We Tried It: The Ninja Luxe Café Espresso Machine and Coffee Maker

What it can make in a snapshot: Ninja claims the Luxe Café espresso machine can make “no guesswork espresso, well balanced drip coffee and rapid cold brew,” as well as steam dairy and plant milk. It has a grinder for freshly ground beans (this is critical to a good cup of coffee or espresso, and you can’t use ground coffee in the Ninja Luxe Café); a group head that can handle one espresso, or up to 18 ounces of coffee, at a time; and a steam wand for milk. 

It does some of this exceedingly well and some exceedingly poorly.

The best espresso relies on weight, not volume, for the absolute best-tasting espresso, which is why a scale is so critical. The Ninja uses Barista Assist Technology that recommends the grind setting and takes care of weight-dosing, so you don’t have to think too much about dialing in your own espresso (or, in other words, making it taste as good as possible). Easy-to-use dials control various options, including the size of the espresso (double or quad) and the settings for coffee (standard, “rich,” and cold), and the small screen on the front of the machine has an easy-to-understand interface. There are three hot froth options, from superthin, foamless milk to foam so dry, it’s basically a milk cloud, plus a cold foam option. You can steam hands-free or manually, by holding the pitcher in your hand.