Review: Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Series Espresso Machine

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed leveling up my espresso machines over the years. My first was the De’Longhi Dedica Arte, a great beginner espresso machine that doesn’t break the bank and has lasted me for well over 10 years.

Still, I’m excited about the new wave of espresso machines on the market and have had the pleasure to test a few of them over the past couple of years, like the uber-tech-forward Terra Kaffe TK-02 and the more straightforward De'Longhi Magnifica Start. Cappuccinos are my preferred coffee drink, and while I enjoy nerding out about my coffee with scales and temperature-based electric kettles, sometimes I want a machine to do the hard, technical work for me, like the new Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Series Espresso Machine.

Photograph: Tyler Shane

I usually have mixed feelings about equipment under the Ninja brand, which is often known for trying to do too much at once, but this machine is impressive. The Luxe Cafe machine comes with a lot of tricks up its sleeve and, even though it's semiautomatic and therefore doesn't do all the espresso work for you—it still has a traditional portafilter, for instance—it feels like having a coffee shop right in your home. I’ve been using it consistently for the past two months and it’s incredibly user-friendly, offering the ability to create almost every coffee drink imaginable, from your usual espresso-based drinks to a traditional drip, cold brew, plus the ability to froth a cold foam.

Combine this with the extremely beginner-friendly aspects like a built-in scale that doses coffee grinds for you and the ability to recommend a grind size based on your last drink’s performance, and it’s an undeniable feat of an espresso machine. It does a lot, and does most of it well.

There are some aspects in which the Ninja feels overengineered, but for the relatively cheap(er) price of around $600, it’s a solid investment, especially considering that one of Ninja’s main competitors with this machine is the Breville Barista Express ($700).

Back to the Grind

As far as pulling espresso goes, the Ninja Luxe holds its own, with a stainless steel portafilter that fits two baskets—one for a double shot and a deeper, quad-size basket for traditional coffee drinks and cold brew. (That’s right, no single shots available on this machine.) A nine-bar pressure system uses a stepped and lower-pressure pre-infusion mode and comes programmed with the usual espresso ratios: 1:2, 1:2.5, and 1:3.

Along with espresso, the Luxe can brew a traditional cup of coffee (from 6 to 18 ounces) and, in a process that takes about 10 minutes, also make a cold brew. There’s some customizability, like choosing between Classic and Rich for your drip coffee or brewing it over ice. There’s even an option to get your espresso cold-pressed. All of these are available on the fairly intuitive interface. Depending on which drink option you choose, the machine’s built-in grinder will scale it out for you.

Pulling espresso is a fairly hands-on process—you grind, tamp, and insert the portafilter into the group head—but the Luxe’s grinder and scale offer some help along the way to make the process more consistent.

Photograph: Tyler Shane

Beginner’s Luck

The built-in grinder and scale are without a doubt the Luxe’s most impressive qualities and include intuitive technology that’s great for beginners. The grinder uses a conical burr system and has 25 settings. When you insert the portafilter into the grinder, the machine will read the basket you’ve chosen. Based on your drink choice, it’ll recommend a grind size. Once you adjust the grind size, the Luxe will scale the proper dose of coffee grinds for you. Yes, the Luxe doses by weight, taking much of the guesswork out of the coffee-making process.

Photograph: Tyler Shane

Based on how the previous espresso shot performs, the interface recommends the next drink’s grind size. If the shot pulls too slow, it recommends a larger grind size. Too fast, and it recommends a smaller grind. Relying on this in the beginning was finicky and I had to pull quite a few bitter shots before I received a decent one, more than I expected when I was initially calibrating the Luxe to my beans. While it’s been fairly solid since, occasionally I’ll get an inconsistent shot and not know what changed. Those who like to get their coffee down to a science may not enjoy relying on the Luxe’s “barista technology” to this extent, and it was something I had to get used to myself.

I really, really appreciate Ninja’s take on the Luxe’s milk steaming system. Some automatic espresso machines incorporate a container of milk that has to be brought back and forth from the refrigerator, like the ones from this list. The Luxe, however, keeps it classic with a pitcher that you simply add milk to and a wand that begins steaming at the press of a button, another reason why it’s great for those who want barista-quality coffee drinks without all the guesswork.

You can manually steam milk if you so choose, or you can steam milk to four programmed settings, and this includes a cold foam. There’s also a setting for a plant-based option, and the Luxe adjusts automatically to this. I had little to no issues with this milk frother and enjoyed the opportunity to practice some latte art, even if the pitcher’s spout isn’t ideal for it.

Quirks and Quality

The Luxe has a removable hopper and rapid heat-up time, which are fantastic. To the left of the machine is where much of your coffee’s assembly happens. Before you grind your coffee, you’ll place a funnel on the portafilter to keep it in place. Unfortunately, after a couple months of use, the funnel’s plastic corners are chipping.

When not in use, there’s a designated spot for the funnel on the left side of the machine alongside the pressure-click tamper. I really like this tamper, as tamping is something I often overthink (Am I creating enough pressure? Do I have an even surface?), and the Luxe’s is designed for you to apply the ideal amount of pressure.

The water reservoir doesn’t come with a filter, unfortunately. As for the drip tray, it’s easy to remove and clean. An orange notch pops up when the tray needs to be emptied. On average, I empty the drip tray every four to five drinks. A handful of times the machine has leaked, even with the drip tray being empty.

A shelf allows the Luxe to accommodate your 2-ounce espresso shots but can be removed to allow room for a travel mug as large as 18 ounces. One common gripe about the Luxe is that despite the portafilter having two spouts, there is not enough room to accommodate two espresso cups on the shelf or drip tray, which is strange. However, one of the biggest misses on this machine is that there’s no hot water spout, something I particularly enjoyed with a machine like the De'Longhi Magnifica Start.

My beef with many Ninja kitchen appliances is that sometimes they try to do too much, like the cooler with an added “frost vault.” The Ninja Luxe Cafe feels different, however, considering how intentional it was in competing with other new-age espresso machines. Pulling espresso is solid and, while occasionally inconsistent, delivers an overall smooth and robust shot. The drip coffee was good, not great, and the cold brew can be bitter since it uses the room-temperature water from the filter.

Like many Ninja products, the machine sits in a weird space. A coffee purist may choose a straightforward machine without all the assists of the Luxe, while a true beginner may not feel comfortable investing in the Luxe’s “all-in-one” style. Nevertheless, it’s an overall quality piece of equipment at a fair price that makes me view the Ninja brand with respect when it comes to its coffee game.