A good cup of coffee is an essential way to kick-start the day. Ruth Ovens, a reporter from the Mirror, prefers her coffee “black, strong, and with a dash of cold water,” or if she has the luxury of getting take-out coffee, she’ll opt for something seasonal like a gingerbread latte.
Ruth’s love for coffee has made her seek out the best home machine, and now she is sharing her thoughts after trying the popular Ninja Luxe Cafe. She shared: “At home, I’ve had the L’or Barista Sublime, which uses Nespresso pods, for a couple of years, and before that, I had a Nespresso Pixie machine. Both of these have been great for making espresso and Americanos, but I didn’t have the optional milk frother with either of them. So, I was intrigued when kitchen brand Ninja unveiled an exciting new coffee machine.”
Ninja is already a household name in kitchen tech, boasting popular products like air fryers, blenders, ice cream makers, knife sets, and even pans, so she was eager to test out the new Ninja Luxe Cafe and elevate her coffee experience. Upon its release, the gadget caused such a stir that 50,000 shoppers joined the waitlist within the first 24 hours.
Ruth added: “The Ninja Luxe Cafe arrived in a hefty 17kg box, and I was afraid I had measured the space in our kitchen incorrectly and it’d have to be sent to another team member to try. Luckily, measuring in at H:37.2 x W:33.6 x L: 34.4cm it fits perfectly in the allocated space.
“After unboxing it, the instructions for setting it up are easy to follow. Either a QR code to scan, linking you to a video to watch, or a traditional set of instructions. In the end, I set the machine up using a mix of both. From testing the water PH to calibrating the machine to the whole beans I’d chosen, setting up was straightforward but slightly time-consuming.“
Calibration to a new set of beans requires a few grind cycles to allow the machine to adjust. The conical burr grinder dispenses the right amount of freshly ground coffee directly into the portafilter and offers 25 grind settings. It’s certainly worth doing as the Luxe Cafe then recommends an optimal grind size for whatever beverage you’re preparing at the moment.
Ninja claims that the Luxe Cafe is the ultimate coffee machine, enabling users to create barista-style coffee at home regardless of their skill level. After selecting the appropriate basket size for your needs (single, double or the larger luxe) and tamping the coffee in the portafilter, you can run the machine to produce your shot of coffee.
From there, it’s up to you whether to add hot water from the machine or steam some milk to whip up a latte, flat white, or cappuccino (or any other frothy creation you desire). The machine offers several automated frothing settings for both standard and plant-based milks. The machine helpfully suggests grind sizes based on the type of drink you’re making.
Ruth shared: “So far, I’ve tried flat whites (some success), cappuccinos (lots of success), and lattes (success but no latte art…yet) using semi-skimmed milk, oat milk, almond milk, and soya milk. While black coffee will always be my preference, I’ve really enjoyed creating lattes with oat milk for my boyfriend and have even purchased some syrup to try vanilla lattes.
“The machine has also allowed me to up my hot chocolate and mocha game. Adding powder to the milk before steaming it into a velvety froth creates a luxuriously smooth and rich hot chocolate. If you’re someone who enjoys cold brew coffee and still want froth the machine even has settings suitable for that.
“As well as being pretty much fool-proof with loads of easy-to-follow recipes in a handy booklet for inspiration, all the removable elements can go in the dishwasher making keeping it clean relatively simple. While I have yet to use the descaling cycle, reading the instructions makes the process seem simple enough to follow.
“One of the things I really appreciate about the machine is how seamlessly all the accessories are stored – the portafilter baskets tuck neatly in a swing-out drawer, while the tamper and grinding funnel attach to the side of the machine. It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into the overall design of the Luxe Cafe.
“One of the few things I’ve not found easy with the machine is changing the portafilter baskets. There is definitely a knack, and while I’ve now cracked it, I initially thought the double basket was stuck when, in fact, I just needed to be far firmer with it.”
At £549, it’s certainly a considered purchase rather than an impulse buy; however, Ruth mentioned since having it in her household, she is spending less on coffee. Ruth continued; “I could easily go through three packets a week with my old pod machines, costing around £8 in pods.
“With the Luxe Cafe, we’ve found a 270g packet of whole beans (£3-£6 depending on what’s on offer) lasts a week. I’ve also noticed I’ve preferred to make my own ‘speciality’ coffee and use my ‘to-go’ mug instead of heading to a coffee shop, so I’ll have saved money there too.”
If you’re after a machine with comparable features and don’t require the automated frother, consider the Sage Barista Express Bean to Cup coffee machine. It offers similar functionality for an RRP of £659, but it’s currently available for £529.99 at Lakeland.