Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: two-minute review

The Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine is a compact version of the Ninja Luxe Café. It doesn't require an enormous amount of counter space, especially considering that this single machine grinds your whole beans directly into your filter, weighs your grinds, brews your espresso or drip coffee, and froths your milk. You won't need any other coffee accoutrements on your counter.

While I did brew some absolutely delicious coffee with the Ninja Luxe Café Mini, there is definitely a learning curve. In fact, I wouldn't say I have mastered the espresso settings yet, even after brewing many cups. Even with the identical espresso settings, sometimes I get just an ounce or so and sometimes I get a lot more. Drip coffee comes out consistently well; no issues there. I also had some trouble frothing the milk; with just a minimum amount of milk in the jug it overflowed onto the counter.

Note that even though this is a semi-auto machine, you do need to have some manual strength and dexterity to get the portafilter properly into place. Be ready for some trial and error. If you're prepared to take on a project, I think you'll be well-rewarded for your efforts.

Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: price and availability

• Widely available both in store and online
• Retails for $449.99 USD (£338.50 GBP, $643.73 AUD)
• Only sold in the black and chrome colorway

You can find the Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine at many brick and mortar stores and websites, including Amazon, Best Buy, Kohl's, Target, and Ninja's own site. It retails for $449.99 USD (£338.50 GBP, $643.73 AUD) and comes in just the one color, black and chrome.

Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: specs

Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: design

• Efficient design gives it a smaller footprint
• Aesthetically pleasing, goes with any decor
• Five brew styles

The Ninja Luxe Café Mini is efficiently designed to house everything you need to make just about any sort of coffee drink in a relatively small package. When you first unpack it, you will need to determine your water hardness with the enclosed test strip and set your machine accordingly. Run a flush cycle and then you're ready to start brewing.

The machine has a conical burr grinder, a brewing system that makes both espresso and coffee, and a steam wand. It comes with two filter baskets:, a smaller 'double' and a larger 'luxe' basket (unlike most espresso machines, there's no basket for pouring a single shot).

Place the basket into the portafilter, the funnel on top of that, and then slide it into the grinding cradle. Choose your brew style. The machine evaluates your beans and determines a recommended grind size. Turn the grind dial to meet the recommended number and hit the grind button.

Once your ground coffee is the basket, remove the portafilter and tamp down the grinds with the assisted tamper. It has a spring inside so you'll apply just the right amount of pressure.

Then you can remove the funnel, place the portafilter under the Ninja Luxe Café Mini's group head and turn it until it locks into place. This takes some manual strength and dexterity, and the machine's relatively light weight means you have to brace it in place so it doesn't slide around, though it does get easier with repeated use.

You can manually select your level of strength (represented by one, two, or three beans) and temperature or just use the default. When you're done brewing, dispose of the puck of used coffee grounds, and clean the dirty components.

There is also a milk jug and steam wand. To use it, turn the manual valve on the side from brewing mode to frothing mode. The owner's manual includes detailed instructions of how to get the most froth from your milk of choice.

You'll need to clean the tamper, funnel, basket, portafilter, steam wand and jug after each use. You'll also need to empty and clean out the drip tray every few brews, and every time you froth milk. Additionally, you'll need to descale the machine periodically. However, there is no obvious way to get in and clean the grinder. That part never gets wet, but coffee oils will build up there over time.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: performance

• There is definitely a learning curve
• You need manual strength and dexterity
• Brew amounts are not consistent

Overall, I think you'll find that the Ninja Luxe Café Mini will make you some great coffee and espresso drinks. There's definitely a learning curve, but if you have the patience you'll figure it out. Of bigger concern was that sometimes the brewing seemed to just stop short of a full yield, and I'm not sure why. The same beans brewed at the same setting just didn't always yield the same size espresso. This only happened to me while brewing espresso; all three of the drip coffee settings yielded perfect results every time.

There are five different brew settings: Espresso (which is actually a double espresso), Triple (espresso), Classic (drip coffee), Rich (a richer drip coffee), and Over Ice (drip coffee brewed at a lower temperature). I tested all five of them multiple times.

Espresso

The smallest drink you can make is a double espresso, there is no single espresso setting on this machine. The owner's manual says to throw away the first espresso you brew each time you put new beans into the hopper because it takes a couple of brews for the machine to dial in correctly. I tasted it anyway and yes, you should toss it. After that first one, the espresso tasted good though sometimes it would randomly give me a shorter brew. I did notice that I consistently got a beautiful crema.

Triple espresso

The experience of brewing the triple espresso is just like brewing the regular (double) one, only you use the Luxe basket instead of the smaller one. Again, the machine would sometimes give me a tiny brew. Pictured below is one of the smaller triples; other times it was much larger. Otherwise, the espresso was good and always had a lovely crema.

Classic

The Classic drip coffee setting yielded consistently good results. In addition to adjusting the grind size, brew temperature, and strength if you like, you can also choose to brew 6, 8, 10, or 12 ounces of coffee. The user experience of brewing the drip coffee is the same as brewing espresso, except that you skip the tamping step. The machine does something totally different on the inside. You get no crema. And when you go to throw the puck away, it's very wet, as opposed to the drier, crumbly puck you get with espresso.

Rich

The rich drip coffee setting works just like the classic, only it yields a richer brew. I find I prefer the classic, as I found it a bit smoother and less bitter, but your tastes may differ.

Over ice

The drip coffee over ice setting might have been my favorite. I found it very smooth and it didn't taste too diluted from the ice.

Steam wand

I found that it took some practice to get the milk frothing just right. I tried just leaving the jug in place and frothing it from there, and it works ok but doesn't produce much foam. I tried following the instructions about angle and movement in the owner's manual, and got too much foam.

The wand will purge itself right after frothing, and you'll want to wipe off the milk from the outside of the wand right away. Otherwise it sticks on there pretty good, requiring a bit of scrubbing to get it off.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine: also consider

How I tested the Ninja Luxe Café Mini Espresso Machine

I brewed and drank every drink on the menu: (double) Espresso, Triple (espresso), Classic (coffee), Rich (coffee), and (coffee) Over Ice more than once. I used two different kinds of beans for each beverage, first going all the way through the menu with a dark french roast and then again with a medium-dark roast. I frothed two different kinds of milk (almond and skim dairy) several times and added the milk to espresso shots. I cleaned all of the parts that touch the coffee after each use.

First reviewed July 2026

If you love coffee, you’ll be very aware of the impact of factors like grind size, water temperature, and infusion time, but there’s something else that’s often overlooked. A double espresso is at least 90% water, and the minerals and other substances it contains can have a huge impact on the overall taste.

I’m a big coffee-drinker (which is just as well, since I test over a dozen coffee makers every year for TechRadar), and I’m planning to buy a water filter to take my brewing to the next level — but what should I look for — and what should you consider if you’re thinking of taking the plunge into filtered water too?

To find out, I spoke to Andy McPhilbin, Head of Aquaphor Professional for UK and Ireland, and Genevieve Upton, beverage industry expert and Head of Water Filtration at Our Taap.

Why does water matter?

“Water quality can have a considerable impact on how coffee tastes, with chlorine, mineral composition, alkalinity and pH all influencing the final flavour profile,” says Upton.

“Most tap water supplied to UK homes is disinfected using chlorine-based compounds. Residual chlorine can react with components in coffee and tea, contributing bitter, medicinal or chemical notes that may overwhelm the more delicate characteristics of the coffee. Boiling water can reduce the levels of chlorine, though it can also create other unwanted flavours, such as by reacting to a plastic kettle.”

She explains that the mineral composition and pH of the water also play an important role when it comes to how your coffee tastes.

“Slight differences in acidity, together with the concentrations of minerals and buffering compounds, influence extraction efficiency and the balance of flavors in the final cup. As water companies vary their supply sources throughout the year, you might notice that the same beans, brewed in exactly the same way, taste different from season to season.”

In fact, using unfiltered water doesn’t just mean your coffee tastes sub-optimal - it could cause your expensive coffee machine to break down — and it won’t be covered by the manufacturer's warranty..

