Compared to old timers such as Sage and De'Longhi, who've been churning out espresso machines for years, Ninja is relatively new to the world of barista-style coffee makers.
After launching its first barista style espresso machine – the original Luxe Café – back in 2024, it’s safe to say Ninja has made waves in this space and in a surprisingly short space of time (probably thanks to the consumer trust the brand has on the back of its successful line of air fryers). The "Pro" version followed in 2025, adding an integrated tamper, independent hot water dispenser and an upgraded milk frother to an already impressive package.
Now, the brand's latest release comes in the form of a limited edition David Beckham collaboration, which hit the market earlier this year. The result of a six-month creative process between Ninja and the former England captain, it takes the existing Pro and wraps it in a new matte black stainless steel finish with shiny gold accents and black chestnut wood grain detailing on the portafilter and milk jug handles.
Everything under the surface is functionally the same as the standard Luxe Café Pro, so this review is about two things: is the Pro still worth the money, and does the Beckham edition add enough to justify the extra cost? I've been using it as my daily coffee machine for the past few weeks to find out.
Ninja Luxe Café Pro review: price and availability
The Ninja Luxe Café Pro David Beckham Edition is available now direct from Ninja and big retailers such as Amazon.
When researching prices, I found (rather oddly) that RRP varies dramatically across different regions. In the UK, you’ll find it for £879.99, but in the US you can pick it up for just $749, which converts to around £550. Down under gets an even better deal, with an RRP of AU$999.99, which is around £520. And you can save even more if you decide to drop the David Beckham design.
The standard Luxe Café Pro is the exact same machine, just with a different look, available in Stainless Steel, Oat Milk or Onyx colourways. It’s listed on Ninja’s webstore for £729.99 in the UK - a difference of £150 - and has the same $749.99 (about £550) price tag in the US, although the standard model isn’t available in Australia.
Interestingly, while there’s essentially no Beckham premium across the pond, you’re paying an extra £150 in the UK just for the limited-edition design.
In terms of competition, there’s no shortage of coffee machines of this calibre in the market. The five-star Sage Barista Touch Impress is arguably the Ninja's closest rival when it comes to feature set and target audience, but it does have a slightly higher price tag of around £1,049 / $999.95, AU$1,900 making the Ninja notably cheaper.
Then there’s the T3 Platinum Award-winning De'Longhi La Specialista Opera, which is another strong competitor since it offers the same functionality and arguably better build quality. This sits at around £799 / $749.95 / AU$1,199 mark, so the Beckham Edition slots in just above it price-wise.
Whether the Beckham tax is worth it depends entirely on whether the design really floats your boat or not. The machine itself is functionally identical to the standard Pro model, so you're only really paying for the colourway, the wood accents and (let's be honest) the name. If none of that matters to you, the standard Pro in its regular finishes is a smarter buy as it will save you a good £150!
Ninja Luxe Café Pro review: set up
Getting the Luxe Café Pro up and running is refreshingly quick. After slipping it out of its box, you slot in the drip tray, fill the water tank, pop some beans in the hopper, and you're brewing within about ten minutes.
The machine comes with single, double and even quadruple baskets (more on that later), a portafilter, an XL milk jug, cleaning tablets, descaling powder, a cleaning brush, cleaning disc and even a hard water testing kit, most of which slot neatly into a nifty accessory drawer that opens on the right-hand side of the unit.
Once it’s plugged in, the Barista Assist technology walks you through your first brew, suggesting a grind size based on the drink you've selected, and the integrated scale weighs your dose automatically. It's about as close to plug-and-play as a machine like this can get, and if you've never used a semi-automatic espresso machine before, it does a good job of making the whole process feel less intimidating than ever.
Ninja Luxe Café Pro review: design and build
On paper, the Beckham Edition of this coffee machine sounds like the bees knees: a matte black stainless steel body with gold accents and black chestnut wood grain on the handles. In reality, I can’t help but think it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. The gold and black finish, for example, just looks a bit naff: think regional luxury à la Cheshire beauty salon or Dubai influencer apartment.
If the gold had been a deeper tone, or even bronze and in a matte or brushed finish, it would feel a lot more premium. As it stands, the gold has a sheen to it that looks a bit cheap, and doesn't quite match Ninja’s very own "refined meets rebellious" marketing. The brand was clearly going for a luxurious, aspirational look here, but instead it comes across a bit try-hard and wannabe “bougie”.
