Jura-Capresso 13214 Impressa Z5 Automatic Coffee Center

Yes, you'll flinch when you see the price tag! Right now this is the king of super automatics. My work hours are all over the place and many times there is just no time to devote to pulling the perfect espresso from a manual or semi machine. Add to that I drink cappuccino's or lattes 95% of the time. This machine was made for those who drink mostly cappuccino's or lattes and it couldn't be easier. Many long time aficionados on the coffeegeek.com forums will tell you that you cannot pull anything close to a "god shot" from a super automatic and they are correct. But what you get is pretty darn good especially if you love the taste of espresso but don't want to devote your life to making perfect shots every pull. The Z5 is the model of simplicity and produces consistent very good shots of espresso and excellent latte's & cappuccino's every time with little time. I had this machine programmed, up and going just 10 minutes out of the box. I am not an expert on pulling shots manually. Setting the knob to the hottest setting, strongest espresso and finest grind yielded a very tasty shot that was far better than any I have had at Starbuck's. I used Coffee Emergency espresso roast. The crema was good and the temperature excellent. I used a Capressa S9 a year ago and was not happy with the temperature of the shots coming out of the machine. They are much improved on the Z5. Back to cappuccino's... Fill the milk thermos with your choice of milk...set knob to cappuccino and hit the button. A gorgeous cappuccino was produced on the very first try. I didn't have to move the cup...it was all automatic! It took me ages to learn to make a decent cappuccino on same thing manually. Again...much better than at Starbuck's and any of the local coffee houses. The Z5 has a timer that can be set to turn the machine on and off when you want it to. Settings for water level, brewing time, amount of heated milk and foam, can all be pre set or adjusted with a knob live as your beverage is being made. The unit is whisper silent even when grinding beans. It is a well built piece of equipment that is UL approved for both residential and commercial use. I couldn't be happier with it. Should you get this machine? Bottom line is that if you want to make espresso's as a hobby and are going for that ultimate "god shot" every time don't even think about this machine. If you are a working professional who just wants a great cappuccino, latte and espresso with absolute minimum fuss that will beat Starbuck's and your local coffee shop.... think about buying this machine.

I have owned 2 machines by Capresso. First a C3000 that needed a new pump before the waranty period was up. After being without the machine for nearly a month, it was returned w/o charge. It began acting up 2 or 3 months later. Coffee was not as strong. Pump did not pump consistantly. Capresso was no help at all. They said that I could return the machine at my expense and for $100 they would take a look at it. The waranty period had expired... I did not want to give their service dept. another chance, so I donated the machine to a friend. I assumed that since Jura had added their name to the Impressa Z-5 that reliability had been taken care of. My mistake. 6 months after spending over $3000 for this machine, The symptoms started. Cold steamed milk, machine mysteriously shuts off during frothing cycle, grinder continues to grind beans on capuccino setting until machine is shut off or unplugged. I contacted Capresso customer service(Jura not mentioned) the exact same disinterested help was received. They offered to mail me a UPS shiping label ETA 1 wk. Then I can send my machine in for up to 3 weeks and they will repair the machine and send it back, another week. So for $3000 dollars you can have convenient coffee for 11 months out of every year give or take a few glitches along the way. But what if the problems occur again after my 1 yr. waranty expires? I asked. "Call us right away and we can have you send it back."(for another month.

I long for the days of companies that care about the people that buy their product. With a price tag so high, I expect high quality customer service. This is the last Capresso/Jura I will ever buy. I highly recommend that you DO NOT BUY FROM CAPRESSO!!!

I PURCHASED THE Z5 FOR A WEEKEND HOME SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. MACHINE IS HARDLY USED. MADE LUKEWARM COFFEE AND SLIGHTLY WARM MILK AND GENERALLY WAS A LEMON. FINALLY RETURNED MACHINE AT MY PACKING EXPENSE TO THE COMPANY WHO RETURNED IT IN 4 DIFFERENT PIECES. IT WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN. THE BEST THAT THEY WILL DO IS SEND ANOTHER CUSTOMER'S REFURBISHED MACHINE IN EXCHANGE FOR THEM BREAKING THE MACHINE. THIS SITUATION IS SO OUTRAGEOUS THAT IT IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE. MANY PEOPLE PAY LESS THAN $3200. FOR AN AUTOMOBILE(USED) AND GET BETTER SERVICE. BUYER BEWARE. THEIR EXCUSE WAS THAT THE MACHINE WAS 6 MONTHS OLD(BUT USED ONLY 10 TIMES). I AM COMPLETELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE MACHINE AND THE COMPANY. THEY WERE VERY RUDE AS WELL. HOPEFULLY AMAZON WILL BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING BUT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT.

