A new coffee machine from Jura is now entering the market. However, the question arises as to whether it enriches it. Opinions on this are divided and there is much debate. We tested the Jura Ono and identified both strengths and weaknesses. But let's take it step by step.
What kind of coffee machine is the Jura Ono?
Jura is known for its super-automatic espresso machines, which belong to the class of portafilter coffee machines. In these machines, a brew group catches the ground coffee powder and an injection piston compresses the coffee. The brew water is then pressed through the group. The term "super-automatic" refers to the built-in grinder integrated in the coffee machine: The coffee is ground directly into a discharge chute or into the brew group.
However, this automation is precisely what the Jura Ono lacks. The Ono deliberately dispenses with the built-in grinder. Instead, externally ground coffee powder is placed directly into the chute, compressed with a rotary lever, and then the brewing process is triggered.
The Jura Ono is thus a portafilter coffee machine without a built-in grinder. This is not only unusual for Jura. But what prompted the Swiss manufacturer from Niederbuchsiten to bring such a coffee machine to the market?
Barista Moments and Capsule Alternative
Jura positions this machine in an interesting field of tension. On the one hand, the advertising slogan "One Cup, No Capsule" promises an alternative to capsule coffee. On the other hand, the Jura Ono wants to create "conscious barista moments." At first glance, capsule coffee and barista attitude seem incompatibly far apart. But upon closer inspection, Jura is moving away from the super-automatic espresso machine with the Ono and taking a step in both directions.
In recent years, we have come to appreciate the capsule machine as a bridge coffee machine. This may initially seem far-fetched, but it has a specific reason. For many coffee drinkers, capsule coffee made it visibly and tastably apparent for the first time that there are strong sensory differences between different coffee varieties.
The color-differentiated capsules have already brought visual variety to the coffee game in offices and kitchens, portioned from orange to black, from Italian espresso blend to Ethiopian single origin. No espresso machine and no super-automatic could do this as effortlessly as the capsule.
The capsule became a transitional coffee machine to the portafilter. Once people recognized the variety of coffee, they wanted to unlock its full potential. This led to the move to the portafilter.
A few years ago, you could trade capsule coffee machines for home barista courses with us. A pretty successful campaign.
Jura Ono - Halfway to Barista
The Jura Ono presents itself as a halfway path to the portafilter. It requires an external grinder. Pre-ground coffee would also work, but then we would rather recommend sticking with capsule coffee. With a decent espresso grinder, ideally even a single-dosing grinder, the Jura Ono opens up interesting possibilities.
Single dosing grinders are coffee grinders that support grinding individual portions. They have little retention, as residue from old coffee powder. The desired amount is first weighed and then ground precisely and to the correct grind size. Such a grinder is the perfect partner for the Jura Ono.
This interplay makes working with the Ono a pleasure. Grind coffee, extract coffee, switch to decaffeinated coffee and back again. Wonderful! If it weren't for the problem that the espresso doesn't taste particularly good. In fact, the halfway barista path stops at the wrong point. The measuring and direct contact with the ground coffee is nice. But the most important thing when preparing good espresso begins after choosing the right grind size: the even distribution of the ground coffee in the portafilter and the subsequent tamping.
That's exactly what the Jura Ono doesn't do well. It doesn't do it well, like all super-automatic espresso machines with piston brew groups. The ground coffee lies clumsy in the grind chute and has numerous irregularities. The Ono's rotary tamper gives us the feeling that we're tamping, but doesn't properly prepare the ground coffee. As a result, we press the irregularities together and provoke strong channeling, which affects the later extraction taste.
How does coffee from the Jura Ono taste?
Channeling is a channel formation in which the brew water seeks the path of least resistance and flows through channels in the ground coffee instead of extracting evenly. This is exactly the problem that occurs in almost all super-automatic machines, and the reason for it is the inadequate distribution and compression of the ground coffee. And this is exactly the problem that also occurs with the Jura Ono.
Now we could say: Well, all super-automatic espresso machines have that in common. But if Jura promises barista moments, I wonder why the barista shouldn't be allowed to do exactly what he can do better than the super-automatic.
But how does the result taste? The espresso from Jura is not good. According to our measurements, the brewing temperature is in the target range. It is difficult to measure the temperature of super-automatic coffee machines precisely. We placed a probe in the ground coffee and obtained an average measured value of 84 degrees Celsius from the interaction of water and coffee powder. This suggests a temperature in the target range of 90 - 95 degrees.
