Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine Review

Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine: Introduction

• manual coffee maker: With integrated grinder and Barista Assist, making it as easy to use as a bean-to-cup system.
• froth milk: Automated frothing for both dairy and vegetable milks.

In Berlin at IFA 2024, there were, of course, numerous launches, and no more so than at the SharkNinja booth, where no less than 23 new products were revealed.

The highlight of the launch was undoubtedly the new Ninja Luxe Café, a stylish espresso machine.

The Ninja coffee maker offers a variety of coffee styles, which is why I have underrated it by calling it an espresso machine.

Instead of just espresso, which is typically the standard on manual coffee machines, Ninja has released a multi-talented coffee maker that should have you covered no matter what style you’re going for.

With its Barista Assist technology, Luxe Café eliminates the trial-and-error process of grinding and brewing and makes it easy to prepare espresso-style coffee, drip coffee, and even cold brew.

And not only the style of coffee but also the types of foam, sizes, temperatures, different types of milk and more.

I’ve had the Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK espresso machine (to give it its meaty nickname) brewing coffee in my house for the past few weeks; Read on for my full review.

Design and components

• Integrated grinder: 25 adjustable grind settings ensure precision for all types of drinks.
• Smart storage: Accessories, including filter holders and cleaning tools, store neatly in the machine.
• Extensive drink options: Espresso, Americano, cold brew, filtered coffee and more, all easily programmable.

Visually, the machine resembles a traditional manual espresso machine, with its 250g hopper and grinder built into the top.

Next to my Sage Oracle, it’s a little smaller at 14.5″ x 13.5″ x 13.5″, but given that its more expensive countertop neighbor is almost 10 years old, it looks much sleeker and more modern, with sharp edges and that awesome Control Panel with bright screen on top.

The control panel is where the magic happens. It not only guides you through brewing, but also adjusts depending on the portafilter in use.

It actually takes a while to get used to all the dials and buttons on offer and where and when they can be used. For example, you cannot adjust the drink size when you are in any of the ‘espresso’ modes on the left side, you must be in one of the ‘coffee’ modes on the right.

And switching between these two lists is done with a dial in the middle of them, which also functions as a button to start brewing, and is labeled as such.

But once you understand how to navigate everything, it all starts to make sense, and Barista Assist Tech helps you out in a big way anyway.

The design is also brilliant in terms of keeping kitchen counters less cluttered, and the Luxe offers storage spaces for all your accessories.

The machine comes with a portafilter and three baskets (for single, double and quad Luxe espresso shots), along with a tamper, funnel and cleaning disc for descaling.

These accessories fit perfectly into several compartments located on the sides of the machine.

The 2 liter water tank, which includes a filter, is hidden at the back but unlike the Sage Oracle range, there is no way to fill it from a top panel once it is in place – you will have to remove it to fill it. up, or at least slide the entire machine out and pour water.

The drip tray also fills up fairly quickly, but you are warned that it needs to be emptied when an orange float warning appears. The mug rack can also be adjusted to best fit the style of mug and coffee you are making.

Features and use

Ninja Luxe offers a wide variety of coffee options: espresso, quad shots, Americano, cold press, classic filter, rich, iced and cold brew.

The first thing you need to do is select the style of coffee you want and the Barista Assist technology will suggest a grind size for that particular drink.

Now, all coffee beans are different, of course, and while SharkNinja has informed me that I can add any old beans to the mix, the machine will have to figure out exactly what it’s dealing with.

Therefore, the first cup of a new bag of beans will typically need to be discarded, as the machine will essentially perform a fact-finding mission on that one.

However, once you know what you’re dealing with, using the built-in grinder and its 25 different settings is effortless.

I like a large filtered coffee in the morning, and that requires a less coarse grind; in the grits I’m currently using it’s usually around 23 or 24.

But my Evening Americano needs a finer polish, around the 5-6 mark. The machine knows the beans and suggests accordingly. It also changes over time as it is modified based on what is learned with each pour.

Once you have the correct settings, place the small funnel, insert it and grind the beans to the correct size, after pressing the button.

