This Ninja Luxe Café Premier review finds the $599 ES601 is one of the easiest ways to get good espresso at home, because it doses by weight and suggests grind changes after each shot. James Hoffmann, a coffee YouTuber and former World Barista Champion, confirmed it really does grind by weight.
Its grind suggestions got drinkable shots within two or three tries, according to Lifestyle Lab, a YouTube channel that reviews kitchen gear. Hoffmann was less impressed by its drip and filter-coffee modes.
It listed at $599.00 on Amazon on Oct 16, 2026, with a 4.2 rating from 2,563 ratings.
Ninja luxe cafe premier review: Key Specs
Prices checked on Amazon Oct 16, 2026. I may earn a commission from links, at no cost to you.
| Ninja Luxe Café Premier (ES601) | |
|---|---|
| Price (Oct 16, 2026) | $599.00 |
| Amazon rating | 4.2 (2,563 ratings) |
| Bought in past month | 4K+ |
| Grinder | Built-in conical burr grinder, 25 settings, weight-based dosing |
| Heating | Thermoblock |
| Milk | Dual Froth System (steam + whisk), hands-free or manual |
| Portafilter | Custom Ninja portafilter, double and Luxe baskets |
| Other | Espresso, drip and cold brew; Barista Assist grind suggestions; assisted tamper |
| Buy | Check price |
What It Does Well
- 3-in-1: double or quad espresso, 3 drip styles and 2 cold brew styles
- 25-setting conical burr grinder with weight-based dosing
- Barista Assist suggests grind changes after each shot
- Assisted tamper
- Dual Froth System with 4 presets, including cold foam
- Built-in accessory storage
Pros and Cons (From Credited Reviews)
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Real grind-by-weight dosing (YouTube channel James Hoffmann, the YouTube channel Tom’s Coffee Corner) Grind suggestions got drinkable shots in 2–3 tries (YouTube channel Lifestyle Lab) Mess-proof funnel and tamper workflow Cold foam and huge cup clearance | Plasticky feel and cramped ergonomics (Hoffmann) Drip and Luxe-basket drinks underwhelmed testers Auto foam is not great for latte art Large footprint; beeps (can be disabled) |
Alternatives to Consider
Want a more traditional, hands-on machine? The Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) ($699.95) has a long track record. Want something cheaper with a grinder? The Gevi 20 Bar Espresso Machine with Grinder (ECMI0) ($289.99) has a 30-setting grinder but no guidance.
My Planned Test
Planned test: I plan to compare first-day shots with and without following the grind suggestions, and taste the drip mode against a basic drip maker. I will add my results and my Home Smart video here when they are done. Until then, nothing on this page is a hands-on claim from me.
What YouTube Reviewers Found With the Ninja Luxe Café
These findings are paraphrased from the video transcripts and credited to each creator. They are the creators’ own test results and opinions, not mine.
- James Hoffmann (Ninja Luxe Café): it really does grind by weight. Adding 4 g of putty to the funnel mid-grind made it underdose by about 4 g, and doses landed around 17.5 g, give or take up to half a gram.
- Hoffmann: the Barista Assist grind suggestions are genuinely useful at this price, but there is no easy purge between grind changes, so retained grounds can send you chasing the setting. Holding the grind button purges.
- Hoffmann: he found the build plasticky and the drip and filter-coffee modes flawed; filter coffee never tasted good to him, and he would pick a cheap drip machine for that job. He also raised longevity as an open question for Ninja’s first espresso machine.
- Lifestyle Lab (sent the machine for review): grind suggestions got drinkable shots within two or three attempts out of the box, and the workflow is almost mess-proof. Espresso was good with medium to dark roasts.
- Lifestyle Lab: the whisk-plus-steam frothing makes good foam and cold foam, but it is not integrated enough for latte art beyond a basic heart; you can steam manually instead. Full-size Luxe-basket drinks were often under-extracted and watery.
- Tom’s Coffee Corner (Ninja): weight-based dosing gave 17.3–17.9 g for the double basket across three beans, but shots ran a little long, around 40 g out; you can stop the shot yourself. There is no way to abort a drink without powering off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Ninja Luxe Café good for beginners?
Reviewers agree it is one of the easiest machines to learn on, thanks to grind suggestions, weight-based dosing and the assisted tamper.
Is the drip coffee as good as the espresso?
Not in the tests I found. Hoffmann and Lifestyle Lab both found the full-size coffee weaker than the espresso. Lifestyle Lab suggests an Americano instead.
Can you make latte art with it?
Use manual steaming. Lifestyle Lab found the auto froth fine for foam but not well integrated enough for detailed latte art.
How do you purge the grinder?
Hoffmann found that holding the grind button purges it.
Sources
- Amazon “Customers say” review summaries on each listing (AI-generated by Amazon from customer reviews), checked October 16, 2026
- Amazon product listings for the espresso machines linked above, checked October 16, 2026
- Amazon search results for “espresso machine” (snapshot October 16, 2026)
- James Hoffmann: “The Ninja Cafe Luxe – A $499 Everything Machine”
- Lifestyle Lab: “Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier Review | Is Breville Worried?”
- Tom’s Coffee Corner: “Ninja Luxe Cafe Espresso Machine – FULL Review and Test”
Related: Barista Express vs Ninja Luxe Café | Best Espresso Machine for Beginners | Espresso Machine for Latte Drinks
Notes and disclosure
Note: Prices, ratings and “bought in past month” badges come from Amazon listings and Amazon search results on October 16, 2026. Prices change often, so check the current listing. Test results quoted below come from the YouTube reviewers credited in each section. My own hands-on results will be added after my planned test.
Affiliate Disclosure: If you purchase an item through the links on this page, I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel.