Ninja Luxe Premier 3-in-1 Coffee Machine - Espresso, Latte & Cold Brew

Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK – Assisted Espresso, Filter Coffee & Cold Brew

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK sits somewhere between a traditional manual espresso setup and a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine.

It combines a built-in burr grinder, integrated weighing scales, assisted tamping, espresso brewing, filter-style coffee, rapid cold brew and automated milk frothing in one machine.

The important distinction is that it doesn't completely remove you from the coffee-making process. You still use a portafilter and prepare the coffee before brewing, but Ninja's Barista Assist Technology handles or guides several of the variables that can make learning espresso difficult.

That makes the Luxe Café Premier particularly interesting for someone who wants more involvement and control than a push-button bean-to-cup machine provides, without starting with a completely manual espresso setup.

Why Consider the Ninja Luxe Café Premier?

The attraction of the ES601UK is versatility combined with assistance.

A conventional espresso setup may require a separate grinder, scales, espresso machine and some practice learning to dose, grind, tamp and texture milk consistently.

The Ninja brings much of that equipment together and provides guidance for several of those steps.

At the same time, it goes beyond espresso by adding filter-style coffee, over-ice drinks and rapid cold brew.

Key Features

• 3-in-1 brewing – Designed for espresso, filter coffee and rapid cold brew.
• Built-in burr grinder – Eliminates the immediate need for a separate coffee grinder.
• 25 grind settings – Provides a useful adjustment range for different brewing styles and coffees.
• Built-in scale – Measures the amount of ground coffee being dosed into the portafilter.
• Barista Assist Technology – Provides grind-size recommendations and adjusts brewing parameters according to the selected drink.
• Assisted tamper – Helps make puck preparation more repeatable without relying entirely on manual tamping technique.
• Dual Froth System – Automatically steams and whisks milk inside the supplied jug.
• Four froth presets – Steamed Milk, Thin Froth, Thick Froth and Cold Foam.
• 15+ drink settings – Including four espresso styles, four coffee styles, seven drink sizes and four frothing options.
• 2-litre removable water tank – Provides useful capacity for households making several drinks throughout the day.
• Three supplied baskets – Single, Double and Luxe baskets provide options for different drink styles and quantities.
• 2-year guarantee – Available upon registration with Ninja in the UK.

What Is Barista Assist?

This is arguably the most important feature to understand.

Making espresso traditionally involves several interconnected variables. Grind too coarse and water may pass through the coffee too quickly. Grind too fine and extraction can become excessively slow. Coffee dose and puck preparation also influence the result.

The Luxe Café Premier attempts to reduce some of that guesswork.

Its Barista Assist system recommends an appropriate grind setting, while the integrated scale helps control the amount of coffee being ground. The machine also adjusts brewing parameters such as temperature and pressure according to the selected drink.

It doesn't mean every coffee will automatically taste exactly as you want it. Beans, roast level, freshness and personal preference still matter. But it gives someone learning espresso considerably more guidance than a conventional manual machine.

The Built-In Grinder

The ES601UK includes a burr grinder with 25 settings.

Having the grinder built into the machine reduces worktop clutter and allows the Barista Assist system to recommend grind adjustments as part of the brewing workflow.

This is particularly useful when changing beans. Different coffees often require different grind settings, even when you're trying to produce the same style of espresso.

A dedicated high-end grinder may provide greater control for an experienced enthusiast, but that isn't really the audience the Luxe Café Premier is designed around.

How Much Work Do You Still Have to Do?

This isn't a fully automatic machine where you press one button and walk away.

You still need to:

• fill the bean hopper and water tank;
• insert the portafilter;
• grind the coffee;
• tamp the coffee using the assisted tamper;
• attach the portafilter;
• select and start your drink; and
• empty and clean the portafilter afterwards.

For some buyers, that's part of the attraction. You're still involved in making the coffee.

If you specifically want a machine that grinds, doses, brews and disposes of the coffee with minimal intervention, a conventional fully automatic bean-to-cup machine may suit you better.

Automatic Milk Frothing

The Dual Froth System is one of the more unusual aspects of the Ninja.

Rather than requiring you to manually position a steam wand and learn how to introduce air into the milk, the machine can simultaneously steam and whisk milk inside the supplied jug.

There are four automatic settings:

• Steamed Milk
• Thin Froth
• Thick Froth
• Cold Foam

Ninja states that the system is designed to work with both dairy and plant-based milks.

This removes much of the learning curve associated with manual steaming, although milk choice and quantity can still affect the finished texture.

