I did something today I thought I’d never do. I got rid of my Keurig. Being an avid coffee drinker, I love having the ability to brew and absolute fresh and perfect cup of coffee, and I truly thought that nothing would ever compare to my Keruig machine.
When the folks at Ninja contacted me about trying out their new Ninja Coffee Bar, (which I was sent at no cost to facilitate this review) I will admit, I was a definite skeptic. But I figured if nothing else, I could use it later as a Christmas gift for some of my other coffee-loving family members.
I quickly found out that the Ninja Coffee Bar could do everything my Keurig did — and much more! If you are a coffee drinker (and odds are if you are reading a review of a coffee machine, you or someone in your family most likely is), you won’t want to miss hearing about all this coffee goodness!
Ninja Coffee Bar Description
Ninja’s patent-pending Thermal Flavor Extraction™ technology is designed to deliver better, richer-tasting coffee with variable richness levels that are never bitter.
Only the Ninja Coffee Bar™ brewer has Auto-iQ™ One Touch Intelligence technology, which draws just the right amount of water needed from the reservoir, based on the brew size you choose (cup, travel mug, half carafe, or full carafe) and brew type you select.
Key Features
- Choose a size: Brew directly into your favorite cup or travel mug or make a half carafe or full carafe
- Choose a brew: At the touch of the brew button, Thermal Flavor Extraction™enables you to dial up flavor richness from Classic Brew to Rich Brew to Over Ice Brew in the size you want. You can also select Specialty Brew Concentrated Coffee for hot and frozen blended specialty coffeehouse-style drinks.
- Glass Carafe
- Precise Temp Warming Plate – Keeps your coffee at the ideal drinking temperature
- Stay Warm Button – Independent control for the Precise Temp Warming Plate with 2-hour auto-off function – Ninja Coffee Bar
Setting Up the Ninja Coffee Bar (Version CF080Z)
My Ninja Coffee Bar was incredibly easy to set up. After making a space on my countertop, it was as easy as opening the box, pulling out the machine and plugging it in.
Here are a few things you’ll find as you set up your machine:
The Ninja Coffee Bar comes complete with the main coffee machine, Ninja Easy Frother, Ninja measuring spoon, glass carafe, reusable filter, and easy-to-use instructions for setting up, utilizing your machine, helpful tips, PLUS a free booklet filled with coffee recipes for you to try in your own home!
Because I like a cleaner cup of coffee, and to help preserve the life of the reusable filter, I opt to use paper filters.
I couldn’t wait to use this machine so I ran right out to the store to pick some up!
Why Ninja Coffee Bar?
If you are anything like me, you are reading this and saying, “Okay, I get it – it’s a coffee machine. What makes it so great?”
Here’s why the Ninja Coffee Bar is now sitting in the place where my Keurig used to call home on my countertop.
Probably one of my favorite features with this machine is that I can choose to make a single mug of coffee, travel mug of coffee, 1/2 pot of the carafe, or a whole pot. The mug tray is easy to move up and down depending on how much coffee I’m brewing.
If I have friends coming over for dinner, I can brew a whole pot of coffee in the carafe and have enough for everyone to enjoy a cup, rather than brewing single cup, after single cup in my old machine.
The warming tray has special sensors that keep the remaining coffee warmed at just the right temperature – keeping low volumes of coffee from burning or becoming scalding hot. If I’m entertaining friends and forget to turn it off, my Ninja Coffee Brewer shuts off automatically after 2 hours.
At my house, I like to grind my own coffee beans for the freshest cup (it also saves me money on buying the more expensive “k-cups”. This machine not only saves me money by utilizing my own coffee grounds, but it also saves me time with the ability to brew more than one cup.
I don’t always need a pot of coffee, but I definitely love that the Ninja Coffee Bar gives me the option!
The Ninja Coffee Bar also gives me the options to choose different strengths and depths to my coffee that I wasn’t getting with my other machine. I’m currently digging the Classic Brew, especially when I want more coffee flavor and just use my half-and-half. It’s like having the perfect “family diner” cup of coffee.
