The Ninja Luxe Café and the Breville Touch Impress serve two very different coffee drinkers, distinguished primarily by their function, price, and level of specialization. The Ninja is a versatile, all-in-one coffee maker designed for convenience and variety at an accessible price point, while the Breville is a high-end, semi-automatic espresso machine built for enthusiasts seeking professional-grade control and a true barista experience.
Here’s everything you need to know to decide which of these machines deserves a spot on your kitchen counter.
Ninja Luxe Café
The Ninja Luxe Café is a multi-function coffee station designed for the modern household that enjoys a variety of coffee styles. It aims to deliver café-quality drinks - from drip coffee to lattes - with user-friendly controls and a sleek, compact design. It's built for those who value convenience and versatility over the granular control of a specialized espresso machine.
- What it is: A versatile, all-in-one coffee and espresso-style drink maker.
- Key features: Handles multiple brewing styles including drip coffee and specialty concentrated brews, features intuitive controls, and often includes smart features like app connectivity.
- Price: $250 - $350
- Dimensions: Designed to be compact and space-efficient for standard kitchen countertops.
- Materials/Construction: A solid build of durable plastic with stainless steel accents, designed for reliable daily use.
- Style: Sleek, modern, and minimalist, usually in black or stainless steel finishes that fit well in contemporary kitchens.
- Pros: Highly versatile for multiple drink types, significantly more affordable, compact footprint saves counter space, easy to use for beginners, great for busy households that want options.
- Cons: "Espresso" is a concentrated brew, not true nine-bar pressure espresso. Build is less premium than high-end machines. Lacks the fine-tuning options for serious coffee aficionados.
The Ninja Luxe Café is perfect for the user who wants an accessible, all-in-one machine for their daily coffee, lattes, and other specialty drinks without a major financial investment.
Shop this product: ninjakitchen.com
Breville Touch Impress
The Breville Touch Impress is a high-performance, semi-automatic espresso machine that brings a professional café experience into your home. With its intuitive touchscreen, built-in grinder, and automated tamping and milk frothing, it guides users toward the perfect shot of espresso. It is a premium appliance for those serious about mastering the craft of coffee.
- What it is: A high-end, semi-automatic espresso machine with guided touchscreen controls.
- Key features: Color touchscreen with step-by-step guidance, integrated conical burr grinder, automatic intelligent dosing and assisted tamping, and an automatic steam wand for perfectly textured milk.
- Price: $1,200 - $1,500
- Dimensions: Larger and more substantial, requiring a dedicated spot on the counter.
- Materials/Construction: Premium brushed stainless steel construction with high-quality internal components built for longevity and precision performance.
- Style: Sophisticated and professional with a high-end, modern aesthetic that makes a statement in any kitchen.
- Pros: Delivers true barista-quality espresso, premium and durable construction, guided user experience simplifies complex processes, provides extensive shot customization, excellent long-term investment for coffee lovers.
- Cons: Significant price difference, much larger footprint, overkill for casual coffee drinkers, requires more maintenance and cleaning.
This Breville machine is designed for the aspiring home barista who is willing to invest in quality, precision, and the craft of making café-quality espresso drinks from scratch.
Shop this product: breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes881
Ninja Luxe Café vs. Breville Touch Impress Comparison
Price & Value
The most dramatic difference lies in the price. The Ninja Luxe Café, at around $250-$350, offers incredible value by packaging multiple brewing functions into one affordable appliance. It's the practical choice for anyone who needs variety without a huge budget.
The Breville Touch Impress commands a price of $1,200+ for a reason: it's a specialized, high-performance machine. The value comes from its premium materials, precision engineering, and ability to produce genuine, high-quality espresso that commodity coffee makers can't replicate. It's an investment in a hobby and a long-lasting appliance.
Materials & Construction
The Ninja uses durable plastics and stainless steel accents appropriate for its price point. It's built to withstand daily family use and is easy to clean, but it doesn't have the heavy, robust feel of a premium machine.
