Ninja Luxe Cafe Review: Three Machines for the Price of One!

I’ll admit to being more than a little excited about this Ninja Luxe Cafe review. After all, even though the home espresso machine sector is getting more and more crowded, there aren’t many models pushing the envelope.

That can’t be said for the Ninja Luxe Cafe, which promises a bunch of special features you won’t find elsewhere. Especially at the more budget-friendly end of the price spectrum.

As it happens, I bought this brand new espresso maker to test out for you. And I can’t wait to tell you what this baby is all about. So, without further ado, let’s jump right in!

Overview: Ninja Luxe Cafe Review

I’m fairly confident you’ll all be familiar with the Ninja brand, if not for its drip coffee makers then at least for its mega popular air fryers and blenders. Interestingly enough, the Ninja Luxe Cafe is the hugely successful manufacturer’s first foray into the home espresso machine market.

So, will this impressive-looking machine be the one to topple the Breville Barista Express off its throne? I have to say things are looking good for Ninja in that regard.

For starters, the Luxe Cafe is extremely competitively priced at just $695.99. And when you consider the fact that it’s being marketed as “3 Machines in One,” the price almost seems too good to be true.

What’s more, this sophisticated espresso machine with a built-in grinder comes with a bunch of exciting features, including weight-based dosing and Barista Assist Technology.

While a machine that guides users through the espresso preparation process isn’t exactly new, the Ninja Luxe Cafe has a few new tricks up its sleeve. And as for the integrated coffee scale, that’s something you’ll seldom see on an espresso machine at this price point. Come to think of it, I can’t remember seeing that on any hybrid espresso machine.

At first glance, the Ninja Luxe Cafe seems rather intimidating. However, it actually seems like it could be a very successful beginner espresso machine. Trust me, Ninja knows what it’s doing and has designed a very user friendly device. This smart espresso machine promises to help even the most inexperienced newbie prepare fantastic espresso. Heck you can even make drip coffee and cold brew.

If all this has piqued your interest, keep reading. I’m about to dive into what makes the Ninja Luxe Cafe a powerful and unique machine.

Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso Machine Features

Size and Design

While the Ninja Luxe Cafe might not be the most visually appealing espresso machine out there, it does look pretty sleek and stylish. Let’s just say Ninja has turned up the hyper-modern design vibes rather than falling back on the tried-and-tested retro stylings of most home espresso makers.

A good proportion of the front of the machine is occupied by the user interface, which comprises a digital display along with various dials and buttons. Remember how I talked about this machine looking intimidating? Well that’s what I was referring to.

I’ll discuss the user interface in a bit. However, don’t be alarmed – it’s actually very intuitive and easy to navigate.

Elsewhere, the Ninja Luxe Cafe has everything you’d expect, including a grinder station on one side and a milk frothing station on the other.

One of the things that sets this machine apart is its emphasis on workflow, as evidenced by the nifty storage solutions for the dosing collar and tamper, as well as a cool compartment for storing filter baskets and cleaning supplies. Plus, the Ninja Luxe Cafe’s drip tray system is like nothing I’ve ever seen. I’ll talk more about that later, suffice to say Tetris fans are in for a treat.

Overall, the Ninja Luxe Cafe is an imposing machine that seems to be very well built. And the Ninja design team has obviously dedicated a lot of time to making sure this espresso machine stands apart from the competition.

Portafilter

Before going any further into this Ninja Luxe Cafe review, I simply have to talk about the portafilter. This has to be the weirdest looking portafilter I’ve ever seen – although it has a relatively small 53mm diameter, the thing is super deep. In fact, it kinda looks like someone welded two portafilters together!

As it happens, there’s a good reason for this. You see, the Ninja Luxe Cafe is capable of making both espresso and drip coffee. For the former option, there’s a standard issue single wall filter basket. But for the latter brew style, you have to use a special extra-deep basket.