I like to use the Rich Brew option if I’m using flavored creamers (‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice), and when Summer hits, I can’t wait to try out the “Over-Ice Brew. The Specialty Brew is perfect for making your own cappuccino’s, mocha’s, etc.
Click HERE to see some of the fantastic drinks you can make with The Ninja Coffee Bar!
How do I get the perfect brew? The Ninja Coffee Bar uses it’s own “Auto IQ” system that provides the most perfect brew for every cup – no matter what style coffee you are in the mood for!
Only Auto-iQ™ One-Touch Intelligence by Ninja® allows you to Choose a size, Choose a brew. Auto-iQ™ draws just the right amount of water needed from the reservoir, based on the brew size (from cup to travel mug to carafe) and brew type you select.
Thermal Flavor Extraction™
Our patent-pending technology blends Precision Water Delivery with automated controls for Calibrated Temperature, Pre-infusion, Coffee Saturation, and Flavor Richness. Thermal Flavor Extraction technology by Ninja® can truly unlock the full flavor potential of your favorite ground coffee. – Ninja Coffee Bar
I’m not a morning person. I’ll be the first to admit it. I have a deep jealousy of people that can pop right out of bed and hit the ground like they’ve been awake for several hours already.
For me, it takes a hot shower and a hot cup of coffee to jump start my day. I can’t tell you if my Keurig had a delay brew on it or not, if it did, it was too complicated for me to take the time to figure out.
But the Ninja Coffee Bar is so simple and easy to use that even setting the time and delay is easy! My husband and I both like to have a travel mug ready to go (and I’ve since discovered he’s a Ninja Coffee carafe hog) so I now set the delay brew to make a full carafe of coffee.
This ensures we both can fill our travel mugs to the brim! Once you have set the size cup or carafe you want to brew ahead, setting the Delay Brew is as simple as hitting the “Delay Brew” button, click the “H” button the the hour and the “M” button to the minute, click which brew you’d like (Classic, Rick, Over-Ice, or Specialty) and then hit the “Delay Brew” button again.
Your Ninja will give a little beep to let you know it’s got you covered and voila! your morning coffee is ready! I’ve discovered the best part of waking up, isn’t the Folgers in my cup, it’s magical smell of coffee coming from my kitchen, which my Ninja Coffee Bar has already brewed and kept at the perfect temperature!
Whether you are looking to brew a single cup (in case you hadn’t noticed – my Ninja is my new “hero”) or a whole pot, whether you want iced coffee, rich coffee, or specialty drinks, The Ninja Coffee Bar is the perfect coffee machine to meet all of your needs.
This truly is the smartest, easiest, fully-featured coffee machine I have ever used. It even tells me when it needs cleaned! The Ninja Coffee Bar has quickly and completely won over it’s place in my home (sorry to my family member who was originally going to get this as a Christmas present).
I use it every day and feel like the luckiest coffee drinker in the world! No more expensive coffee shop stops for me, I can make them all right in the comfort of my own home!
Vicki Hollander
Thursday 7th of December 2017
Can you buy ground coffee from the store and use or do you have to specially make medium coarse ground coffee?
Jen
Thursday 7th of December 2017
You can absolutely use ground coffee straight from the grocery store.
D LaMulle
Monday 23rd of October 2017
I cannot set the delay brew. Any suggestions?
Diane Pinard
Friday 7th of July 2017
My clean light is staying on after I clean my coffee maker, any idea why Diane
Janessa
Saturday 8th of July 2017
I'm not sure. I'd suggest calling the Ninja customer service number.
T DeJesus
Thursday 26th of January 2017
How come the thermal carafe version doesn't have a stay warm feature. Coffee gets cold after 30 minutes because there isn't a heating plate.
Rachel
Wednesday 21st of December 2016
My time changes all the time so using delay brew is not working thanks Rachel Coleman
Jennifer
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
Double check to make sure you have the time of AM and PM correct. I mixed up my AM and PM when I was changing the time and then of course, the delay brew didn't work properly. If you are still having issues, I'd put in a call to the customer service department. Hope you are able to get it working! It's sure nice to have fresh coffee ready when you wake up!