Don’t get me wrong, the wood grain handles on the portafilter and milk jug are a nice touch, and they do add some sophistication and warmth to the overall look. But as with any design choice, I guess it’s subjective, and I can certainly see how it will grab attention.
My bigger concern is the build quality. At nearly 900 quid, I was expecting something that felt substantial and solid. Instead, much of the construction is plastic, and in places it feels a little flimsy. The removable drip tray, in particular, can literally be flexed and bent in your hand, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Coming from a Sage, which has a noticeably more robust, metal-heavy build, it feels like Ninja has cut some corners on materials here, maybe to hit its price point? Still, it's perfectly functional and nothing feels like it's going to break, but the weight and feel of it just doesn't match the price tag.
That said, the machine is surprisingly compact for everything it does. You get three brewing methods (espresso, filter coffee and cold brew), plus an integrated grinder, tamper, scale and milk frother, all in a footprint that doesn't dominate the worktop. It looks the part sitting in the kitchen, even if the gold and black won't be to everyone's taste.
Ninja Luxe Café Pro review: performance and features
Whatever reservations I have about the Luxe Café Pro’s design, they all feel a bit trivial once I start making coffee. This machine produces excellent espresso. The 19-bar pump delivers proper pressure, the conical burr grinder offers 25 settings for dialling in your preferred grind, and the integrated tamper applies consistent pressure every time via a simple lever press. Tamps are therefore flat and compact, making for way less mess.
As for the Barista Assist technology, this suggests a grind setting based on your chosen drink, which is useful as a starting point. I did find, though, that following its suggestion sometimes produced a slightly runny espresso. Dropping the grind level a notch or two below the recommendation gave me a thicker, richer shot with a lovely crema on top. But this is the kind of thing you’ll figure out after a few days of use, and once you've found your sweet spot, the results are consistently good.
Weight-based dosing is another standout feature. The built-in scale automatically weighs the coffee as it's ground into the portafilter, stopping when it hits the target dose. It removes one of the biggest variables in home espresso and means you get consistent results every morning without faffing around with a separate scale.
When it comes to milk frothing, Ninja’s system isn’t the kind you’d normally find on a conventional semi-automatic barista machine. Rather than a standard steam wand, it uses a jug with a spinning whisk inside (akin to what’s inside the Nespresso “Aeroccino“ milk frother gadgets) that heats and froths the milk simultaneously.
While it’s a different approach to the norm, it actually produces better microfoam than I expected, with a smooth, velvety texture that works well for lattes and flat whites.
The trade-off, however, is speed. Compared to my Sage, the Ninja's frothing system takes noticeably longer to heat and froth the milk. It's not a huge wait, maybe an extra 30 seconds or so, but it's enough to notice during your morning routine. The other slight frustration is that you can only adjust the froth level (across five settings), not the actual milk temperature. My Sage Oracle Jet lets me dial in temperature by the degree, but then again, that machine costs almost double, so I shouldn’t really compare.
As for other modes, such as filter coffee making, this produces a well-balanced, smooth cup, and the cold brew function is a nice bonus, delivering a concentrated cold brew in around 20 minutes rather than the overnight steeping most methods require. Having all three brewing methods in a single machine, plus a dedicated hot water dispenser for tea and americanos, makes the Luxe Café Pro one of the most versatile coffee machines I've used - especially for the price!
Ninja Luxe Café Pro review: verdict
With or without the Beckham design and the divisive gold trim, the Ninja Luxe Café Pro is one of the most capable and user-friendly all-in-one coffee machines on the market. The espresso is top notch, the Barista Assist technology makes it easy to use from the get-go, and having espresso, filter and cold brew in a single compact unit is hard to beat at this price.
Rather ironically, it’s the design which is supposed to be the headline feature of this limited edition machine that will split opinion. The gold finish doesn't look as premium as I think Ninja intended, and the plastic-heavy construction feels a little cheap for an £880 unit, especially when compared to rivals like Sage. But these are only cosmetic and material concerns, and when it comes to performance, the Luxe Café Pro delivers every time.
If you love the Beckham colourway, then I say go for it. But if you're less bothered about the aesthetics and just want the same brilliant machine for £150 less, the standard Luxe Café Pro in one of its other finishes is definitely a smarter buy. Either way, Ninja is offering something here that’s certainly giving the competition a run for its money.
