Choosing an espresso machine

Is the Ninja Luxe Cafe a Better Fit Than a Separate Espresso Machine and Coffee Maker?

Published · By the Espresso Shortlist editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier (ES601) fits a household where one person wants a latte and another wants a mug of drip coffee or cold brew, since it makes all three from whole beans in one machine for $599.99. It also weighs the dose, helps with the tamp, and froths milk hands-free, so it asks for less skill than a separate espresso setup. Separate machines make more sense when espresso is the main drink and you want to be able to change the grinder or the coffee maker on its own.

What $599.99 covers

Ninja sells the ES601 as three machines in one: espresso, drip coffee, and rapid cold brew. Its conical burr grinder has 25 settings running from espresso to drip. A built-in scale doses the grounds by weight for the drink you pick, and Ninja's Barista Assist gives grind size recommendations and makes automated brew adjustments. An assisted tamper comes in the box. For milk, the Dual Froth System combines steaming and whisking to make microfoam without you holding a pitcher under a wand.

Breville's Barista Express Impress, at $799.95, gives a useful comparison. It also calculates the dose and assists the tamp, with a constant 22 lb, but it makes espresso only and steams milk with a manual wand. The Ninja costs $200 less and adds drip coffee, cold brew, and hands-free milk. The Breville leaves milk texture in your hands, which is what you want if you plan to learn it.

The Ninja is 13.39 in wide, 12.99 in long, and 14.57 in high, and weighs 25.73 lb. Breville lists the Express Impress at 16.6 in wide. Ninja's step up from the ES601 is the Luxe Café Pro (ES701), at $749.99.

Where separate machines come out ahead

With the ES601, the grinder, scale, brewer, and frother are one appliance, so none of them can be upgraded on its own. A separate grinder can be replaced while the espresso machine stays, and the old one can move to filter coffee. A separate coffee maker can be chosen for the batch size or carafe you want, independent of the espresso side.

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Sources

  1. Ninja — Luxe Café Premier ES601
  2. Breville — the Barista Express® Impress

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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