After 7 years or so of using a bulletproof Starbucks Barista which produced great espresso and copious microfoam, I bought this machine for my wife for Christmas (although she swears it was yet another gift to myself).The build quality and ease of use is great.The espresso is very good (but not up to the standards of a well pulled shot off a semi-auto).Nevertheless, the lack of any mess and pushbutton convenience outweighs any complaints about the quality of the shot - don't get me wrong, it pulls a very nice shot.What it doesnt do well is create the beautiful microfoam an experienced user can get using a traditional steam wand. All of these super-autos have that annoying steam-assist wand which is supposed to require no skillto create foam.Unfortunately all it does it create these large crappy bubbles and very little foam.To make matters worse, the side steam holes get clogged very easily and then the result is NO FOAM. I called wholelattelove and Capresso looking for a solution and they each had no clue either (a) how to solve the problem, or (b) why in the world I didnt like the crappy large soap bubble excuse for microfoam.Well for $8 I found a Krups metal steam tip off the net (go to culinaryparts.com for a $1.99 steam tip plus $6 shipping) and screwed it on to the end of the metal wand after having discarded the useless steaming aid sleeve and old plastic tip, and VOILA!-- awesome foam made in half the time I could do the same thing with my old Starbucks Barista.These machines all have a Thermoblock for steaming unlike the traditional boiler on a better semi-auto.Nevertheless it is enough and the foam is first rate as I said.The only other thing to be aware of is that these machines cant use my beloved Peats coffee beans - too oily and they get stuck in the hopper- so I am still searching for a good dark roast which is not too oily.But for now after a month of use, I am happy with the espresso and the foam and delighted to make my morning cap with a minimum of effort.The F7 in particular is a great machine as against the other Juras.It is more programmible than the E* and much simpler to use (and smaller footprint) than the pricier units.I almost bought the F9 but there is just too much to think about on that machine and the bright chrome is a bit too shiny and pretentious.The F7 is the perfect mix of functionality and understated good looks.It is also the newest technology from Jura so it has some small touches that the F9 doesnt have, such as a 120 second steam timer versus the 60 second timer on the F9.Update to the above review:
After many more months of use I am loving the Jura F7, and I found the beans to use: Blue Bottle Coffee Hayes Valley Espresso. Not too oily but very flavorful. Perfect for this machine. Better than Peats, and definitely fresher. I am not going to list their website here cause I dont want to look like a shill for them. But you can find them, I am confident.They will mail out to you for no additional cost.
By the way, the review above that says the F7 is a shinier version of the E8 is incorrect. The basic mechanism may be the same, but the programming functions and other nice features are significantly different. If you're already spending this much coin, the F7 is a better deal than the E8. Just my humble opinion.
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Product Description:
Sophisticated design with professional results!The Impressa F7 Super Automatic Coffee Center grinds, tamps, brews and cleans in under 60 seconds..with a push of a button!Makes perfectespressos, cappuccinos, lattes and crème coffee..every time.Jura-Capresso Impressa F7 has a stainless steel ThermoBlock system (no purging): water and coffee never come in contact with aluminum.This super automatic coffee center has a 64 ounce water container with water filtration and a commercial grade, solid-steel conical burr grinder with 6 fineness settings.The cup size selector allows you to choose from 1 ounce to 16 ounce of water and has three coffee strength settings (mild, normal, strong).There is unlimited hot water and steam output that is programmable.Silver metallic with black accents, chrome buttons and stainless steel grid.Instructional video is included.
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