This ‘smart’ espresso machine turned my morning coffee into a dream

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Ninja Luxe Café is a 3-in-1 espresso machine for $500 that can make drip coffee, cold brew, and hot or cold foam.
• This Ninja espresso machine has all the features and accessories you need to make the best coffee you’ve ever tasted in your kitchen. It’s easy to use and intelligently adjusts its settings depending on your coffee beans and water hardness.
• I wish it could be turned on remotely or on a schedule to warm up before I come downstairs. I also wouldn’t recommend it to someone who generally prefers a Keurig or lighter coffee.

Espresso makers are often very expensive, almost “elite” kitchen appliances. As someone who grew up in a coffee-centric culture, since I moved to the US, I’ve been disappointed by espresso coffee being considered a high-end treat rather than part of a daily routine. The Ninja Luxe Café 3-in-1 espresso machine finally fixed that for me.

Anyone from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, or Puerto Rico can attest that we love our coffee. A stovetop espresso maker is a staple in every home on these islands, and an espresso or a “cortadito” is the first thing a host offers their guests.

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Moving to the US, I experienced a bit of culture shock over how people view espresso so differently; it is more of a luxury than the norm. When a drip coffee maker didn’t do the trick, I frequently bought Starbucks or other overpriced coffees to satisfy my need for strong coffee. Then, I found a stovetop espresso maker at a discount store and immediately moved it to its permanent home on my stove.

Since then, different coffee makers have graced my stove and countertops, including a Keurig and, more recently, an inexpensive DeLonghi espresso maker. While the countertop DeLonghi made the best coffee, I found it tedious to turn on, wait for it to warm up, and follow all the steps to make a tiny cup of coffee — not to mention the maintenance it requires.

I’m often pitched espresso machines, but I never test them because they don’t stand out. The Ninja Luxe Café stands out in several ways, especially for its smart component.

This 3-in-1 coffee maker can brew espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew with freshly ground beans. It also has a milk frother to create hot or cold foam out of dairy and plant-based milks, with options for each.

The machine is smart enough to know the roast and quality of the coffee beans inside it, so it can tell you which grind setting you need for the coffee you want. A finer setting is preferred for espresso, while drip coffee uses a coarser grind. After one brew, the machine adjusts its settings, learning from how the coffee brewed over the predetermined grind, and gives you an informed weight-based recommendation the next time you use it.

A built-in scale makes it easy for the machine to accurately add the correct amount of coffee grounds for the preferred drink, so you don’t have to weigh your grounds or worry about whether your coffee will come out right.

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When I tested the Ninja Luxe Café, I quickly realized I wasn’t returning to a mocha pot or my DeLonghi espresso maker. It’s an all-encompassing machine that makes brewing espresso easier than the simpler DeLonghi maker — I don’t even have to measure or scoop anything, and the used grounds slide out easier than on the DeLonghi. With larger espresso machines being notoriously difficult to operate, you’d think it’d be the opposite.

Everything you need for the Ninja Luxe is included: the machine, a portafilter, a double basket, a larger Luxe basket, a funnel for the ground coffee, a milk jug, an adjustable cup tray, an assisted tamper to tamp your grounds, and a cleaning kit.

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Once it’s set up, the Ninja Luxe only requires putting the included funnel over the portafilter and inserting it below the grinder. I turn on the machine, select the type of coffee I want, adjust the grind size according to the machine’s recommendations, and begin grinding.

Then, I tamp the freshly ground coffee with the included tamper, remove the funnel, and move the portafilter to the coffee maker to start brewing. If I want to make a cappuccino, latte, macchiato, or flat white, I can start frothing my milk before or after making the coffee.

Once it’s done, I wipe down the frother tip, wash the portafilter and milk jug, and the machine is ready for its next use. The milk frother can rinse out any remaining milk inside of it with the press of the “purge” button. The frother runs hot water into a drip tray that holds the milk jug and coffee cup when the Ninja Luxe Café runs. This tray slides out easily, and I wash it out at the end of the day.

The espresso is my favorite drink to make with the Ninja Luxe Café, but my favorite thing about it (aside from doing less work for better coffee) is that I can brew drip coffee that is much stronger and tastes fresher than using a traditional drip coffee maker. While the fresh taste is obviously from the freshly ground beans, the bold taste is better than my stovetop espresso maker.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Who should buy the Ninja Luxe Café? As evidenced by the price, this isn’t a Keurig or drip coffee maker replacement. Still, it’s a great option for people who like crafting beverages at home and trying different coffee types. The Ninja Luxe Café is comparatively affordable at $500, and its build quality and performance are unbeatable at that price.

The downsides of the Ninja Luxe Café are more my wishlist items than “cons.” For example, I wish the coffee maker had a smart setting that could let it warm up before I come downstairs in the morning. 

This is one of the best-performing home gadgets I’ve tested this year. It reliably meets the towering expectations it sets with its performance and ease of use. At $500, the Ninja Luxe Café will make you feel like you got away with robbery within a couple of uses.

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