It is very interesting and convenient to have a coffee maker that is all about options. Coffee strength options, cup size options, coffee drink options, and other kinds of options – that is what the Ninja Coffee Bar models are about. These coffee makers are oh, so affordable when their repertoire of options is taken into account that people can just not help but buy them. If you’ve been starting to feel the Ninja tingle in your coffee lover heart, it is time to understand what the best Ninja coffee bar model is and take it home.
#1 Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System (CP301)
All Ninja coffee bars are impressive for their prices, but the CP301 is definitely very, very impressive. This coffee maker is actually so impressive that it really wasn’t hard for us to include it in one of our best single-cup coffee maker list.
With six brew sizes and five coffee drinks under its sleeve, this coffee maker is here to bring the complete coffee bar experience straight at your home. We cannot even begin to name the options that this Ninja has, but here are a few to sparkle the beverage recipe part in your brain: coffee and tea brewing, an option for milk-based drinks because of the frother, hot and cold drinks, iced drinks…
The list of things that this coffee bar can do really is long, but no matter what you brew, the thermal carafe is here to keep it tasty and hot. Believe us, you will like keeping the taste of your Ninja beverages, and especially to the coffee. The coffee is bloomed, steeped, equally saturates, and brewed under constant temperature. And when it comes to the tea, well, different teas are brewed differently. How does all of this sound to you?
Key Features:
- 6 brew sizes
- 5 coffee drinks: Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Cold Brew, and Specialty
- Fold away frother
- Auto IQ technology
- Hot or cold brew coffee and tea
- Automatic adjustment of the parameters when brewing different teas
- One coffee and one tea basket
- Smart Basket Recognition
- 50-ounce thermal carafe
Pros
Extremely versatile when it comes to what it brews and how much it brews
Brews both coffee and tea
A combination of different technologies that make the coffee extraction great
Not very expensive
Cons
Nothing for this product
#2 Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar With Hot and Iced Coffee (CF112)
The Ninja CF112 is liked by a lot of people and one of the best Ninja coffee bars out there. What makes this statement a fact is the many positive reviews on the coffee maker that people have left throughout the years. On this Ninja, you can make stronger or not so strong coffee drinks, pour them over ice, add milk into them, and even bring them with you in the to-go tumbler that comes with the coffee maker.
The Cf112 has brew sizes other than the travel mug size for those days when you want to relax at home or are having people over. In moments like these, pick the cup, XL cup, or the XL multi-serve option and have a nice time.
A slight downside to this single-serve coffee maker is that its frother needs to be cleaned pretty often, but that’s a frother’s destiny, be it on a Ninja coffee maker or on a Jura coffee machine.
Key Features:
- Single-serve
- Pod-free
- Brew options: Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Specialty, and Cafe Forte
- 4 brew sizes: cup, XL cup, travel mug, and XL multi serve
- Milk frother
- Advanced thermal flavor extraction technology
- Auto IQ technology
- Comes with a Ninja to-go tumbler
Pros
Multiple brew options, perfect for everyone’s taste
With the milk frother, coffees with milk are also an option
Brew technologies that make the coffee taste great
The to-go tumbler is a great and useful accessory
Cons
You’ll need to clean the milk frother very often
#3 Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar With Hot and Iced Coffee (CF111)
Similar to the CF112, the Ninja CF111 comes with a lot of features for making both coffee-based and milk-based drinks. Needless to say, the coffee maker has a built-in milk frother, and all you have to do to make the coffee you want to drink is choose one of the brew options, steam the milk, and enjoy. Of course, you can also have coffee with no milk, we just like milk in our coffee a lot, but a Classic is a Classic, especially in the morning.
Other than the brew options and the cup sizes, we can say that the CF111 is a typical Ninja when it comes to the flavor and aroma of the coffee. Thanks to the auto IQ technology and the thermal flavor extraction technology the coffee bar does an amazing job at making great coffee. This is achieved by adjusting the water volume and by optimizing the processes of blooming and steeping.
Now, the tank of this coffee maker is a bit small, but this is still a great coffee bar to rely on when the coffee urge arrives. If the size of the tank is, however, a ‘no-no,’ you could scroll down and see the rest of the Ninja coffee makers or check out the pod-based K-Café coffee maker and its water reservoir.
Key Features:
- Single-serve
- Pod-free
- Brews a cup, an XL cup, a travel mug, and has an XL multi-serve option
- Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Specialty, and Cafe Forte
- Drip stop feature
- Advanced thermal flavor extraction technology
- Auto IQ technology
- Milk frothers
Pros
Brews many brew sizes which is perfect for different occasions
Great flavor of the coffee thanks to the Auto IQ and thermal flavor extraction technologies
A lot of different coffee drinks which you can mix with milk
Cons
Needs to be refilled very often
#4 Ninja Specialty Fold-Away Frother Coffee Maker (CM401)
If you don’t mind that the Ninja CM401 is one large coffee bar (unlike the Keurig K-Mini Plus), you will be enthralled by its interesting features. The coffee maker can brew 6 different brew sizes, from a single cup to a full carafe. Wondering which drinks it can brew? Think about filling four of your coffee cups with classic, rich, iced, and specialty coffee. Combine this imagination with the fact that there’s a fold-away frother on the coffee maker and there you have it, you’re favorite milk-based coffee.
