Darn good cup of coffee
Review by Joe on 24 May 2014 review stating Darn good cup of coffee Love the coffee this machine makes.
Pros: Sleek design, relatively quiet, good sized bean hopper, consistently awesome coffee.
Cons: Small water tank in the back, esoteric "i drive" knob, can't remove the brew unit for cleaning, steaming wand is a bit finicky.
My Delonghi Magnifica died after eight years of delicious service, so I needed a replacement. I wasn't thrilled with any of the current Delonghi offerings, so I actually bought a Saeco Sentia based on some positive reviews (and price) from a big retailer ... but, the coffee wasn't very good. C+ on a good day. Gave up after three weeks, took it back and then ordered this machine from 1st in Coffee. Great service, speedy delivery and great coffee!
The Ena 3 looks great. The refurb job was impeccable - it looks and works like new. It is a well-built machine and feels substantial. The grinder is very consistent - each cup is just like the last. It is tricky to work the selector knob - I'm still trying to consistently select steam (instead of hot water) from the wand. The steaming wand snaps on and off with a rubber fitting and is kind of in the way for removing the generous and easy to clean drip tray, making it easy to bump in which case it will blast off next time you want steam. The frothing tip is adjustable which is a godsend - you can heat the milk as hot as you want it, but it is a bit slower than other machines. (I needed to alter the Delonghi because it would always produce too much foam before the milk would get hot enough. The Saeco was very fast - but I used it without the wand attachment because it was difficult to remove for cleaning and wasn't necessary - I am pretty capable at making a good foam with just a stainless wand, darn it!) The shape of the wand tip on the Ena 3 is such that small drops of milk seem to spray the counter, which wasn't the case with other machines I've had. I would prefer just a plain stainless wand. And the water tank is in the back and usually *barely* holds enough for our morning routine (2 cups with 2 or 3 shots each, about 1/2 cup of milk steamed) sometimes it comes up short. With the machine on a counter with a cupboard above it is a bit of a pain to refill (at least) once a day - it is a heavy machine (20 lbs) ... they should put it on wheels! The adjustable coffee spout easily accommodates a generous mug (we tend to use Starbucks ceramic mugs , both medium and bigger) but a very tall cup wouldn't fit.
In summary ... it isn't perfect, but the coffee is sooo darn good that I'm willing to overlook its shortcomings and adjust. I mean, it is all about the coffee, right? And this coffee is really, really, really, really good!
On Refurbished Jura Capresso ENA 3 - White