Incidentally, you can also use this basket to make cold brew or even a quad espresso shot.

Other than its unique design, the Ninja portafilter feels reliably sturdy, featuring chrome-plated brass in its construction. Oh, and I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Ninja has only included single-wall filter baskets. No fake crema here!

My only complaint would be that it can be strangely difficult to lock the portafilter into place in the group head. Then again, that could just be me.

User Interface

As I already mentioned, the user interface on this machine comprises a digital display surrounded by various buttons and dials. While there’s a ton of information in front of you, navigating the control panel is actually very straightforward.

The left side of the display deals with dose and grind settings. Meanwhile, the central section is where you’ll select which drink you want to make as well as various size options. Finally, the right section of the display is reserved for milk steaming options.

What’s really cool is that the machine automatically detects which filter basket you’re using. This way, it only highlights the drink options and settings that are relevant to that basket. It’s touches like this that prove Ninja put a lot of thought into this machine.

Brew Styles

I can tell you right now that the Ninja Luxe Cafe is capable of brewing some very convincing espresso. I’ll talk more about how it achieves that a little later.

However, espresso is only part of the story here. You’re also able to make drip-style coffee, thanks to the extra large filter basket. And this isn’t the approximation of coffee you’ll get from a super automatic espresso machine. Rather, the coffee grounds in the filter aren’t tamped and the Luxe Cafe adjusts the way it brews to approximate a pour over style cup of coffee.

No one could accuse Ninja of doing things by halves, so you won’t be surprised to hear that you can choose between four drip coffee brew styles, including “Over Ice” and “Cold Brew.” Oh and you can select from a whopping seven sizes, ranging from 6 ounces to 18 ounces.

Incidentally, I should mention that I’ve rarely been impressed by machines claiming to be able to make cold brew. Personally, I’d rather drink an iced americano. Then again, both the Jura Z10 and Spinn Coffee Maker delivered very delicious approximations of cold brew, so I had high hopes going into my Ninja Luxe Cafe test. I’ll spill the beans on how it performed a little later.

Conical Burr Grinder

The Ninja Luxe Cafe is equipped with a stainless steel conical burr grinder with 25 adjustment settings.

So far, so normal and expected. However, remember that this machine has to grind for both espresso and drip coffee. So, that means the number of grind settings in the espresso range are going to be fairly limited.

Oh, and you might be wondering about having to radically change the grind every time you switch between espresso and drip coffee. Well, don’t worry because Ninja came up with a unique solution.

Without getting too technical, the grinder has motor-supported grind adjustments when you’re going finer. So, with each click, the grinder pulses very slightly. This means you won’t have to purge the grinder when you’ve made big adjustments, and it also prevents the burrs from getting stuck. Seriously, how cool is that?!

At this point I should mention that the Ninja grinder is really quiet in operation. The design team obviously put a lot of work into soundproofing the thing, and I was very impressed by the results.

Barista Assist Technology

Remember earlier in this Ninja Luxe Cafe review when I said I’d discuss how the machine achieves quality espresso? Well now’s the time to get into it. Thanks to Ninja’s Brew Assist Technology, the Luxe Cafe will guide you in your espresso preparation.

For starters, the machine will suggest an appropriate grind size, based on how the last shot performed. But what’s really exciting is the weight-based dosing system. That’s right – the Ninja Luxe Cafe has a built-in scale, meaning your dose will always be very accurate.

During my testing, the machine consistently dosed between 17 and 18 grams of coffee, depending on the espresso beans I was using.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, you can manually adjust the brew ratio to your preferred taste. That said, I got the best results when sticking with a 2:1 ration.

Finally, the Luxe Cafe will automatically calibrate itself when you change coffee beans. You’ll definitely have to pull a couple of shots while the machine gets things right, but it’ll quickly find the correct grind size and dose.

Adjustable Temperature Settings

As you might have guessed, the Ninja Luxe Cafe is equipped with a thermoblock heating system. And during my testing the machine heated up very quickly indeed.

