We tested the most popular Ninja appliances in our own kitchens. Here’s what we found.

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by using an espresso machine, the Ninja Luxe Café Premier strikes the perfect balance of user-friendly design with high-end settings.

Plus, if you’re a divided household, with latté drinkers or drip coffee loyalists, this machine bridges the gap with the ability to grind and brew both espresso and coffee. This machine may not be for professional baristas, but it will be for someone who has expert taste but prioritizes convenience.

While my partner and I are espresso enthusiasts, any time our parents come into town, we run into the problem of not having a good drip coffee setup. The Ninja Luxe Café Premier is the ideal solution for offering both without any pods. Instead, it grinds beans to serve brew espresso, coffee, and cold brew. It has adjustable grind settings while providing suggested grind settings based on your chosen coffee setting — much easier than troubleshooting on a standard espresso machine.

Using the machine is pretty foolproof. While I do have a barista background and know my way around an espresso machine, I enjoyed just how easy it was to use. The machine tells you exactly how fine to grind your beans, grinds them, and then pulls an espresso shot with a rich layer of crema, all with the press of a button.

Milk frothing is automated on the Luxe Café Premier. The milk pitcher includes a steaming wand as well as a circular frother at the bottom. While I enjoyed the seamlessness of getting steamed milk, this is where the machine won’t be for everyone. If you prefer to steam your own silky microfoam for lattés, you won’t be able to with this machine, as you can’t angle the wand without placing the pitcher on its pedestal.

Otherwise, I think this is a perfectly approachable machine that blends ease of use with a delicious finished product.