We purchased this machine for our small coffee shop 2 months ago as in the discription it was said to be for light commercial use. We make probably 20-30 cups of coffee a day. Our problems began the first week after receiving it. The machine makes great froth for cappuccinoes but if you want to have steamed milk instead of frothed it either comes out of luke warm temperature allthough the setting is on high temperature or if you put the dial almost on the line between latte and cappuccino it gives you too much foam, which lattes shouldn't have. So customers complain about their lattes being either too cool or too foamy. We called the manufacturer's customer service and were rudely brushed off. For a small business like us it is hard to close for 2-3 weeks to send the machine for temperature adjustment service, so we had to deal with it.
Another problem came up 3-4 weeks later, when the machine started shutting off by itself in the middle of steaming/frothing cycle or frother cleaning cycle. Sometimes we had to restart it up to 5 times to make 1 cup of hot chocolate, just to steam milk. At the customer service we were told to reset the computer by unplugging the machine for a couple of hours, which we did. It did not shut off for 1 day! The next day the problem started again...

I perform every neccessary cleaning or maintenance procedure that machine prompts and cappuccino cleaning daily, so you can not say that the machine is being neglected.

We are very disappointed with this machine. For the price that you pay you would think that at least customer service would be polite, understanding and helpful. Now we are looking for another machine, a back up one, to be able to send Impressa Z5 for service...

This is my third Capresso Automatic Coffee Center that I have used both in my office and home. This is absolutely the most user friendly. I have been buying these for office use and then switching to newer models and taking the older one home. That way I get the most up to date technology and friends and relatives are always happy to get a good deal on a used machine. The Z Jura Capresso is so easy to operate that everyone in our office loves it and it is the preferred method of brewing coffee or heating water for soup mixes, tea, cocoa, etc.
Coolest styling makes this a HOT countertop appliance and it is appreciated by staff and visitors alike.
It is full of electronics to customize how each person drinks their beverage, and what time the machine turns on or off.
We love it!

I have just replaced my Gaggia Titanium which after 3 months decided to break down. I decided rather than replace with the same machine to go with the much-praised Jura machines. The Z5 particularly appealed with it's unique One-Touch Cappucino function, which avoids the clumsy looking "automatic frothing attachments" found on so many machines.

The machine was easy to set up, and has almost the same footprint as the Titanium, so doesn't take up too much space. It comes with a classy looking thermal milk container (1 litre) which keeps milk at the ready and chilled for up to 8 hours. The front of the machine is brushed aluminium (not plastic as in many of the Jura machines) which is far easier to keep clean than the Titanium's brushed stainless steel (fingerprints!).

The display prompts are clear (product names such as "1 espresso" can be changed should you so desire - I personally can't see the point of this, since the name isn't displayed until you press the key to dispense the drink.

The temperature (also adjustable) of the coffee, hot water and also the milk is fantastic - I have mine set on the "normal" setting and it is very hot - much more so than the Titanium and many other machines which even set to "Highest" still could be hotter.

The crema was good, and the taste great. The brew group is non-removable and self-cleaning (you are prompted when to run a rinse cycle or pop a cleaning tablet in).

You can program the quantity, temperature and strength of all drinks, and choose to override these on-the-fly should you wish, which is very handy.

The water container is larger than the Titanium and most other domestic machines and you can use Claris water filter cartridges, or alternatively opt to use descaling tablets every so often (again, you are prompted when to do this).

The dump box, and drip tray are suitably large so as to not have to be emptied too frequently (every 20 cups).

I only have 2 grumbles with this machine. One is that central coffee spout (which illuminates the cups during dispensing of coffee) does not adjust high enough for large mugs. The silly thing is that you can also dispense coffee from the cappuccino spout which offers 2 interchangeable spouts - one for small cups and one for tall mugs. Why they couldn't make the central coffee spout raise to the same height is a shame, but not the end of the world. My second gripe is that the consumables - ie. filters / descaling tablets / cappuccino cleaner / machine cleaning tablets are way over-priced. And since you have to use Jura-brand ones to keep within warranty conditions, you don't have much option but to pay these high prices.

