{"id":2329,"date":"2025-06-20T13:37:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T13:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cocinando.us\/?p=2329"},"modified":"2025-06-20T13:37:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T13:37:37","slug":"ninja-introduces-the-luxe-cafe-pro-espresso-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cocinando.us\/?p=2329","title":{"rendered":"Ninja Introduces the Luxe Caf\u00e9 Pro Espresso Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Last year, Ninja<\/a> shook up the home espresso world with the launch of the Ninja Caf\u00e9 Luxe Premier<\/a>. It offered a surprising mix of good build quality, solid espresso, and enough features to make some of the more established brands shift uncomfortably in their (previously) comfy zones. All for a price that made Breville and Delonghi execs spill their macchiatos.<\/p>\n

Now Ninja is back with new additions to the Luxe Caf\u00e9 lineup. A new budget entry machine \u2013 the Luxe Caf\u00e9 Essential \u2013 was introduced in the Canadian market<\/a> last winter, and the subject of today\u2019s article \u2013\u00a0 the Luxe Caf\u00e9 Pro<\/a> \u2013 is being rolled out this month in North America at a $699 price point. But before we get to the new kid on the block, let\u2019s rewind a bit.<\/p>\n

Last fall, at a European coffee trade show, some details quietly slipped out about two new machines. The ES601 \u2013 the original Luxe Caf\u00e9 Premier \u2013 was positioned as the mid-range option. A more basic model, the ES501, would drop about $75 off the price tag by trimming some features. That one quietly landed in Canada<\/a> not too long ago. On the other end of the spectrum, there was talk of the ES701, the Luxe Caf\u00e9 Pro. This one would cost around $150 more than the Premier, and promised to bring a more tricks to the game.<\/p>\n

Two of our writers went full caffeine-fuelled sleuth mode and dug up everything they could. They even tracked down the original source of the blurry \u201cspy shots\u201d from the trade show. What they pieced together was intriguing. The Pro would offer hot water on demand for Americanos, tea, or just warming your mug. It would also feature Ninja\u2019s take on Breville\u2019s semi-automated tamping lever, and a third filter basket for single shots, alongside the usual double and quad basket (which Ninja calls the \u201cLuxe\u201d basket)..<\/p>\n

Our contact at Ninja Europe didn\u2019t share much, but hinted at a smarter barista assist system and more options for brew volumes and presets would be found in the new ES701 top of the line machine.<\/p>\n

We spilled the deets on CoffeeGeek\u2019s social media channels, always stressing what we learned was half speculation, half sleuthing, and offering the caveat that anything and everything could change about the new machine. Now, speculation time is over. We\u2019ve got one of the first Luxe Caf\u00e9 Pro machines in North America. Here\u2019s what it offers.<\/p>\n

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\"Luxe<\/a>
The Luxe Cafe Pro box has a ton of information on it, and while it doesn\u2019t embrace environmentally friendly packaging trends, it sure does inform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Hot Water Access<\/h3>\n

Our biggest complaint about the original Luxe Caf\u00e9 Premier<\/a> was the lack of any kind of hot water delivery system. On top of it being a good feature for preheating cups, and having hot water on demand for teas and other hot beverages, it\u2019s a necessity for espresso based drinks like the americano and the misto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Hot<\/a>
Finally, the Ninja Luxe Cafe has a hot water function; now not only can you get an automated americano, but you also can preheat cups, and get hot water for tea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

So good news, the Caf\u00e9 Luxe Pro has a dedicated hot water tap that feeds right into the cup tray area. The machine also has a new dedicated americano button for a drink recipe. I haven\u2019t figured out yet if you can program the volume of hot water for that drink, but it\u2019s on the list. All I\u2019ve determined so far is it is a 2:1 ratio of hot water to espresso, depending on the espresso shot volume you select (three espresso \/ grind coffee ratios are available \u2013 4:1, 2.5:1, and 2:1).\u00a0<\/p>\n

More Baskets, More Recipes\u2026 and Less Recipes<\/h3>\n

The Pro model comes with a third filter basket: a single basket. This is on top of the uniquely designed double and Luxe (or quad) shot baskets the Premier model initially shipped with. This also opens up more drink recipes and brew choices on the drinks menu. These include ristretto, espresso, americano and lungo, and a whole slew of hot and cold coffee brew choices.<\/p>\n

One thing I found interesting: Ninja have decreased<\/strong> the amount of brew sizes available for the coffee brew side of the machine, removing the 20oz brew size. It now will do between a 6oz (180ml) and a 18oz size (525ml) brew of coffee, I won\u2019t miss it.<\/p>\n

Interestingly too, the \u201cQuad Shot\u201d option for a huge espresso is also missing on this machine, as far as I can tell. It was a weird outlier on the original Luxe Caf\u00e9 Premier.<\/p>\n

Because the Ninja Luxe Caf\u00e9 Premier and Pro can \u201cread\u201d what filter basket you have in the portafilter when grinding, this also means the machine will dose the appropriate amount of ground coffee out to the single basket for shorter, \u201cnespresso\u201d style shots. It\u2019s a good move by Ninja, because this machine is a very decent choice as an upgrade and replacement to nespresso systems.<\/p>\n

Barista Assist Tamping<\/h3>\n

Breville pioneered this convenience \u2013 a machine with a semi-automatic method of levelling and tamping coffee \u2013 with their Impress technology in their Barista lineup, but I do have to say they aren\u2019t the first to actually have this kind of ratcheted system for pulling a lever to clamp down and tamp coffee in a portafilter. These kinds of semi-automatic tamping systems were coming out of Italy as standalone devices for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the Luxe Caf\u00e9 Pro, Ninja has incorporated a very similar system into their machine. Where they are different is that Ninja has a built in scale to ensure the right dose of coffee was ground out, before the lever-controlled tamping system does its job. This means less missfires or \u201cpress to grind a bit extra\u201d like you have to do on the Breville Impress machines.<\/p>\n

In my earliest testing, there isn\u2019t any kind of tactile \u201cclick\u201d or set position for the lever when pulling it down to tamp: the harder you push down, the harder it tamps. I have slight worries a home user may break this because they\u2019ve pushed down too hard. You have to press the lever twice for the machine to be happy: each press down, once released, activates a bar of green at the top of the display. After the second press down and release, the \u201ctamp\u201d sign turns off.<\/p>\n

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