Review on Ninja CFN601 Espresso & Coffee Barista System, Single-Serve Coffee & Nespresso Capsule Compatible, 12-Cup Carafe, Built-In Frother, Espresso, Cappuccino & Latte Maker, Black & Stainless Steel by Sanny Hoffman

Let me state at the outset: the espresso side of this coffee station only accepts Nespresso Original pods (NOT Vertuo, the newer system)—and nothing else. It is not an espresso machine in any other sense.That being said, you can make just about any kind of coffee-based beverage imaginable with this machine. It is smaller than we expected, which is great because it is not a monster taking over counter space. And if you can get past the Ninja marketing tactic of labeling nearly every feature on the machine as "intelligent” or "smart,” this is a smart, intelligently designed coffee maker. The single tap-turn programming dial makes setting times and brewing quantities a simple matter. The panel minimizes the number of buttons to be pressed for stupid things like setting the time to a minimum. The frother seems a little like a gimmick that was added because they could, but it does work to froth milk without hauling out an entirely different appliance. You’ll just have to store the frother wand where you can find it again.The same goes for a plastic urn holder used when cleaning the machine, which is needed periodically. The instructions and cleaning cycle are straightforward. While Ninja mentions that you can purchase a descaling system from them, or use another commercial product, they also tell you that ordinary white vinegar and water may be used—and don’t insist you must use their descaler.All other parts have a home on the coffee maker's body. The water reservoir is more convenient than holding the entire machine under a water faucet or using a separate pitcher to fill it. This is especially true for the espresso side, where you could easily make a couple rounds of beverages on one fill. The reservoir holds a full urn’s worth of water for brewed coffee.The delay timer is well thought out as well. When you press "delay,” the start time is displayed in the tap turn dial, and you can twist to change the start hour or start minute. It’s poorly described in the instructions, but you can set brewing to start at, for example, 5:30 a.m.Overall, the only off note about this machine is the Ninja marketing that accompanies it. I don’t particularly dislike it, but I don’t need my appliances to be Eastern assassins, either. The coffee maker works well out of the box and offers versatility in a small space.