Overall though, if you have the money, then go for it - this machine is fantastic, looks great, and is the quietest fully automatic by far - this doesn't wake up the whole house when you make a coffee!

After spending $5-$10 a day at Starbucks, my wife and I got the Jura-Capresso for the convenience of a fully automatic machine and having fresh latte's at home in the morning.

We have used it for over 3 months now, and like it more and more each week. The espresso, latte's, and cappucino's are wonderful, having to touch one button to have everything done at once is so easy, but perhaps the best part is the self cleaning it does. About once a week you clean out a tray and refill the water...that's pretty much it! Desserts like affogato (espresso on top of ice cream) are a just too easy to make now!

Downsides:

-If you ever plan to reduce your caffeine consumption, this machine is not for you. My wife and I both drink more coffee now because it is so good and so convenient.

-If you like really hot latte's the steamed milk won't get hot enough. I'd call it very warm or slightly hot. Just right for drinking but by the end it can be kind of cool. Warm up the glass with the hot water option before fixes the problem. Espresso, coffee, and even cappucino's come out at a perfect temperature.

This is in fact a very good coffee machine, so far has met all expectations in the household and we have yet to find something to complain about. Easy to learn how to use and quick to perform any type of coffee. I think it makes the BEST CAPPUCCINO, better than even some restaurants. We are very pleased with the purchase, a bit pricey, but definitely worth every penny.

First - there is no doubt that this is a very expensive purchase, but if you have two Starbucks drinkers in the house it's worth consideration. After I determined that the ROI (given our SBUX frequency) on this machine was 3 years, we purchased our first machine (The Capresso 3000) about 4 years ago. It was love at first drink. We went from stopping for coffee every morning on the way to the office, to making it at home with some great to-go cups we purchased at Costco. When the C3000 finally broke, we boxed up the machine and took it right back to Williams Sonoma (sorry Amazon) and they happily took it back and upgraded us to the Z5 for the difference between what we paid for the first unit and the price of the new Z5 (about $350).

We love the Z5 !! My husband is a "straight" coffee guy, but I am a late girl who loves the how easy it is to hook up the milk container and make my late with the push of a button. I also purchased Starbuck vanilla syrup so I can make my own Vanilla Late's at home.

If you have the disposable income to consider this, it is a great machine. After reading the customer service stories in previous reviews, I would consider buying from Williams Sonoma who offers a lifetime guarantee on anything purchased through them. When my $2,699 Capresso failed after 4 years, they took it back without question and upgraded me to the Z5. Through the entire process they just thanked me for my business. I am a customer for life and can't say enough about how much we love this coffee machine !!

I have had my Z5 for two months, and bought it after much careful research. My previous machine was also Capresso, the semi-automatic Ultima, which I love, but I wanted the convenience of the super-automatic functions--grinding, multiple beverage selections, filter system, ability to customize strength and number of ounces, to name a few.

The Z5 is simple to operate, a dream to clean, and may be set up to please the most exacting tastes. But above all, it makes great crema coffee, espresso, cappucino, and steamed/frothed milk. The programming button on the top of the machine controls everything from temperature to strength of coffee, to the language which appears on the panel readout. The grinder works quietly and is easily adjusted to whatever coffee you are using. The bypass doser allows you to make decaf when you need to--and you will, because it is very tempting to drink more coffee than you might if you did not have this wonderful machine.

The user is automatically notified of all the machine's needs-when to fill the water reservoir, when to clean, when to change the filter, when to rinse the nozzles. My questions were answered clearly and comprehensively by the customer service rep on the phone, and I simply could not be happier with the overall experience of having this amazing appliance on my kitchen counter.

It's an expensive item, no question about it. But the solid design, the easy functioning, the excellent product produced, all combine to make it worth your while, if you are a coffee lover. So save your pennies, and go for it. You won't be sorry.

ive now owned my z5 for about 2 months, and it is fun, weve already gone through a cleary water filter. our favorite thing about the machine is the frother we normally drink capucinos and oh my is this easy, and its fully programmable. i bought 2 extra milk carafes for chocolate milk and eggnog and i have solved the souring problem by adding about 25 percent ice cubes to each thermos, as the ice melts it waters down the milks which make for a better froth, dont try to use too thick a milk like eggnog it may not pull it through the siphon, water it down or add skim for a really nice froth. i also own a manual breville which i really love for those real expensive gourmet coffees that make a single perfect shot of espresso, but i still use the frother on the jura becuase its perfect everytime. So far the jura makes a better espresso for me then i can make manually so i have started grinding my expensive coffees with a burr grinder and having the jura make it for me. i love technology that allows me to enjoy coffee that only an expert could make in the past. I should have given it 5 stars but we use it so much we run it out of water and although it has the largest tank in its class its still too small, if they make a wider model that has a tank on both sides, i would buy it.

