Jura E6 vs Z6

Sky is the limit when it comes to espresso machines, and the more ‘high-end’ we go, the better they become. Put the Jura E6 and the Z6 one next to the other and you’ll know what it feels like to be among two stars from the realm of espresso machines. These two Juras are the definition of bells and whistles, and they bring to you a lot of ways to make some ‘coffee of the year’ coffee. We’re talking about delicious coffees, great grinders, various frothing options, smart operation, and more. It’s impossible to list all the features of these incredible machines here. However, we list and talk about them bellow, in case you want to take a glance and start imagining a fabulous coffee future.

Article summary

Our pick: the Jura E6

Unfortunately, we couldn’t choose the Z6 as our favorite espresso machine from the two. Even though it has so much more to offer than the E6, customers have complained about the unreliable durability of the Z6 and that, for us, is a deal breaker. We do want to bring you closer to products that have a lot to offer, but we don’t want to offer you a machine that will potentially start to malfunction soon after you’ve purchased it. If this wasn’t an issue, we would’ve picked the Z6 as our winner. However, for now, we’d rather ‘pair’ you with a model that’s reliable and performs to the highest standards. In this case, that is the E6.

About the Jura E6

The Jura E6 espresso machine was made for the most peculiar of the coffee purists and everyone who wants to enjoy in the taste of great-quality coffee drinks. This espresso machine makes great Barista-style coffees at the touch of a button. The drinks are programmed for strength, brew and hot water temperature, and water amount. As you can see, custom coffee is more than possible with this machine.

The machine relies on the AromaG3 grinder when it comes to grinding the coffee beans put in its 9.9-oz bean hopper. Once the E6 grinds the coffee beans, the water from the 63.6-oz water tank is heated in the thermoblock heating system of the machine and the brew process starts.

To brew you the perfect espresso and cappuccino, the E6 makes good use of some of Jura’s technologies. Such technologies include the Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma System and the P.E.P.

The Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma System (I.P.B.A.S.) is just a different way of saying ‘good pre-infusion.’ Pre-infusion improves the extraction of the coffee and hence the drink’s flavor. This process of pre-infusion is then followed by the Pulse Extraction Process which optimizes the extraction time of the coffee from the E6, improving its flavor furthermore.

The Jura E6 also uses the CLARIS Smart water filter to filter the metals and minerals in the water. Metals and minerals make coffee taste bad and they also deposit in the brew system of the machine, which is why they need to be removed from the water.

The E6 is easy-to-clean, and it has integrated rinsing and cleaning programs for both the coffee and the milk system. The milk spout is dishwater-safe, which makes the cleaning process even easier.

About the Jura Z6

The Z6 has some really classy features that are not easy to resist. All of these features contribute into the making of many different coffee drinks, and, on top of that, the machine also dispenses water properly heated up for green and black tea. Since you’re here mostly for the coffee, though, you should know that the Z6 will put ristretto, espresso, coffee, cappuccino, caffé latte, caffé Barista, and more on your table in no time.

Drinks that you can’t count on your hands are not Z6’s only strength, though. This spectacular machine from Jura also uses Artificial Intelligence to remember what your favorite drink is and show it on its color screen.

Of course, before your favorite coffees show up on the screen, they need to be prepared. Aside from the usual technologies by Jura like the P.E.P., the I.P.B.A.S., the Fine Foam technology, and the Intelligent Water System, the Z6 also uses a Professional Aroma Grinder. This grinder is much more efficient than conventional grinders, and hence your coffee will be more flavorful and aromatic.

Part of the machine is also the CLARIS Smart water filter, and, of course, the machine can detect its presence in the tank. Speaking of the tank, the Z6 has a tank the size of a lake with its capacity of 81.2 ounces. Large in capacity is also Z6’s bean hopper with 9.9 ounces of free space for your favorite coffee beans.

With this model of Jura you will also get some fancy ‘details’ to the design of the machine. Such ‘details’ include a coffee spout that moves in both height and width, an automatic switchover from milk to milk foam, a string of programmable settings, and a few other features that make the Z6 elite.

Similarities between the E6 and Z6

To help you decide faster, we wanted to tell you about the similarities of these two espresso machine models.

First of all, you can notice that both of the machines use the standard technologies patented by Jura. Among these technologies are the Intelligent water system, the P.E.P., the I.P.B.A.S., the Fine Foam technology, and the technologies related to cleaning, rinsing, and descaling. Furthermore, you can also see the CLARIS Smart water filter used by the two machines, and there’s also the standard 15-bar pressure pump.

Since the E6 and the Z6 are high-end machines, they also have some other fancy similarities. For instance, they both have monitored drip trays and they’re wireless ready. Another similarity is their energy save mode and the programmable options related to water amount and temperature and the switch off time.

Differences between the E6 and Z6

This is where things get interesting because the Z6 has a few options that the E6 doesn’t.

The Z6 offers 22 products at the touch of a button, while the E6 only offers 11, and this is probably the most notable difference between the two machines. Second to that is Z6’s Artificial Intelligence feature. This feature lets the machine remember your preferred drinks and save them on the start screen.

The more expensive of the two machines (the Z6) can also automatically switch from milk to milk foam, which was too fancy of a feature to be found on the E6. Then, along with the drip tray monitoring, the Z6 also monitors the amount of beans in the hopper. The E6 doesn’t come with that perk, and it also doesn’t come with a Professional Aroma Grinder and coffee spouts with an adjustable width.

The rest of the differences between the Z6 and the E6 have to do with one of the machine offering more settings of the features than the other. For instance, the Z6 offers 10 coffee strength settings, while the E6 comes with eight. On the Z6, you can also program the temperature of the milk and the milk foam. Then, Z6’s water tank and coffee grounds container is larger, which, of course, increases its capacity. On the other hand, the smaller tank a grounds container of the E6 makes this machine a bit more compact.

Which one should you go with?

Did it sound like we would go for the Z6? It seemed like that to us too at first, but after reading many reviews on the machine, we noticed that a lot of people found it to be unreliable. However, the E6 is reliable, makes great coffee, has a lot of features, and gives you a lot of options. You can always disagree with us, of course, but, please, be careful. The Z6 is a very expensive machine and you don’t want to have additional costs repairing it.