Customer Ratings & Reviews

Like many, I opted some time back to use the K system when I wanted a cup of coffee, mainly for the convenience. All along, 2 things were in the back of my mind - waste and not knowing the freshness of the coffee in the K-cups. [I did purchase a DIY basket somewhere along the line to solve these 2 issues but more $$$.] When the opportunity to check out the Ninja came along, I was onboard. Regardless of the convenience of the K system, variety is non-existent in my line of single-user machines; I welcomed the capability to use different brew modes to create the cup of coffee my mood dictated. I'm now a Ninja convert. This machine is great. Easy to maintain [dishwasher-safe parts is a plus], the brew modes are varied and capable [the Rich Brew and Cafe Forte are my favorites], water reservoir doesn't require frequent filling [unlike my K system which require a fill/top-off each session. The glowing brew mode light as well as the subtle brewing-cycle-complete alert are nice touches. It is not a small unit but is self-contained, down to a holder for the measuring spoon [2 scoop sizes for flexibility]. Bottom line, I can now have fresher cup of coffee, brewed the way I want, for much less $$$, at home.

Does not make espresso as I thought it would for caperchino

Let's start with what the Ninja Coffee actually does. It's a drip machine, so it doesn't handle any sort of cup/capsule system like some other coffee machines. All you need are coffee grounds, water, and an electrical socket to plug the Ninja into. That's just the essentials. You fill the reservoir (which can hold around 440z or so) with water, turn on the machine, and press the power button to start pre-heating the water. After a few minutes or so—admittedly slower than the Keurig in my kitchen, the Ninja is ready to brew your coffee. Place your mug of appropriate size under the dripper, and with just 2-3 scoops of ground coffee into the reusable filter (or your own paper filter), you're almost ready to brew your coffee. Simply choose one of 4 different sizes between 8 oz and 22 oz and then select a brew type (Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Cafe Forte, or Specialty), and the Ninja will begin dripping. There is also a drip-stopper in case you want to stop dripping your coffee earlier than the machine. That being said, if you stop early and decide not to finish the rest of the brewing process, you will likely be left with some coffee in the filter chamber—which can be quite annoying. You'll have to empty it by releasing the drip-stopper and letting the remaining, colder coffee drip into another cup which you can then dispose of. Cleaning the reusable filter is very easy. No complaints there. If you decide to froth your milk, the included frother on the Ninja makes the job very easy. It even detaches for an easy clean-up process! The Ninja is a great way to make specialty coffees, since it has much of the configuration necessary to do so. However, the temperature of the coffee could be improved if you like your coffee to come out scalding hot. Temperature certainly plays a factor in the flavor of the coffee, but also in the experience of drinking your coffee. As a result, it's hard to give the user so much control over the temperature when your machine is trying to make it easier to make better-tasting coffee. Regardless, the coffee that resulted was pleasant. Two areas that could use improvement are: 1. The temperature of the resulting coffee (drippers are slower, and there's no heated base to keep your coffee at the same temperature while you wait) 2. The speed of pre-heating the water.

I also have a Keurig 2.0, so I'll compare and contrast these two devices. They have a great deal of the same functionality, though the Ninja has some additional settings which may or may not be helpful to you. First, I like that the Ninja appears classier/more elegant than the Keurig 2.0. The Keurig is all plastic, while the Ninja looks like a stainless steel appliance. Both devices allow you to make drinks of different sizes and strengths. However, the Ninja has a little more fine-grained control over how you're brewing as there are also separate settings for iced drinks or specialty drinks (which basically take your coffee and brew it concentrated like it's espresso). This is good for different drinks which they provide a nice recipe book for. I find the devices to be comparable, as the regular brewing on the Keurig is equivalent to the "classic brew" here. Selecting "strong" on the Keurig is like selecting "bold brew" here. The "iced coffee" setting here can be accomplished on the Keurig by selecting a smaller cup-size and "strong". By and large, the functionality of these brewers are the same. What makes these different are the way things are brewed and the size of the reservoir. The Ninja has a larger reservoir which is easier to fill, and is therefore more convenient. However, the Ninja also brews at a higher temperature than the Keurig. This results in the coffee having what I'd consider more of a burned flavor. If you're a big fan of Starbucks coffee, this may be for you, but if you like a more mellow, smooth flavor, go with the Keurig. The addition of the milk frother is largely vestigial. Frothing milk and steaming milk are two very different things. Yes, it can fluff up the milk a bit. However, the milk will just re-condense within a minute or two (definitely before the cup finishes filling with coffee). Consequently, I find the frother to be useless. Overall, this is a nice device. It is very comparable to the Keurig 2.0 in functionality, but has a nicer style. If you're not that picky about flavor, go based on price. If you prefer a smoother cup, get the Keurig. If you're only interested in a bolder flavor, go with the Ninja.

