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Jura Impressa C60 vs C65 Espresso Machine Reviews
Jura Impressa C60 vs Jura Impressa C65
Jura 15006 Impressa C60
11"x16.1"x13.6"
ABS Plastic, Black, Silver Accents
More Specifications...
Tank Size
Boiler System
Single, stainless-steel lined
Grinder System
Stainless-Steel, Conical Burr
Pump Strength
Jura Impressa C65
ABS Plastic, Silver, Black Accents
1 An Overview of the Jura 15006 Impressa C60 Automatic Coffee Center
1.1 Form Factor, Footprint, and Aesthetic
1.3 Water Filter
1.5 Boiler System
1.8 Coffee Specialties
1.10 A Quick Note about Espresso
1.11 Cup Warming Tray
1.12 Easy to Use, Easy to Clean
2 Impressa C60 vs C65 Pros & Cons
3 Jura Impressa C60 Espresso Machine Conclusion
Are you new to the world of specialty coffee drinks and looking for a machine that's got the basics covered, is fairly easy to use, and doesn't require a lot of skill to master?
If so, then you're going to be intrigued by the Jura Impressa C60 espresso machine, and its sister model, the C65.
Both are solid, dependable machines. They have some shortcomings you should be aware of though, and we'll cover all of that, both the good and the bad, in the sections that follow so you've got all the information​ you need to make an informed purchasing decision.
An Overview of the Jura 15006 Impressa C60 Automatic Coffee Center
Before we begin, let's take a side by side look at both models, so we can see how these two models compare:
As you can see, in a head to head matchup of the Impressa C60 vs C65, the two units are virtually identical. The two principal differences are color scheme and the grinder. The C65 features a slightly more advanced grinder, whose advantages will be covered in the grinder section below. For the moment, just understand that these two models are, in most respects, identical machines.
Form Factor, Footprint, and Aesthetic
The first thing to note about the Jura Impressa C60 espresso machine and its sister model is that they're both relatively lightweight machines with a substantial footprint.
That might seem counter-intuitive at first glance, but the reason for this is the fact that both models are made primarily from sturdy ABS plastic, and the fact that this machine only features a single boiler. We'll get into why that matters in a later section, but for now, just know that it's one of the reasons the machine is relatively light.
Jura is known for making striking machines, and these models are no exception. They look good, with sleek, stylish lines, and will fit nicely into most modern kitchens.
We've noticed that a lot of Jura C60 reviews don't make a big deal about this, but as power coffee drinkers ourselves, it's important to us, and Jura deserves a special shout out for it.
The reservoir on both the C60 and C65 is a hefty 64 ounces. That's perfect for power drinkers or large households, and it's one of the things we like about this machine.
Note, however, that the tank is top loading. Given that this is already a fairly sizeable machine, the top loading water tank may make it difficult for some people to place it under a cabinet, depending on how much space there is between the countertop and the lower edge of the cabinetry.
The water tank also comes with a filter. We're of two minds about that. On the one hand, if you opt to use the filter, you won't have to descale your machine nearly as often, which is a very good thing. On the other hand, though, that means that you're going to have to periodically replace the filter, which will add to your total cost of ownership.
Given that you can use distilled water to (mostly) get around the issue of descaling, we're not huge fans of filters, but we totally understand why some people love them. This certainly isn't a deal breaker for anyone, but it is something to keep in the back of your mind.
If you've read other Jura Impressa C60 reviews online, most of them had good things to say about the grinder. But we have to disagree on a few aspects. Yes, it's true that the Jura C65's grinder offers an improvement, but there are two fundamental problems with the grinder these models use.
Grind Settings
First, it has only five grind settings. Now, if you're new to the world of specialty coffee drinks, that's going to be enough for you for a few months. As you explore that world more deeply though, you're very quickly going to outgrow this machine, and you'll find yourself wishing you had more grind settings available.
The reason is that grind setting is the biggest factor in determining the taste of whatever coffee drink you produce. You've got to have the ability to fine-tune your grind to better suit your palate, and five settings aren't really sufficient to do that.
Stainless Steel Burrs
The second reason is just as concerning. The grinder on both models is made of stainless steel.
This usually boils down to budget and preference, but if you're deeply concerned about heat transfer, you may want to look for another machine that features ceramic burrs. Stainless steel burrs are more likely to heat up and burn off some oils in the coffee, which can totally impact the flavor of your coffee.
We completely understand that the idea was to use it as a cost-saving measure since stainless steel burrs are cheaper to manufacture. Then gain, other manufacturers like Saeco and Gaggia offer superautomatic machines with ceramic burrs at around the same price. If you really want a Jura superautomatic that has a ceramic burr, the Giga 5 is an option -- but it costs five times more than these two!
Grind Quality
The C65 does offer an incremental improvement in grinder quality, slightly changing the cutting angle of the burrs, which results in quieter operation and faster grinding. Even though, it still doesn't make up for the fact that the heat from steel burrs could impact your coffee.
Bean Hopper
The bean hopper holds 7.1 ounces, which is smaller than the average bean hopper capacity of 8-10 ounces. But if you're just making a 4-5 cups a day, then a fully loaded hopper can last you for 2-3 days, before having to refill it. A nice thing about the hopper also is that it includes a lid that helps retain the freshness of your beans.
Bypass Doser
Both units also feature a two-scoop bypass doser for using ground coffee. This is for those occasions when you just don't want to go through the process of grinding your own beans, making it ideal for a late-night cup of decaf or something similar.
Both the Jura C60 and C65 use a single boiler system with Thermoblock technology. It heats and adjusts temperature quickly, which is good, but it means that you can't simultaneously steam milk and brew coffee. Unfortunately, due to the design of the machine, even if it had a second boiler, you still couldn't, and we'll cover why in the section on the brew system.