After returning both a Saeco Primea Touch Plus (it gave me an error message after less than 2 months, at which time I was told to return the machine to the manufacturer for repair), and the new DeLonghi Gran Dama, which has a serious problem with the milk carafe (it doesn't fit properly on the machine - I had this problem with not one, but two machines), I think I've finally found the answer. I was always dissatisfied with the milk temperature (I use a lot of milk in my lattes), but now with this machine - the milk is very hot, as is the espresso - no need to microwave, as with some of the other super-automatics.

Set up was fairly fast (I wasn't as fast as one of the reviewers at 10 minutes, but had it pretty well figured out in less than an hour), the first few test drinks are excellent. I read somewhere that you couldn't store the thermal carafe in the refrigerator, but I think this is a fallacy. The Capresso DVD, as well as the instructions, say that you can, and I can't think of any reason that you can't.

If you want to make the coffee directly in a large (16 oz.) paper cup, you can do so with the left spouts - another reviewer points out that the center spouts don't raise high enough to accomodate a very large cup, which is true, but with all of the customization features, you can program the machine to dispense the coffee from the left spout, which is tall enough.

After having terrible, rude, largely non-responsive customer service from Saeco, I asked was happy to hear from a number of sources that Jura Capresso has excellent customer service. I haven't had to test it yet, but from everything I heard, I'm hopeful that it'll be good.

Pros:

Great tasting espresso, cappucino and latte
Fairly easy to master
Great looking, titanium-faced, as opposed to the metal-clad plastic featured on many other expensive super automatics

Cons:
It's definitely expensive, but still seems in line with other similar machines, and it's better designed

Lastly, I would recommend the Z5 versus the Z6, unless you are totally sold on a chrome face - the machine does splash a bit, as one would expect, and the matte finish on the Z5 seems much more practical and forgiving of fingerprints, splashes, etc.

After returning both a Saeco Primea Touch Plus (it gave me an error message after less than 2 months, at which time I was told to return the machine to the manufacturer for repair), and the new DeLonghi Gran Dama, which has a serious problem with the milk carafe (it doesn't fit properly on the machine - I had this problem with not one, but two machines), I think I've finally found the answer. I was always dissatisfied with the milk temperature (I use a lot of milk in my lattes), but now with this machine - the milk is very hot, as is the espresso - no need to microwave, as with some of the other super-automatics.

Set up was fairly fast (I wasn't as fast as one of the reviewers at 10 minutes, but had it pretty well figured out in less than an hour), the first few test drinks are excellent. I read somewhere that you couldn't store the thermal carafe in the refrigerator, but I think this is a fallacy. The Capresso DVD, as well as the instructions, say that you can, and I can't think of any reason that you can't.

If you want to make the coffee directly in a large (16 oz.) paper cup, you can do so with the left spouts - another reviewer points out that the center spouts don't raise high enough to accomodate a very large cup, which is true, but with all of the customization features, you can program the machine to dispense the coffee from the left spout, which is tall enough.

After having terrible, rude, largely non-responsive customer service from Saeco, I asked was happy to hear from a number of sources that Jura Capresso has excellent customer service. I haven't had to test it yet, but from everything I heard, I'm hopeful that it'll be good.

Pros:

Great tasting espresso, cappucino and latte
Fairly easy to master
Great looking, titanium-faced, as opposed to the metal-clad plastic featured on many other expensive super automatics

Cons:
It's definitely expensive, but still seems in line with other similar machines, and it's better designed

Lastly, I would recommend the Z5 versus the Z6, unless you are totally sold on a chrome face - the machine does splash a bit, as one would expect, and the matte finish on the Z5 seems much more practical and forgiving of fingerprints, splashes, etc.

