- The Ninja Luxe Café Mini Plus is a new semi-automatic espresso machine
- It brews espresso and filter coffee, and can foam milk automatically
- It's smaller and more affordable than other Ninja Luxe Café models
Ninja has just launched a new compact version of its hugely popular espresso machine. The Ninja Luxe Café Mini Plus packs almost all the brewing features of the full-size Luxe Café into a much smaller case, making it a great choice for small kitchens where counter space is at a premium.
We gave the full-size version four and a half stars out of five in our Ninja Luxe Café review, thanks to its ability to brew consistently delicious coffee with minimal effort. It's a semi-automatic machine with built-in grinder and dosage scale, which guides you through the process of making the perfect drink, even if you're a complete beginner.
It can also foam milk automatically or manually (just raise the steam wand a few degrees to take control yourself), and can make filter coffee as well, making it a one-stop-shop for all your brewing needs.
The new Luxe Café Mini Plus does all of that, using the same Barista Assist technology to calibrate the grind settings and shot size, and offering a choice to single- and double-shot espresso baskets.
It packs all of those coffee-making features into a much more compact package than its predecessors (all dimensions are H x W x L):
- Ninja Luxe Café Mini Pro: 13.4 x 10.1 x 12.2 inches / 34.1 x 25.6cm x 30.9
- Ninja Luxe Café Premier: 14.6 x 13.2 x 13.5 inches / 37.2 x 33.6 x 34.4cm
- Ninja Luxe Café Pro: 14.8 x 13.3 x 14 inches / 37.7 x 33.7 x 35.5cm
The only option missing is the ability to prepare cold-extracted coffee, but if that's not a dealbreaker, this is an extremely capable little coffee maker that'll let you make cafe-quality drinks without any barista experience.
The Luxe Café Mini Plus is more affordable than Ninja's full-size machines too, with a list price of $499.99 / £499.99 (about AU$710) compared to $549.99 / £549.99 (about AU$850) for the Ninja Luxe Café Premier, or $699.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,100) for the Ninja Luxe Café Pro. It's available to buy now direct from Ninja in the UK, and the US store is awaiting more stock. At the time of writing, it's not yet available in Australia.
I'll be testing the Ninja Luxe Café Mini Plus very soon to see whether it can earn a place in our roundup of the best espresso machines. Stick with TechRadar for the full lowdown.
