy layer on top of a fresh espresso. It forms when pressure pushes oils and gases out of the coffee., with dark chocolate and toasted nuts and a clean finish. Each shot starts with a short pre-infusion✕Pre-infusionA short soak of the ground coffee before full pressure starts, so water flows through the puck evenly. before full pressure.

The ENA 8 pulled rich espresso with a dense, tiger-striped crema and a sweet middle. It was a touch lighter in body than the E6, which I put down to its smaller dose.

My espresso scores

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

The E6’s 16-gram dose gave its espresso the heavier body of the two.

With lighter roasts, both machines did well on a finer setting and the strongest level. The E6’s six-step dial made it easy to find the right spot, and the ENA 8 kept its tiger-striped crema even with a brighter single origin.

If you drink straight espresso every day, the E6 is the safer choice. If espresso is mostly the base for a flat white, the difference disappears in the cup.

Americano and long coffee

This is the E6’s best drink, and the reason black coffee drinkers should look at it closely.

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. The E6 pulls a concentrated espresso first, then adds hot water through a separate path, so the crema stays on top and the cup never turns bitter.

You can change the ratio during a drink, and the machine asks whether to save it. My saved version was about 2 ounces of espresso with 3 ounces of water.

On the ENA 8, I made americanos by pulling an espresso and adding water from the separate hot water spout. The cup was excellent, but it is a two-step job by hand.

For big mugs of coffee, the E6’s 16-gram dose makes them in one pass, while the ENA 8 needs two brewing cycles.

Milk drinks

The ENA 8 is the better milk machine of the two.

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 a one-touch cappuccino and a one-touch 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..

The Jura E6 makes a one-touch cappuccino, an espresso macchiato and a portion of milk foam. Its foam is dense and good, but it has one fixed texture, so there is no one-touch flat white or latte.

On the E6, I built lattes by pulling a double espresso into a tall glass and adding two portions of foam. It took under two minutes, but it is a manual step every time.

The ENA 8 also rinses its milk system automatically, which made daily milk drinks easier to keep up with.

The ENA 8’s velvety foam and one-touch flat white make it the better daily milk machine.

Plant milks behaved similarly on both. Barista-style oat milk foamed well, while regular oat and almond milk made looser, bigger bubbles. Whole milk straight from the fridge gave the sweetest, glossiest result on each machine.

Hot water and tea

Both machines have a dedicated path for tea water, and the E6 is the more flexible.

The E6 offers three hot water temperatures. Low suits green and white tea, medium suits herbal tea, and high handles black tea. It also comes with a pure hot water spout that swaps in for the milk spout, so tea never picks up milk traces.

The ENA 8 has a separate hot water spout, which gives a clean, steady stream, without the three-step temperature control.

Our tip: Fit the E6’s hot water spout whenever you make tea, so you get a clean stream with no trace of milk.

Cleaning and upkeep

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 that you clean with a tablet when prompted, and both count down to filter changes and descaling✕DescalingRunning a mild acid through the machine to dissolve the mineral scale that hard water leaves in the heater and pipes. cycles.

The ENA 8 rinses its milk system automatically. Its small grounds bin and drip tray need emptying almost daily for two coffee drinkers.

The E6 prompts you to rinse the milk system after milk drinks. Its deep milk clean takes under four minutes, and Jura recommends replacing its silicone milk hose every three months.

My daily hands-on cleaning time

My estimate of hands-on time, not counting automatic rinses.

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

Daily use and noise

My mornings with each machine felt different.

With the ENA 8, a flat white and an espresso before work took about two minutes, and the small machine felt perfectly sized for two people.

With the E6, Smart Mode had my americano on the front page by the end of week one, and from button to cup took about a minute. Weekend cappuccinos for four needed no refills.

Both are fairly quiet. The E6’s rubber-mounted grinder makes a low, short burst, and it was the quieter of the two in my kitchen.

Neither woke anyone up in the morning, which is more than I can say for many machines.

