Jura E4 vs ENA 4:
Which is Better for Black Coffee Lovers?

The Jura E4 vs ENA 4 is a battle of close cousins. Both are black coffee specialty machines that look great and are easy to use. The ENA 4 is the ultimate in simplicity, offering espresso or coffee with no effort or fuss. Whereas, the E4 has a lot more going on inside the machine and offers some Americano variations too. 

But which is best for black coffee lovers? Does the ENA 4 serve up espresso far beyond it’s price? And does the E4 justify the extra cost with all the fancy technology?

The Jura E4 is the clear winner between these two machines. Having a larger brewing unit, better grinder, and the full force of Jura brewing tech produces truly top-notch espresso and black coffee. The ENA 4 is still a good machine, but for the purist, the E4 is worth every extra cent.

There are many obvious, and some less obvious, differences between the E4 and ENA 4. So we put them both to the test, comparing all their features and their coffee quality (it’s a tough job but someone has to do it). Here, we explain everything we found out so you get the perfect super-automatic espresso machine.

Size

So they’re not exactly the same size – listed as width x height x depth, the E4 is 11 x 13.8 x 17.6 inches and the ENA 4 is 10.7 x 12.7 x 17.5 inches.

But, in reality, the 0.3-inch difference in width and 1.1-inch difference in height isn’t going to make much difference to anyone. Unless you think there’s only just enough space under your cabinets for ENA 4 so the E4 would never fit.

It’s also worth noting that the bean hoppers for both machines need to be filled from the top, so give yourself some clearance for this too.

Available Coffee Drinks

Both the Jura E4 and ENA 4 are designed for black coffee drinkers so they only make espresso and coffee. These are available as either one cup or two, so we don’t treat these as distinct drink options, unlike the manufacturers.

On the machines themselves, the options are the same (though they go by different names). But, when using the J.O.E. app, you get two extra Americano variations (Caffè Barista and Lungo Barista) with the E4.

The E4 also has a dial on the front to dispense hot water which the ENA 4 doesn’t. This is a good feature if you’re also a tea drinker or if you prefer a longer Americano-style coffee.

If you like milky espresso drinks like flat white or cappuccino, then there are a couple of options. First, you could opt for a stand-alone milk frothing unit and combine your drink’s elements yourself. Or, for just a little more money, you could look at the Jura E6 (reviewed here) or the Breville Barista Touch (reviewed here).

Strength Settings

You get 3 settings for strength on the ENA 4 and the E4. So while the E4 has a considerably larger dose capacity, you’re still only getting 3 options for the amount of coffee you want.

This may be frustrating if you’re someone who prefers more precise dosing. But we generally keep super-automatic espresso machines on maximum dose anyway. For precision control, you’re better looking at one of the best Breville machines instead.

App Compatability

There’s an app for everything these days, and making your coffee is no exception.

Both coffee machines are compatible with the excellent J.O.E. app which allows you to customize your drinks on the app and then order them to the machine. Although this is considerably less useful when there are so few options to adjust.

As an added bonus, the E4 gets two additional specialty coffee options – the caffè barista and lungo barista – when connected to the app. Both are hot water and coffee options, just made with different ratios.

The downfall is that to have app compatibility, you need to buy the WiFi Connect adapter separately for around $60. It’s a constant frustration of ours that Jura doesn’t include this as standard until you hit the super expensive machines like the Z10 and Giga 6. But, it’s super easy to install on both machines.

Cleaning

Cleaning either machine is an absolute breeze and the processes are identical.

Daily cleaning of the machines is automated, taking care of the internal parts. Plus the drip tray and grounds container need to be emptied and cleaned daily – a 5-minute job.

Then there’s the grinder which really benefits from being brushed or hoovered out every couple of weeks. For many people, this is how long a bag of coffee beans lasts. So it’s easy to remember to clean the grinder when you change your beans.

Finally, there’s the descaling – a bigger job at around 30 minutes but only needs to be done every 6 months or so which the E4 or ENA 4 will remind you of. If you use the CLARIS Smart water filters, you should very rarely (if at all) have to descale. For best results (and to avoid invalidating the 2-year warranty), you’ll need to use Jura branded cleaning products which is annoying as they come with a higher price tag.

You can’t remove the brew group to clean yourself on any Jura coffee machines. So you have to trust that the internal cleaning keeps it in good shape. But we’ve been using Jura’s for years without any issues so we have no reason to doubt them on this.

Dose Size

The E4 has the newest generation brewing unit found on all the latest Jura machines from the E series and up. This allows you to have up to a 16g dose per brewing cycle.

However, the ENA 4 (like the ENA 8, reviewed here) has a maximum dose of 10g.

For us, the larger dose isn’t just about strength but also about depth of flavor so we prefer the bigger size. The flexibility to have that extra 6g can really enhance your espresso or coffee by getting more nuanced flavor from the beans.

Grinder

The Jura ENA 4 has the excellent Aroma G3 grinder which is very fast, really quiet, and incredibly accurate. But the E4 has the top-of-the-line Professional Aroma Grinder that is even faster than the G3 grinder. Plus, the grind consistency has improved too.

The actual difference in your coffee quality is incremental. But you can definitely taste a more balanced espresso or longer coffee using the Professional Aroma Grinder over the Aroma G3. We did blind tastes where we didn’t know which cup of coffee was from which machine. And the Jura E4 came out on top every time.

Brewing Technology

When it comes to brewing technology, Jura loves an acronym. But, confusing names aside, their proprietary tech is some of the best in the espresso-making business (see how Jura stacks up against Breville, or against DeLonghi).

The Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.) is now the standard brewing method on all Jura machines. And, judging by the quality of espresso machines compared to their closest competitors, it works really well.

In addition to the P.E.P., the E4 also has some of the newest brewing tech which also make a big difference to the flavor:

First up is the Intelligent Pre-Brew Aroma System (I.P.B.A.S.) – low-pressure pre-infusion before extraction. This is key for degassing the grounds, allowing the trapped CO² to escape, and results in more flavor from the puck going into your cup.

The E4 also has something called 3D Brewing. This is all about getting even extraction from the ground coffee so you get more flavor and a better-balanced cup of joe. You’ll find this feature on every Jura coffee machine other than the ENA 4.

Having these two extra pieces of brewing technology (especially the pre-infusion which is vital for extracting great espresso), makes an enormous difference to the coffee quality from the E4. It’s this tech that moves the Jura E4 from being a little better than the ENA 4 to a whole other world of espresso flavor.

For us, the coffee quality from the Jura E4 coffee machine more than justifies this price increase. If you’re looking for a machine to pull tremendous espresso at a touch then the E4 really is the best option here.

The coffee from the ENA 4 is very good. In fact, it’s possibly as good as you can find around the $1000 price point. But the extra brewing technology combined with the better grinder and larger dose puts the E4 in a totally different league in terms of quality.

If you love the idea of the E4 but you’d like the flexibility for more coffee variations with milk, then the Jura E6 is your best bet. It’s the next coffee maker in the Jura lineup and is a great option for those who need a little milk in their lives.

No matter who wins the Jura E4 vs ENA 4 battle in your eyes, you are in for a great-tasting cup of joe.

Matt Woodburn-Simmonds

Matt's coffee obsession started in 2006 when working as a Barista. A tendency to turn up to work hungover kickstarted his coffee journey which quickly turned into a love affair. As he moved on to work as a Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, the obsession continued to grow. Now, his passion is helping others to enjoy better coffee at home.