Advantages: design, performance, makes fab coffee
Disadvantages: price for filters, makes you drink more coffee!

...! Yes it is an expensive machine and a considered choice. If you only want coffee on a sunday morning consider a cheaper bean to cup machine. It looks fab, is well made and I wouldn't be without it! Jura filters and cleaning tablets are expensive.... Read review

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Advantages: Quality in a glass
Disadvantages: a wee bit expensive

...I am one of the founder members of the Glasgow Malt Whisky Club and had the pleasure - nay, THE HONOUR - of attending a tutored whisky tasting of the various products of the Isle of Jura distillery. What made this so special was that the tutor was the daddy of all of the whiskies on trial, Mr Willie Tait. Willie is to whisky what Stradivarius was to violin making, for Willie is the master distiller and now the brand ambassador for Isle of Jura Single Malt Whisky. What he doesn't know about whisky isn't worth knowing. And on top of all of this he is a really nice guy too (and there are not that many of US about!!) Although we sampled many of the distillery's products, I am going to focus this review on one of the latest to be produced on that small, tranquil and rugged of Hebridean Islands, namely the Limited edition Isle... Read review

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Advantages: Build, reliability, image quality, functions, the name & value for money especially second hand
Disadvantages: to heavy for some, slightly noisy focusing, lenses and flash units expensive

...I owned a Nikon F301 in my teens and that camera was brilliant! I then caught the Auto focus bug and purchased a Canon EOS 100 which took brilliant pictures nearly as good as the Nikon and the auto focus was ultra fast and you could hardly hear it focusing, the Nikon is not as quiet but not to noisy. Anyway i like the sound of the motordrive being loud. The thing that really bugged me about the Canon was that it was TOO lightweight! It felt like a toy and very plasticy. I was sure that if I dropped it that would be the end of it! So after a couple years I was tempted back to a good solid Nikon. At the time the F90x was recieving rave reviews in the press and that was good enough for me. On getting it out the box the first thing I noticed is the weight of the thing! Which to me is a good thing..it feels as expensive... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning, unspoilt, beauty with wildlife everywhere
Disadvantages: None when its sunny

...The trip to Jura is not that easy, even if you start in Scotland, but it is well worth the effort. I actually started in London. I caught a British Airways flight to Glasgow, then a rickety twelve-seater twin prop to the grass strip that passes for a runway on Islay, and a taxi to the ferry point at Port Askaig. From there a small, four-car ferry took me over the mile-wide strait to Jura. I was left on a jetty with no houses in sight, only the departing ferry and the milk float that is used as a taxi on the island. The driver also doubles as milkman, postman and paper-boy as well as the main contact with the outside world for many of the more remote households. On arrival at my hotel I found a party in full swing in the bar - at one o'clock in the afternoon. A folk band was playing, and the noise of their pipes and drums... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent Taste, Impressive Drink for Guests
Disadvantages: A little pricey, too drinkable

...For Heaven's sake, anyone who reads my opinions must think that all I do is drink and use cosmetics! I'll admit that I do enjoy a drink or two each afternoon, around 5:30 PM. Most times, I've had a tough day at work, and I love to chill out with a glass or two or the spirit of choice for the day. As far as the cosmetics go.....well, I need them! I'd like to introduce you to a fabulous single-malt Scotch Whiskey that I discovered because it was on offer at our local ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) store. Actually, I went into the ABC store to buy some Glenmorangie (my very favorite), but I found this interesting bottle of Isle of Jura on offer. Noticing that this was a single-malt Scotch, produced at Isle of Jura, on the west coast of Scotland, my interest was piqued. The bottle was a simple glass one, with an indentation... Read review

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Advantages: A mellow and light whisky
Disadvantages: A wee bit pricey but worth it