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

One small thing I noticed: the ENA 8’s touchscreen felt quicker for switching between drinks, while the E6’s buttons felt quicker for repeating the same drink every day. Both are pleasant once you know them.

Which suits which household

During my test, both served the same household: an espresso drinker, a flat white fan and someone who drinks green tea most of the day.

The Jura ENA 8 pleased the flat white fan most, thanks to its one-touch flat white and velvety foam. It handled the tea drinker with its separate spout, too.

The Jura E6 pleased the espresso drinker and the tea drinker most. Its espresso was the fuller of the two, and its low water setting made green tea that never tasted bitter.

Neither has user profiles, so everyone shares the same saved settings. For two people, that hardly matters. For a family, the E6’s bigger capacity matters more.

Which gives you more for your money?

Both sit near the entry point of Jura’s milk-drink range, so value comes down to what you actually drink.

If milk drinks are daily, the ENA 8 gives you more: a flat white at one touch, finer foam and an automatic milk rinse. If black coffee and tea are daily, the E6 gives you more: a real americano, three tea temperatures and nearly twice the capacity.

In my reviews, both scored 8.4 overall. That tie is honest. Each machine is excellent at a different routine.

Think about your routine a year from now as well. If you are just getting into milk drinks, the ENA 8’s flat white and finer foam give you room to explore.

If you already know you drink americanos every morning and a cappuccino at the weekend, the E6 matches that routine exactly, and its bigger tank means fewer interruptions.

Where each scores higher, my scores

My scores out of 10 from my single reviews.

What I would change on each

On the Jura ENA 8, I would add a bigger water tank before anything else. Even 10 more ounces would make a real difference for two-person homes that entertain.

I would also like a larger dose per cycle, so a double espresso could be made in one pass.

On the Jura E6, I would add a foam texture setting, so a flat white could be one touch. User profiles would help in shared homes, and a stainless milk container would look better than a hose in a carton.

My four weeks with both machines

Week one: setup and dialing in

Setup was nearly identical. I tested water hardness, fitted the filter and threw away the first three drinks while the grinders settled.

By day three, the E6 was on setting 3 at the strongest level, and the ENA 8 on a fine setting with the same medium-dark blend.

Week two: black coffee

The E6’s two-step americano took over my mornings. On the ENA 8, I made the same drink by hand with the water spout, and it was just as good, only slower.

Week three: milk drinks

Week three was flat whites and cappuccinos. The ENA 8 won every time on foam, while the E6 needed me to build anything beyond a cappuccino by hand.

Week four: maintenance

The ENA 8’s automatic milk rinse kept daily care easy, but its small bin meant emptying it most evenings. The E6 asked for a deep milk clean, which took under four minutes.

By week four, the E6 had become the machine for black coffee mornings and tea.

Beans, water and supplies

Use fresh whole beans within a few weeks of the roast date on both, and avoid very oily or flavored beans, which can clog the grinder.

Medium and medium-dark roasts worked best on both. The E6 handled lighter roasts well on setting 2 at the strongest level.

Because the ENA 8’s hopper holds only 4.4 ounces, a 12-ounce bag lasts about three refills, which keeps the beans in the hopper fresher.

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

Common mistakes to avoid

All of these become habits within a week, and none of them is a reason to choose one machine over the other.

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 E6 won on capacity and black coffee, the ENA 8 on milk and size.

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 8

Jura E6

Overall, I rate both 8.4. The ENA 8 is the better milk machine for small spaces; the E6 is the better black coffee machine for bigger households.

Which one should you buy?

It comes down to your daily drink. Milk drinks point to the ENA 8; black coffee and tea point to the E6.

For small kitchens and daily flat whites, the ENA 8 is the one to own.

Jura ENA 8 vs E6 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, americanos, cappuccinos, flat whites, lattes and tea water.

I weighed doses, counted refills, timed my daily cleaning and tested every strength and temperature setting.

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.