ive now owned my z5 for about 2 months, and it is fun, weve already gone through a cleary water filter. our favorite thing about the machine is the frother we normally drink capucinos and oh my is this easy, and its fully programmable. i bought 2 extra milk carafes for chocolate milk and eggnog and i have solved the souring problem by adding about 25 percent ice cubes to each thermos, as the ice melts it waters down the milks which make for a better froth, dont try to use too thick a milk like eggnog it may not pull it through the siphon, water it down or add skim for a really nice froth. i also own a manual breville which i really love for those real expensive gourmet coffees that make a single perfect shot of espresso, but i still use the frother on the jura becuase its perfect everytime. So far the jura makes a better espresso for me then i can make manually so i have started grinding my expensive coffees with a burr grinder and having the jura make it for me. i love technology that allows me to enjoy coffee that only an expert could make in the past. I should have given it 5 stars but we use it so much we run it out of water and although it has the largest tank in its class its still too small, if they make a wider model that has a tank on both sides, i would buy it.

This is in fact a very good coffee machine, so far has met all expectations in the household and we have yet to find something to complain about. Easy to learn how to use and quick to perform any type of coffee. I think it makes the BEST CAPPUCCINO, better than even some restaurants. We are very pleased with the purchase, a bit pricey, but definitely worth every penny.

First - there is no doubt that this is a very expensive purchase, but if you have two Starbucks drinkers in the house it's worth consideration. After I determined that the ROI (given our SBUX frequency) on this machine was 3 years, we purchased our first machine (The Capresso 3000) about 4 years ago. It was love at first drink. We went from stopping for coffee every morning on the way to the office, to making it at home with some great to-go cups we purchased at Costco. When the C3000 finally broke, we boxed up the machine and took it right back to Williams Sonoma (sorry Amazon) and they happily took it back and upgraded us to the Z5 for the difference between what we paid for the first unit and the price of the new Z5 (about $350).

We love the Z5 !! My husband is a "straight" coffee guy, but I am a late girl who loves the how easy it is to hook up the milk container and make my late with the push of a button. I also purchased Starbuck vanilla syrup so I can make my own Vanilla Late's at home.

If you have the disposable income to consider this, it is a great machine. After reading the customer service stories in previous reviews, I would consider buying from Williams Sonoma who offers a lifetime guarantee on anything purchased through them. When my $2,699 Capresso failed after 4 years, they took it back without question and upgraded me to the Z5. Through the entire process they just thanked me for my business. I am a customer for life and can't say enough about how much we love this coffee machine !!

I have had my Z5 for two months, and bought it after much careful research. My previous machine was also Capresso, the semi-automatic Ultima, which I love, but I wanted the convenience of the super-automatic functions--grinding, multiple beverage selections, filter system, ability to customize strength and number of ounces, to name a few.

The Z5 is simple to operate, a dream to clean, and may be set up to please the most exacting tastes. But above all, it makes great crema coffee, espresso, cappucino, and steamed/frothed milk. The programming button on the top of the machine controls everything from temperature to strength of coffee, to the language which appears on the panel readout. The grinder works quietly and is easily adjusted to whatever coffee you are using. The bypass doser allows you to make decaf when you need to--and you will, because it is very tempting to drink more coffee than you might if you did not have this wonderful machine.

The user is automatically notified of all the machine's needs-when to fill the water reservoir, when to clean, when to change the filter, when to rinse the nozzles. My questions were answered clearly and comprehensively by the customer service rep on the phone, and I simply could not be happier with the overall experience of having this amazing appliance on my kitchen counter.

It's an expensive item, no question about it. But the solid design, the easy functioning, the excellent product produced, all combine to make it worth your while, if you are a coffee lover. So save your pennies, and go for it. You won't be sorry.

After spending $5-$10 a day at Starbucks, my wife and I got the Jura-Capresso for the convenience of a fully automatic machine and having fresh latte's at home in the morning.

We have used it for over 3 months now, and like it more and more each week. The espresso, latte's, and cappucino's are wonderful, having to touch one button to have everything done at once is so easy, but perhaps the best part is the self cleaning it does. About once a week you clean out a tray and refill the water...that's pretty much it! Desserts like affogato (espresso on top of ice cream) are a just too easy to make now!

Downsides:

-If you ever plan to reduce your caffeine consumption, this machine is not for you. My wife and I both drink more coffee now because it is so good and so convenient.

-If you like really hot latte's the steamed milk won't get hot enough. I'd call it very warm or slightly hot. Just right for drinking but by the end it can be kind of cool. Warm up the glass with the hot water option before fixes the problem. Espresso, coffee, and even cappucino's come out at a perfect temperature.