What’s more, there’s a PID controller on board, meaning this espresso machine will maintain consistent brewing temperature. The PID is adjustable, with three temperature settings to choose from, but I found the highest setting to be the only one worth using.

Sure, more experienced baristas would prefer to be able to precisely dial in their preferred brewing temperature. However, I’d imagine that the target audience for this machine will be happy with what’s on offer.

Tamping

Regular Coffeeness readers will know that I tend to get frustrated when manufacturers supply a flimsy plastic espresso tamper with their machines. Especially when the machine is targeted toward more advanced users. The Gaggia Classic Pro immediately comes to mind.

So, I was overjoyed to see that Ninja had included a spring-loaded tamper as part of its espresso accessories kit. Trust me, that’s really going to help you achieve consistent espresso shots.

What’s more, you’ll also get a nifty dosing collar, which means all the coffee grounds will be neatly contained within the portafilter. With that said, I did notice some static issues with the dosing chamber, which led to a buildup of coffee grounds on the drip tray. It wasn’t a huge deal, but did get a little messy after a while.

Milk Foam

I’m accustomed to seeing automatic steam wands, having tested machines like the Breville Bambino Plus and Barista Touch Impress. In fact, the Breville auto wands have consistently impressed me with their high-quality milk foam. However, I’ve never seen a milk foam system quite like this before.

The Ninja Luxe Cafe has a fairly standard issue steam wand. However, the milk jug has a whisk inside, kind of like what you’d find in a standalone milk frother. This works to create a vortex in the milk as it’s being steamed, and works fairly well. Plus, you’re able to choose from multiple milk foam settings, as well as prepare cold foam.

In case you were wondering, you can take over and steam manually using your own milk pitcher. If you’re experienced in steaming milk, I’d recommend doing it this way for the best results. Personally, I felt like the automatic system couldn’t quite manage silky enough microfoam for latte art.

Drip Tray

Depending on your personal threshold for complicated design features, the Ninja Luxe Cafe’s drip tray system could be massively annoying or groundbreaking.

To be honest, I’m kind of on the fence. I do have to take my hat off to Ninja for really going all out here, but the whole thing felt slightly convoluted.

Sure, the drip tray is incredibly well thought-out, and includes a multi-level tray for espresso cups and cappuccino cups as well as a removable center section. This particular feature means you’ll be able to fit a large travel mug under the portafilter, which is usually impossible with an espresso machine.

However, there are a lot of parts to contend with, and emptying the drip tray can be a real pain in the rear end. Oh, and I must say that the drip tray fills up a lot quicker than I expected.

How to Use the Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso Machine

As we’ve seen, the Ninja Luxe Cafe is a powerful and versatile machine that lets you brew up a wide variety of espresso and coffee drinks.

In a moment I’ll give you all the ins and outs of how the machine performs. But first, I’ll give you a quick overview of how to use the thing to make espresso.

Once you’ve unboxed the machine and rinsed all removable parts, fill the reservoir with filtered water and load up the hopper with freshly roasted coffee beans. Next, pop the espresso filter basket in the portafilter and power up the machine. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll likely need to pull a couple of test shots before getting satisfactory results. Don’t worry, though – the Luxe Cafe will guide you through the process.

Attach the dosing collar then insert the portafilter into the grinding cradle and you’ll see the machine tare using its built-in scale. You’ll also see the recommended grind size displayed as well as your current grind setting. Use the dial on the side of the machine to adjust your grind size until it matches.

Now you can press the grind button, then tamp the coffee once the portafilter is fully dosed. Once that’s done, remove the collar and lock the portafilter into place in the group head.

Finally, put an espresso cup under the spouts and press the central brew button to begin the extraction.

Incidentally, if you want to make drip coffee, you won’t have to tamp the grounds. You’ll also have way more choices in terms of cup size and brew style. As for all other adjustable settings, I’ll leave it to the user manual to explain!

