Ninja Coffee Brewer is a 12 cup programmable coffee maker with Custom Brew Technology to ensure your coffee is hot, flavorful, and never bitter. From a Small Batch to a full carafe, Classic or Rich strength, you can expect the same great taste. Our removable water reservoir allows for easy filling without the mess. The brew basket lid ensures no coffee grounds end up in the reservoir. Ninja’s Thermal Flavor Extraction Technology allows you to unlock the full flavor potential of your favorite ground coffee and enjoy a great tasting brew. With the Ninja XL Showerhead, rest assured your coffee grounds will be evenly saturated for uniform flavor extraction.
Coffee Machines
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with Classic and Rich Brews, 60 oz. Water Reservoir, and Thermal Flavor Extraction (CE201), Black/Stainless Steel
$125.00
| Asin | B07FDNBSNS |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8.74"D x 9.94"W x 14.61"H |
| Weight | 6.48 pounds |
| Manufacturer | SharkNinja |
SW –
I have had Cuisinart coffee makers for the last eight years or so, the last two were the Cuisinart DCC-3200 14 cup Coffee maker, which makes great coffee when it’s new, but the first one only lasted a bit over a year before I had to replace it with my last one, and now, after only five months, the coffee is coming out less than fully hot, although the flavor is still good. And I only brew about 3 1/2 cups a day and don’t leave the burner on more than 20 minutes, usually less, so there’s no good reason why they they should not last longer (Update: I descaled the Cuisinart with one third white vinegar and two thirds water, even though the clean light has never come on, and now it’s back to hot coffee.) So I decided to try the Ninja. It’s very well-made, and seems a little better finished than the Cuisinart, although the Cuisinart has a nice stainless steel outer surface covering and it is sleeker and less bulky. The position and functioning of the buttons is much better on the Cuisinart–with the Ninja, the buttons are smaller, down on the side, and take more force to activate–I have to hold the coffee maker when pressing the buttons so as not to move it on the counter, without water in the reservoir. I do like the secure lock of the lid; that the carafe with the lid is easy to slide in and out of the coffee maker and the linear, easy-to-read water level markings on the reservoir, which has a large opening at the top, and the fact that the reservoir can be detached and has a separate lid which prevents grounds from accidentally falling in, unlike the Cuisinart.
So after washing all the removable parts and brewing 2 carafes of plain water to cleanse it as recommended, I brewed my first coffee using the same bag of Jim’s Organic Colombian whole bean coffee and the same grind and amount of coffee and water as previously with the Cuisinart. I only make about 3 1/2 cups at a time, which is enough for me, so I used the 1 to 4 cup setting. I have been using the Bold setting on the Cuisinart, which I assume is equivalent to the Rich setting on the Ninja, so I used that also. It brewed fairly quickly, and was pretty hot, I suppose at least hot as the Cuisinart was when new, but the coffee had very little flavor. After it cooled a little I opened the spray lid and saw that the number 4 paper filter, which had fit very well, was somewhat buckled on one side, perhaps allowing some plain water to bypass the grounds, but I can’t be sure if the spray extended over there. I’m writing this about 20 minutes after drinking the coffee, and I have a very unpleasant aftertaste and coating in my mouth that I never got from any coffee maker before. I didn’t detect any actual plastic flavor or smell when I was drinking the coffee or when it was brewing, although if I smelled close to the spray lid after brewing I could detect a plastic smell. I may try one more batch, but this is quite unpleasant and it is hard to get the flavor or whatever it is out of my mouth. Brewing less than 5 cups as I do, the so-called flavor straw will not touch the coffee but the coffee does pass through it, although it passes through many other plastic parts also, as do all mass-market coffeemakers. (By the way I always swirl my 3 cups or so of coffee in the carafe before pouring it which serves the function of mixing the coffee that the flavor straw is supposed to do, although that would be hard to do with a full carafe–a spoon would be required, or leaving it on the burner for a few minutes, I guess, to create thermal circulation. (which is what the “flavor straw” supposed to enhance).
I just brewed my second batch of coffee. I made the grind slightly finer, as the exact best grind will vary a little from bag to bag anyway, so it might also vary from machine to machine. This time the paper filter did not separate from the side or buckle so it rules out that issue. Unfortunately, the coffee just does not have the rich flavor or aroma that it does with the Cuisinart, and I’m still getting the unpleasant aftertaste and coating in my mouth after drinking about a quarter of a mug. I suspect that the water is getting too hot and damaging the flavor and aroma, and maybe picking up plasticizers. I could try it on the classic brew, but I’ve about had it with this machine. I’m giving it one star because of the terrible aftertaste to experienced–I don’t know if that’s just something with my particular unit or a more common problem .
Lynn S. –
I like the taste of the coffee this makes much better than my old Mr. Coffee. The only drawbacks I found are that it takes up a lot of counterspace and the on/off button is a bit hard to push. Other than that, I am happy with it.
donba27 –
Three strikes and they are out. I bought Cuisinarts because the coffee brews hotter than the cheap machines and it was the only one with a programmable hot plate of 2 to 4 hours. Each one lasted 1 ½ years and died the same way. It would start brewing and stop half way through. I was happy to see that the Ninja also has the 4 hour hot plate so decided to try it. In all honesty I only have it for 1 month so I can’t comment on how it lasts.
What I like:
The machine looks great and is well engineered.
The coffee brews hotter than the cuisinart and will stay hot for up to 4 hours without burning, Unlike some of the reviewers the coffee taste great with no plastic taste. I have only used it on the Classic setting so I can’t comment on the rich or small batch setting.
The Carafe is so much better than any of the others I’ve had. The top locks with a simple turn clockwise and doesn’t leak at all. The Cuisinart dripped every time I tried to pour water into the machine.
The 60 oz. Water Reservoir is made of clear plastic with a simple top and is removable making it very easy to clean and refill for the next brew. The reservoir in the Cuisinart was in the back of the machine extremely hard to fill because of the location and you have to unplug the machine and bring it to the sink to clean.
What I don’t like:
The reusable screen filter leaves sediment in the bottom of the pot and gives the coffee a greasy taste. Very easily corrected by using the natural paper filters and get a perfect clear cup of coffee.
All in all a much nicer looking and performing coffee maker than the Cuisinart
RoseAnn Gibbons –
Bottom line – My review is real, so save yourself a lot of time if you are on the fence and just go for it. This coffee maker is the best I have owned in many years, and I have owned at least a dozen different brands. Our coffee has never tasted so good.
Background – I spent an entire morning looking for a replacement coffee maker after ours stopped working. I sorted through about 100 models and kept going back to this Ninja because the price was great, the reviews were great and it had all the features I wanted in a smaller footprint. Then I started reading random comments indicating the reviews were fake, so I went to multiple other places to continue my search. I saw this particular model selling at several other places so I read the reviews from each. Nobody had a bad thing to say, so naturally I had serious doubts! After several hours of searching and reading, I finally decided to just go ahead and take a chance. The price on Amazon was the same as all others, but it also included same day delivery, so I bought it.
Performance – This coffee maker exceeded all my expectations. It is well built, heavy duty and solid to the touch. The coffee pot lid locks in place so nothing spills. The pot pours beautifully and nothing drips. The coffee brews so HOT, I actually have to wait a few minutes before taking a sip, and the pot stay warm function can be increased from two hours to four. It has a 1T coffee scoop built into the side,their formula one scoop to one cup (it’s a 5 ounce cup) water. It has a gold permanent filter, but I immediately switched to brown paper after the first pot because there was a dark sediment at the bottom that only paper eliminates. It’s super simple to use, very easy to maintain, removable parts can go in the dishwasher, and it does an exceptional job. I’m enjoying a great cup of coffee as I write this review.
p.s. I use the gold filter to strain stock into storage containers. It does a great job filtering and washes clean in the dishwasher.
Julie –
After going through a variety of coffee makers this one works the best!
It’s quiet during the brewing cycle. The coffee comes out very hot & stays hot. It is easy to use.
The water holder part comes off & on easily & is clearly marked. Also, it has a nice look.
A. A. Bailes –
Bought this a little over 4 years ago, and it’s been sort of OK. I like the separate, removable container for water. But the carafe drips, so we have to pour over the sink and wipe off coffee that drips down the carafe.
Worse, though, is that the clock has been failing one LED at a time for a couple of years now. It’s now at the point where not only can I not tell what time it is or what the delayed brew is set for, but I can’t even set it anymore. I used to be able to unplug it and start from what I knew was 12:00 AM. Now, there aren’t enough LEDs left to get me to the correct time. And it also seems to have suddenly and randomly started resetting the time and program.