When I read the box I assumed "Infusion Technology that unlocks the full flavor of your coffee" was marketing hogwash. Boy was I wrong. I have tried a lot of 'flavored' beans and never really tasted them with my regular old coffee pot, so I typically get 'Hazelnut and cinnamon' cause it tastes the least offensive. I put it in this machine, brewed it on rich, and did my typical cup o joe (hazelnut milk and a bit of chocolate syrup) and the taste...oh my... totally different than I ever expected from a cup of coffee at home. It really did bring out the flavors of the coffee I had never been able to taste before. I handed the cup to my friend, who usually is fairly ambivalent about coffee. Her eyes popped open and she said "Woah, what did you do to it?" When I told her I didn't do anything I don't normally do to my regular coffee, she didn't believe me. So I had her make a cup herself. Every day this week we have fought over who gets the first cup, and probably will well in to the future. This opens a whole new coffee world for my taste buds, and I can't wait to get more coffee and see what they taste like. My only negative mention of this is the whisk, it is cute, but really...not as useful as one would imagine. The filter is also hard to clean for someone used to putting grounds in compost, the grounds stick inside and make a mess when I try to bang them out, but I think that would be true for any reusable filter.

Pros: Fast Easy to use More cost effective than using Kuerig Cons: No ability to use a heat plate/carafe No clock/scheduled auto on Cleanup of coffee grounds from basket (recommend using paper filters) The machine is straight up a good single serve brewer with several brew options and the ability to do specialty drinks. I love this because with a blender i was able to do my own frappuccino with ease. The only negative thing I'd say is that even though it comes with a nice basket for coffee grounds it really isn't super easy to clean up like the Kuerig. If you're looking for a Kuerig replacement that is more economical this will work so long as you know that there is more cleanup involved between each cup. For specialty drinks, the machine is awesome as it has a built-in frother that works great. All in all it's an alright machine but for me with it having no auto-on for something to wake up to and the cleanup, I'm not yet fully convinced it's the machine for me.

The first thing I noticed when I picked it up out of the box was how lightweight it was. I went on a trip once with a Keurig K10 Mini Plus and, even thought it was small, it was heavier than this Ninja unit is. This would be great for those who travel/vacation in RVs. As for the machine's performance...I will preface this by saying that I returned a Ninja full size coffee maker because I didn't like the coffee as opposed to the Bonavita maker that I had. I wasn't sure what to expect from this model. While I love fancy coffee drinks, I don't have a lot of occasion to make them at home. I do appreciate the built-in frother, though. I mostly drink good ole' brewed coffee. For this review, I used Costco Colombian Whole Bean Coffee. The Rich Brew function is close in taste to my Bonavita maker's quality. It certainly is a more robust brew than the Classic. If you like coffee along a bitterer taste, use the Classic setting. The Rich Brew is a smoother taste. This is recommended for those who like cream and sugar in their coffee. It is just as slow of a brew as a full size maker - the difference is the amount of coffee it brews. Being used to the near-instant dispensing of a Keurig 2.0, that was a little frustrating. It does have a "finish" beep, but I could hardly hear it. There is no timer or clock on the unit, though. This is something that I would have appreciated being on this maker. All in all, it's a good coffee maker.

