Ninja Luxe Café ES601

Our take

The Ninja Luxe Café ES601 is the espresso machine we own and use daily at home. It suits people who want café-style lattes and cappuccinos without learning barista skills, and households where some people want espresso drinks and others just want a regular cup of coffee.

It is a 3-in-1 machine: espresso, drip coffee and cold brew. The built-in conical burr grinder grinds fresh beans for each drink, and a built-in scale doses the grounds by weight for the drink you pick instead of just grinding for a set time. Ninja's Barista Assist Technology suggests grind adjustments and adjusts brewing as it goes, an assisted tamper presses an even puck, and the Dual Froth System steams and whisks dairy or plant-based milk hands-free.

It is a large, heavy machine, so measure your counter space first. It costs more than a basic espresso maker, and fresh whole beans make a noticeable difference. If you only drink straight espresso and enjoy dialing it in by hand, a simpler manual machine may suit you better. If you want one machine that covers every type of coffee drink with very little effort, this is the one we picked.