I have owned 2 machines by Capresso. First a C3000 that needed a new pump before the waranty period was up. After being without the machine for nearly a month, it was returned w/o charge. It began acting up 2 or 3 months later. Coffee was not as strong. Pump did not pump consistantly. Capresso was no help at all. They said that I could return the machine at my expense and for $100 they would take a look at it. The waranty period had expired... I did not want to give their service dept. another chance, so I donated the machine to a friend. I assumed that since Jura had added their name to the Impressa Z-5 that reliability had been taken care of. My mistake. 6 months after spending over $3000 for this machine, The symptoms started. Cold steamed milk, machine mysteriously shuts off during frothing cycle, grinder continues to grind beans on capuccino setting until machine is shut off or unplugged. I contacted Capresso customer service(Jura not mentioned) the exact same disinterested help was received. They offered to mail me a UPS shiping label ETA 1 wk. Then I can send my machine in for up to 3 weeks and they will repair the machine and send it back, another week. So for $3000 dollars you can have convenient coffee for 11 months out of every year give or take a few glitches along the way. But what if the problems occur again after my 1 yr. waranty expires? I asked. "Call us right away and we can have you send it back."(for another month.

I long for the days of companies that care about the people that buy their product. With a price tag so high, I expect high quality customer service. This is the last Capresso/Jura I will ever buy. I highly recommend that you DO NOT BUY FROM CAPRESSO!!!

I PURCHASED THE Z5 FOR A WEEKEND HOME SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. MACHINE IS HARDLY USED. MADE LUKEWARM COFFEE AND SLIGHTLY WARM MILK AND GENERALLY WAS A LEMON. FINALLY RETURNED MACHINE AT MY PACKING EXPENSE TO THE COMPANY WHO RETURNED IT IN 4 DIFFERENT PIECES. IT WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN. THE BEST THAT THEY WILL DO IS SEND ANOTHER CUSTOMER'S REFURBISHED MACHINE IN EXCHANGE FOR THEM BREAKING THE MACHINE. THIS SITUATION IS SO OUTRAGEOUS THAT IT IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE. MANY PEOPLE PAY LESS THAN $3200. FOR AN AUTOMOBILE(USED) AND GET BETTER SERVICE. BUYER BEWARE. THEIR EXCUSE WAS THAT THE MACHINE WAS 6 MONTHS OLD(BUT USED ONLY 10 TIMES). I AM COMPLETELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE MACHINE AND THE COMPANY. THEY WERE VERY RUDE AS WELL. HOPEFULLY AMAZON WILL BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING BUT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT.

We purchased this machine for our small coffee shop 2 months ago as in the discription it was said to be for light commercial use. We make probably 20-30 cups of coffee a day. Our problems began the first week after receiving it. The machine makes great froth for cappuccinoes but if you want to have steamed milk instead of frothed it either comes out of luke warm temperature allthough the setting is on high temperature or if you put the dial almost on the line between latte and cappuccino it gives you too much foam, which lattes shouldn't have. So customers complain about their lattes being either too cool or too foamy. We called the manufacturer's customer service and were rudely brushed off. For a small business like us it is hard to close for 2-3 weeks to send the machine for temperature adjustment service, so we had to deal with it.
Another problem came up 3-4 weeks later, when the machine started shutting off by itself in the middle of steaming/frothing cycle or frother cleaning cycle. Sometimes we had to restart it up to 5 times to make 1 cup of hot chocolate, just to steam milk. At the customer service we were told to reset the computer by unplugging the machine for a couple of hours, which we did. It did not shut off for 1 day! The next day the problem started again...

I perform every neccessary cleaning or maintenance procedure that machine prompts and cappuccino cleaning daily, so you can not say that the machine is being neglected.

We are very disappointed with this machine. For the price that you pay you would think that at least customer service would be polite, understanding and helpful. Now we are looking for another machine, a back up one, to be able to send Impressa Z5 for service...

This is my third Capresso Automatic Coffee Center that I have used both in my office and home. This is absolutely the most user friendly. I have been buying these for office use and then switching to newer models and taking the older one home. That way I get the most up to date technology and friends and relatives are always happy to get a good deal on a used machine. The Z Jura Capresso is so easy to operate that everyone in our office loves it and it is the preferred method of brewing coffee or heating water for soup mixes, tea, cocoa, etc.
Coolest styling makes this a HOT countertop appliance and it is appreciated by staff and visitors alike.
It is full of electronics to customize how each person drinks their beverage, and what time the machine turns on or off.
We love it!