...head was still whirling with the words “Why don’t you treat yourself to a new whisky or two!” THE DOC STUMBLES OUT OF THE TARDIS My first choice as I remained in this unbelievable daze – she did say a bottle or two, didn’t she – was Isle of Jura. I’ve been trying to win a bottle of Isle of Jura single malt whisky for over a year now without success and after a year of visiting their site and reading the advertising my brain was washed and left me open to the power of suggestion. Why else would I let Mrs B browse unattended in the clothes section? But I’m glad I’ve been indoctorated into this malt. I MAINTAIN I HAVE A RIGHT TO CHOOSE MY APPEARANCE It’s a very appealing bottle, unusually for a whisky the bottle is clear. It has an inverted middle, which makes for handling this beauty a pleasure for my firm masculine grip... Read review

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Advantages: Promising, well-balanced and basic
Disadvantages: none

...Within the category of Highland single malts, there are several subdivisions. One such is the division of Island malts. These are not to be confused with the Islay malts, another island of very unique Scotch-distilling character (and consequently, of its own category). Rather, the Island malts of the Highland category are those produced by distilleries on islands north of the Highland line. These include the islands of Orkney, Skye, Mull, and Jura. Jura is in fact not far from Islay, and thus there is some geographic affinity between the distillations of these. Jura is famous for the Paps, hills on the island. There have been distilleries here since the 1600s. In 1810 a distillery was built by James Ferguson (with help of the Campbells), produces a substantial amount (perhaps as much as 150,000 gallons per year). However... Read review

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Advantages: Temperature of beverage; Taste; Great looks; Large water capacity; Quiet operation
Disadvantages: Price of consumables; central coffee spout could raise higher

...I have just replaced my Gaggia Titanium which after 3 months decided to break down. I decided rather than replace with the same machine to go with the much-praised Jura machines. The Z5 particularly appealed with it's unique One-Touch Cappucino function, which avoids the clumsy looking "automatic frothing attachments" found on so many machines. The machine was easy to set up, and has almost the same footprint as the Titanium, so doesn't take up too much space. It comes with a classy looking thermal milk container (1 litre) which keeps milk at the ready and chilled for up to 8 hours. The front of the machine is brushed aluminium (not plastic as in many of the Jura machines) which is far easier to keep clean than the Titanium's brushed stainless steel (fingerprints!). The display prompts are clear (product names such as "1 espresso... Read review

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Advantages: Good user interface. Excellent manual controls. Good value.
Disadvantages: No cable release or PC socket. Lens aperture obscured.

...The Nikon F801s is still one of the best SLRs made by the company, and is worth seeking on the used market. I bought a used example to upgrade from the earlier Nikon F501. I was specifially interested in the F801s onboard spot meter and better autofocus. I did not want to spend the cash for the new F90x as I would rarely use all of the features. I found a very clean used F801s for about 275.00. It came in the original box with all instructions and accessories. The shutter release is very fast and smooth, with no lag time. The camera will take Nikon AI or AIS manual focus lens. Older Non-AI lenses can be mounted, but provide no automatic or metering functions. The autofocus is swifter than the F501, but by no means up to the new F90x speed;that's fine with me as I only use autofocus about 25% of the time. Manual focus seems more... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful scenery, numerous distilleries, relaxing atmosphere.
Disadvantages: Midges and the guarantee of good weather.

...Isle of Islay Islay is one of the southernmost Inner Hebridean islands in Scotland. The island lies west of the Island of Jura which itself lies west of the Mull of Kintrye on the Scottish mainland. The island is approximately 25miles from North to South and 15 miles across at its widest point. The name Islay is pronounced 'eye-la' (you don't sound the letter y). The island is currently the home to 3400 inhabitants, a small number of tourists and on occasion about 60,000 geese. Famous for its numerous whisky distilleries, Islay is a beautiful island with a dozen golden sand beaches, several historical sites and not too many tourists. The island even has it own website, so for more information go to www.isle-of-islay.com How to get there. The island of Islay can be reached by ferry from either Oban or Kennacraig on the Mull... Read review

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