Breville uses brushed stainless steel for the entire body of the Touch Impress, giving it a professional look and substantial weight. The internal components, from the grinder burrs to the heating system, are engineered for consistency and longevity, justifying its position as a luxury appliance.
Brewing Style & Specialization
The Ninja Luxe Café is an all-rounder. It excels at making drip coffee, iced coffee, and specialty drinks using a concentrated coffee brew as an espresso substitute. While versatile, it doesn't use the high-pressure system needed for true espresso. This makes it perfect for someone who wants a latte one day and a full pot of coffee the next.
The Breville Touch Impress is a specialist. Its sole purpose is to master the espresso-making process, from grinding beans to pulling precise shots and frothing silky milk foam. The touchscreen guides you, but you still have control over grind size, dose, and water temperature. It is built for the purist who wants to craft perfect lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites.
Dimensions & Footprint
The Ninja Luxe Café is designed with space efficiency in mind. Its more compact and vertical design ensures it can fit under standard cabinets and on crowded countertops, making it suitable for smaller kitchens and apartments.
Conversely, the Breville Touch Impress is a countertop centerpiece that demands a good amount of space. Its wider and deeper frame houses the grinder, portafilter station, and drip tray, making it best suited for larger kitchens or dedicated coffee bars.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both machines are excellent at what they do, but they are built for fundamentally different coffee drinkers with opposing priorities.
Choose the Ninja Luxe Café if:
- You want an all-in-one machine for drip coffee, iced coffee, and specialty drinks.
- Convenience, speed, and ease of use are your main priorities.
- You're working with a budget under $400.
- You have limited counter space and need a more compact appliance.
Choose the Breville Touch Impress if:
- You are passionate about creating authentic, café-quality espresso at home.
- You're willing to invest over $1,000 for a premium, long-lasting machine.
- You appreciate high-end materials, precision engineering, and guided controls.
- You have dedicated counter space and see coffee making as a rewarding ritual or hobby.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between the Ninja Luxe Café and the Breville Touch Impress?
The main difference is specialization and price. The Ninja is an affordable, versatile coffee maker that brews drip coffee and espresso-style drinks for convenience. The Breville is a premium, specialized espresso machine designed to give a home user professional-level control and quality for authentic espresso.
Which machine makes better espresso?
The Breville Touch Impress makes far superior, authentic espresso. It uses a high-pressure system, a quality burr grinder, and a portafilter to extract coffee correctly. The Ninja creates a strong coffee concentrate, which is great for milk-based drinks but is not true espresso.
Is the Breville Touch Impress good for beginners?
Yes, its touchscreen interface provides step-by-step guidance on grinding, tamping, and extraction, making it one of the most beginner-friendly high-end espresso machines available. However, its high price may be a steep entry point for someone completely new to the hobby.
Which one is easier to clean?
The Ninja Luxe Café is generally easier to clean, with fewer specialized parts. The Breville requires more involved maintenance, including regularly cleaning the grinder, group head, steam wand, and drip tray to keep it in peak condition.
Can the Ninja Luxe Café use whole bean coffee?
You would need a separate grinder to use whole bean coffee with the Ninja Luxe Café. It is designed to work with pre-ground coffee. The Breville Touch Impress has a high-quality grinder built directly into the machine.
Is the Breville Touch Impress worth the money?
For a serious coffee enthusiast who would otherwise spend a lot of money at coffee shops, the investment can be worthwhile. Its build quality, performance, and the quality of the drinks it produces make it a valuable tool for anyone passionate about espresso.
How much counter space do I need for each machine?
The Ninja Luxe Café is designed to be compact and fits comfortably in most kitchens. The Breville Touch Impress has a much larger footprint and is wider and deeper, you should measure your space and ensure you have a dedicated area for it.
Can the Ninja Luxe Café froth milk?
Most Ninja coffee bar systems, including models like the Luxe Café, come equipped with a built-in milk frother (either a steam wand or a fold-away mechanical frother) for making lattes and cappuccinos.
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