“The warranty only covers manufacturing defects, and unfortunately, hard water is not a manufacturing defect,” explains McPhilbin. “So you can turn something that is a very efficient espresso machine into something very inefficient within a matter of weeks. You get a millimeter of scale forming within a matter of six weeks.

“Now, is that important? It is, because you want the life of the machine to be good, but also you've got little injectors which put the right amount of water into that espresso. If they're blocked, you're not going to get the right amount of water. You're going to have the wrong taste. It's got to be precise.”

What types of filtration are there?

Our Taap specializes in home water filtration Its latest system is the Our Taap Home Water System II — a countertop unit that connects to your mains water supply, and uses a triple filtration system with UV purification to remove contaminants while retaining minerals.

Aquaphor makes water filters for commercial and home use, including under-sink systems, pitchers, and even water bottles. Its most advanced systems for home users are the RO-101, RO-102, and RO-202, all of which use reverse osmosis (RO).

This involves forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane that removes chlorine, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, and microplastics. Standard RO filters also strip out minerals, but Aquaphor’s systems can optimize the concentration of calcium and magnesium so they’re just right for coffee — something McPhilbin says “really is a science”.

“The mineral content is measured in TDS [total dissolvable solids], and we want that TDS to be somewhere in the realms of between 80 and 120 [parts per million],” he explains. “We have a couple of ways in which we do it, but generally we can either feed more minerals in it by making it tuneable, or we can take them out as well by turning it the other way. But if you have too little, you can cause corrosion, and if we have too much, we're going to get limescale. So we try to hit that sweet spot, which is 100 parts per million in the middle there.”

Our Taap’s filters use granular activated carbon filtration, which Upton says “is particularly good at removing chlorine and some of its by-products, which can mask the more delicate flavour notes in coffee.”

“By reducing these compounds, the water has a cleaner, more neutral taste, allowing the natural characteristic of the coffee beans to come through. Whether you’re brewing with a cafetière, pour-over or espresso machine, using filtered water can help create a smoother, more balanced cup with greater flavour clarity.

"It's worth remembering, however, that activated carbon filters are designed primarily to remove chlorine and certain organic compounds rather than minerals,” she adds. “As a result, they have little effect on the calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate levels that influence water hardness, alkalinity and extraction.”

Under-sink or countertop?

So which type of filter is right for you? Do you need an under-sink reverse-osmosis system, or would a countertop filter be better? McPhilbin says the decision will mostly depend on how much filtered water you need.

“I think it's down to capacity more than anything,” he says. “Our jug filters have twice the capacity of the competition because we use a unique media called Aqualen, which is a patented media based on ionic exchange and carbon, so you're getting a dual-purpose piece of filtering equipment there. Reverse osmosis has a massive capacity, and [the filter] is not something [you’re] changing all the time.”

Upton says your choice of filter will also depend on the problem you want to solve.

“If your tap water has a noticeable chlorine taste or smell, a filter with activated carbon is usually the best place to start,” she says. “This technology is available in everything from filter jugs to more advanced under-sink or countertop systems, with plumbed-in options offering great convenience for households that use filtered water regularly.

“If you’re dealing with limescale build-up in kettles or coffee machines, it’s important to choose a filter that specifically reduces water hardness, as not all filtration systems are designed to do this.”

I know I live in a hard water area (the limescale in my kettle is proof) but even if your tap water is soft, McPhilbin says a water filter is still a good investment.

“Most of the water in the UK is chlorinated, and that can affect the taste quite a lot,” he says. “And it might be that you've not got enough minerals in it to get the best taste.”

If you’re not sure about the type of water you’re working with, there are online tools that can help you understand its composition.

“The Our Taap Water Confidence Index is a great way to look up your postcode and understand what’s in your local water and how this impacts taste, scent and quality, so you can find the best filter for your needs,” says Upton.

According to the Confidence Index, I’m lucky - my tap water is better than 93% of UK postcodes. However, it is moderately hard (as I expected), with a normal level of chlorine and an elevated level of overall minerals. I’m still deciding exactly which type of filter to choose, but considering these results and my penchant for espresso, I’m leaning towards under-counter reserve osmosis with mineral balancing. What about you?