The CM401 is one pretty inexpensive coffee maker when one thinks about how much value it brings for the price. If you’d still like some more options, we can tell you that this coffee bar comes with a delay brew option as well.
Key Features:
- 6 brew sizes
- Specialty brew
- Classic coffee option
- Rich coffee option
- Iced coffee option
- Programmable brew time
- Fold away frother
Pros
Affordable
Versatile in regards to the brew sizes and the coffee drinks
Great for making milk-based coffee drinks
Cons
A bit large
#5 Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker (CE201)
How can something so affordable come with so many interesting features? Seriously, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when we look at the CE201. A carafe and a reservoir that are large enough to make coffee for a large group of people, and yet options like mid-brew pause and a Small Batch function – isn’t this Ninja coffee bar model the best?
The coffee bar has multiple other useful parts and features that save your money and support energy efficiency. These include, among the rest, the coffee maker’s warming plate and the permanent filter it comes with. Finally, the customization and quality of the coffee taste are guaranteed with the two coffee drink options available and the coffee circulation that the coffee bar creates in the carafe.
Key Features:
- Mid-brew pause option
- Hotter brewing technology
- Programmable brew time
- Small Batch function
- 60-ounce water reservoir
- 12-cup glass carafe
- Warming plate
- Gold tone permanent coffee filter
Pros
Let’s you brew a Classic or a Rich coffee
Brews the coffee at a consistent temperature
Mixes the coffee inside the carafe to balance its taste throughout it
Cons
Nothing that can be considered a downside
FAQ
1. Why would I choose a Ninja coffee maker instead of some other coffee maker?
The Ninja coffee makers are among the most versatile drip coffee makers on the market. They will let you pick between multiple brew sizes and multiple coffee options. Most of them also come with milk frothers, so you can have coffee drinks like latte and macchiato as part of your coffee menu. Furthermore, they are more affordable than many other coffee makers on the market, which is a win-win situation for every Ninja customer.
2. Is there an auto-off feature on Ninja coffee makers?
No, these coffee makers don’t come with an auto-off feature, so you’ll need to turn them off yourself. However, the hot plate will automatically turn off after two hours of work.
3. How should I clean my Ninja coffee maker
There are, in general, three things you can do to clean your Ninja coffee maker properly. You should descale the coffee maker with a descaling solution or with vinegar. Check your manual on how to do this on your Ninja model specifically.
Other than descaling, you should clean the parts of the coffee maker like the carafe, the water tank, and the wand with warm water and dish soap. You can also clean the outer part of your coffee maker with a damp cloth.
Things to Consider When Buying a Ninja Coffee Bar
What kind of coffee you like – Some of the Ninja coffee bars are more and others are less versatile when it comes to the coffee options they offer. Then, some have milk frothers and others do not. None of them makes espresso, so if you want espresso, you might want to take a look at a nice espresso machine.
Think about the drinks you would like to prepare on your coffee maker. Think about what your family members or employees would like to drink. You probably know that this is the first step towards the best Ninja coffee bar for you, but we wanted to mention it because we don’t want you to regret your decision.
Dimensions of the coffee maker – Make sure that you have enough room for your Ninja coffee bar before you buy it. Also, make sure that you have enough clearance to access different parts of your coffee maker. Understand the dimensions of the coffee maker that you want to buy and ask for advice on how much clearance your Ninja needs from your seller.
Glass carafe or thermal carafe – A thermal carafe will keep your coffee drink hot or cold for some time. You want a carafe like this if you like traveling a lot and always having coffee with you, for example. However, if you want a thermal carafe you can get one even if you don’t travel too often. Glass carafes are, on the other hand, better to use in an indoor environment.
Brew sizes – You know the rule here – the more coffee you and your family will consume, the larger the brew sizes you want your Ninja coffee bar to offer. Know the approximate amount of coffee that you and the other people using the coffee bar will be drinking. This can help you decide on which Ninja coffee bar to get.
Pods — It’s important to remember that a Ninja coffee bar doesn’t work with coffee pods. Keurig coffee makers are, however, compatible with K-Cups, so if you’re looking for a quick pod solution, you might look into a Keurig.
Conclusion
We hope that you like the Ninja coffee bar models on our list and we encourage you to make a good decision on which coffee maker to buy. The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System (CP301) is our favorite one, and we hope that you like that one the most as well. If not, well, we hope that you liked one of the other models more. And if that didn’t happen as well, we hope that we at least helped you understand what the features of good Ninja coffee bars are.