Espresso

Despite the extra brewing modes, this is still a portafilter espresso machine at heart.

The grinder, integrated scale, assisted tamper and Barista Assist system are designed to help make the preparation process more repeatable.

That makes it an interesting middle ground for someone who likes the idea of learning more about espresso but doesn't necessarily want to start by independently mastering every variable.

Experienced espresso enthusiasts who specifically want maximum manual control may prefer a dedicated espresso machine and separate grinder.

Filter Coffee

The Luxe Café Premier isn't limited to short espresso-based drinks.

Its larger Luxe basket allows the machine to produce longer, filter-style coffee in several sizes.

That's potentially useful in households where one person wants espresso or a flat white while somebody else simply wants a larger mug of black coffee.

It also reduces the need to keep a separate filter machine alongside the espresso setup.

What About the Rapid Cold Brew?

The machine also offers a rapid cold brew function, but this needs a little explanation.

Traditional cold brew is normally produced by steeping coffee in cool water for many hours.

The Ninja uses a different accelerated brewing process to produce a cold coffee drink in minutes.

That's convenient, particularly for iced drinks, but we'd regard it as Ninja's rapid interpretation of cold brew rather than exactly the same process as traditional overnight cold extraction.

If traditional immersion cold brew is specifically what you enjoy, a dedicated brewer such as the Hario Mizudashi remains a different proposition.

Drink Settings

Ninja currently describes the Premier as offering more than 15 drink settings.

These include:

• four espresso styles;
• four coffee styles;
• seven drink sizes; and
• four automatic froth presets.

That range is one of the strongest reasons to consider the machine if different people in your household prefer different styles of coffee.

Size and Worktop Space

This is not a small coffee machine.

Ninja lists the main dimensions at approximately 37.2cm high × 33.6cm wide × 34.4cm deep.

You'll also need practical space around the machine for removing the water tank, filling the bean hopper, handling the portafilter and using the milk jug.

Measure the intended location before buying, particularly if the machine will sit underneath wall-mounted kitchen cupboards.

What's Included?

Ninja's current ES601UK package includes:

• portafilter;
• Single basket;
• Double basket;
• Luxe basket;
• assisted tamper;
• dosing funnel;
• milk jug with integrated whisk;
• built-in grinder;
• cleaning brush;
• starter and cleaning kit;
• water hardness test kit; and
• recipe guide.

Who Is the Ninja Luxe Café Premier Best For?

The ES601UK is particularly worth considering if you:

• want espresso, longer coffee and cold coffee from one machine;
• want a built-in grinder rather than buying one separately;
• like the idea of learning espresso but want guidance while doing it;
• want automatic milk frothing rather than mastering a steam wand immediately;
• have different coffee preferences within the same household;
• want some involvement in preparing your coffee rather than a completely automatic process; or
• want to reduce the number of separate pieces of coffee equipment on your worktop.

Who Should Look Elsewhere?

This isn't the right machine for everybody.

If you want completely automatic bean-to-cup convenience, the portafilter workflow may involve more effort than you want each morning.

If espresso is your only priority and you actively want to learn manual dosing, tamping and milk steaming, a dedicated espresso machine and separate grinder may offer greater long-term control.

It's also a substantial piece of equipment, so buyers with very limited worktop space should check the dimensions carefully.

Finally, its broad range of features only represents good value if you'll actually use them. Someone who drinks nothing but straightforward black filter coffee doesn't need most of what the Luxe Café Premier provides.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Combining a grinder, espresso system and milk frother inevitably means more cleaning than using a simple manual brewer.

The portafilter and baskets need regular cleaning, the steam wand and milk jug require attention after milk drinks, and the grinder and brewing system need periodic maintenance.

The machine includes cleaning equipment and a water-hardness test kit, and Ninja provides dedicated cleaning and descaling programmes.

It's worth considering that maintenance requirement alongside the convenience of having several coffee systems combined in one machine.

Our Take

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK has a genuinely useful proposition: it assists with the difficult parts of espresso preparation without completely removing the user from the process.

The built-in grinder, scales, assisted tamper and Barista Assist system should make the transition into espresso less intimidating, while automated milk frothing removes another significant learning curve.

Filter-style coffee and rapid cold brew then broaden its appeal considerably beyond a conventional espresso machine.

The trade-off is size, maintenance and complexity. If you only drink one style of coffee, much of that versatility may be unnecessary.

But for a household that genuinely switches between espresso, milk drinks, longer coffees and iced drinks, the ES601UK offers an unusually broad range of brewing options from a single machine.

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