The popular Shark and Ninja brands are owned by the American SharkNinja Operating LLC, which has successfully competed in this segment for over 30 years. Today it’s one of the world leaders in home appliances. Shark vacuums, blenders, air fryers, multicookers, grills from Ninja have been established in modern homes and kitchens.
Of course, the company hasn’t overlooked coffee makers, which have long been one of the most popular common kitchen accessories. Today, Ninja offers coffee lovers several series, including AutoBarista (fully automatic ‘bean-to-cup’ AE series), Espresso & Coffee Barista system (CFN series for traditional coffee and standard espresso capsules), Specialty & Multi-Serve Drip Makers (CM and CP series), and more.
The ES Ninja series is the flagship line of Luxe Cafe semi-automatic espresso stations. Based on the hybrid concept, they are implemented as a 2-in-1 system in the Luxe Cafe Mini Plus or a 4-in-1 system in the Luxe Cafe Pro, combining a portafilter espresso machine, a drip coffee maker for filter coffee, and a Cold Brew system.
The latest Cafe Mini Plus fully complies with the mini classification, with dimensions and weight of only (13.4″ x 12.2″ x 10.1″) / (34.1 x 30.9 x 26.0 cm) @ 8.8 kg / 19.4 lbs.
Ninja Luxe Cafe
The Luxe Cafe uses the unique additional Ninja Luxe portafilter. Unlike the regular model for ~18 grams, massive Luxe basket holds up to 40 grams of ground coffee, which is necessary for drip coffee or cold-pressed coffee.
It even allows you to brew 4x espresso shot. But the portafilter installing requires dosing collar or portafilter funnel.
The doser contains a built-in scale that weighs the grinds for the next shot.
For the drip-coffee Classic and Rich modes, Luxe Cafe uses pour-over tech with low-flow pulses. Simply put, water is forced through the ground coffee by gravity, producing extraction.
In general, the model offers four coffee brew styles, including Esprsesso, drip-coffee, Over Ice and Cold Brew.
The panel contains three zones для dose/grinding, program and volume selection, and milk steaming options.
Dairy presets contain ‘no froth’, ‘low’, ‘high’, and ‘cold froth’ options.
Ninja’s Barista Assist tech is very effective. With its help, even a beginner can prepare excellent coffee without going into the nuances into the relationship between grind and flow rate ratio. However, experienced coffee drinkers can disable this feature.
The presets comply with the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) standard. According to them, ~18g of coffee to yield ~45g of drink with a 1:2.5 ratio. However, the menu also offers a tighter 1:2 or a looser 1:3 option. But coffee dose is not adjustable.
For Quad Shot mode the developer equipped the model with an innovative drip tray. It includes a multi-level tray for espresso/cappuccino cups and a removable center section. A removable mini-tray is placed into the main drip tray, allowing the machine to accommodate large 0,5 -0,6l / 18-20oz cups (4x espresso shot). But rather complex design makes emptying the drip tray a bit challenging.
Luxe Cafe vs Ninja AutoBarista Pro
The stunning marketing success of Luxe Cafe in 2024 became a great incentive for the company, and a year later it introduced its AutoBarista Pro.
This is a fully automatic espresso machine with one-touch brewing. Compared to Luxe Cafe, it offers an integrated tamper, hot independent water dispenser and an improved milk frother.
A semi-automatic Luxe Cafe does dosing and grinding, but requires the coffeeholics input when using the tamper.
The AutoBarista Pro became the first Ninja’s automatic espresso machine with 13 customizable drinks, support for cold brewing and automatic milk frothing feature. Unfortunately, it’s more expensive than the Luxe Cafe. Prices in the US and Europe range from $ 950 / £ 900 vs ($ 550-$ 600) / € 700 or (£ 550-£ 700).
By the way, the company already released an improved Luxe Cafe Pro version. It features a tamper lever and a milk-steaming system with FrothPerfect tech, but it’s more expensive ($ 750 vs $ 500). To reduce consumer confusion, the company renamed Luxe Cafe to Luxe Cafe Premier.
