Ninja - AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine & Frother, 13 Drink Presets, Built-In Grinder, 2 Swappable Bean Hoppers - Stainless Steel

I bought a Delonghi magnifica evo and immediately it just felt plasticy and cheap for how durable it seems like it should be for how expensive it is. This Ninja, while new and unproven over the long term, feels worlds more robust and high quality. It looks nice and has been working really well. The drip tray is slightly obnoxious to try to keep level, bringing over to the sink, but that's not unique to this machine. The grind IQ can burn through a lot of grounds up front, but once you get the settings locked in, it does exactly what I want and exactly why i got a superautomatic: a consistent drink with only like 1 button press. Tweaking the settings like grind size and strength everything were frustrating at the beginning because the machine adjusts things in the background which makes it hard to isolate variables, but if you just trust the grind iq and dial in little things from there, I've gotten to a really decent output. Beans I've been using successfully for the last 2 weeks: Lavazza Super Crema and Counter Culture Big Trouble.

If you are thinking about getting this, DO IT!! You will not be disappointed. It is easy to use and having different drink selections gives you variety each and every day. Yes it is on the pricey side, but it will pay for itself once you start making your drinks at home and not having to buy them. It can save your selections for each drink you make. If you like variety and not having to guess at making your drinks, this is the coffee, espresso, etc machine to buy!!

So easy to use once you’ve got the settings right! I love that there are two profiles that can be set up and two hoppers (one for my dark roast and one for my son’s lighter roast).

Amazing espresso machine I use it every morning and it makes great coffee and checks all my boxes

The Ninja AutoBarista Pro does just about everything, from espresso shots and cappuccinos to lattes, cortados, iced coffee, cold foam drinks, and even regular drip coffee. It’s all automatic, as all you need to do is add water, beans, and optionally milk. I’m really impressed at what all it does considering the price. I’ve had much more expensive machines that were more complicated to use and did not produce as good of results as the Ninja. The machine is rather large but its modern design still looks attractive and elegant on my countertop. Sometimes these fully automatic machines seem a bit daunting when you take them out of the box. However, setting up the AutoBarista Pro was surprisingly straightforward. The machine includes water-hardness test strips and guides you through the auto-calibration for the grinder based on your beans. It takes a little time upfront, but once it's dialed in, the machine remembers your settings and automatically adjusts as needed. The grinder is fairly quiet compared to the standalone machine I have but it does take a while to grind as the machine will accurately measure by weight. A unique feature of this machine is that it comes with a second hopper so that you can instantly change from one to the other without having to recalibrate the grinder. Great for those who switch to decaf often. I estimate each hopper holds about 8 oz of whole beans. Don’t try to fill it to the top like I did or else the beans will get stuck. The drinks are as good as I’ve made on any other home espresso machine I’ve tried, both automatic and traditional. My favorite drink is just the simple latte, but my wife really enjoys the iced options. The frother is usually the most complicated part of the machine and where others have failed. This one works very well. There is a milk pitcher and a steam wand that fits into it. The force of the steam spins a small removable whisk at the bottom of the pitcher to create a high quality microfoam. The pitcher has markings that correspond to the drink and you can select dairy or plant-based milk. Minimal daily upkeep is another strong point. The machine automatically rinses itself when powered on and off. The machine will signal when it’s time to empty the drip tray and the used puck container, about every 4-5 drinks. If you used milk, the machine will run a purge through the wand and you’ll want to at least rinse out or wash the milk pitcher and just wipe down the wand. Additional maintenance includes washing the parts monthly. The milk container, whisk, and water reservoir are dishwasher safe. The brew unit can be completely rinsed and left to air dry (do not use soap or dishwasher) and the hoppers can be wiped clean. The machine will also indicate when you need to run a cleaning or descaling cycle and includes some cleaning tablets and descaling solution to start with. Finally, the brew unit needs to be lubricated about every two months with the included lubricant. Coffee connoisseurs or those very particular about their coffee might be disappointed with the lack of control over the process but that’s going to be the case with any automatic machine. This machine is for consistency and convenience, something I definitely appreciate. However, for each drink you can customize the temperature, strength, number of shots, and frothing type. The machine can store these settings in up to two profiles. The only other downside is that it takes up more counter space than a manual espresso machine. I would consider my kitchen countertops and cabinets to be standard, but the top of the hopper sits only about 2” below my cabinets, making it hard to add more beans to the hopper without moving the entire machine, and it is heavy. Pros: - Consistent drinks with minimal effort - Easy to clean and maintain - Automatic grinding calibration - Dual whole bean hoppers - Option for pre-ground coffee - Variety of options: espresso, drip, milk, iced, cold foam from one machine - Can dispense hot water - Auto rinse and clean cycles - Includes cleaning tablets, descale solution, cleaning brush Cons: - Less control than a traditional machine - Heavy and demands a lot of counter space Overall – The Ninja AutoBarista Pro can make a variety of drinks consistently and is easy to clean. The extra hopper makes swapping out beans easy and I think it is an excellent value and performs as well as more expensive machines. Highly recommended.