The Luxe Café Premier, model ES601, is the machine people usually mean when they search for a Ninja espresso machine. Ninja launched it in the US in July 2024 as a three-in-one: espresso, drip coffee and cold brew from one grinder. What sets it apart from most machines with a built-in grinder is that it tries to teach you. It weighs the grounds, times each shot and suggests a finer or coarser grind for the next one, which it calls Barista Assist. It is also the most thoroughly tested machine in this review set: CoffeeGeek alone recorded 233 shots on it. The verdict across a dozen hands-on reviews is consistent. It makes good espresso with very little skill, and the things it does beyond espresso, cold brew and cold foam especially, are better than they need to be. Its weak points are milk temperature, the US model's missing hot water, and a guidance system that sometimes over-corrects.
This machine includes a built-in grinder — see our verdict below on how it compares to pairing the machine with a dedicated grinder.
Good, consistent espresso with almost no skill, very consistent dosing, and drip coffee, cold brew and cold foam that testers rated. Grind guidance can over-correct, auto milk runs hot, and the US model lacks hot water and a single basket.
Best for: Beginners who want espresso, milk drinks, drip and cold brew from one guided machine
Boiler
Single thermoblock
Wattage
1650W
Tank
2.1L
Weight
11.7 kg
Steam
Automatic
✓ Pros
Grind guidance and weight-checked dosing get beginners to a good shot quickly
Real espresso from unpressurised baskets, measured at about 18 g in, 36 g out
Drip coffee, cold brew and cold foam that testers rated highly
Little or no warm-up before the first shot
✗ Cons
US model has no hot water and no single basket
Auto milk runs hot and stiff; plain oat and almond froth weakly
Grind suggestions can swing back and forth
One-year warranty; plastic dosing funnel reported to crack
Shot Quality
The Premier uses unpressurised baskets, so the grind has to be right, and that is the job Barista Assist takes on. Its dosing is unusually consistent. CoffeeGeek measured the double dose at 17.8 grams, give or take 0.15 grams, across ten measurements, and Coffeeness, which bought its machine, recorded 18 grams in and 36 grams out in 25 to 30 seconds. Expert Reviews timed doubles at 27 to 29 seconds and about 73 degrees Celsius in the cup. Taste notes are good rather than exceptional: CoffeeGeek rated its best shots 3.5 to 3.75 stars and judged that a seasoned home barista would get better coffee from a Breville Barista Express, but that the Ninja gets most people close with minimal input. Tom's Coffee Corner said it had never choked the machine. Two cautions run through the evidence. The default ratio runs long, about 18 grams to 45 out, and Coffee Kev's US unit varied from 42 to 80 grams between shots, which he could not pin on a batch fault or the design; he has heard Ninja is replacing affected units. Light roasts are not its strength.
How Barista Assist Works
Barista Assist is three things. The grinder sits over a scale, so the machine knows how much it ground, and CoffeeGeek concluded after extensive testing that it adjusts grind time to hit the target rather than weighing as it grinds. The grinder has 25 settings, and after each shot the machine recommends a setting for the next one based on how long the shot ran. Tamping is assisted: a spring-loaded tamper clicks at about 30 pounds of pressure. For beginners this works. Tom's Coffee Corner said the suggestion system works really well, and Expert Reviews agreed with the setting it chose. The failure mode is oscillation: CoffeeGeek found it can chase its tail, swinging between settings and wasting coffee, and Coffee Kev saw occasional blips. CoffeeGeek also advises going at least three clicks finer than it suggests for drip. You can switch the guidance off in the advanced menu, and the dose itself cannot be changed.
Steam & Milk
The Dual Froth System pairs a steam wand with a whisk that spins in the base of the milk jug. You pour milk into the jug, choose steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth or cold foam, and walk away; holding the froth button for three seconds switches to manual steaming. Most testers liked the automatic results for cappuccinos and lattes, but two things recur. It runs hot: CoffeeGeek measured the factory settings near 75 degrees Celsius and recommends lowering them in the menu, although Expert Reviews found its UK unit stopped accurately at 65 degrees for dairy. And the foam is stiff rather than silky, so CoffeeGeek, Coffeeness and Tom's Coffee Corner all preferred manual mode for latte art. Barista-style oat milk worked for Expert Reviews, but TechRadar's regular oat milk and Expert Reviews' almond and soy came out thin, which is why we rate it three of five for plant milk. The cold foam is the surprise: CoffeeGeek said no other machine it had used made foam like it, though fattier milk works best.
Drip Coffee and Cold Brew
The drip side is real filter coffee, not a long espresso: the grinder switches to a coarse setting and the machine brews 6 to 18 ounces in classic, rich or over-ice styles. CoffeeGeek measured its extractions in the range the Specialty Coffee Association recommends, and Coffeeness and Top Ten Reviews liked the cup, although TechRadar could not taste a difference between classic and rich, and Expert Reviews found the filter coffee only okay. CoffeeGeek advises grinding finer than the suggested setting for drip. Cold brew is the feature reviewers did not expect to like. It brews at lower temperature and pressure in minutes rather than overnight, and CoffeeGeek called it not a gimmick, Chowhound said it was as good as a cold brew it had had, and Expert Reviews rated it. Coffeeness disagreed and found its cold brew a huge disappointment while praising the cold-pressed espresso. Treat it as a fast, smooth imitation rather than true overnight cold brew.
Who It's For, Build & Value
The Premier suits someone who wants real espresso, milk drinks and a pot of drip coffee from one machine, and who would rather follow prompts than learn to dial in by taste. It is less suited to light-roast enthusiasts, to anyone who wants a hot water tap, which the US Premier lacks, or to someone who drinks single shots, because the US box has only double and Luxe baskets. The Pro adds those. Build is brushed steel panels over plastic, about 34 centimetres wide and 37 tall, and it uses a lot of water: CoffeeGeek said that for every cup you drink, the machine drinks one too, because it flushes into the drip tray. The weak part the evidence points to is the plastic dosing funnel, which CoffeeGeek reports cracking at the tabs after months of use; spare funnels, baskets and portafilters are sold separately. The warranty is one year, short for a machine at this price.
What This Review Is Based On
This review is a synthesis of published evidence, not a test of our own unit. Specifications come from Ninja's US product page for the ES601, its ES600 Series owner's guide, its Amazon listing, and where Ninja's own figures are plainly wrong we say so and use measured ones. Hands-on evidence comes from CoffeeGeek's first look and full review, Coffeeness, Tom's Coffee Corner, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Expert Reviews (UK model), Top Ten Reviews, Chowhound, Tasting Table, Coffee Kev and WIRED. Ninja supplied the units CoffeeGeek and Chowhound tested, and sent Chowhound a replacement after its first unit over- and under-dosed; Coffeeness and Coffee Kev bought theirs, and most others do not say. Ninja's US page lists a weight of 0.06 lb and the shipping box as the machine size, so size and weight here are reviewers' measurements. Ninja publishes no pump pressure for the Luxe Café range, and the figures in reviewers' spec tables disagree, so we do not print one. No reviewer has multi-year data yet, so long-term reliability is unknown, and we found no safety recall for any Luxe Café model.
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Ninja Luxe Café Premier — FAQ
Is the Ninja Luxe Café worth it?
For a beginner who wants real espresso plus drip coffee and cold brew, yes. Testers measured consistent doses and good shots with very little skill, and CoffeeGeek scored it highly after more than two hundred shots. Experienced home baristas will find its ceiling lower than a Breville's, and its milk runs hot unless you turn the temperature down.
What size is the Ninja Luxe Café portafilter?
53 millimetres, according to the hands-on reviewers who measured it, including CoffeeGeek's full review, Tom's Coffee Corner and Coffeeness. CoffeeGeek's first look said 54 and was later corrected. Ninja does not publish the size. Coffee Kev notes that 54mm tampers sold for Breville machines usually fit.
Does the Ninja Luxe Café Premier have hot water?
Not the US ES601. It has no hot water outlet and the steam wand does not dispense water, so for an Americano you need a kettle. UK versions of the Premier do have hot water, which is why some reviews mention it. The Pro ES701 adds independent hot water in the US.
Does the Ninja Luxe Café work with oat milk?
Barista-style oat milk works well; Expert Reviews steamed it successfully. Regular oat, almond and soy milks come out thin on the automatic settings, as TechRadar and Expert Reviews found, and cold foam needs a fattier milk. Manual steaming gives you more control with plant milks.
How often do you descale the Ninja Luxe Café?
When the descale light comes on. You test your water hardness at setup and the machine uses that result to time the reminder. The cycle uses the descaling powder in the box dissolved in water, or white vinegar, and a separate clean cycle with the cleaning disc and a tablet runs when the clean light shows.
What warranty does the Ninja Luxe Café have?
One year in the US, from the date of purchase from an authorised retailer, for the original owner only. Ninja may repair the machine or replace it with a new or refurbished unit, and its owner's guide lists a shipping fee, US$20.95 at the time of writing, for sending the repaired or replacement unit back. Wear parts such as the funnel and water tank are excluded.
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