The Breville Oracle Touch and the Jura E8 are two of the best super-automatic espresso machines on the market, but they cater to very different coffee drinkers. The Oracle Touch from Breville offers a hands-on, customizable experience with a large touchscreen and professional-style portafilter, while the E8 from Jura focuses on one-touch convenience, Swiss-engineered longevity, and perfect consistency with minimal effort.
Here's everything you need to know to decide which of these luxury coffee machines is the right one for your kitchen.
Breville Oracle Touch
The Breville Oracle Touch is a top-tier super-automatic espresso machine that automates the most difficult parts of making coffee - grinding, tamping, and milk texturing - while still giving you the control and feel of a traditional machine. Its defining feature is a large color touchscreen that walks you through every step, making it easy to create and save a wide variety of café-quality coffee drinks.
- What it is: A touchscreen-operated, dual-boiler super-automatic espresso machine that automates grinding, tamping, and milk frothing.
- Key features: Full-color touchscreen with 8 customizable pre-sets, an automated conical burr grinder and tamper system, an automatic steam wand for milk frothing, and a powerful dual-boiler system that brews espresso and steams milk simultaneously.
- Price: Around $2,500 - $2,700
- Style: Modern and professional, with a brushed stainless steel finish that looks like a commercial espresso machine scaled for a home kitchen.
- Materials/Construction: The body is primarily stainless steel, giving it a premium weight and sturdy feel. It features a commercial-style 58mm portafilter.
- Dimensions: 15.4" (W) x 14.8" (D) x 17.8" (H)
- Pros: Highly customizable settings for grind size, dose, and milk texture. Dual boiler allows for fast drink-making. The touchscreen is intuitive and user-friendly. Achieves truly cafe-level milk foam automatically.
- Cons: Has a larger footprint than many competitors. Higher price point. More moving parts and manual steps (like moving the portafilter) compared to a fully automatic machine.
The Oracle Touch is ideal for the home barista who wants ultimate control over their coffee and enjoys the process, but still wants the convenience of automation to ensure perfect results every time.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes990.html
Jura E8
The Jura E8 is a testament to Swiss engineering, delivering a truly bean-to-cup experience with unmatched reliability and consistency. This fully automatic machine is designed for coffee lovers who want exceptional specialty drinks at the press of a button, without any of the manual work. Its focus is on build quality, innovative brewing technology, and effortless operation.
- What it is: A high-end, one-touch fully automatic coffee machine known for its durability and consistent performance.
- Key features: Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.) for optimal espresso flavor, Aroma G3 grinder, one-touch preparation for 17 different specialty coffees, color display with simple controls, and an intelligent water system with filter detection.
- Price: Around $2,200 - $2,500
- Style: Sleek, elegant, and minimalist. Its clean lines and modern aesthetic seamlessly blend into contemporary kitchens.
- Materials/Construction: Built with high-grade plastics and stainless steel accents. Jura is famous for its robust internal components designed for longevity.
- Dimensions: 11" (W) x 17.3" (D) x 13.8" (H)
- Pros: Incredibly easy to use - truly a one-touch machine. Renowned for its durability and long lifespan. Pulse Extraction Process produces rich, flavorful espresso. Easy to maintain with automated cleaning cycles.
- Cons: Limited customization compared to the Oracle Touch. The brew group is not removable, relying solely on cleaning tablets. Milk system requires careful daily cleaning to function well.
The Jura E8 suits those who value convenience, reliability, and consistent quality above all else, making it the perfect choice for anyone who wants fantastic coffee without any fuss.
Shop this product: us.jura.com/en/homeproducts/machines/E8-Piano-White-15353
Breville Oracle Touch vs. Jura E8 Comparison
Customization & Ease of Use
This is the core difference between the two machines. The Breville Oracle Touch is built for the tinkerer. Its touchscreen allows you to adjust every variable, from the grind size and dose amount to milk temperature and texture. You can save up to eight personalized drinks, dialing in your exact preferences for a perfect cappuccino or flat white. While it automates the hard stuff, you still physically move the portafilter from the grinder to the brew head, giving it a satisfying, hands-on feel.
The Jura E8 is the opposite - it is the definition of simplicity. Everything is handled internally. You select your drink from the color screen, press a button, and the E8 grinds, brews, and adds milk automatically. There is some customization available for strength and volume, but it's designed for simple, repeatable results rather than deep experimentation. It's easier for a beginner to use out of the box with virtually no learning curve.