My Observations

I’ll let you in on a secret: I wasn’t expecting the Ninja Luxe Cafe to perform nearly as well as it did. So, you can imagine my surprise as I watched the thing churn out shot after shot of delicious, well-balanced espresso with tons of aromatic crema.

Sure, it took a little while for the Ninja to get the grind setting right. Still, it eventually figured out that a grind size of 12 was ideal for my Coffeeness Espresso Blend.

Of course, I used my trusty coffee scale to keep an eye on how the Ninja was doing in terms of dose and espresso yield. And I’m happy to report that it consistently dosed 18 grams of ground coffee and produced a 36 gram double espresso shot in around 25-30 seconds. Plus, the machine did a great job of highlighting the chocolate and hazelnut notes in my Brazilian blend.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Ninja’s drip coffee. It was delicate yet satisfying, with a medium body and well-rounded acidity. However, the cold brew was a huge disappointment. Trust me, don’t buy this machine if you’re hoping for a cold brew magic bullet.

On the other hand, the cold pressed espresso was a triumph. The coffee machine produced this delicious beverage by extending the extraction time and brewing with two short bursts. The result was a sweet and creamy delight that tasted superb with a dash of oat milk.

My main complaint about the Ninja Luxe Cafe is that its steam wand didn’t perform as well as expected. Plus, it isn’t double-walled, so milk residue quickly dries on there and can be hard to remove. However, as I mentioned earlier, you’ll get better results if you opt for manual steaming.

Ninja Luxe Cafe Cleaning

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, cleaning and descaling an espresso machine doesn’t have to be a major hassle. Still, there are a few things to take care of on the daily. And if you do so, you’ll most certainly prolong the life of your machine. Oh, and your coffee will continue to taste good, too.

So, at the end of each day’s use, make sure to rinse the portafilter and filter baskets. While you’re at it, remove the shower screen from the group head and give it a quick scrub. And if you’ve used the milk frother, feel free to soak it for a few minutes to remove any stubborn residue.

As you’d expect, the Ninja Luxe Cafe requires some deeper cleaning every once in a while. I won’t bore you with the details here, suffice to say the machine will alert you when a cleaning cycle or descaling cycle is needed. You’ll find all the juicy details in the user manual.

Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso Machine Specifications

Ninja Luxe Cafe vs Breville Barista Express

At the start of this Ninja Luxe Cafe review I wondered aloud whether this machine could compete with the Breville Barista Express. After all, the Luxe Cafe is the latest in a long line of machines pitting themselves against the most popular home espresso maker of all time.

To be honest, I’d say the Ninja Luxe Cafe will appeal to a different group of people – those who want good espresso and coffee without any learning curve. On the other hand, the Barista Express appeals to budding baristas who need an approachable entry-level machine.

Sure, the Breville will only take you so far, but it does make you feel like you’re learning the espresso preparation ropes.

Costing $695.99, the Breville Barista Express is rather more expensive than the Luxe Cafe. Still, it does offer more in the way of adjustable parameters and comes off as slightly more “pro.” Either way, both machines offer incredible value for money, and I think there’s room in the home espresso market for both to thrive.

See Also: Breville Barista Express Review

Ninja Luxe Cafe vs Breville Barista Express Comparison Chart

Verdict: Ninja Luxe Cafe Review

Now that I’ve reached the end of my Ninja Luxe Cafe review, I’m happy to recommend this espresso machine most highly. Trust me, the manufacturer has outdone itself with this fabulous new machine.

I’m very impressed by the innovative design features here, including the milk system and the motor-assisted grinder. In fact, I’d say the Luxe Cafe could become one of the most successful home espresso machines out there.

I had an absolute blast testing this thing out, and I’m always happy when a machine exceeds my expectations. So, if Breville isn’t already a little worried, they haven’t been paying attention!