I test over a dozen of the best coffee makers every year here at TechRadar, but having a small kitchen means I have to be very picky about which I choose to buy myself. The problem is, I love both drip coffee and espresso equally. I'd happily pick up a compact espresso machine and a quality drip coffee maker such as the Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal, but that would mean sacrificing valuable food prep space and, potentially, not having enough work surface available for rolling pastry and kneading dough.

Of course, a kitchen with no space in which to make pies or bread would be tragic — but, thankfully, it doesn't have to come to that because the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System can handle all my espresso and drip coffee-making needs in one convenient package.

I first tested the DualBrew System (known as the Ninja Espresso and Coffee Maker Barista System in the US) about nine months ago, and it's still the most impressive two-in-one coffee system I've ever used. It isn't a particularly glamorous appliance to have sitting on your counter — it's designed for function rather than looks — but it's enormously practical and has clearly been designed by people who know and love their coffee.

On the left of its roughly cuboid-shaped body, you have a fully featured drip coffee maker, with a standard-sized brew basket and toughened glass carafe. It has all the features you'd expect from a good-quality standalone brewer, including different intensity settings (regular, rich, or over ice) and a timer to start brewing when you wake.

However, there are also some great additions, such as a drip-stop system that means you can safely remove the carafe partway through brewing without making a mess, as well as a fold-down drip tray so you can brew directly into a travel cup rather than the carafe if you want your coffee to-go in the morning.

Some drip coffee makers use of a double-walled insulated carafe to keep your drink at the ideal temperature after brewing, whereas others use a hotplate. The DualBrew System is in the latter camp, but unlike any other drip coffee maker I've tested, it has a smart hotplate that doesn't just heat your coffee consistently, but instead turns on and off to help maintain the right temperature without stewing your brew. It also turns off automatically when you take the carafe away.

Espresso is handled on the right-hand side of the machine. The DualBrew System uses Nespresso Original-style coffee capsules, which means there's a huge array of different beans, blends, and roasts to choose from. Nestlé no longer owns the patent to this type of capsule, so any company is free to package its own freshly ground coffee in these little pods.

Personally, I like to use capsules from my local roastery, and an espresso made using these pods in the DualBrew System tastes almost identical to the same beans prepared with a manual coffee maker.

There's a choice of three drink sizes, and the espresso machine has an adjustable-height drip tray so you can use any cup you want. When you're done, the spent pod drops into a bin, ready to be emptied later.

The only downside of the DualBrew System is the lack of a steam wand (which makes sense, since there's no pressurized boiler here). Instead, there's an electric whisk that folds out from the rear of the machine. This doesn't heat your milk, but the DualBrew System offers a handy guide that advises how long to heat your milk for in the microwave, and how to whisk it for different espresso drinks. It's not the same as steam, but it's fine in a pinch when you don't have much space.

If that's a deal-breaker, a standalone milk frother such as the Dreo BaristaMaker or Smeg Mini Milk Frother will deliver more authentic results, and is small enough to tuck into the corner of a cabinet when it's not in use.

If you love coffee in all its forms but don't have acres of countertop space to spare, the DualBrew System provides everything you need in a single, neat package — and it's affordable, too. At the time of writing, it's available for $249.99 / £179, down from a list price of $279.99 / £249.99. You'll find all today's best deals at the bottom of this article.

Nespresso machines make brewing consistently tasty coffee easy, without any of the mess of using fresh coffee grounds — and they're going cheap for Amazon Prime Day. As TechRadar's resident coffee expert and trained barista, I've rounded up a collection of my five favorite Nespresso machines — all of which happen to be on sale for Prime Day in both the US and the UK.

• Prime Day coffee deals in the US
• Prime Day coffee deals in the UK

There's something here for every coffee-lover, whether you want a super-simple machine that makes consistently tasty coffee and will fit into the tiniest kitchen, or a premium coffee maker that can whip up a latte at the press of a button. All of these Nespresso machines have been tested and recommended by our team of reviewers, so you can be confident they'll all deliver great results.

