Sometimes the littlest luxuries make the biggest impact, like savouring barista-quality coffee without leaving your house. This sentiment is shared by many: since the COVID-19 pandemic, cafe-grade home coffee machines have grown in demand, especially among remote workers seeking to replicate their coffee break ritual.
Combine this with the cost of living, and it’s no wonder that the wholesome ‘Home Cafe’ movement on TikTok is trending, with people trading the hustle and bustle of coffee shops and overpriced avocado on toast for cosy ‘cafe’ gatherings with friends in their homes.
To fuel our desire for better-tasting coffee, major coffee brands continue to launch machines with improved features and greater convenience. That’s why I was intrigued when the opportunity arose to review the new Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine, a gadget that makes espresso, cold brew, and filter coffee in one. Priced at $1,099.99, it’s an investment, although, as Ben Lovitt, VP Marketing ANZ at SharkNinja Pty Ltd., explains, the cost of living has influenced how shoppers approach bigger-ticket purchases.
“Consumers are still willing to spend, but they’re being more intentional. We’re seeing growing demand for premium coffee appliances as shoppers look to bring small, everyday luxuries into the home”.
Could the new Ninja Luxe Café coffee machine deliver a great-tasting brew and make my day even more enjoyable? Read my review below, and learn more at NinjaKitchen.co.nz.
The Ninja Luxe Café review verdict
- My rating: 8.5/10
Pros
- Makes espresso, cold brew, and filter coffee – it’s three machines in one.
- Intuitive ‘Barista Assist Technology’ and a built-in grinder and scales mean beans are ground at the right size to prevent a bitter brew.
- Suitable for dairy and plant-based milks.
- Hands-free milk frothing (if you prefer the full ‘barista experience’, you’re welcome to take a hands-on approach). You can also choose between four presets for different milk froth consistencies, including steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth, and cold foam (for perfectly frothed iced coffees).
- The steam wand automatically runs a steam purge after frothing.
- Large digital display which guides users through the coffee-making process.
- Built-in mug warmer.
- The hopper shields your coffee beans from UV light, keeping them fresher for longer.
- Bean hopper and lid, water reservoir and lid, drip tray components, funnel, cleaning disk and milk jug whisk are dishwasher safe.
- In-built storage for accessories.
- Available in four stylish colours/finishes: Stainless Steel, Midnight Black, Gunmetal, and Cyberspace.
- Two-year warranty.
Cons
- You’ll need to purchase a separate knock box to discard used coffee grounds, and a coffee mat for beneath the machine if, like me, you’re forever scrubbing stains off your white benchtop.
- Whenever you add more beans to the hopper or change the type of coffee you’re making (for example, espresso to cold brew), you’ll need to grind and discard at least three times to ensure the actual grind size matches the recommended number. This takes time, but it’s worth the perfect brew.
- You can’t steam milk while brewing, although the machine’s intelligent system allows you to queue the milk to steam immediately after. Good things take time.
What’s so special about the Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine?
The Ninja Luxe Café is like three coffee machines in one, making espresso, cold brew, and filter coffee. What did this mean for me, a caffeine-addicted, perpetually sleep-deprived person on autopilot? I could start my morning with a long black, dabble in a couple of lattes throughout the day, then switch to an iced latte topped with cold foam for a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up. The cherry on top? Kicking off Saturday evenings with cold-pressed espresso martinis.
If you want to get technical, the Ninja coffee machine’s versatility stems from its intuitive, hands-off ‘Barista Assist Technology’. A feature usually reserved for pricier or commercial models, it manages weight-based dosing with a built-in grinder and scales, automatically adjusts temperature and recommends the perfect grind size to prevent a bitter brew.
“No other machine at this price delivers this level of versatility, precision and performance”, explains Golden Brown Coffee’s Rohan Cooke, who played a role in tailoring the Ninja Luxe Café’s features for the Australasian market. Although the machine was launched in the United States in mid-2024, to ensure compatibility with the beans and milks available in the Australasian market, it underwent rigorous testing and received a software upgrade before its New Zealand debut in October 2025.
My favourite features of the Ninja Luxe Café?
Cafe-quality froth. You can choose between four presets: steamed milk, thin or thick froth, and cold foam. I’ve loved making fluffies for my toddler at the push of a button, who absolutely adores participating in my morning coffee ritual, complete with a clink of our cups and a ‘cheers’.
What’s great is that the Ninja Luxe Café allows hands-free milk frothing, although you can go down the manual route if you prefer. Personally, I love that you don’t have to stand there swirling the pitcher, and that after use, the wand automatically runs a steam purge to keep the internal valve cleaner for longer.
