Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro ES701UK: Honest UK Review

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The Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro ES701UK is a 4-in-1 machine that does espresso, lattes, drip coffee, and cold brew from a single unit with a built-in grinder. At £700 it keeps selling out, and the reason is simple: no other machine at this price handles that many drink styles with this level of integration. The question isn't whether it works, it does. The question is whether versatility is the right thing to optimise for with your £700.

If you primarily want the best possible espresso, a Gaggia Classic Pro and a dedicated grinder produces better extraction for the same budget. If you want one machine that competently handles every style of coffee your household drinks, without needing separate equipment for drip or cold brew, the Ninja makes a compelling case.

## What it actually does

The Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro combines four brewing methods into one machine:

Espresso: 19-bar pump extraction through a 58mm portafilter. The built-in conical burr grinder has 25 grind settings. You can pull shots as singles or doubles, with adjustable brew strength.

Lattes and cappuccinos: The milk frother handles hot and cold frothed milk. It's not manual steam. It's an automatic frother that produces decent (not exceptional) microfoam.

Drip coffee: SCA-certified drip brewing for when you just want a normal cup of coffee. Uses the same built-in grinder but with a coarser setting and different brew basket.

Cold brew: Fast cold brew in minutes rather than the usual 12-24 hour steep. The extraction method is different from traditional cold brew (more of a rapid cold extraction), but the result is smooth, low-acid, and genuinely enjoyable.

## What it does well

Versatility is the headline. No other machine at this price does all four styles competently. If your household includes an espresso drinker, a filter coffee person, and someone who wants iced lattes, this solves the problem of three machines on the counter.

The cold brew is surprisingly good. Ready in about 10 minutes versus 12-24 hours with traditional methods. The flavour is smooth and low in acidity. This alone sells the machine for some buyers.

Build quality is solid for Ninja. It feels substantial, the controls are intuitive, and the components are well-made. The water reservoir is easy to fill and the drip tray is generous. Ninja's UK warranty support is responsive if anything goes wrong.

It actually keeps selling out. Stock is inconsistent. Ninja releases in batches and it sells through quickly. This isn't manufactured scarcity; genuine demand is high. If you see it listed, don't wait too long.

## What it doesn't do well

The espresso is good, not great. Compared to a dedicated Gaggia Classic Pro with a separate grinder, the shots are noticeably less nuanced. The built-in grinder produces adequate but not exceptional grind consistency. The 25 settings sound like a lot until you realise dedicated grinders have 40-400.

The milk frother is automatic only. No steam wand means no manual control over milk texture. The microfoam is acceptable for lattes but won't produce latte art. If textured milk matters to you, a machine with a steam wand is the better path.

The built-in grinder is the bottleneck. Like all built-in grinder machines (including the Sage Barista Express), the grinder is the component that limits overall quality. A separate £200 grinder paired with a £500 machine will outperform this for espresso specifically.

It's large. The 4-in-1 design means a bigger footprint than most espresso machines. Measure your counter space before ordering.

## Who should buy it

Households that drink different styles. If one person wants espresso, another wants drip, and someone wants cold brew, the Ninja eliminates the need for multiple machines. The convenience value is real.

People who value versatility over perfection. If you want good coffee across multiple styles without becoming a home barista, this delivers. It won't win any espresso competitions, but it handles everything competently.

Cold brew lovers. The fast cold brew function is genuinely unique at this price. If cold brew is a regular part of your rotation, this feature alone adds significant value.

People upgrading from pod machines. If you're coming from Nespresso or Dolce Gusto and want real coffee without a steep learning curve, the Ninja bridges that gap well. Fresh beans, proper extraction, no capsule waste.

## Who should skip it

Espresso purists. If you're chasing the best possible espresso and willing to learn, a Gaggia Classic Pro plus a dedicated grinder will produce noticeably better shots for similar or less money.

People who want upgradeable setups. The built-in grinder and automatic frother can't be upgraded. With a semi-automatic machine, you can start with a budget grinder and upgrade later. The Ninja is what it is from day one.

**Small kitchen owners.** The footprint is significant. If counter space is tight, a compact machine like the Sage Bambino plus a hand grinder takes up far less room.

## How it compares

**vs Sage Barista Express (£549):** The Sage produces slightly better espresso with better grind adjustment. The Ninja adds drip coffee, cold brew, and an automatic frother. Choose Ninja for variety, Sage for espresso focus.

**vs De'Longhi Magnifica S (£350):** The Magnifica is a proper bean-to-cup that's more compact and cheaper. The Ninja adds drip coffee and cold brew. The Magnifica is better for espresso-focused households on a tighter budget.

vs separate machine + grinder (£500-700 total): A Gaggia Classic Pro plus a Baratza Encore ESP produces better espresso but only does espresso. No drip, no cold brew, two devices on the counter. Better for quality, worse for versatility.

## The verdict

The Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro is the best all-in-one coffee machine you can buy in the UK in 2026. It's not the best espresso machine, not the best drip brewer, and not the best cold brew maker. But it does all three (plus milk drinks) competently from a single machine for £700.

If versatility is your priority and you want one machine that handles everything, this is it. If espresso quality is your priority, spend the same money on a dedicated setup instead.

For the full range of espresso machines at every price point, see our best espresso machine UK guide. The verdict: if one machine handling everything is the priority, this is the best option in the UK right now at this price. If espresso quality is the priority, spend the same money on dedicated equipment instead.

## Dialling In the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro

The built-in grinder has 25 settings, finer for espresso, coarser for drip. The espresso range sits broadly in the lower 12 settings. Start at setting 8 for espresso and adjust from there: if your shot runs in under 18 seconds, go finer; over 35 seconds, go coarser. The target is 25-30ml yield in 25-30 seconds from a double dose.

Unlike separate grinder setups, you can't make micro-adjustments between the 25 steps. This is the practical limitation of built-in grinders. Find a setting that works for your current beans and stick with it. When you switch to a lighter or darker roast, you'll typically need to adjust 1-2 steps.

The Cold Brew function works independently of grind settings, it uses a different extraction method and the result is less dependent on grind precision than espresso. Cold brew is the Ninja's most forgiving mode.

## Maintenance Schedule

After every use: Rinse the portafilter and basket, wipe the steam wand tip, empty the drip tray if needed.

Weekly: Backflush with a blind basket and Cafiza cleaning tablet. Run the cleaning cycle the machine prompts you through. Clean the grinder chute with the included brush.

Monthly: Descale following the machine's indicator or roughly monthly in hard-water areas. The Ninja descaling cycle takes about 45 minutes. Use Ninja's own descaler or a citric acid solution.

Every 3-6 months: Deep clean the drip tray, water reservoir, and accessible grinder components. The grinder can't be fully disassembled, so focus on the visible surfaces.

The maintenance requirement is slightly higher than single-purpose machines because you have more components, grinder, espresso boiler, frother, and cold brew system, each needing separate attention.

## Common Questions About the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro

Can we use pre-ground coffee in the Ninja?

Yes. There's a bypass dose feature that accepts pre-ground coffee, bypassing the grinder entirely. Useful for specialty beans you've ground elsewhere or for using a different grind size than the built-in settings allow. The bypass doesn't change the espresso brewing process, it just skips the grinder step.

Is the cold brew actually cold brew, or just cold coffee?

Ninja calls it "cold brew" but the extraction method is different from traditional 12-24 hour cold brew. Traditional cold brew steeps coarsely ground coffee in cold water for many hours. The Ninja extracts rapidly using a different process. The result is similar, smooth, low-acid, cold coffee, but purists would argue it's not technically cold brew. For most people, the practical difference is negligible: you get a cold, low-acid coffee drink in minutes instead of overnight.

What beans should we use with the Ninja?

Fresh beans, ideally roasted within the last 2-4 weeks. For espresso, medium to medium-dark roasts dial in more easily in the Ninja's grinder range. Light roasts are harder to extract properly in any built-in grinder. For drip and cold brew, medium roasts work well and give you versatility across all four modes if you keep one bag in the hopper.

Does the Ninja replace a full espresso setup?

For households that want espresso as one of several coffee options, yes. For households that want the best possible espresso as the primary goal, no. The Ninja is an excellent all-in-one machine. A dedicated Gaggia Classic Pro with a separate grinder will make better espresso, but only espresso. Choose based on what your household actually drinks.

Is the automatic frother good enough for latte art?

No. The automatic frother produces workable foam for cappuccinos and lattes but doesn't give you the control needed for latte art patterns. If latte art matters to you, you need a machine with a manual steam wand. If you just want frothy milk drinks without learning to steam manually, the automatic frother does exactly that job well.

What happens if the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro goes out of stock?

It frequently does. Ninja releases the ES701UK in batches and stock sells through quickly. If you find it available, the window is often short. Alternatives when it's out of stock: the Sage Barista Express at £549 (better espresso, no drip or cold brew, manual steam), the De'Longhi Magnifica Start at around £350 (full bean-to-cup, no cold brew, smaller footprint), or waiting for the next Ninja batch. If multi-style brewing is specifically what you want, there's no direct competitor at this price, the Ninja is fairly unique in the UK market.

How does the Ninja compare to a Nespresso for everyday convenience?

Nespresso is faster and simpler, insert pod, press button, done in 30 seconds. The Ninja takes 3-5 minutes including grind, extraction, and frothing. In return, you get real espresso from whole beans, no capsule waste, and genuine drip and cold brew capability. If your priority is maximum speed and minimum thought, Nespresso wins. If you want real coffee across multiple styles and are happy with a 5-minute morning routine, the Ninja is significantly better value. The per-cup cost also drops considerably: specialty whole beans at £12-16 per 250g produce around 14 double shots versus Nespresso Original capsules at £0.35-0.65 each.

Does the Ninja grinder work well for drip coffee as well as espresso?

Yes, the 25-setting range covers both. Espresso sits in the finer range (roughly settings 1-12) and drip sits in the coarser range (roughly settings 13-25). The transition between modes works smoothly. The main constraint is that the grinder is better optimised for espresso: if you primarily make drip and occasionally espresso, a separate drip-focused grinder would perform better. For a household using both modes regularly from a single machine, the built-in grinder handles both competently.

Can we use pods or capsules in the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro?

It doesn't accept Nespresso capsules or other proprietary pods. It uses standard ground coffee and whole beans through its built-in grinder. The only "shortcut" is the bypass dose feature, which lets you use pre-ground coffee from an external grinder. The Ninja is fundamentally a real coffee machine, not a pod machine in disguise.

The first morning you pull a proper espresso shot, froth your milk, and realise the same machine brews filter or cold brew with equal competence is when the £700 makes sense. Not four mediocre tools awkwardly combined. One machine that handles all of it properly. If that kind of range matters to your household, there is nothing close at this price.

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