CHOICE verdict
The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine is a well-designed coffee machine that’s easy to use, with convenient settings and features. It performed well across the types of coffees we tested, with plenty of drink options and milk frothing styles to experiment with. The controls are intuitive, making it easy to use and removing the guesswork around grind settings, dosing, tamping and temperatures. It also provides helpful prompts to remind the user to descale, empty the drip tray and refill the water and bean containers.
Price: $800
Contact: www.ninjakitchen.com.au
Ninja is fast becoming a household name for kitchen appliances, offering a range of blenders, food processors, air fryers and multi cookers. We recently took a look at some of the company's newest offerings for creating frozen treats – the Ninja Slushi and Swirl by Creami to see if they live up to the hype.
The brand has now spread its wings into the world of coffee making with the introduction of their Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine. So, how does it compare to long-standing rival options from Breville, DeLonghi, Sunbeam and more? Our experts take a look.
On this page:
- What is the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine?
- What are the features of the Ninja espresso machine?
- Does it brew a good coffee?
- Is the Ninja Luxe Premier Espresso Machine easy to use?
- Is it worth buying the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine?
What is the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine?
The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier is a semi-automatic espresso machine, designed for home barista enthusiasts who crave cafe-quality coffees at home with minimal fuss. It can deliver espresso, cold brew and drip coffee all from the one machine.
Our kitchen experts Fiona Mair and Chantelle Dart had a look at the machine and gave us their thoughts. Stay tuned for the full results, when we put it through its paces in our next test of home espresso machines to see how it stacks up against other brands like Breville, Sunbeam, DeLonghi and more.
What are the features of the Ninja espresso machine?
The Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine comes with a range of accessories, including a portafilter; milk jug with an integrated whisk; single and double baskets; a luxe basket; tamper; funnel; cleaning and descaling accessories as well as water filters and testing kits.
It's available in four colours, so you can choose which best suits your kitchen aesthetic – stainless steel, midnight black, gunmetal or cyberspace.
You'll also get some interesting features with this machine:
- Thermoblock heating system
- Dual froth system combining steaming and whisking
- Built-in accessory storage
- Built-in scale detects which basket is being used before measuring the amount of grounds
- Integrated grinder
- Assisted tamper
Does it brew a good coffee?
Fiona and Chantelle made a range of coffees to let us know their thoughts on what you can expect from the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine.
Fiona made a flat white, cappucino, long black and cold press coffee and rated these as 'good' to 'very good'. She says, "the machine doesn't have options for specific types of coffees like cappuccino or flat white like you see in other machines. However, you can use the espresso, quad (two double shots of coffee) and long black options with the various froth types to get your favourite type of coffee. This might take some getting used to."
She also used the hot water function to make tea, however, the temperature only reached 70°C which isn't ideal for black tea, which requires around 90°C.
Chantelle also made coffee using the four settings – espresso, quad, long black and cold press. She rated the espresso and cold press coffees as 'very good'.
We haven't put this machine through our full CHOICE testing process which involves our expert tasting panel rating a shot of espresso from each machine. This is coming next time we test espresso machines.
The control panel is intuitive and well-labelled.
Is the Ninja Luxe Premier Espresso Machine easy to use?
Fiona and Chantelle rated the Ninja as 'good' for ease of use, saying it's user-friendly with features that support simple and straightforward operation.
The range of filter baskets (single, double and luxe) are easy to insert and remove, and the funnel helps to prevent spills and mess when grinding coffee into the portafilter. The funnel also stays attached during tamping but needs to be handled carefully when removing from the portafilter to avoid loosening the basket. Orange dots on the portafilter and group head also help to indicate the correct positioning to lock the portafilter into place.
The assisted, spring-loaded tamper works effectively to provide even pressure time after time, ensuring coffee grounds are compact and evenly distributed to provide consistent coffee extraction.
The integrated grinder adjusts the recommended grind settings based on what beans are being used and may take 2–3 brews before the optimal grind setting is achieved. This might take some getting used to, as factors like new beans, adding beans or ageing beans can impact the grind.