If all you want to do brew on demand, never programming to have the coffee ready when you wake up, it may be OK…as long as you’re also willing to have a carafe that drips when you pour.
C. Shambeau –
Every time I brew a new pot of coffee, I’m more and more happy I purchased the Ninja. I went looking for something that would make a quality brew, but also have a removable water reservoir for ease of use. This fits the bill and more.
First off, I’m thoroughly impressed with the noticeable difference in the flavor of coffee. I had a Cuisinart that was just a few years old and didn’t cost much less than the Ninja that I just HAD to get rid of. The pot dripped all over the place, often, which made filling it each time a horrible pain, not to mention the coffee spills all the time. The flavor was OK. All in all, not worth what I spent for it.
Enter the Ninja. After doing the required 2 pots of water upon setup, I brewed up my first pot of coffee. I immediately noticed a taste difference (after it cooled down some – this thing makes HOT coffee)! I don’t know if it’s because it does a short bloom of the grounds or just the hotter temperature of the water, or something else. I just know the Ninja makes a noticeably better tasting coffee.
The removable water reservoir is easy to grab, thanks to a grab spot molded into the side of it. It makes filling it up extremely easy. Only thing better would be a permanent water line piped into it. 🙂
To top it off… NO DRIPS! I actually spent time trying to make the pot drip. I couldn’t do it. It pours perfectly every time and you never have to worry about cleaning up the counter unless you miss the cup!
The adjustable amount of delay it keeps the coffee hot after brewing is also nice. 2 hours (standard) always seemed a little short for me. 3 hours is better. I think it goes up to 4 hours.
All in all, no disappointments or bad points found about this Coffee Maker, and many good / great points.
Danielle –
So I’ve had two Cuisinart coffee makers within the past 12 months and had the same problem with both of them. The power switch went out making it impossible to brew a pot of coffee. So this time I decided to try something new. One of the things I hate most about making coffee is filling up the carafe and then pouring it into the water reservoir. It should be simple, but there’s always drips and water spills. So when I saw this Ninja coffee maker I cautiously fell in love at first sight and seeing how it had some of the top reviews out of the ones I was looking at, I went for it. And after using it for a week or so, it really is as good as it seems. Fill up the reservoir, click it into place, and tada! No pouring, no spills. And the carafe on this thing is designed way better to avoid drips when pouring coffee. It’s just a more hassle free experience. And the flavor is great too. I like being able to choose between classic or rich flavors. This household likes it rich, but it’s cool to be able to brew a classic pot when company is over. The warming plate stays on longer than most coffee makers, and props to Ninja for being able to adjust the time setting on it up to 4 hours. This is probably why our Cuisinarts kept breaking to be honest. The bf was constantly hitting the power switch to turn the warmer on and seeing how that’s what kept breaking… but I digress. I have no idea how the small batch brewing works cause that just isn’t a thing in our house, but I’m sure it works fine. Oh and the flavor straw thing is a pretty cool feature. I was skeptical at first because it seemed unecessary, but I never did like how in a typical coffee maker the strongest coffee seemed to be in a layer at the bottom and wasn’t mixed well. I always would swirl the pot before pouring. But again, that issue which I didn’t really realize was even an issue until using this coffee maker — solved! The straw thing makes it so it mixes in the pot better on it’s own. All in all, this is a solid coffee maker and I’m extremely pleased with my purchase. Hopefully it will last longer than the Cuisinarts.
doc bj –
I’m a ‘real customer’ who bought the Ninja without prompting or discount.
A couple of weeks ago, the glass carafe on our automatic coffee maker chipped when I was filling it from the sink. I discovered that there were no replacement carafes available that would work with the machine. The manufacturer discontinued making replacements and, in a polite ‘customer service’ way, told me to go away (they didn’t even try to sell me another of their models) I was tempted to use the opportunity to splurge on a fancy model like a MoccaMaster but, in the end, sanity and my budget prevailed.
To be honest, I was skeptical of the Ninja brand having had no direct experience with the company other than having seen a number of their ads on late nite TV. Still, the reviews were compelling and I decided to give them a shot. After a month, I’m glad I did.
