Have you ever wondered what would happen if ninjas had their very own coffee makers? Well, they’d have their authentic ninja coffee machines, of course! Thankfully, the Ninja brand already manufactures coffee makers for ninjas and coffee lovers alike. But since they offer several different units, which Ninja coffee maker is the best one out there?
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After analyzing coffee brewers courtesy of Ninja, we found that the best Ninja coffee machine is the Ninja CE201 Coffee Maker with Classic and Rich Brews .
The reason is quite simple – this brewer has the best user rating-to-price ratio of all Ninja coffee makers.
It also comes with an excellent rating and a very decent price tag.
And even though we’ll now take a closer look at this brilliant coffee maker, don’t forget that I’ll also mention a few things about other Ninja coffee machines as well!
What Makes The Ninja CE201 Coffee Brewer So Special?
The stellar rating, affordable price tag, overall built quality and the ability to brew great coffee.
Now, let’s take a quick glance at the main strength points of this coffee maker based on the associated ratings:
- Durability
- Easy to clean (learn more on how to clean your Ninja Coffee Bar)
- Easy to use
And apart from the stellar ratings, it’s also worth mentioning that the CE201 is quite affordable as well.
This makes this brewer the most affordable coffee machine from all of the top-rated Ninja units.
Ninja CE201 Coffee Maker 101: Features, Functions & More
Since this is a modern coffee maker, it logically comes with plenty of bells and whistles.
So, let’s see what the CE201 has to offer…
1. Custom Brew Technology
This Ninja unit comes with several brew customization options for flavor and cup size:
- Rich, Classic and Small brew settings concerning flavor
- Small batch brewing (1 to 4 cups) or full 12-cup carafe
2. Thermal Flavor Extraction
This is Ninja’s technology for improving flavor extraction during the brewing process.
Apparently, the key here is utilizing a precision brewing temperature so that you may enjoy tasty coffee that’s full of flavor.
Note: Even though the Ninja unit shown above is not a CE201, the cleaning/descaling process works the same way!
3. Clean Feature
The Clean button lets you descale and clean your Ninja coffee maker in an effortless manner.
You can fill the water reservoir with a descaling solution (follow the directions on the package) or a white/vinegar mixture.
If using vinegar and water, fill up to the travel mug line with vinegar and then add water up to the maximum fill line on the water reservoir.
4. Delayed Brew Program
This is a programmable coffee maker, remember?
Thus, you can set a delayed brew program up to 24 hours in advance.
5. Warming Plate
Another neat feature is the clever, adjustable warming plate on which you place the glass carafe.
It has the ability to keep the coffee in the carafe for up to 4 hours and it automatically turns off after 2 hours.
6. Detachable Water Tank
You can remove the reservoir and either fill it or clean it the easy way.
7. Flavor And Temp Straw
This built-in straw is meant to keep your coffee in the carafe hot and flavorful during brewing.
8. Mid-Brew Pause Feature
If you don’t have the patience or time, simply pulling the carafe out will automatically cause the brewer to pause.
This means that you can always enjoy a nice cup of coffee, without having to wait for the entire brewing process to finish.
Does The Best Ninja Coffee Maker Have Any Cons Though?
Of course, every single product in existence has its own pros and cons and the CE201 is no exception.
Therefore, there are some users who are unhappy with their Ninja brewer.
Now, I have to mention that based on my research, some of the most negative reviews out there are pretty vague.
For instance, one user reports a plastic taste that doesn’t seem to go away.
While another reviewer dropped a negative review that’s as far from constructive criticism as online reviews get.
My research shows that only a very small percengate of people who leave a review for the Ninja CE201 unit give it the lowest possible rating.
However, there are some bad reviews that do give good insight regarding a specific problem that you might face such as issues with the delayed brew program and the Clean feature.
Apparently, the lights start flashing and it all seems rather confusing since the user can’t seem to get the delayed brew and clean function to work.
However, the particular user that mentioned this user also confessed to throwing the original box away.
My personal recommendation is to never ever throw user manuals or anything that has instructions related to your coffee maker (or other product)!
If this user didn’t throw the box away, he or she would know how to properly set the aforementioned functions.
For all we know, her Ninja coffee machine could be in perfectly good condition!
Can You Use K Cups In A Ninja Coffee Bar?
No, the Ninja Coffee Bar coffee maker is NOT compatible with Keurig’s K-Cups. In fact, Ninja coffee machines, in general, do not work with K-Cup pods. That’s because these coffee makers were never meant to brew with pods – they were designed to work only with ground coffee.
Still, if you’re a fan of coffee pods you can check my 32 top-rated K-cup coffee picks list.
It’s full of yummy and mouth-watering K-Cup pods that might be worth trying if you’re into this type of coffee.
Thus, if you have K-Cups or if you’ve accidentally bought any I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news but your Ninja unit won’t brew with them.
Every Ninja coffee machine comes with a permanent filter for coffee grounds and even a neat scoop that you use for measuring your ground coffee.
^ This is how to make the Espresso-based drink Cappuccino using the Ninja Coffee Bar coffeemaker!
Can The Ninja Coffee Bar Make Espresso?
Not really – at least not in the sense of ‘real’ espresso.
Regardless, the Ninja Coffee Bar unit can actually make espresso-style coffee that’s probably just as good.
And even if it’s not made by an espresso machine, it pretty much has the same taste!
You see, you need pressurized hot water to go through the coffee grounds if you want to make genuine espresso.
This is exactly how the strong espresso flavor is achieved.
Sure, this Ninja coffee brewer doesn’t have to ability to brew coffee using pressurized water, but it has one trick up its sleeve – the Specialty Brew button!
Remember that you’ll have to wait a bit after clicking the Specialty Brew button, so don’t freak out if the coffee maker doesn’t start brewing immediately!
That’s because this special feature requires the Ninja bar coffee machine to heat up etc adequately.
This is a cool feature that lets you get very-rich and highly concentrated coffee that you can enjoy with frothed milk.
The Ninja coffee bar has a built-in frother for the very same reason.
This means that you can use the Specialty Brew function to brew all kinds of fancy coffee drinks – even wannabe espresso!
In essence, although this Ninja coffee bar unit can’t make real espresso, you can use it as the base for espresso-based drinks e.g. cappuccino.
You can achieve that by simply playing around with the grounds-to-water ratios or use one of the bolder brew options.
For instance, bolder brews such as Cafe Forte or Specialty Brew, especially the latter!
What Is Cafe Forte Ninja?
The Cafe Forte is an exclusive feature of the Ninja Coffee Bar coffeemaker that represents a stronger brew setting.
In short, by pressing the Cafe Forte button on your Ninja bar unit you’ll get a cup of coffee with a bolder and more complex flavor.
In terms of how strong this type of brew is, it sits just below the espresso-like Specialty Brew.
But to make your life easier here’s the list of brew strength options that this coffee machine offers (from weakest to boldest):
- Classic – weakest brew choice
- Rich – slightly stronger than Classic
- Cafe Forte – provides a pretty strong brew
- Specialty – the strongest and most intense brew option of the Ninja coffee bar
But In my opinion, opting for the Specialty brew function would make most sense only If you’re looking for an intense caffeine concentration.
Otherwise, the Cafe Forte or Rich options would probably be the sweet spot for most people.
Ninja Coffee Bar CF091 vs Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 – What’s The Difference?
Arguably the biggest difference between these two is that the Ninja Coffee Bar CF091 uses a glass carafe, while the Ninja Coffee Bar CF097 relies on a more sophisticated stainless steel, thermal carafe.
Another distinction worth noting is that the design of these coffee brewers differs slightly, due to the varying carafe types.
Since the CF091 uses a glass carafe it also comes with a warming plate to compensate for the far from optimal thermal insulation of glass.
On the other hand, the CF097 doesn’t have a warming plate since there’s no need for that.
The thermal carafe is competent enough to keep your coffee hot for longer.
Other than that, everything else between these two coffee machines is exactly the same.
The carafe capacity is the same (50 oz or ~10 cups), they both offer 5 brew types, 6 serving sizes and so forth.
How To Get The Ninja Coffee Maker Manual?
Every Ninja coffeemaker comes with specific instructions i.e. user manual so by buying one you’ll automatically receive your manual.
Alternatively, there’s also a plan B in case you lose or accidentally thrown away.
This plan B is getting the particular user manual for your Ninja coffee machine directly from the Ninja brand website.
And here’s the manual for each of the most popular Ninja coffee brewers:
Did somebody say coffee? Two shots of espresso for me, thanks. Oh, nevermind – I’m Simon, nice to e-meet you, dear CoffeeLifior! I like to write, drink coffee and I believe in Jesus. Highly-caffeinated drinks are my thing, but you can occasionally see me sip on decaf (my wife never finishes her coffee). Speaking of which, I’m off to grab another cup of caffeinated goodness now, laters!
Last update on 2023-09-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
