The Ninja Luxe Café Pro series is a coffee machine that will make any kitchen better. That’s a bold claim I know, but I can support it with not only my own experience, but with the testimonies of every guest I’ve served a coffee using it.
I documented how much I enjoyed using the original version of this machine, the Ninja Luxe Café, in my review a little over a year ago (which you should read first if you want the basics on how these machines work). I even awarded it the title of the best coffee machine for most people to buy after testing dozens of them.
So how could it have improved? Well, with a new integrated tamping system and the new milk frother upgrades to start. Here’s what else is new and improved about this exceedingly popular coffee machine from Ninja.
In a nutshell
The top line upgrades with this machine are the built-in tamp, upgraded milk system (including a jug big enough for two drinks) and a better interface.
I know £699 is still a lot of money to spend on a coffee machine, but the bottom line is the product provides what something like the Sage Barista Touch Impress (with an RRP of over £1000) does for a fraction of the price instead. That’s hard to argue with.
If you’re stuck deciding between this and the original, the question to ask is: how much are you willing to pay for added convenience? If the answer is that £150 is a fine price for you to pay for a smoother experience in daily use and cleaning then I’d recommend the upgrade wholeheartedly. If you’re constantly making frothy drinks for two, the same advice applies.
Product specs
- Coffee type: bean-to-cup and filter
- Control type: automatic
- Water tank capacity: 2 litres
- Bean hopper capacity: 250g
- Dimensions: H: 37.7 x W: 33.7 x L: 35.5 cm
- Weight: 17.5kg
- RRP: £699.99
Making coffee
Let’s start with how much easier it is to make a black coffee with this machine. If you’re an Americano drinker, say, you’ll benefit in a few different ways. I’ll run you through how each step has improved.
It’s a small thing but the buttons on this machine are changed from the original – you use these in the first step to switch the machine on and press ‘grind’ for your beans. Sleeker and easier to differentiate between, the buttons run across a control panel on the top of the machine.
As with the original, the machine will recommend you a grind size for your beans alongside the current actual grind size. You adjust this in the same way, using a dial on the left hand side.
Once you’ve ground your beans you have the next major difference: the machine will prompt you to use the lever on the left of the machine to tamp your puck twice. The lever comes down easily to apply the correct amount of pressure to your coffee and if you forget this step, the machine will flash to remind you.
With the first machine, you needed to use a manual tamp on the portafilter on an even surface. This was one of my gripes previously, as it felt fiddly and difficult to master with the ideal amount of pressure applied to the puck, especially if you’re a beginner. So a tamp like this, which is very similar to the one found on the popular Sage Barista Express Impress machine, is a marked upgrade for me.
Next, extracting your coffee. With an Americano, you’ll benefit from another new feature: the small hot water spout that sits just behind the group head. Though I imagine this is primarily most useful for the US market (who sacrilegiously don’t depend on kettles as much as we do in the UK), it’s still handy for doing the entire coffee making process on one machine.
If you’re making a latte or a cappuccino, you’ll have extracted your espresso the same way but the last steps will also have changed somewhat.
First up, the milk wand has been transformed. It’s thicker than the old one and the surface is so much easier to keep clean with an improvement to its non-stick quality. With the old wand, you had to get in there immediately with a damp cloth to avoid yucky build-up but here you can afford to be a little more laidback and the wand still cleans up like a dream.
The frother itself is absolutely magic for all kinds of milk-based drinks. I love using it for iced lattes and the fact that you can now use the larger jug for more than one drink at a time has gone down a storm in my household. When you’re hosting, you can froth the milk for two lattes, so everyone can sit down with their drink faster.
Things that remain from the first iteration of this machine that may irritate some are the same sized two litre water tank and drip tray. As I mentioned in my piece on what I wish I knew before I bought the Luxe Café, this machine does guzzle quite a bit of water which means that you could find yourself frequently refilling and then emptying these elements depending on how many coffees you’re having. This personally doesn’t bother me much, as I find it helps me keep on top of the overall cleaning of the machine too, but it’s worth noting.
How does it compare to similar machines?
You know how it compares to the original version, but how does the Luxe Café Pro stand up against other machines with the same RRP?
Well for £699.99 you could alternatively pick up the De’Longhi Rivelia, which is my top pick for those who are looking for a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine. In one touch you can enjoy beautifully brewed coffees, with tech built in to help you adjust the many grind settings. It’s a beautiful machine that works fantastically and is less involved, so it really depends on how hands-on you want to be.
Should you buy the Ninja Luxe Café Pro series?
If you’re in the market to spend on a bean-to-cup machine and you’ve decided you want some level of input (over just an automatic), then this is the top machine I’d recommend to you. As with all Ninja appliances, the ease of use makes set up and troubleshooting any issues so straightforward and the quality of the coffee you can extract even on your first day with it is incredible. Versatile, good value for money (considering competitors) and fun to use, you won’t regret investing in this for your kitchen.
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