The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
An espresso machine that can make anything from a concentrated ristretto espresso to a multilayered latte macchiato at the touch of a button. Price: Starts at $3,500 Why It’s Worth It: Because you can easily customize every aspect of your favorite drinks, your morning cappuccino can be perfect and easy.
Enter the Jura Z6, which—in a very Swiss way—quickly, precisely, and yes, automatically makes almost any coffee drink to your exact specifications. You no longer need barista skills to get a perfect flat white.
The Jura even looks different from your typical espresso machine. It sits on the counter like a piece of modern architecture, its aluminum facia billowing and curving like a Frank Gehry façade.
The 2.4 liter water tank, lit from beneath in cool blue light, stands like a slim appendage on the left side of the machine. Below the color screen is the bank of height-adjustable nozzles that dispense espresso, water, milk, and foam into your mug.
On its way, the coffee and milk is touched by a whole lot of proprietary technology and with that, a whole lot of proprietary acronyms. Coffee beans, stored in a 10-oz. hopper on the machine’s top, are ground in a conical burr grinder before water in the I.W.S. (Intelligent Water System) flows through the I.P.B.A.S. (Intelligent Pre Brew Aroma System) and moistens it, allowing it to swell before brewing. A P.E.P. (Pulse Extraction Process) then pulses water through the ground espresso, rather than simply flowing steadily, a process that marginally extends the extraction time but makes for a more richly flavored shot with a more pronounced crema.
The iPod-style wheel and button on the top of the machine offers 10 strengths and three temperatures. Likewise, milk and milk foam can each be set to any of 10 temperatures.
Your drink can also be customized and labeled, so if you like your cappuccino with 2.5 ounces of extra-hot, extra-strong espresso and minimal foam, while your partner wants one that’s only 1.5 ounces of normal temperature, normal strength espresso, and extra foam, each can be easily set, labeled, and saved.
Sure, $3,500 may seem like a lot for an espresso machine. But this is more than that: It’s a daily dose of caffeinated instant gratification, right when you need it most. You might even call it a bargain.