The espresso cannot compete with espresso machines like the Delonghi Dedica or the Gaggia Classic.
With longer drinks, such as café crème, the Jura delivered average better results in blind tasting than the portafilter espresso machines. This is not surprising, since portafilter espresso machines don't have their strength here and, moreover, the use of a larger amount of water makes channel formation less pronounced.
It was noticeable that all drinks in the cup were not very hot. However, this seems to be less due to the brewing temperature than to the long path of the brewed coffee from the brew group to the cup. The coffee cools noticeably here, as Arne Preuss also notes in the Coffeeness test.
The Best Thing About the Jura Ono: Cleaning Capability
I'm open to all kinds of coffee machines and deal professionally as well as inevitably privately with all models. With super-automatic espresso machines, I primarily have one problem: they are often not clean. Even if elaborate automatic cleaning functions are available, "the truth is also on the field." And there it is often moldy, rancid, stale, damp and filled with spores.
Not so with the Jura Ono. Of course, we still have to clean it ourselves, but it's so easy. A turn of the rotary knob, pull to position 12 and the Jura Ono is open and ready to be cleaned at the most important spots. I like that!
Facts and Price
We saw the Jura Ono in Switzerland at prices between 320 and 350 francs. In Germany and Austria, it costs roughly the same in euros. That's a lot of money for a plastic piston coffee machine without a grinder. We'll talk about this in the conclusion, for whom this investment could make sense anyway.
- Housing material: Matte plastic
- Colors/designs: Black
- Display: Touchscreen
- Water tank: 0.95 l
- Minimum outlet height: 10.5 cm
- Coffee drinks at the push of a button: Coffee, espresso. The quantities are programmable.
- Weight: 4.75 kg
- Dimensions (height x width x depth): 32.0 x 24.3 x 46.1 cm
Exceptionally Low Energy Consumption
Outstanding is the low energy consumption of the small built-in thermoblock. Here the Jura Ono can compete with the best in the industry, namely capsule coffee machines. Only the water necessary for brewing is heated. So when preparing a lungo we consume 0.009 kWh and when preparing an espresso just 0.0115 kWh. That's record-breaking!
Conclusion on the Jura Ono: Who is it suitable for?
I see a clear use case for the Jura Ono. It is particularly recommended for coffee aficionados who like to enjoy longer coffee drinks such as schümli, lungo, café crème or extended coffee. If a good coffee grinder is already available, the Jura Ono could be an interesting option. The long coffees taste excellent, and the ability to switch coffees without having to remove the beans from the grinder's bean hopper is a great plus.
From a hygiene perspective as well, I appreciate the separation of grinder and machine. Many super-automatic espresso machines resemble wetlands on the inside with pronounced mold formation. Old and new coffee powder, spores and the traces of time tend to have a life of their own in piston coffee machines. This is not the case with the Jura Ono. In addition to the separation of grinder and machine, the easy cleaning of the machine makes it possible to avoid mold formation. With one turn and a single step, we have access to the coffee chute and brew group. This is practically revolutionary for Jura, which normally does everything to prevent customers from reaching the inside of their machine.
However, the Jura Ono is less suitable for those who really prefer espresso or want to experience "barista moments." What the Jura Ono doesn't allow us to do, namely distributing and tamping with the tamper, is not complicated, is fun, offers those barista moments and guarantees better espresso than the Jura Ono.
However, by allowing you to choose the amount of coffee yourself and define the brew ratio, the Jura Ono builds a bridge between super-automatic and portafilter machines. This makes sense, brings joy and allows you to experiment with different brewing recipes.
Outstanding is the exceptionally low energy consumption of the Jura Ono, since only the water necessary for brewing is heated. This sets the machine apart from all machines with a boiler.
A Machine for the Talkative
I see another use case for the Jura Ono. The machine stands apart from all categories, enables manual preparation steps, offers room for choosing the coffee and defining the drink. It's not a capsule coffee machine and not a super-automatic either, but rather an approach to the espresso machine. I can imagine this machine standing in a kitchen with a passionate hostess or aspiring home barista talking about coffee, praising the virtues of the machine and celebrating hospitality.
The Jura Ono could also be an interesting coffee machine for anyone who appreciates certain automation advantages and yet wants to stand out from the masses of coffee machines through a different machine type. The concept of the Jura Ono is unique and will probably not lead to great market penetration as a machine type. Therefore, for now, the machine will remain a unique splash of color in kitchens and living rooms. It offers an interesting alternative for those looking for something special and want to stand out from the norm.