1. Ninja Prestige DualBrew System

Can't decide between espresso and drip coffee in the morning? The Ninja Prestige DualBrew System (also known as the Espresso & Coffee Maker Barista System) does both. This all-in-one caffeine station makes delicious espresso using Nespresso Original-style capsules (I tested it with some I bought from a local coffee roaster), which you can brew in three different sizes, with a height-adjustable drip tray so you can use your favorite cups with no splashing. Want to turn your shot into a cappuccino or latte? Use the milk frother on the back of the machine.

On the left-hand side of the DualBrew System you have a feature-packed drip coffee maker, with features including a timer (so you can prepare everything before bed and wake to freshly-brewed coffee in the morning), a drip-stop valve, and a smart hotplate that keeps your coffee hot without scalding it. It's one of the best drip coffee makers I've tested — and it even makes cold-brew.

Read our full Ninja Prestige DualBrew System review

2. Nespresso Lattissima One

Most Nespresso machines just make espresso, but the Lattissima One (made by De'Longhi) also includes an automatic milk frother for lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos at the tap of a button. It's ideal if you're the only coffee-lover in your household and want a personal machine for preparing single servings.

Like the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System above, it takes Nespresso Original capsules, which means you have a huge choice of drinks from big brands and indie roasters alike. After testing your tap water with the litmus strip provided and setting the hardness on the machine, just drop in a pod and use the three buttons to choose your preferred size and type of drink.

Our reviewer Emily Peck was surprised by how quietly the Lattissima One went about its work, and found the resulting coffee delicious. She had to consult the manual to check what each button does (they perform multiple functions) but once she had that down, she was making great coffees with ease.

Read our full Nespresso Lattissima One review

3. Wacaco Nanopresso

The Nanopresso is an ingenious little coffee maker that relies on elbow grease rather than an electric pump to extract your espresso. The standard version works with ground coffee only, but it's even more convenient if you opt for the version with an adapter for Nespresso Original capsules. After all, who wants to carry loose coffee grounds around when they're exploring the great outdoors?

Our tester noted that it feels durable and rugged (ideal for throwing in a backpack), and although you'll need to familiarize yourself with the various unusual-looking components before taking it out for the first time, you'll soon be able to assemble it and start brewing in moments.

"All you need is access to hot water and some kind of stable surface to set everything up," said our tester, who was seriously impressed by the resulting espresso. "The Nanopresso actually had us asking why coffee had become so complicated, when all you really need for a wake-up call is a small and mighty piece of kit like this," she concluded. Why indeed?

Read our full Wacaco Nanopresso review

4. Nespresso Vertuo Pop

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is made by Breville (Sage in the UK), so you can be confident that it's well-made and durable, despite its budget price tag. This mini Nespresso machine is always an affordable option, and it's even cheaper in this week's Amazon Prime Day sale. It takes dome-shaped Nespresso Vertuo capsules, which include a wide variety of regular and flavored coffees, including special editions like Coconut and Vanilla (designed to be made over ice) and Pistachio Vanilla.

Our tester Jennifer Oksien called it "a fabulous entry-level coffee maker", and owning one myself, I'm inclined to agree. It heats up in about a minute (just power it on and wait until the light on top stops blinking), after which you can simply slide in the pod, press down the lid, and hit the brew button. There are no options to choose between different drink sizes because Vertuo pods do that for you — the machine detects which one you're using and uses the appropriate amount of water without you doing a thing.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Pop review

5. Nespresso Vertuo Next

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is a step up from the Pop, and is noticeably taller, with a larger water tank, more space for your cup, and a bigger bin for used capsules. It's a piece of cake to use as well, and our tester Sophie Bird deemed it the simplest coffee maker she'd ever used — and considering how many coffee machines we test here at TechRadar, that's saying something. She timed the whole brewing process from start to sip, and found it took just 100 seconds, making this an excellent option if you're pressed for time in the morning.

She found the Vertuo Next virtually mess-free as well, noting that there was no splashing when the machine was dispensing coffee — largely thanks to the height-adjustable drip tray. The Vertuo Next is taller than the Pop above, so you can comfortably use larger cups (such as your favorite takeaway cup), and has a bigger water tank for larger brews.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Next review

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