Jura A1 Review 2020 (Ultra Compact Espresso Machine)

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Starting the day with a shot of espresso is a great way to get going in the morning and you don’t have to wait until you’re on your way to work. There are now some great machines designed for home-based use and the Jura A1 Ultra Compact Coffee Center is one of the best ones on the market. With its patented Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P), it makes full-flavored espresso with every shot.

This is a sleek machine that blends in well in a modern kitchen with its minimalist design. The front face of the machine is unblemished, but that doesn’t mean the A1 Ultra is lacking features. With this espresso machine, you can choose between 3 different beverage types and 3 different coffee strengths.

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This isn’t an entry-level espresso machine, but it is available at the lowest price on Amazon for a luxury espresso machine with P.E.P technology. The Jura A1 makes an espresso that will rival any of your favorite café’s.

Jura A1 Review Criteria

• Simplicity of Using the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center
• Rating the A1 on Design and Quality
• Create Café Quality Coffee with the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center
• Main Features and Options of the A1
• Maintaining and Cleaning the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center

There were a lot of things that impressed us about the Jura A1 Compact coffee Center in our review. It’s a beautiful machine that rates well in all categories. Specifically, we looked at its design, how easy it was to use, whether it made a good espresso shot, its features and how easy it was to clean. Here’s what we found:

Comparing the Jura A1 Ultra to the Competition

We’ve looked at many different espresso machines at CoffeeVerdict and there are many great machines on the market today. The Jura A1 compares favorably against most of them. Don’t take our word at face value though – check out the best espresso machines we’ve already reviewed.

Simplicity of Using the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center

There are no buttons on the front of the Jura A1 – all of the controls are located on the top of the machine and there are only 3 programmable buttons in total. The buttons are clearly labeled and they light up once you select your chosen feature.

In our review, we couldn’t help admiring the sleek design of this machine. With all of the buttons hidden away on the top, it easily blends in on your kitchen countertop. Learning how to use this machine only takes a couple of minutes and the easy-to-follow manual is always available if needed.  

Rating the A1 on Design and Quality

The A1 is available for purchase at the lowest price on Amazon and while the machine is mostly plastic, it’s made from durable, high-quality plastics. Jura’s espresso machines are a little more than other entry-level competitors in the market, but the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center is one of the most reasonably priced in their line of products. That doesn’t mean they’ve cut corners in terms of quality – this is both a good looking machine and one that’s built to last.

Jura A1 Specs

Create Café Quality Coffee with the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center

For café style espresso at home, Jura has few equals. This Swiss manufacturer has developed a well-deserved reputation for making quality espresso machines for use in the home. 

The patented P.E.P technology allows for a richer and stronger shot of espresso than you would expect from a compact machine like this. Each brew produces consistent quality and you can choose from 3 different strengths and 3 different beverage types: espresso, ristretto and standard coffee.

Main Features and Options of the A1

Compared to the more expensive products in Jura’s product family the A1 may have more limited features, but it produces the same quality of espresso. There are 3 programmable buttons on the top of the machine that allows the user to choose between 7 grams and 10 grams per shot. 

The spout is adjustable between 2.5 and 5.5 inches of cup clearance depending on the size of your espresso or coffee cup. It also has a bypass dose option if you want to use pre-ground coffee instead of using the built-in grinder. The grinder setting is located on the top of the machine on the right side and you can choose between fine and course, depending on your preference. The A1 is equipped with Jura’s Aroma G3 grinding technology which grinds beans at twice the speed and with 50% less noise than similar products.

The water tank is located out of view in the back of the machine and it holds 37 ounces of filtered water. Jura uses a Clearyl filter in their machines that are capable of removing chlorine, lead, aluminum, and copper.  It also has an automatic descaling feature for removing minerals as well. There is no froth function on this machine though for making latte art or cappuccinos.

Maintaining and Cleaning the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center

The Jura A1 is easy to clean and maintain. With the auto descaling feature, it removes minerals every time you use the machine and the filter included with the water tank helps with that as well. This filter needs to be cleaned every 2 to 3 months.

It’s a good idea to run water through the machine after every few uses to clean it out and the drip tray needs to be emptied out as well. This model actually has an automatic indicator light on top that will tell you when the tray is filling up.

What we Liked Best About the Jura A1 Compact Coffee Center:

• Clean Design – the Jura A1 is a sleek looking machine. We like the fact that all of the function buttons are located on the top out of view. 

• Adjustable Spout – The ability to adjust the spout between 2.5 and 5.5 inches makes this a user-friendly machine that’s great for espresso or coffee.

• Aroma G3 and P.E.P – Jura’s included the same technology in this machine that they have in some of their higher-end models. That means a great tasting beverage in a short period of time.

Comparing A1 vs. Jura E6 vs. E8

The Jura A1 is a slimmed-down version of the larger espresso machines the manufacturer offers in their line. It’s considerably more affordable than either the E6 or the E8, but it doesn’t have its range of features. Both of them are capable of making two cups of espresso at a time, which you can’t do with the A1. Here’s a breakdown of the other main differences between the models:

The Pros & Cons

Our Review Verdict

The Jura A1 Ultra Compact Coffee Center is one of the better grind and brew coffee makers on the market today that’s relatively affordable. It’s a sleek-looking machine that allows you to choose between 3 different beverage types, at 3 different strength levels. One of the things that most impressed us in our review was the fact that it’s capable of grinding beans at twice the speed of many of its competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions