Ninja Coffee Makers have grown to be a popular choice among people who prefer to make their coffee at home. Whether you like a classic cup of coffee, iced coffee or a specialty drink like a cappuccino or latte, Ninja’s coffee makers can do it all.

There are many Ninja coffee maker models available to buy. Each comes with its own advantages that would make you choose it over another model. So here, we will have a look at the top rated models, their features and how they compare to one another.

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Ninja DualBrew Single Serve and Full Carafe Coffee Maker – The Best Dual Coffee Maker:

[amazon box=”B08QZXFSKP” description=”Whether you want to brew a full 12-cup carafe, or enjoy a quick single-serve cup of coffee, the DualBrew does it all. But that’s not all, what makes this one special is that it can brew coffee using both coffee ground or K-Cup pods for single-serve option. It gives you 3 or 4 brew styles (based on the model) and 9 serving sizes.”]

Pick this brewer if you want:

  • Carafe and Single-serve options
  • If you want to use ground coffee and K-Cup pods.
  • If you enjoy over ice drinks as well as hot coffee drinks.

Serving sizes you can use when brewing ground coffee: small cup, cup, XL cup, Travel Mug, XL travel mug, ¼ Carafe, ½ Carafe, ¾ Carafe, or Full Carafe. When using a K-Cup pod, you can brew sizes 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz.

Being able to use K-Cup pods opens up your options of drinks you can brew to include anything that comes in the form of a K-Cup: tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider… you name it.

The DualBrew has 3 brew styles: Classic, Rich or Over ice. Classic is the regular brew, Rich is a bold and richer tasting brew while over ice makes the brew a bit stronger so it never tastes watered down when mixed with ice.

The brewer comes with a glass carafe, it also has a keep warm function and a hot plate that keeps coffee hot for up to 4 hours.

DualBrew vs. DualBrew PRO:

The DualBrew is available in a PRO version too, which has a few additional functions:

  • an additional brew style called Specialty, which makes a coffee concentrate that is similar to espresso.
  • a built-in milk frother to create delicious frothy milk.
  • a hot water system to dispense hot water on demand for instant meals or tea.
  • a repositionable water reservoir that can be set to the back or side of the machine.

If you enjoy coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, this would be a great option. The hot water on demand is also great for giving you hot water on the spot whenever you need it.

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System – Best Overall Beverage Brewer for Coffee and Tea:

[amazon box=”B07FX73Y7H” description=”The Hot and Cold Brewed System is the most versatile brewer you’ll find, from Ninja or other brands. Packed with features to make an array of coffee and tea drinks, hot or cold, in a variety of serving sizes.”]

Features:

  • Brew hot or cold coffee and tea.
  • Choose from 6 sizes including single cup, mug, travel mug, half carafe or full carafe.
  • Choose from 5 brewing options: Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Cold Brew or Specialty.
  • Includes individual baskets for coffee and tea brewing, to keep flavors separated.
  • Smart Basket Recognition: the system will automatically recognize inserted basket (coffee or tea) and display drink menu accordingly.
  • No pod system: you can use your favorite coffee ground, loose tea or even bagged tea.
  • Tea type selection: select your tea type and the machine will adjust water temperature and steep time accordingly. You can choose from herbal, black, Oolong, White and Green.
  • Built-in milk frother turns hot or cold milk into frothy milk to enjoy with specialty drinks.
  • Includes a 50 oz carafe.

Brew Style Explanation:

So, this machine gives you a nice number of brewing styles, but what are they exactly?

Classic is just what it sounds – a nice classic brew with smooth and balanced flavor.

Rich is steeped a bit longer to give you a bolder tasting brew.

Specialty is a special brew style that produces a rich and concentrated 4 oz brew similar to a shot of espresso in specialty drinks like lattes or cappuccinos.

Over Ice is designed to brew either coffee or tea directly over ice for a nice chilled beverage. When choosing this brew style, the machine will brew at double strength, so when the ice melts, your drink will not taste watered down.

Cold Brew is a great option that brews your coffee or tea using low temperature instead of hot water. As you know, Cold Brew is traditionally made overnight, using cold or room temperature water. With this Ninja Brewer, it will brew using lower temperature within 10 to 15 minutes depending on the cup size you choose.

Built-in Frother:

The fold-away frother is a nice addition to the machine which allows you to froth either hot or cold milk for your specialty drink. But do keep in mind that this is a whisk-like frother only, so it does not heat your milk. For hot froth, you’ll have to first heat your milk then froth it.

Who Is The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System For?

Of course, this brewer would make perfect sense for anyone who enjoys both coffee and tea drinks in all their varieties. There is not a coffee or tea beverage that this machine won’t make. And you can make them in any size you want, starting from a single cup and up to a carafe. So it’s great for either a single user, a family or when entertaining guests.

If you’re not a tea drinks, then this choice would not make much sense. There are other Ninja coffee maker models that will do most of what this brewer does in terms of coffee brewing, but the only feature you’ll miss is the Cold Brew option, which is only available in this brewer.

Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker – Best 10-Cup Ninja Coffee Maker:

[amazon box=”B07PFLM2LK” description=”If coffee is your only beverage of choice, then the Specialty Coffee Maker is what you should be considering. You’ll get multiple brew sizes, different brew styles, and a built-in milk frother to take your specialty drinks to next level.”]

Features:

  • Select from 4 brewing styles: Classic, Rich, Iced Coffee and Specialty.
  • Select from 6 serving sizes: single cup, XL single cup, travel mug, XL travel mug, half carafe and full carafe.
  • SCA Golden Cup certified machine: this machine is certified to brew to the Golden Cup standard set by the Specialty Coffee Association. This means that the Nina Specialty Coffee Maker has even saturation, perfect coffee blooming time and brews with consistent temperature.
  • Built-in milk frother.
  • Available with either a glass carafe/warming plate, or thermal carafe.

