Ninja Luxe Café Premier: Espresso, Drip and Cold Brew

Why it earns a spot on your counter

Picture this: one person wants a latte, another wants a plain mug of coffee, and somebody else is already asking about iced coffee. Usually that means two or three machines. With the Ninja Luxe Café Premier, it means one.

Ninja calls it a 3-in-1. It pulls espresso, brews drip coffee and makes rapid cold brew, all starting from whole beans. That’s a lot of mornings covered by a single machine, and a lot of counter space handed back to you.

Mix and match the three, add milk, and you’ve got a whole café menu at home. Think a weekday drip coffee, a Saturday cappuccino and a summer iced latte, all from the same bag of beans.

The help is built right in

Espresso has a reputation for being fussy, and this is where the Ninja really shines. Ninja’s Barista Assist Technology recommends a grind size for the drink you pick, so you aren’t guessing.

The conical burr grinder has 25 settings, from fine for espresso to coarser for drip. A built-in scale handles the dosing by weight, so the right amount of coffee lands in the basket at the push of a button.

From there, Ninja says its Barista Assist Technology makes automated brew adjustments as it works. You still get the fun of making a real espresso, minus most of the guesswork.

So a typical morning looks like this: choose your drink, follow the grind tip, press the button and let the scale do the measuring. It’s the hands-on café experience, with a friendly coach standing right next to you.

Lattes, cappuccinos and more

If milk drinks are your thing, you’ll love the frother. Ninja’s Dual Froth System is hands-free: it combines steaming and whisking to make smooth, textured microfoam for your lattes and cappuccinos.

Want something cool instead? Try Ninja’s cold-pressed espresso, which the brand brews at a lower temperature and pressure, or a glass of its rapid cold brew. Either way, it’s café-style without leaving the kitchen.

Good to know before you buy

The model here is the ES601 in Stainless Steel, which Ninja lists at $599.99. Ninja’s site also shows the Premier in other finishes, including Midnight Black, Oat Milk and Cyberspace, so pick the colour that suits your kitchen.

Ninja backs it with a one-year limited warranty. General tip: measure the spot under your cabinets before it arrives, since it carries a grinder and frother on board.

It suits you if your household drinks a bit of everything and you want a guided, hands-on espresso without the learning curve. If you only ever want one button and a pod, a simpler machine will be easier to live with.

Your questions, answered