The unit arrived on time (Amazon Prime) and was well packed. The set up instructions were easy to follow. Be sure to look carefully to remove all the little tabs of tape that keep things from rattling around in shipping.
Following the instructions, I washed the water tank, filter basket, and carafe in warm soapy water, plugged it in, pressed the power button to turn it on, set the clock (very straightforward), and ran two two tanks of plain weather through the system to insure it was clean and flushed out. I noticed the spout and top of the carafe is plastic and unlikely to suffer the same fate as my prior machine.
The box included a gold mesh filter which I set aside. I’ve used one in the past and found I prefer to use paper filters. The gold filters work fine but allow sediment through and require a coarser grind. The paper filters seem to give a clearer brew with less sediment and allow me a finer grind.
The lid of the carafe locks into place with a twist. Some reviewers have disliked this finding it awkward. Now that I’ve had time to practice using it, I like it. I’ve had other makers that had a hinged carafe lid that would swing open when I was trying to get the last few ounces out.
The water tank removes easily from the side for filling and snaps back. I keep my machine half tucked under a cabinet and the side tank is easier to fill than those with the tank on the back. It has large molded grips for easy handling and is well marked in four cup increments..There is a small plastic measuring scoop that can be clipped to the side of the machine for storage. One scoop per cup. I snapped it in place and have ignored it preferring to use my usual scoop.
Once the water tank is filled and the coffee is in the filter, it’s time to select the brew cycle. There are two; classic or rich. From the descriptions and product photos, ‘rich’ appears to result in a darker brew. I haven’t tried the ‘classic’ setting as I prefer stronger coffee. As is common with most automatic coffee brewers, the Ninja has a ‘small batch’ setting for brewing four or fewer cups and a delayed start timer. The hot plate timer defaults to two hours but can be programmed for up to four hours in fifteen minute increments. Again, as is typical, the basket has a valve that closes if the carafe is removed allowing you to sneak a cup before the cycle is complete. Also typical are the few drops that inevitably escape and burn on the hot plate.
The Ninja’s brewing cycle seems a bit longer than other machines but not that much. It does make HOT coffee. I like a little milk in my coffee. With other makers I’d have to microwave the milk or it would make my cup of coffee too cool. With the Ninja, I skip the microwave.
Bottom line; so far I’m very pleased with the Ninja. Like any piece of new tech, it has a learning curve but it’s not difficult and makes a good cup of hot coffee.
Lizzy L. –
I must have read a gazillion reviews about a gazillion different coffee makers before I finally decided on this one. So far, so good! It makes a decent, and hot, cup of coffee with pretty minimal fuss.
I chose this one mostly due to the removable water reservoir. I’ve always been bothered by not being able to see where the water is hanging out overnight when I set it to brew in the morning. Even with regular cleaning with vinegar, I always have a sense it is dirty because I can’t see it. Though this one is removable, there is still the unseen place the water travels to get to the coffee grounds, but I imagine that is just a tube that goes from the reservoir to the drip mechanism. I’ll still clean regularly but I’m sure this won’t bother me as much.
The carafe is nice and sturdy; I like this! I also like that I do not have to hold the lid nor does it drip when I’m pouring coffee. What I don’t care for much is the locking lid. It’s somewhat cumbersome and kind of fussy, but once you get it in place it does do it’s job fantastically.
I am thankful to report I did not experience any chemical smell or taste after brewing as some reviewers have.
As is true with most appliances I’ve researched and purchased, if one reads the user manual prior to first use, one will rarely have problems with the appliance. Some reviewers have complained about the filter. I’m guessing maybe they have tried to use both the provided permanent filter together with a paper filter. The instruction manual clearly says, multiple times, not to do this. It also says to use a coarser grind of coffee if you’re going to use the permanent filter as a fine grind may clog it. I don’t use the provided filter because I find them a pain to clean and they change the flavor of your coffee. You do need to use a #4 cone filter and you do need to fold it at the seams in order for it to work properly.
I’m not currently working so I haven’t used the delay brew feature yet. Some reviewers say it doesn’t work properly and I’m wondering if the steps in the manual were followed. It’s not quite as easy as others I’ve had so I’m happy to see clear instructions in the manual. I can see if you try to set it up without precisely following the steps provided it might be pretty frustrating.
All in all, I’m glad I made this purchase. All the time I spent researching seems to have paid off!