Look I’m just putting it out there, but I’ve become a certified coffee snob. Just the other day during our ill-fated trip to Bathurst in the Hyundai Ioniq I purchased a local brand of coffee beans. The 1kg bag set me back $40, but gee it was good. Up until the last couple of JURA machines I’ve reviewed I was happy to get my coffee hit via a Nespresso capsule.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s little doubt Nespresso has nailed convenience and taste. But there’s just something a tad more special about freshly ground coffee. Which brings me to the $3,950.00 JURA Z6, huge money no doubt. Plus before I go on, yes I’ve sadly had to return it.
The JURA Z6 now sports a Diamond Black look and includes a level of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Increasingly that claim is being made rather loosely. The Z6 is said to use a perfected algorithm to understand your coffee habits.
After a period of time the Z6 gradually learns and tracks your drinking behaviours. It then presents your top four favourite selections on the start screen. This is handy given the machine can produce 22 different coffee specialities. It’s definitely a great feature, but I feel the use of the term “Artificial Intelligence” is more of a marketing tactic in this instance, let’s just say this is one of the smartest machines going around.
But putting that aside, there’s little doubt this is a very high-end coffee machine. In fact, JURA don’t do low budget machines, it operates only in the upper echelons of the automatic coffee machine word. The Z6 now features a new Professional Aroma Grinder that’s inside the unit. It’s designed to release that beautiful aroma a truly great coffee is capable of producing; it also now produces less noise.
George Liakatos, Managing Director of JURA Australia says, “The innovative and sophisticated design and functionality of the JURA Z6 changes the way we think about traditional coffee machines. We are so excited for this machine to land in Australia so that consumers can experience first-hand just how intelligent the Z6 really is.”
“With the integration of AI, the Z6 is now even more intuitive to use and has totally redefined the at- home coffee drinking experience. The added diamond black design will be a man’s new best friend,”adds George.
To be honest, aside from the extra smarts the Z6 is just as capable as the E8 I recently reviewed when it comes to actually producing the end result. It does have a new fluid system that allows for more barista specialties that includes drinks such as the espresso doppio, which was usually my go to drink.
The 3.5-inch TFT colour screen is clear with detailed graphics showing each drink. There are also 10 levels of adjustable coffee strength. The side water tank is lit up with a blue hue and even the dual-coffee nozzles cast a light over your cup or cups.
If you prefer milk, there’s an included glass milk container that sits separately to the machine. But handily the Z6 can switch automatically from milk to foam milk, depending on the style of drink you’ve requested.
Look there’s little doubt this is a lavish purchase, I could never justify spending that kind of cash on a coffee machine. Especially given I know the E8 is basically half the price. But if you want the very best from a Swiss brand that has been toiling away at automatic coffee machines since the early 1980’s then it’s certainly worth a look.