Materials & Construction
Both machines are built with premium materials, but their philosophies differ. The Oracle Touch features a heavy, brushed stainless steel body that gives it a professional, durable feel. Its components, like the dual boiler system, are designed for performance and speed, similar to what you'd find in a commercial cafe setting.
Jura’s reputation is built on longevity. While the exterior might use more high-quality plastic, its internal Swiss-engineered mechanics and brewing unit are built to last for a decade or more with proper maintenance. The focus is on robust, reliable performance over many years, making it a true long-term investment.
Price & Value
The Breville Oracle Touch generally comes in at a slightly higher price point, ranging from $2,500 to $2,700. Its value comes from its incredible feature set, hands-on user experience, and the sheer level of control it offers. If you were likely to buy a separate high-end grinder and espresso machine, the Oracle Touch combines them in a seamless, high-performance package.
The Jura E8, typically costing $2,200 to $2,500, offers its value in durability and convenience. For this price, you are buying a machine engineered to deliver consistent, excellent coffee for many thousands of cycles with minimal day-to-day fuss. Its long-term reliability often means a lower total cost of ownership over its lifetime.
Style & Versatility
The Breville Oracle Touch has a bold, commercial kitchen aesthetic. Its large size and stainless steel finish make a statement on your countertop, appealing to those who want their coffee station to be a focal point. It looks powerful and capable because it is.
The Jura E8 embodies a more understated, European luxury style. It is sleek, minimalist, and designed to integrate elegantly into a modern kitchen without dominating the space. Its refined look is perfect for those who appreciate clean design lines and a clutter-free aesthetic.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both the Oracle Touch and the E8 are fantastic machines that sit at the top of their class, but they serve two very different users.
Choose the Breville Oracle Touch if:
- You enjoy the process of making coffee and want control over every detail.
- You want to save highly customized drink recipes for different users in your home.
- You value a user-friendly touchscreen interface.
- You frequently make milk-based drinks and want the speed of a dual-boiler system.
Choose the Jura E8 if:
- You prioritize convenience and want perfect coffee with the simple press of a button.
- Long-term durability and reliability are your most important factors.
- You appreciate a sleek, minimalist design that complements your kitchen decor.
- You want a proven machine that delivers consistently great coffee with no hassle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Breville Oracle Touch and Jura E8?
The core difference is control versus convenience. The Breville Oracle Touch offers deep customization and a semi-automatic feel with its touchscreen and user-involved process. The Jura E8 is a fully automatic machine designed for one-touch simplicity, consistency, and long-term reliability.
Which machine makes better milk foam?
The Breville Oracle Touch is widely praised for its automated steam wand, which creates silky, cafe-quality microfoam that is rare for an automatic machine. The Jura E8 also produces good foam for cappuccinos and lattes, but the Oracle Touch gives you more control over the final texture and temperature.
Is the Jura E8 easier to clean?
Both machines have prompted, automated cleaning cycles. The Jura E8 requires less manual intervention, as the patented brew group is self-cleaning using tablets. You only need to rinse the milk system daily. The Breville requires more hands-on cleaning, such as backflushing the brew head and wiping down the steam wand.
Can you use pre-ground coffee in these machines?
The Jura E8 features a bypass coffee chute specifically for using pre-ground coffee, which is great for the occasional decaf. The Breville Oracle Touch is designed exclusively for use with whole coffee beans, as its automatic grinding and tamping system is fully integrated.
How long do Jura machines last?
Jura machines are famous for their longevity. With regular maintenance and cleaning, it's common for a Jura machine to last for over 10 years, making it a worthwhile long-term kitchen investment.
Is the Breville's dual boiler system worth it?
Yes, especially if you regularly make milk-based drinks like lattes or cappuccinos. A dual-boiler system allows you to pull an espresso shot and steam milk at the exact same time, which drastically cuts down on preparation time and mimics the workflow of a professional barista.
Which one is louder?
All coffee machines with grinders make noise, but users often note that Jura's Aroma G3 grinder is relatively quiet for an integrated unit. The Oracle Touch's grinder and tamping mechanism can be louder due to its powerful, commercial-style operation.
Should I choose based on the types of drinks I make?
Both machines can make a wide variety of drinks, including espresso, Americano, cappuccino, and latte. However, if your primary goal is perfecting milk texture for latte art, the Breville Oracle Touch has a distinct advantage with its highly controllable, automated steam wand.
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