Who Should Buy the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker?

This machine is a great choice for any coffee drinker, either a single user or for multiple users. If SCA Golden Cup certification matters to you, this one is the only Ninja Brewer that has this certification.

The Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker has it all – multiple serving sizes, brew options and thanks to its SCA certification, it is guaranteed to brew you an excellent cup.

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed vs. Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker

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  • First major difference is: Hot and Cold Brewed can brew both coffee and tea drinks, while Ninja Specialty is for coffee only.
  • When it comes to coffee brewing, Hot and Cold Brewed has 5 brewing options and Specialty has 4 options. The additional option in Hot and Cold Brewed is Cold Brew.
  • Serving sizes and capacity are the same in both models. You get 6 serving sizes and a 50 oz water reservoir.
  • Both machines have a built-in milk frother.

Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker vs. Ninja DualBrew PRO

Apart from design differences, the biggest difference is that the DualBrew can use ground coffee as well as K-Cup pods, which is something none of the other Ninja brewers can do. Other than that, you’ll find a lot of similarities between the two machines.

So, DualBrew PRO can brew K-Cup Pods, Specialty can’t.

If making iced coffee drinks is an important thing to you, you’ll be happy to know that Over Ice option is available in all Ninja coffee makers mentioned above.

Using Over Ice, you’ll be able to brew a stronger than average brew that never tastes watered down when mixed with ice.

With the Hot and Cold Brewed coffee maker, you’ll get Cold Brew option for making fresh cold brew coffee or tea, in any serving size you want, in as little as 10 minutes. Traditionally, Cold brew takes over 8 to 24 hours to brew and chill in the fridge. So this would be a great solution for you to get your cold brew fix as quickly as possible.

For a long time, Keurig has been the leading brand for single serve coffee makers. The brand is known for their amazing versatility when it comes to coffee pods compatible with their machines. K-Cup pods are available from major brands and different beverages such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more.

While this is what made Keurig popular, so customers found the recurring purchase of pods to be troublesome over time, or thought it could get expensive. This is where a machine like Ninja’s Single-Serve coffee maker (Which uses ground coffee only) would be a better choice.

The thing is, Keurig and Ninja coffee makers are totally different things. Nina’s machine use ground coffee only, while Keurig has some machines that use pods only and others that can use both ground coffee and pods (but for single-serve brewing, you can only use pods).

Which machine is best would totally depend on what you want from a coffee maker or a brewer:

  • Ninja’s Hot and Cold Brewed is the ultimate choice for any coffee or tea drink that can cross your mind. Hot or Cold, using your favorite coffee ground or loose/bagged tea.
  • If you care about getting the best out of your coffee ground, the Ninja Specialty, which is certified by the Specialty Coffee Association, is programmed to brew with precise measures of bloom time, contact time and water temperature.

If you want a Keurig that would be comparable to Ninja’s machines, in terms of being able to brew a single cup as well as a full carafe, then you’ll want the Keurig K-Duo, which allows you to:

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  • Brew up to 12-cup carafe using any coffee ground you like.
  • Or brew a single cup (6, 8, 10 or 12 oz) using a K-Cup pod. If you want to use ground coffee for single-serve brewing, you can use a refillable pod filter.

When it comes to preparing drinks like Cappuccino, Latte or Macchiato… this is an area where Ninja coffee makers excel over Keurig.

To start, Ninja’s machine have Specialty brewing option which brews a coffee concentrate that imitates espresso (but it’s not exactly espresso). Then, it has a built-in milk frothing whisk to create a nice creamy froth.

On the other hand, Keurig’s specialty drinks come packed in a pod. Pods usually contain all ingredients for a cappuccino or latte (powdered milk, coffee and probably a whole lot of sugar and ingredients you don’t want to drink). Keurig’s espresso pods, which is also not real espresso but a coffee concentrate, would be a waste of money if you use them frequently just to brew 4 oz of coffee.

So if you plan on making a lot of specialty coffee drinks, definitely ditch the pods and go a Ninja machine. Better yet, if you don’t plan on making drip coffee, then consider a single-serve espresso machine that will make you a real shot espresso.

Ninja, or as the company is officially called, SharkNinja, has been making coffee makers for a while now, as well as many other kitchen and home appliances. They differentiated themselves by creating versatile coffee makers that serve the needs and tastes of many people. And whichever model you look at, you’ll find it to be highly rated. The machines come with a one-year warranty and a 60-day money back guarantee. So you can rest assure that you’re getting a product of quality, and if you happen to not like it for any reason, you can simply return it.

Pretty much anything you like. Your regular black coffee, specialty coffee drinks, iced coffee drinks, tea (either using pods or loose tea leaves). This bring us to our next question…

This solely depends on your drinking habits and what you like to drink:

Do you prefer to have the option of using K-Cups next to ground coffee? Using pods means you can brew other beverages than coffee, including hot chocolate or tea. If so, then DualBrew is your best option.

If you want to brew Specialty coffee drinks, make sure that the model you pick has the ‘Specialty’ brew option. That would means you can go for the Ninja Specialty, DualBrew Pro or the Hot and Cold Brewed. All have the built-in frother, too.

Hot and Cold Brewed system is perfect for you if you want to make coffee, over ice coffee, or cold brew, which is cold coffee steeped in cool water for 15 minutes. It’s also the only model where there’s a dedicated basket for tea, so you can brew loose tea.

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About the Author

Nicole

Enjoying coffee, one pod at a time. Bringing all my coffee expertise to this blog.

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