Before I became a mother, never drunk Coffee daily. I didn’t understand all the hype because a hearty breakfast used to give me the energy I needed to tackle the day. If you listen closely, you can hear my giggle, coded by my mother.
Although I used my Keurig machine here and there… I fell into the daily Starbucks Habit that I haven’t given up and haven’t gotten rid of yet. The delicious drinks were much easier to grab and take with you than just throwing in a capsule and adding cream in the hope of a barista-style taste. But I’ve finally found something that makes me feel like I’m my own home coffee Barista: the Ninja espresso machine!
What is the Ninja Espresso Machine?
Amazon
This Ninja coffee maker is a 3-in-1 machine that allows you to make espresso, classic filter coffee and cold brew! It goes a step further and allows you to make the following drinks:
- espresso — Double shot or quadruple shot
- Filter coffee – classic, rich or on ice
- Cold brew — cold-pressed espresso or cold-brewed coffee
Depending on your mood, you can make drinks between 6 and 18 oz. In my opinion, it’s like the grandmother of coffee machines – it really can do everything and more!
What functions does it have?
Jasmine Williams
Which functions not This Ninja coffee maker has the better question. My favorite feature so far is the weight-based dosing, which lets the machine determine what you need for the perfect cup of coffee. What does that mean? It has a built-in scale that does the heavy lifting for you and tells you the recommended setting by detecting the weight of the beans before grinding.
It also has a hands-free frothing function that rivals the skills of Starbucks baristas with its Barista Assist technology. The four frothing functions are:
- Steamed milk
- Thin foam
- Thick foam
- Cold foam
I tried the foamed milk and Cold foam options so far, and they are AMAZING. I think this is the best part of making coffee now!
Is it difficult to assemble the Nina espresso machine?
Jasmine Williams
This is probably the heaviest coffee machine I have ever had, but that doesn’t bother me. I gave my fiancé a Nutri Ninja Personal and Stand Mixer last year, so I know how robust their products are.
I do want to mention how heavy it is though so you aren’t surprised when you take it out of the box! In my experience, it took two people to pull it out, so make sure you have someone help you. If you don’t want to keep the Ninja Espresso Machine box, you can just cut it open to make it easier on yourself.
However, assembling this machine is easier than it looks. It comes with extra parts like the assisted tamper, a funnel (to make sure you have the right amount of ground coffee), two strainers (to determine what type of coffee you want to make: quad shot espresso, classic, cold brew, or cold pressed), and the portafilter (aka the longer part that acts as the main handle when you want to grind the beans and make your coffee). Luckily, the double basket is already installed.
How much space does it take up on the work surface?
Jasmine Williams
The Ninja espresso machine doesn’t take up as much space as I thought it would – and that’s great because I live in an apartment, so space is very limited in my kitchen. I was able to put it on the smaller counter next to the stove and still had room to put my coffee supplies next to it. But if you’re looking to create a coffee nook, I definitely recommend putting it on a longer surface.
Do I have to use pre-ground coffee or whole beans?
Jasmine Williams
That’s a great question! I usually skip the instructions when putting something together (hectic life of a mom, you know?), but I decided to do this because I didn’t want to mess anything up.
Pre-ground coffee is easy to come by, but this machine requires whole beans due to the grinding function. If you’re worried about the extra time spent grinding, don’t worry – it really doesn’t take long to grind the beans!
Do I have to use whole milk for the frother or can I use something plant-based?
Jasmine Williams
Actually, you can use either! The cool thing about the Nina espresso machine is that you can change the settings to whole milk or plant milk if you want to use the frothing function! I just prefer to stick with unsweetened almond milk because it doesn’t irritate my digestive system and it has 0 grams of sugar!
Final thoughts:
Jasmine Williams
The Ninja espresso machine has made me a coffee drinker who no longer has to leave her house to get the latest Fall drinks from Starbucks – or at least not all the time. 😉 Using the included QR code on the top of the machine, I was able to view the step-by-step instructions for installation and preparation. This is a welcome bonus that continues to make regular use much easier.
I would like to tell you that you need to test the hardness of your water and run a pre-wash cycle before using the machine. A water test strip is included and this process takes a couple of minutes. When you are ready to run the pre-wash cycle, fill the water reservoir on the side, place a 10 or 12 oz cup under the portafilter and press brew. After a couple of minutes, when the cup is full, pour the water into the sink and you are ready to make your first cup of espresso, classic coffee, latte or iced coffee!
Ultimately, while this feature isn’t my cup of tea, it’s good for my Dominican fiancé – it’s perfect for giving him that hit of flavor and energy he craves in the mornings. Otherwise, for all other coffee-making endeavors, I give the Ninja Espresso Machine a 5 out of 5 rating! It really has something for all coffee lovers and it takes less than five minutes to make a cup of cold or hot deliciousness! Be right back while I’m working on something for my “Gilmore Girls” watch again…
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Header image via Amazon
