JURA GIGA 10 review: an impressively premium bean-to-cup coffee machine

Swiss brand JURA craft automatic espresso machines, designed to maximise beverage choice while minimising effort. They're premium machines that are more of an investment, with the cheapest coffee machines in their range selling for around $1,000.

Because of the high price point, you'd expect JURA's machines to be among some of the best coffee makers on the market. In terms of features they certainly offer a great deal, but as with all coffee makers, it can largely depend on who they're best suited to.

The GIGA 10 is one of the latest and most expensive models in the JURA range. It features some of the best customization we've seen in an automatic bean-to-cup machine, but this is reflected in the $4,999 price tag. If you're willing to splash out, you won't need any fancy barista skills to brew the 35 drinks on offer here. You can even fine-tune each individual drink to your liking, all through a one-touch control panel.

All of the best espresso machines can be used to brew barista coffees, but the JURA GIGA 10 does the work for you. We were impressed by everything the comprehensive machine can do, but there are undoubtedly a few things to note before deciding if it's for you.

JURA GIGA 10: Key specs

JURA GIGA 10: First impressions

The first thing you notice about the JURA GIGA 10 is just how massive it is. It was delivered to me in a crate, rolled to my door on a dolly by the delivery driver. There was work being done in my kitchen at the time so I had to store it upstairs for the day. And trust me, getting it upstairs was a mission.

Inside the crate was the coffee machine, the milk system, and a set of cleaning wipes with instructions.

Once it was unpacked and plugged into my kitchen wall, there was little setup. The removable drip tray was already attached, so all I had to do was connect the power cord and attach the milk system - which is essentially a glass jug that connects to the machine via a bendy pipe.

The coffee machine came without a manual however, but it didn't take long to find one online to figure out how to turn it on. I couldn't find the power button, admittedly, but it is hidden underneath a cover at the top of the machine. The cover wasn't the easiest to open either, and it did seem a little excessive considering how much surface is taken up to only accommodate an on switch.

Regardless, the machine was set up relatively quickly, and was instantly the most premium-looking appliance in my kitchen.

JURA GIGA 10: Price & availability

The JURA GIGA 10 retails for $4,999. It is, without a doubt, one of the most expensive at-home coffee machines on the market. This reflects the amount of tech that's packed into the huge appliance, but sadly makes it an unaffordable option for most. You can find the GIGA 10 at the JURA website, or at Amazon, Williams Sonoma, and 1st in Coffee for around the same price.

At the time of writing it's the third most expensive machine in JURA's range, behind the GIGA X7 and the GIGA X8 - both of which are professional coffee machines, suited to offices and workspaces. Because of the GIGA 10's size, weight and price - I was surprised that it isn't labelled similarly. It's instead marketed for home use over commercial use.

Score: 3/5

JURA GIGA 10: Design

The JURA GIGA 10 can do a lot. Being able to brew 35 different specialties is not something many coffee machines can do, so it's no surprise that the machine itself is so large. It took up a considerable amount of space on my kitchen counter, just about fitting to the end in terms of depth.

The coffee machine has two disc grinders and two 15-bar pumps. This is what enables it to make a variety of different coffees, in a way that makes sure each specific coffee type is brewed correctly. The water tank, accessible on the top-left of the machine, can hold an impressive 88 ounces of water, saving you from refilling it often. At the top-right, you'll find a panel that opens to reveal a measuring spoon - a nice touch, I thought, to utilise the rest of the space.

What makes the GIGA 10 look so stunning is the spout system. It features dual spouts and a milk dispenser, with lights that illuminate your cup whilst the coffee is brewed. The spout system and above components are finished with a shiny, metallic exterior that highlights the steam in quite an attractive fashion, particularly as the hot milk is being poured. The spouts are height and width adjustable too, which is a big help when accommodating different-sized cups.

The machine is built from what seems like a mixture of materials. The Amazon listing notes the material as ceramic, but many components are made from plastic and what feels (and looks) like stainless steel.

You can fit 20 ounces of coffee beans at once, but this is shared across two 10 oz grinders that aren't both used for the same coffees. If you're planning on making a flat white every morning, for example, only one of the 10 oz grinders will be utilised.

A key design feature of the GIGA 10 is the control panel. It's a one-touch panel, made up of three touchscreens that display the various coffees you can make. When a coffee is being brewed, the three screens are used individually: one shows a list of the brewing process, one shows an image of a cup with how much is left to fill, and one shows the progress of the milk system. It's clear, clean, and easy to use, which is essential for a machine that can make so many different drinks.

A somewhat fiddly aspect of the machine, however, is how the milk system is used. The milk jug is separate, not integrated, so instead sits next to the machine loosely. It does offer some flexibility though for where you want it placed, and it can sit nicely on the drip tray when the machine isn't in use.

