I’m thoroughly impressed with the Ninja Luxe Cafe series. Hence this guide to the best Ninja espresso machines. Although there are more and more espresso machines available for home use, only a few models manage to actually stand out from the crowd. This series excels as a hybrid solution, as it’s capable of producing both espresso and drip coffee. What’s more, two of the machines offer a convincing cold brew function.
In particular, the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series ES701 really stands out, offering a range of special features you won’t find elsewhere – and at the budget-friendly end of the price spectrum.
As many of you will know, I’ve already tested the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier model in the Coffeeness kitchen. And I was really impressed by what it brings to the table. In this guide to the best Ninja espresso machines, I’ll compare all three models currently available on Amazon.
Table of Contents
From Blender to Coffee Machine: Background on Ninja
The U.S.-based company SharkNinja was founded in 1994 and is part of the JS Global Group. The name is a combination of its two main brands, Ninja and Shark. While Ninja is best known for its state-of-the-art and innovative kitchen appliances, its sister company Shark specializes in cleaning and household appliances such as vacuum cleaners.
Ninja’s success story began with high-performance blenders, which have evolved into an extensive product range in recent years. In addition to the popular Ninja Foodi series, this includes slow cookers, pressure cookers and air fryers. With the launch of the highly successful Ninja Coffee Bar in 2015, the manufacturer entered the coffee sector and continues to release new models on a regular basis.
Overview: Comparison of the Best Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso Machines
As we’ve just established, most of you are probably familiar with the name Ninja, not so much in connection with coffee gear, but because of its popular air fryers and blenders. Then again, I’ve tested and reviewed a couple of the best Ninja coffee makers, both of which scored highly. The Luxe Cafe marks the manufacturer’s first foray into the home espresso machine market.
| Ninja Luxe Cafe Essential Series ES501 | aff id=”206865″ text=”Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Series ES601″ lang=”en”] | Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series ES701 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | 2-in-1 | 3-in-1 | 4-in-1 |
| Single espresso / americano | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cold brew / cold-pressed espresso | No | Yes | Yes |
| Espresso styles | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Milk froth styles | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Cold foam | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hot water function | No | No | Yes |
| Insulated steam wand | No | No | Yes |
| Integrated tamper | No | No | Yes |
| Current price on Amazon | $597.95 | $479.99 | $599.00 |
Ninja Luxe Café ES501: The Classic for Espresso & Drip Coffee
Retailing for $597.95, the Ninja Luxe Cafe Essential Series ES501 is the manufacturer’s entry-level espresso machine. With this model you’re able to prepare everything from customizable shots of espresso to perfectly balanced drip coffee in a range of sizes. The control panel features a monochrome LCD display with buttons and dials.
Thanks to the Barista Assist Technology, the machine automatically calibrates itself and recommends the best settings. This lets you enjoy a perfect cup of coffee or espresso without the hassle of trial and error. Furthermore, the brewing temperature and pressure are monitored throughout the entire brewing process.
The machine also features a Dual Froth System with two automatic milk texture options, but doesn’t offer an option for cold milk. This allows you to transform both cow juice and non-dairy milk into perfectly textured, long-lasting foam.
Thanks to the built-in scale, the conical burr grinder delivers exactly the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the portafilter. Plus, you can choose from 25 different grind settings.
Ninja Luxe Café ES601: The All-Rounder With a Cold Brew Function
The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier ES601 is the model I tested, and I was truly impressed by its performance. With the ES601, you get three machines in one: this thing can make three styles of espresso, drip coffee and cold brew. I particularly enjoyed the cold-pressed espresso, which involved a cool two-stage extraction process. While II wasn’t blown away by the automatic milk frother, it does a fairly good job. Besides, you can always take over and steam milk by hand.
Instead of the all-too-common useless plastic tamper included with budget-friendly espresso machines, the Luxe Cafe comes with a spring-loaded tamper. This, in combination with the weight-based dosing feature makes the $479.99 asking price seem particularly reasonable.
See Also: Ninja Luxe Cafe Review
Ninja Luxe Café ES701: The Professional With an Integrated Tamper
The Ninja 4-in-1 Luxe Café Pro ES701 is Ninja’s flagship model. In addition to the functions already mentioned, you can choose from different espresso styles such as lungo or doppio with this device. In addition, you don’t need an additional tamper, because there’s an assisted tamping function similar to what you’ll find on the Breville Barista Touch Impress.
Elsewhere, the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series features an insulated steam wand, dedicated hot water function and an additional milk froth style. The machine also comes with an extra-large milk pitcher. Incidentally, I should point out that Ninja’s automatic frothing system operates in a similar way to standalone milk frothers. There’s a small whisk in the bottom of the pitcher that creates a vortex during milk steaming. And as I mentioned, the ES701 offers five milk foam styles, including cold milk foam.
As you’d imagine, this model is quite a bit more expensive than its siblings. You’ll have to shell out $599.00 for the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series.
Advantages & Disadvantages of the Ninja Luxe Series
As you already know, I’m really impressed by the Ninja Luxe Cafe. But as with any product, there are a few drawbacks that we need to discuss as well.
In addition to the versatility, Dual Froth System and user-friendliness I mentioned earlier, the Ninja Luxe also scores points for its high-quality design and compact size. In terms of appearance, the models in the Pro and Premier Series are particularly striking.