The Ninja AutoBarista Pro has two bean hoppers. This is useful when using several types of coffee grains (Arabica and Robusta blends or roast degree) or, for example, making decaf.
Both machines have steel burr grinders, but Luxe Cafe offers 25 grind settings vs 50 in the AutoBarista Pro. The models use grind selection tips, but AutoBarista Pro even takes into account the age of the beans.
Both models produce cold-brewed and drip coffee, and make foamed milk for milk-based drinks, including Latte and Cappuccino. But you’ll need to pour it in cup yourself. However, lovers of experiments will have the opportunity to improve their latte art skills.
Ninja Luxe Cafe vs Breville Barista Express
The specs of the Ninja Luxe Cafe are very close to the popular Breville Barista Express.
Both models are espresso machines. The list of key differences is very short:
– Ninja is more automated (smart grind size recommendations, and a one-touch automatic steam wand);
– Breville features a durable, premium stainless steel body vs compact plastic enclosure of Ninja;
– Ninja additionally makes drip-style coffee and supports cold brew;
– Breville provides better temp stability, and deeper extraction control.
Ninja Luxe Cafe ES601 vs Breville BES870XL/BES870BSXL
Both models:
– steam wand;
– user profiles – memo function only;
– tamping – manual (portafilter size 53 mm vs 54 mm);
– water reservoir capacity – 2.0 l / 67.6 fl oz;
– number of boilers – 1;
– pump pressure – 15 bar;
– grinder – stainless steel conical burr grinder (25 vs 16 grind adjustment levels);
– pre-infusion, adjustable coffee temp and 2-cup function;
– no milk foam only option.
Specs differences:
– price – $ 450 – $ 500 vs $ 680 – $ 800;
– color – Silver Black Sesame vs Brushed Stainless Steel;
– interface – monochromatic LCD with buttons and dials vs buttons and dials;
– max cup height – 8.0 in / 20.3 cm vs 4.0 in / 10.2 cm;
– bean hopper capacity – 340 g / 12.0 oz vs 230 g / 8.1 oz;
– adjustable milk foam temp and hot milk function – yes vs no;
– hot water function and water filter – no vs yes.
Overall, the Brevill is more suited to experienced coffee drinkers with a larger budget.
Conclusions
Pros
– superb value quality ratio;
– Barista Assist tech;
– cold milk froth;
– integrated coffee scale;
– multiple ‘3-in-1’ brewing coffee (espresso, drip coffee and Cold Brew);
– Queue Milk feature (auto start of milk frothing cycle after preparing espresso).
Cons
– very noisy during milk steaming, especially in Thick Froth mode;
– ES601 in US and Canada does not have a hot water dispenser;
– the strength of the plastic dosing funnel seems insufficient;
– high water consumption with pre-infusions, the active heating control, and the auto-purging of the steam wand;
– no solenoid valve in Rich or Classic filter coffee modes;
– auto-purging quickly fills the drip tray.
The popularity of hybrid solutions in the consumer segment has been growing for several decades. In fact, developers improve quality and expand functionality with minimal price increases.
The ‘3-in-1’ concept with espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew technologies in the Luxe Cafe series fits perfectly with this trend. As a result, Ninja Luxe Cafe coffee machines offer maximum functionality at very affordable prices ranging from $ 500 to $ 1,000. In turn, the superb value-quality ratio promises the series bright marketing prospects.
Of course, the fully automated Ninja AutoBarista Pro model almost completely frees its owner from the coffee-making process. On the other hand, this deprives it of the opportunity to relax during the coffee-making ritual. Furthermore, its price is significantly higher, hovering around $ 1,000.
The Breville Barista Express is a very serious contender, but it’s more expensive and, most importantly, doesn’t make drip-style coffee or cold brew.
This video shows new Ninja Luxe Cafe Mini Plus.
