The Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series ES601C is a 3-in-1 machine that grinds, brews and froths for espresso, drip coffee and cold brew, and Ninja’s Canadian site lists it at $699.99. In the United States, SharkNinja launched the line on July 25, 2024 at $499.99 on NinjaKitchen.com and at Best Buy.
SharkNinja makes it, sells it on ninjakitchen.ca and lists it on amazon.ca under the ES601C model code. It comes in black and stainless steel with a 1 year limited warranty. TechRadar has covered it more than once, so we looked at what it does, what it costs and who should spend this much.
What does the Ninja Luxe Café ES601C do?
It packs a grinder, an espresso system, a drip brewer and a cold brew mode into one body. Here are the specs from Ninja’s Canadian product page:
- Grinder: integrated conical burr grinder with 25 grind settings
- Espresso: double shot or quad shot
- Drip coffee: classic, rich or over ice
- Cold brew: cold-pressed espresso or cold brew coffee
- Drip and cold brew sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 oz
- Milk: Dual Froth System with 4 presets
- Power: 1650 watts, 120 volts, 13.75 amps
- Size: 32.99 cm long, 34.01 cm wide, 37.01 cm high, 25.73 lbs
Ninja says its Barista Assist Technology recommends a grind size and adjusts brew temperature and pressure automatically. A built-in scale doses the coffee by weight, and an assisted tamper and funnel help with the puck. The box also holds a portafilter, a milk jug, a double basket, a Luxe basket and cleaning supplies.
How does it make espresso, drip coffee and cold brew?
You pick a drink style and the machine does the rest. Ninja counts 7 drink styles in total across espresso, drip and cold brew.
Espresso comes as a double or quad shot. Drip coffee can be classic, rich or poured over ice, and cold brew comes either as cold-pressed espresso or as cold brew coffee. SharkNinja’s launch release says cold-pressed espresso is brewed at a lower temperature and pressure, and more slowly, for a smoother flavour, and it suggests the style for drinks such as espresso martinis.
How does the milk frother work?
The Dual Froth System steams and whisks milk at the same time, with no hand work. It has 4 presets: steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth and cold foam. According to SharkNinja it handles dairy and plant-based milk. TechRadar noted that the machine does not pour latte art, so it makes the milk, not the pattern.
Prices in Canada and the US
In Canada, ninjakitchen.ca lists the ES601C at $699.99, and the page shows no currency label. A SharkNinja Canada page for the same model showed $599.99, marked down from $799.99, but it was out of stock with a sign-up for launch notifications when we checked.
In the United States, SharkNinja priced the line at $499.99 at launch on July 25, 2024, at NinjaKitchen.com and Best Buy, with Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Kohl’s and Target listed as coming soon. Prices on these machines move, so treat every figure here as a snapshot and compare ninjakitchen.ca with the amazon.ca listing before you buy.
Who it suits
Home baristas who want one machine. The built-in scale, assisted tamper and grind-size guidance cover the steps that trip up beginners, and the 25 grind settings leave room to learn.
Cold brew and iced coffee fans. Drip over ice and cold-pressed espresso in sizes up to 18 oz mean one machine can cover both hot and iced mornings.
Small kitchens and busy households. One body at 32.99 cm by 34.01 cm by 37.01 cm replaces a grinder, an espresso machine and a drip maker, though at 25.73 lbs it is not a machine you will move daily.
Who should wait. If you only drink drip coffee, or you already own a grinder and an espresso machine you like, this is a lot of money for features you will not use. The gap between the listings we saw, $699.99 and $599.99, also suggests that waiting for a sale can pay off.
What is still unknown
Ninja’s Canadian page does not state the pump pressure or the water reservoir size. It also does not say whether the $699.99 is in Canadian dollars. Check the listing for both before you order.
The next step is simple: match the ES601C model code on ninjakitchen.ca and on the amazon.ca listing, then compare the final price with shipping.