The assisted, spring-loaded tamper works effectively to provide even pressure, ensuring coffee grounds are compact and evenly distributed to provide consistent coffee extraction
Refilling or removing the water tank and drip trays is simple, with clear water-level markings, an 'add water' indicator and a float to show when the drip tray needs emptying. The bean hopper is easy to fill and remove, and grinder settings are clearly displayed with an adjustable grind dial.
While you may need to reference the manual initially, the controls are generally well-labelled and programming functions are intuitive. An adjustable cup platform can accommodate various-sized cups up to 20cm, however smaller espresso glasses may vibrate away from the spout.
Chantelle noted that it doesn't have a "favourites" setting which is useful in households with multiple users. "The option to save your preferred setting without having to reset each time is a convenience that this machine is lacking."
Fiona noted that there is no "ready/temperature" indicator, adding that "users should wait a few minutes to ensure the machine is ready and heated optimally".
Is it easy to froth milk?
Fiona and Chantelle rated their experience with frothing milk in the Ninja Luxe Premier Espresso Machine as 'very good'. It uses what Ninja calls a 'Dual Froth System' utilising steaming (via the steam wand) and whisking (via the inbuilt whisk that sits on the base of the jug) together to create the ideal texture of milk froth.
There are four milk froth settings to choose from to cater for different kinds of drinks, with settings for steamed milk, microfoam, thick froth and cold foam. You can even choose between manually frothing the milk or using an automatic hands-free mode whereby the milk jug sits in a designated mound with a built-in temperature sensor.
Fiona says: "The combined wand and whisk creates a nice stable foam with very fine bubbles that is easy to pour. The thick froth setting is great for coffee art while the microfoam is the perfect consistency for flat whites and lattes. The cold foam was very stable and thick, perfect for adding to a hot chocolate or iced coffee instead of using whipped cream."
There are four milk froth settings to choose from to cater for different kinds of drinks, with settings for steamed milk, microfoam, thick froth and cold foam
The stainless steel jug is large, and clearly marked inside and out with volume guides and drink types (cortado, cappuccino, latte), along with min/max fill levels. The whisk attachment is also easy to insert and remove.
Hot milk cannot be frothed at the same time as the coffee shot is being poured, but a queueing feature allows the jug to be placed and the machine to start frothing automatically once extraction is complete. If you're opting for cold foam, this can be made at the same time as the coffee shot is being extracted.
Is it easy to clean?
The machine's exterior is mostly plastic, making it easy to wipe clean, although some stainless steel sections require extra attention and some cracks and crevices around the controls can trap dirt and grime.
Chantelle says light cleaning after each use is ideal. "Wipe down the milk wand, wash out the group head and rinse out the drip tray. These parts are easy to remove and rinse under a tap."
The funnel, whisk, cleaning disc, water reservoir, bean hopper and drip tray can all be cleaned in the dishwasher.
The machine also has a clean cycle which takes around six minutes and uses a cleaning disc and tablet. A light on the machine will illuminate to indicate cleaning is required. It will also prompt you when it's time for descaling which simply involves flushing the machine with the Ninja descale powder that's provided.
The unit is quite large and takes up a fair bit of bench space, but Chantelle says "the clever use of integrated storage for additional accessories helps to alleviate clutter and provides quick and convenient access to these items when needed."
Is it worth buying the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine?
The Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Espresso Machine is an intuitive coffee machine that's easy to use once you familiarise yourself with its settings.
Chantelle says, "the automated features add a layer of convenience while also allowing for manual adjustments like changing the brew temperature, froth temperature and grind size."
Fiona was pleased with the coffee produced by the machine and enjoyed experimenting with different drink options and milk frothing styles, saying "with a range of coffee options, it's flexible enough to please any coffee connoisseur."
However, she was somewhat disappointed by the build quality. "The mostly plastic build and lightweight parts make it feel less premium, and at $800, you'd expect something that feels more durable," she says.
If you're in the market for a new coffee machine, Fiona and Chantelle think the Ninja is worth taking a look at. It's convenient to use with lots of helpful prompts, plenty of coffee options to choose from and is well-designed to incorporate accessory storage in the machine.
Stay tuned for the full results when we put it up against other popular coffee machine brands in our full lab tests of home espresso machines.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