Another nifty feature is that the system also automatically recognizes the size of the basket and adjusts the grind amount accordingly, so it doesn’t spill over the top. It also won’t let you use the wrong basket for a certain style of drink, it will warn you.

The spring-loaded tamper further simplifies the process, making it easy to achieve a uniform and precise tamp every time. On more expensive machines, like my Sage Oracle I mentioned, the compaction process is automatic. But flattening some coffee beans is not a huge task.

It also makes me feel like a professional barista, which I like.

The machine also adapts its pour depending on the drink. For example, add hot water before espresso in an Americano, or brew filter coffee in stages to mimic professional drip machines.

Drink sizes are customizable (on the “coffee” drinks on the right side), with seven different presets ranging from 175ml to 530ml, ensuring the perfect cup for any preference or cup size.

The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premiere series features an automatic milk frothing system that works with both dairy and plant-based milks.

The included carafe has measurement markings for Cortados, Cappuccinos, and Lattes, and the steam wand offers options for steamed milk, fine froth, thick froth, and cold froth.

The steam wand purges itself after use, ensuring minimal cleaning. Combined with the carafe’s whisk-like mechanism, this setup delivers great results, whether you’re making a silky flat white or a frothy cappuccino… or even just a “fancy hot chocolate” that has proven extremely popular in our house for the last few years. children.

Coffee quality

• Espresso: Rich with a golden cream.
• filtered coffee: Smooth and balanced.
• cold beer: Made quickly in minutes with an impressive depth of flavor.

The true test of any coffee machine is the quality of its output, and the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premiere series delivers impressive results across the board.

Starting with the espresso, the machine produces a rich shot with a deep black body and golden crema. While the initial temperature was a little high at around 77°C, I adjusted the settings using the dedicated temperature button and lowered it to a more acceptable 66°C.

I’ve used regular supermarket beans (although quite decent ones) and beans from a popular hipster cafe in London and the resulting espresso was always good.

If an expensive coffee from a large coffee shop from a properly trained barista is rated 10/10 and my Sage Oracle is a 9/10, the Ninja is comfortably and rated an 8/10 on that scale…. but it’s about a third of the price of what the Sage costs.

And it makes so much more, which brings me nicely to… filter coffee, which is equally impressive; producing smooth and balanced infusions with minimal bitterness and no signs of washed out or watered down, even in the large L+ size of 530 ml.

While it is slower than a dedicated filter coffee machine, the quality of flavor makes it worth the wait. However, the single hopper means you’re limited to one type of grain at a time, which could be a disadvantage for those who like to switch between blends.

The cold brew mode is another notable feature. Unlike traditional methods that require steeping for 24 hours, Ninja Luxe Cafe Premiere Series delivers a cold brew in minutes.

While they’re a little less tasty than traditional cold brews, the results are far superior to iced coffee made by pouring hot coffee over ice, which is actually still an option at the Ninja.

Maintenance

Daily cleaning is simple. The steam wand is self-purging and the drip tray, as mentioned, has an indicator that lets you know when it needs to be emptied.

Regular maintenance includes cleaning the shower head and wand, washing the jug and running descaling programs as requested.

For the grinder, minimal waste and easy adjustments make maintenance simple.

The water tank comes with a couple of filters and they are the same normal size used in many other machines, so you can get them quite cheaply when you need more.

Final thoughts

Few, if any, coffee machines offer the versatility of the Ninja Luxe Café.

It manages to bridge the gap between manual and bean-to-cup machines, delivering great results without complexity or waste. Whether you’re an espresso enthusiast, a filter coffee fan, or someone who loves to experiment with different styles, the Luxe is an absolute game-changer.

While there are manual machines capable of producing better espresso and filter machines that brew faster, none offer the all-in-one flexibility of the Ninja.

For coffee lovers who value variety and convenience, it’s a standout option that’s hard to beat.

how we test

When we publish our reviews, you can be sure that they are the result of “living with” long-term testing.

Because we test the kit all day, every day, we know what matters and how a particular machine compares to alternatives you might also be considering.

Our reviews are complete, objective and fair, and of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on how we test for more information.

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