I have been using Keurig pod style brewers for years and have dabbled in larger whole bean (auto-grinding) coffee makers as well. The Ninja fall somewhere in the middle. It does provide the flexibility to use any ground coffee which to me is a big plus and even whole bean assuming you have a grinder. It is also very easy to clean with the silver screened filter. That is pretty much where the pluses end for me. The reservoir is too small in my opinion for anyone other than a single person who drinks maybe one cup of coffee per day. If you are using this in a family environment or like to drink multiple cups per day be prepared to fill the machine each day. The machine offers a Classic Brew and Rich Brew function that for the life of me I can't taste the difference between. I have been using Gevalia Majestic Roast in it since I received it and have tried using consistent scoop sizes between modes to see if the difference was pronounced. My last knock on the device is the lack of an auto-off timer. Overall, it's decent if you want to use your own ground coffee, but nothing special.

I am very happy with this coffee maker. I previously had tried a single serve cup machine and really was not happy with how hot and tasteful my coffee came out but the Ninja is great with both - good hot coffee.

Great product. It's very easy to clean, easy to make coffee, the recipe book is very detailed. Highly recommended.

As always, im going to give my honest review. I really like Ninja Coffee Bar, but honestly, I find that with the excitement of having it has passed, and knowing that I personally will not be using some of the features, i feel like it is too much for me (someone who drinks a daily cup of coffee and has been to a coffee shop maybe 5 times my entire life.) Being a Ninja, it is definitely top of the line, but taking it out of the box and finding it is taller than my other brewer was, looking at the brewer and trying to figure it out, and brewing a classic cup, it all gave me a little bit of anxiety. I tried out a couple of brews and the coffee was great! I also like that it can brew over ice and I can froth myself if I choose! I recommend that anyone who buys this, read over the instructions first, or you will be sitting there scratching your head trying to figure it all out. If you have various people with varying coffee preferences using this, you won't have to worry about anything or anyone if you buy this as I have yet to find cup of coffee that it can't brew and has many settings and options. If it's just you and you are happy with a simple cup of black coffee, this may not be suited for you. Either way, at the end of the day, im just telling you my opinion and you get to make the final decisions.

This coffee maker is perfect for my travel mug in the morning. Very easy to use and great tasting coffee. It took me a few tries to get the correct level of beans to my preferred taste but once I found it, perfection! Brews very hot coffee which keeps warm in my mug a long time. Great easy to use product!

Seems the Ninja got everything right: speed, flexibility, and a great design. The ability to accommodate a tall travel cup is an especially nice feature. The only criticism is a minor one: the first few brews had a "plasticky" taste to them; I recommend running hot water through a new unit a few times before your first "real" use.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the Ninja Coffee Bar. After using the product, I was very impressed with its build quality. It also has a really cool design. It looks nice in my kitchen. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a good quality coffee maker.

I love the starbucks like drink making options like iced americhano and that it will make the foam froth. Takes regular coffee. Needs a kcup option ans should bundle a blender since some of the drinks require one. Needs a timer option so you can wake up to coffee.

Ninja products never appealed to me, partly because of the quality or lack of , in the products. The company is affiliated with Shark, needless to say Shark products are just as poor quality. I tested the Ninja Coffee Bar Single Serve System and I did not get that Starbucks or Tim Hortons feeling. The built-in Frother is flimsy as best and does not really create a rich froth. With K-CUPS and even TOSSIMO taking over traditional coffee makers, Ninja should have added an option for a POD. Hot vs Cold, the HOT coffee tasted better and I could get some froth in there. Still nothing like a REAL coffee shop. This product gets two empathic thumbs down! The product also feels cheaply made, I felt like I was using one of those Shark Vacuums which look impressive but last a month!

This coffee maker is pretty average. I was expecting better quality. It took a while to understand how this thing works exactly. I read the startup guide and it was pretty thorough, however I still found some difficulty using it. The main issue I had was with the amount of coffee I was trying to get. I put the setting on the small coffee cup but mine overflowed. I put the setting on travel mug and it came close to overflowing. So basically after a while, I just filled the reservoir to the exact amount I wanted. Then it could just shut off when the water ran out. Also it took a really long time to do one cup. I let the coffee maker preheat and then when the light went off I selected classic brew and it started dripping...then stopped...then started again. I do not like the flow of this machine at all. Maybe I had a faulty one, I don't know. Maybe I'm not doing something right. I just know that my single serve pod brewer was faster and did a way better job at not overflowing.