Score: 4.5/5

JURA GIGA 10: Performance

Coffee

Every coffee I had from the JURA GIGA 10 tasted spot-on. It really shows that they've made sure every beverage is given the appropriate treatment. I tried all sorts: lattes, latte macchiatos, flat whites, cappuccinos, espressos, Americanos, cold brews. I even tested the milk foam by itself when making 8 barista coffees with my Nespresso, and that turned out great too.

The coffee has a barista-type quality to it. So much so that I'd be happy to pay good money for any of these drinks at a coffeeshop. The coffee is rich, full-bodied, and makes full use of the flavor of the beans. And with the hot, velvety milk foam on top, it really is a luxurious way to enjoy your coffee in the morning.

Grinders

The disc grinders are found at the top of the machine. To use them, simply open the circular lids and pour in as many coffee beans as you need. No grinding is required on your part as the machine is fully automatic, and you'll know when they're being used as you'll hear a (very) loud grinding sound when making your coffee - and every time the coffee machine is turned on.

Panoramic one-touch control panel

Upon start-up, a 'Jura' animation is shown across the three screens before the menu showing all the coffees you can select from. If anything needs to be cleaned or rinsed, the screens will display this before showing the coffee menu.

It's intuitively easy to select from the menu. The drinks don't all fit on one page, so there are arrows guiding you to the rest of the selection. As I used the coffee machine over time, my regulars started to be displayed first, so I could easily choose a flat white or a latte macchiato as soon as it was turned on.

After selecting your coffee, a screen pops up where you can customize the brew. This, of course, varies depending on which coffee you choose, but there is an impressive amount of customization on offer here. Coffee strength, milk foam volume, and milk/coffee ratios can all be adjusted on sliding scales, so you can really play around and find your optimal setting. Once you have, you can set favorites that you can quickly select next time you use the machine.

Saying that, there is a pretty notable flaw with the control panel. When on the coffee menu, certain coffees will be greyed out if there aren't enough beans in the grinders. Once you pour more beans in, the coffees will become available again, and you can select them as normal. But what often happened is that I'd select one of these coffees, the machine would start brewing, then a window would pop up saying 'Fill right (or left) bean container.' You then have a very short amount of time to fill the container again and press the screen so that it doesn't cancel. If you're not quick enough, or if you fail to touch the right screen, the coffee would stop mid-brew, using up the beans you previously put in and leaving you with a few splashes of coffee. It seems to be a huge design oversight, and one that ended up with me wasting a lot of coffee as you can't go back and resume the brew. It would be more user-friendly, and would make more sense, if the coffees are only available to select if there are enough beans for the whole brewing process, not just the first step.

Of course, this can be avoided by having plenty of coffee beans to hand at all times and making sure the containers are always at least half-filled - which shouldn't be too difficult for anybody who can afford this coffee machine. But when you're running low, the last thing you need is to be wasting the last few beans on half a coffee.

Care & maintenance

You can go a while between filling the water tank thanks to its large capacity, but the milk jug needs frequent filling. It's never a surprise though, as the jug is glass so you can see whenever it's running low. Plus, as the jug can disconnect from the machine, you can put it in the fridge if there's still milk left over that won't be used that day.

Upon starting up, the JURA GIGA 10 will rinse itself through the spouts, and will give you an update when it needs a more thorough clean. The updates usually pop up right as it's turned on or as you're switching it off.

The most common maintenance notification you'll get is to clean the milk system, but you'll also need to clean and descale the coffee machine. This is relatively easy, and all you need is JURA cleaning tablets (Amazon). Once you select the cleaning program, the instructions guide you through and tell you where and when to insert the cleaning tablets; it's as easy as you'd hope at this price point.

The drip tray needs to be emptied and cleaned often. The tray can hold a lot of liquid but, as the machine rinses every time it's turned on, this builds up quickly. Bean-to-cup machines naturally produce a lot of mess from coffee grounds, so this is something to consider with the JURA GIGA 10.

Score: 4/5

Should you buy the JURA GIGA 10?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How does the JURA GIGA 10 compare?

If you're unlikely to choose all of the 35 drinks on offer here, you could save a lot of money with one of JURA's more affordable models like the JURA E6 or the JURA J8.

Or, if you know how to build barista coffees using an espresso shot and frothed milk, you could go for a much cheaper option like the Breville Barista Touch Impress or the Breville Barista Express Impress. We've reviewed both and awarded 5 stars to each of them.

How I tested the JURA GIGA 10

• Tested for four weeks, making 1-3 drinks per day

• Tested using three of my favorite coffee beans

• Tried the variety of coffees on offer, hot and cold

I tested the JURA GIGA 10 over 4 weeks, using it as the primary coffee maker in my kitchen. My housemates and I used the machine to make coffees of all types, and I experimented with the customization settings to see just how much you can change.

Read more about how we test.