The Ninja Luxe Café’s built-in storage for the tamper and other accessories was another bonus, keeping my benchtop clutter-free.
Are there any cons to the Ninja coffee machine?
My least favourite feature of the Ninja Luxe Café? The usual realities of owning a coffee machine, like emptying the drip tray or changing the water filter every few months, depending on your usage and water quality (the machine will alert you when it’s time), which I’ve expertly delegated to my husband.
I should also note that whenever you add more beans to the hopper or change the type of coffee you’re making (for example, espresso to cold brew), you’ll need to grind and discard them at least three times while adjusting the grind size. You can stop discarding once the current grind size matches the recommended setting.
Yes, this process feels time-consuming, but it’s necessary for smoother, richer-tasting coffee. As veteran barista Rohan Cooke explains, “This is no mere countertop gadget, it’s a complete café system. Before Luxe Café, home baristas could waste an entire bag of beans just to dial in one perfect espresso shot. Luxe Café helps you master it in just three.”
What do discerning coffee aficionados think about the Ninja Luxe Café?
Inviting my purist, drip-coffee-only friends over one Saturday at 8am, they were suitably impressed by their Ninja Luxe Café-created long blacks, describing the brew as robust and fruity. Even my mother, who mortifyingly loves ordering an ‘extra-large, extra-hot flat white’, is a convert. Using the Ninja coffee machine, I make her a latte, and she thinks I’m a genius.
How do I set up the Ninja coffee machine?
Setting up the Ninja Luxe Café was simple, although it did take some time. There are step-by-step how-to videos in the Bilt App. However, having previously used a manual espresso machine, I was familiar with the parts and didn’t have to frantically Google what the ‘portafilter’ or ‘tamper’ were.
My tips and tricks for using the Ninja Luxe Café
- If you’re unsure which brew basket to use in your portafilter for different types of coffee, the machine conveniently displays the available options based on what you’re currently using.
- On top of the machine is a cup warmer that stays warm as long as the machine is plugged in – perfect for someone like me who’s always putting their cup down and forgetting about it. My tip? Pre-warm your mug with hot water before brewing to achieve the optimum temperature.
- If you’re using a plant-based milk alternative, barista blend varieties froth better. My favourite? The Boring Barista Grade Oat Milk.
What colours is the Ninja Luxe Café available in?
Benchtop real estate is precious in my apartment kitchen, and anything that stays out must look good. Thankfully, the Ninja Luxe Café’s classic stainless-steel finish looked sleek and mighty against my concrete splashback.
The Ninja Luxe Café is also available in a chic Midnight Black, industrial-style Gunmetal, and a gorgeous slate blue ‘Cyberspace’, all beautiful options for your Pinterest-approved ‘coffee station’. If I had the luxury of open kitchen shelving, I’d position the machine beneath an assortment of ceramic mugs to add visual interest.
If you can’t decide on the colour, the Midnight Black is a standout favourite among Kiwis – likely due to its ability to complement both neutral and earthy-toned kitchens.
Which coffee beans can I use with the Ninja Luxe Café?
Of course, the fresher the coffee beans, the better the brew (the Ninja Luxe Café’s hopper even protects your beans from UV light, keeping them fresher for longer).
My recommendations? The Method Blend by Auckland-based Toasted Coffee Roasters is a low-acidic all-rounder for black and white coffee, with a flavour profile of hazelnut, roasted almond, and chocolate. Another favourite is Coffee Supreme’s Smooth & Creamy Brazil Blend, featuring notes of chocolate, butterscotch, and praline.
Overall, is the Ninja Luxe Café worth it?
Absolutely. Although I barely lasted the summer of 2007 as a waitress, fast-forward to now, and I’m my household’s expert barista and fluffy maker, thanks to the Ninja Luxe Café. Text me your order before dropping by, it’s that easy.
Where can I buy the Ninja Luxe Café in New Zealand?
Purchase the Ninja Luxe Café at:
- Ninja, $1099.99 (shop here)
- Mighty Ape, $1099.99 (shop here)
- Ninja Amazon storefront, from $709.86 (shop here)
If you accidentally add a Ninja portable blender or ice cream maker to your cart on the way, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Some things are just too good to live without.
Which company is the brains behind the Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine?
Ninja is a Massachusetts-based company known for creating gadgets that genuinely make life better.
Popular Ninja appliances include the TikTok-famous Ninja SLUSHi frozen drinks maker, and the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi soft serve maker that Editor Fiona Hawtin reviewed here.
Discover more at NinjaKitchen.co.nz.
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- Can one appliance really cook your entire meal? I put the Ninja multicooker to the test