One really cool feature that I haven’t seen very often in this form is the extremely well-designed drip tray. It includes a multi-tiered tray for espresso glasses and latte glasses, as well as a removable center section. Thanks to this special feature, you can even place a large travel coffee mug under the portafilter – something that’s not usually possible with an espresso machine.
Advantages:
Grind & dose by weight
Automatic milk frothing
Intuitive operation
Innovative dual-purpose portafilter
Prepares espresso, filter coffee & cold brew (ES601, ES701)
Multi-level drip tray
Quiet operation
Disadvantages:
No pressure gauge
Steam wand isn’t insulated (ES501, ES601)
Ninja Luxe Cafe Cleaning & Descaling
Cleaning and descaling an espresso machine isn’t too much of a hassle and should be done regularly. This ensures that the machine is always in perfect working order and that your coffee continues to taste great. The manufacturer includes a starter kit for cleaning the Ninja Luxe Cafe, consisting of two cleaning tablets and one descaling tablet.
You can simply wipe down the steam frothing wand with a damp cloth. The Ninja Luxe Café also features an automatic self-cleaning program that flushes the wand after each use. The dosing funnel, filter baskets, water tank, backflushing disc, bean hopper and parts of the drip tray are dishwasher-safe.
You should rinse and scrub the portafilter and the filter baskets every day. And while you’re at it, remove the dispersion screen from the group head and give it a quick scrub. If you’ve also used the milk frother, you can soak it briefly to remove particularly stubborn residue. And seeing as the steam wand isn’t double-walled on the ES501 and ES601, it must be cleaned immediately after each use.
I won’t bore you with all the ins and outs of descaling the machine. However, all important details on cleaning and care of the Ninja Luxe can be found in the user manual.
Best Coffee Beans for Ninja Luxe Café Espresso Machines
Coffeeness Medium Roast Espresso
Well-balanced with chocolate & hazelnut notes
Freshly roasted in Brooklyn
Very low acidity
While you can find excellent options in my guide to the best espresso beans, I simply have to recommend my Coffeeness Espresso Blend for the best results with the Ninja Luxe Cafe.
When I spent time testing the machine I was quickly able to dial in my shots to perfection using a grind setting of 12. The machine performed admirably, producing consistent results with each extraction. The Ninja also seemed to really like my beans, seeing as it highlighted all the tasting notes I love from my Brazilian blend – chocolate, hazelnut and caramel. Furthermore, the espresso was rich, full-bodied and displayed a luxurious layer of crema.
As for the drip coffee option, I encourage you to experiment with different single-origin coffee beans as well as coffee blends. Seriously, this machine will produce pour over-style coffee time after time. Just try to source high-quality coffee beans from an independent roaster. Your taste buds will thank you and you’ll be helping sustain specialty coffee producers.
Ninja Luxe Cafe vs Breville Barista Express Impress
In my review of the Ninja Luxe Cafe I made sure to compare the machine with the evergreen Breville Barista Express. After all, the Australian classic is one of the most popular home espresso machines of all time. I sem to remember concluding that there’s room in the burgeoning home barista movement for both models, as each has a lot to recommend it. Upon starting this guide to the best Ninja espresso machines, I wondered whether any of the three models could compete with the Breville Barista Express Impress. Obviously, the main contender would be the Luxe Cafe Pro Series, which also has an integrated tamper. However, the Breville lacks the all-important dose-by-weight feature included with all Ninja Luxe Cafe espresso machines. What’s more, the innovative system for preparing either drip coffee or espresso sets all the Ninja machines apart.
The espresso quality is similar on both machines. In my opinion, however, the Ninja Café Luxe is aimed at a different audience – namely, anyone who wants good coffee and espresso without a learning curve. The Barista Express Impress, on the other hand, appeals to aspiring baristas who need an accessible entry-level machine. While it won’t turn you into a pro, it will let you learn the basics of espresso preparation—just like with the DeLonghi Dedica Deluxe and others.
Costing $789.99, the Breville hybrid machine is slightly more expensive than the most advanced Luxe Café model, but offers more adjustment options and looks more professional overall. Nevertheless, both machines offer a first-class price-performance ratio and I am sure that they will shake up the market for home barista espresso machines in the future.
See Also: Breville Barista Express Impress Review
Verdict: Is It worth buying a Ninja Luxe Espresso Machine?
The Ninja Luxe Café series is designed for coffee lovers who want to enjoy both espresso and drip coffee at home without needing multiple machines. I was really impressed by the ES701, the professional-grade 3-in-1 coffee maker.
These hybrid machines are ideal for anyone who values flexibility and likes to switch between different brewing methods—from classic espresso to filter coffee (ES501) and cold brew (ES601). I was particularly impressed by innovative features like the milk system with plant-based milk mode and the electric grinder.
If you’re looking for uncomplicated, high-quality coffee brewing without needing barista skills (like with the Rocket Appartamento), the Ninja Luxe Cafe is an exciting option. Whether it has what it takes to hold its own in the espresso machine market remains to be seen.
FAQs
Although the manufacturer has only recently entered the home espresso machine market, its three Luxe Cafe machines offer exceptional value for money, top-notch performance and innovative features.
The most popular Ninja coffee machine is the CM401 Specialty Coffee Maker.
The three Ninja Luxe Cafe espresso machines share many core features like weight-based dosing, automatic milk frothing and an integrated conical burr grinder. However, as you move up through the series, expect extra features like enhanced espresso control, cold brew and an integrated tamper.