The Jura Impressa C60's double shot coffee spigot can dispense a maximum of 8 ounces of coffee per shot. If you order a double shot, your absolute maximum is sixteen ounces.
That's fairly impressive, but the spigot will only accommodate cups up to 4.4" in height, so if you're brewing a double shot, you're almost going to have to do it in two cups. As power drinkers, we'd love to have seen it telescope to a maximum height of 6" or more, but this preference obviously won't hold true for everyone.
This is the heart and soul of any semi- or super-automatic espresso machine, and as such, our Jura Impressa C60 review will spend some time examining the ins and outs of it.
Our impression is a bit of a mixed bag.
On the one hand, there are only three control knobs on the machine, and a few buttons, so in terms of operation, it's a relatively simple machine to master. That's good.
On the other hand, though, it utilizes dated LED technology, which makes the interface somewhat cumbersome. While easy to master, the controls are simply not as elegant as they could be, had more modern technology been utilized (which would have increased the unit's cost).
In addition to that, while the machine has the basics covered, allowing you to perform semi-automated maintenance, adjust the automatic shut off timer, and make a few basic drinks, it's not really geared for more advanced operations.
Coffee Specialties
Drink-wise, the options you get:
1 coffee
2 coffees
1 espresso
2 espressi
Unfortunately, there's no one-touch button for you to make a cappuccino, a latte, or any milk-based drinks. You'd have to set the machine to steam mode so you can froth the milk via the auto frother. You can froth your milk first and prepare an espresso straight into the milk foam, or do it the other way around. That's good enough for someone who's new to the world of specialty coffee drinks, but more experienced users will quickly chafe under this model's limitations, which brings us to….
Both the C60 and C65 use an auto-frother. This works by having you supply a container of milk. A plastic tube is fed into the milk container, which sucks the milk into the boiler, where it is heated, then dispensed from a separate milk spigot.
Both units use "fine frothing" technology, which does produce consistently good froth; however, there's no frothing wand, and no option to buy one and affix it to the machine, so experienced users who want more control over the frothing process are simply out of luck.
The other problem with the design of the unit is that if you're making a milk-based coffee drink, the milk spigot and the coffee spigots are too far away to simply leave your cup in one place. You've got to add your coffee or milk, then scoot the cup beneath the other spigot to get whichever one you didn't get first.
This is the reason why the presence of a second boiler wouldn't matter. Even if the machine had a second boiler, all you'd accomplish by simultaneously steaming milk is to dispense it in a pitcher or in the drip tray, because the cup would be out of position.
As with most other super-automatics, the milk frothing spigot can also be used to dispense hot water.
A Quick Note about Espresso
The heart and soul of any great specialty coffee drink is espresso, and making espresso is totally different than making drip brew coffee.
Drip brew machines rely on gravity to move the water through the grounds. Machines like these use pressure, measured in bars. One bar of pressure equals atmospheric pressure at sea level. It takes at least nine bars of pressure to make a good espresso.
Both the C60 and C65 utilize pumps that are rated at a maximum output of fifteen bars, which is more than up to the job of making a consistently good shot, so no complaints on that front!
Both models feature a cup warming tray, located at the top of the device. This is excellent because one of the biggest problems some people have with specialty drinks is the fact that they're served at a lower temperature than drip brew coffee.
If you're coming from the drip brew world, this can take some getting used to. Even on the highest temperature setting (both the C60 and C65 offer two different temperature settings, by the way), the output still may not be hot enough for your liking.
The cup warming tray can go a long way toward alleviating this problem.
By pre-warming your cup, the drink that ultimately goes into it doesn't lose as much heat as it would hitting a cold cup. The bottom line here is, if you're not happy with the temperature, use the cup warming tray. It makes a bigger difference than you might think!
Easy to Use, Easy to Clean
Because both of these models have a fairly limited feature set, it's not that difficult to master, though as we mentioned earlier, you may feel like the slightly cumbersome menus and dated technology are working against you. Still, it won't take long to master their use, so that's a bit of a plus.
In a similar vein, cleaning is fairly simple too. The automated cleaning routines are saddled by the same cumbersome menus, but once you master that, those operations are easy enough to perform, and both the drip tray (12 ounces) and the dregs box (16 pucks) are generously sized, so you won't have to stop what you're doing to empty them every time you turn around.
Impressa C60 vs C65 Pros & Cons
At this point in our Jura C60 review, you can see that our feelings about this model are quite mixed.
On the one hand, it's easy to use. However, that ease of use comes because of a limited set of features, and in spite of the menu system, rather than because of it. We also like the generously sized water reservoir, but we do have some problems with these models.
Our biggest ones are:
Reliance on dated control system technology and LED display
Single boiler, and strange design choice that forces you to have to physically move your cup around during the coffee making process
Limited feature set
No one-touch button for milk-based drinks
Grinder has only five grind settings
Jura Impressa C60 Espresso Machine Conclusion
Both the Jura Impressa C60 espresso machine and its sister model, the Impressa C65 are decent machines for the price. Having said that, there are some non-trivial issues surrounding these models.
Taken individually, none of them are deal breakers, and we do (provisionally) recommend this as a good machine for someone brand new to the world of specialty coffee drinks.
Our biggest problem is that you're almost guaranteed to outgrow this machine fairly quickly, so the question becomes – do you want to spend that kind of money on a machine you'll outgrow in six months, or is it worthwhile to consider getting a more advanced machine with a slightly steeper learning curve that has the capability to grow with you?
Best Online Offers for the Jura Impressa C60 & C65
2 new from $1,700.00
as of March 16, 2020 12:36 am
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