I have just replaced my Gaggia Titanium which after 3 months decided to break down. I decided rather than replace with the same machine to go with the much-praised Jura machines. The Z5 particularly appealed with it's unique One-Touch Cappucino function, which avoids the clumsy looking "automatic frothing attachments" found on so many machines.

The machine was easy to set up, and has almost the same footprint as the Titanium, so doesn't take up too much space. It comes with a classy looking thermal milk container (1 litre) which keeps milk at the ready and chilled for up to 8 hours. The front of the machine is brushed aluminium (not plastic as in many of the Jura machines) which is far easier to keep clean than the Titanium's brushed stainless steel (fingerprints!).

The display prompts are clear (product names such as "1 espresso" can be changed should you so desire - I personally can't see the point of this, since the name isn't displayed until you press the key to dispense the drink.

The temperature (also adjustable) of the coffee, hot water and also the milk is fantastic - I have mine set on the "normal" setting and it is very hot - much more so than the Titanium and many other machines which even set to "Highest" still could be hotter.

The crema was good, and the taste great. The brew group is non-removable and self-cleaning (you are prompted when to run a rinse cycle or pop a cleaning tablet in).

You can program the quantity, temperature and strength of all drinks, and choose to override these on-the-fly should you wish, which is very handy.

The water container is larger than the Titanium and most other domestic machines and you can use Claris water filter cartridges, or alternatively opt to use descaling tablets every so often (again, you are prompted when to do this).

The dump box, and drip tray are suitably large so as to not have to be emptied too frequently (every 20 cups).

I only have 2 grumbles with this machine. One is that central coffee spout (which illuminates the cups during dispensing of coffee) does not adjust high enough for large mugs. The silly thing is that you can also dispense coffee from the cappuccino spout which offers 2 interchangeable spouts - one for small cups and one for tall mugs. Why they couldn't make the central coffee spout raise to the same height is a shame, but not the end of the world. My second gripe is that the consumables - ie. filters / descaling tablets / cappuccino cleaner / machine cleaning tablets are way over-priced. And since you have to use Jura-brand ones to keep within warranty conditions, you don't have much option but to pay these high prices.

Overall though, if you have the money, then go for it - this machine is fantastic, looks great, and is the quietest fully automatic by far - this doesn't wake up the whole house when you make a coffee!

Yes, you'll flinch when you see the price tag! Right now this is the king of super automatics. My work hours are all over the place and many times there is just no time to devote to pulling the perfect espresso from a manual or semi machine. Add to that I drink cappuccino's or lattes 95% of the time. This machine was made for those who drink mostly cappuccino's or lattes and it couldn't be easier. Many long time aficionados on the coffeegeek.com forums will tell you that you cannot pull anything close to a "god shot" from a super automatic and they are correct. But what you get is pretty darn good especially if you love the taste of espresso but don't want to devote your life to making perfect shots every pull. The Z5 is the model of simplicity and produces consistent very good shots of espresso and excellent latte's & cappuccino's every time with little time. I had this machine programmed, up and going just 10 minutes out of the box. I am not an expert on pulling shots manually. Setting the knob to the hottest setting, strongest espresso and finest grind yielded a very tasty shot that was far better than any I have had at Starbuck's. I used Coffee Emergency espresso roast. The crema was good and the temperature excellent. I used a Capressa S9 a year ago and was not happy with the temperature of the shots coming out of the machine. They are much improved on the Z5. Back to cappuccino's... Fill the milk thermos with your choice of milk...set knob to cappuccino and hit the button. A gorgeous cappuccino was produced on the very first try. I didn't have to move the cup...it was all automatic! It took me ages to learn to make a decent cappuccino on same thing manually. Again...much better than at Starbuck's and any of the local coffee houses. The Z5 has a timer that can be set to turn the machine on and off when you want it to. Settings for water level, brewing time, amount of heated milk and foam, can all be pre set or adjusted with a knob live as your beverage is being made. The unit is whisper silent even when grinding beans. It is a well built piece of equipment that is UL approved for both residential and commercial use. I couldn't be happier with it. Should you get this machine? Bottom line is that if you want to make espresso's as a hobby and are going for that ultimate "god shot" every time don't even think about this machine. If you are a working professional who just wants a great cappuccino, latte and espresso with absolute minimum fuss that will beat Starbuck's and your local coffee shop.... think about buying this machine.