Ninja - Specialty CM401

I really love my Ninja CM401: https://www.coffeegrindguru.com/ninja-cm401/. It was certified by the same coffee industry group that certifies temperature/quality/etc as Moccamaster, but was selling for about half the price here when I bought it. Like you, I frequently buy trash coffee and it just consistently makes great cups. My favourite thing is that I can make individual cups in 3 or 4 different sizes (including XL, which is the perfect fit for my travel mug), half pot, or a full pot. I tend to just drink one or two cups a day, so the individual feature is what I tend to use. I bought this after having Keurigs, French presses, and an AeroPress and I’m always happy with my consistent results and it’s super easy to clean (especially if you making individual cups), which I can’t say for my experience with those other options.

For under a hundred bucks I bought a ninja that I'm pretty happy with. Never could afford the mocha.

Had the ninja, switched to the moccamaster when it started glitching. Night and day. I'm not a coffee person, but the coffee just tastes so much better. I can't explain, really... like it's bold or nutty... not sure. There was always something that made me unhappy with how the coffee from the ninja tasted, but I could never pin point it.... when it started failing (lasted for 4 years), I just wanted something better. Got the moccamaster and absolutely love how it looks, how simple it is and how the coffee tastes so good in the morning. Also I got an Amazon return for $100 less, which made it a no-brainer, since I could return it in case it wasn't satisfactory. In the end it was perfectly fine and packaged... felt really lucky. Hope it helps.

Second ninja. I can make about 6 sizes from 8oz up to a full pot. Also an espresso, over ice and strong setting. And a little spin frother on the side

We’ve had the ninja for about 5 years. Our only issue was the glass carafe breaking and replacements were not sold/offered. I got lucky and one came through on a local buy nothing group. That may have changed. I’m following to hear reviews on the others.

I have an older model but very similar Ninja coffee maker and it’s hands-down my favorite I’ve ever had. As you mentioned, it blooms the grounds, and it has a ‘rich’ setting that lets the water sit in the grounds for longer before it hits your cup, and I really like it. We’ve been using ours daily for over 5 years, and all it’s needed is the occasional cleaning/cleaning cycle. Only part I’m considering replacing is the washable filter/screen. It’s gotten a bit caked/stained with old grounds that don’t want to fully come off.

the ninja coffee brewer with the perma filter is my go to, i was a coffee master and i loved french presses, this is like a hybrid between a drip and press, as there are no paper filters to soak up the precious oils that lend to the overall experience

I like my Ninja coffee maker, they make a few different models but mine has a removable reservoir and lets me choose the drink size. I don't use it a ton, but if you're buying one anyway I'd also look at moccamaster. Not sure if they'll have what you want but it'd probably make better coffee.

I got suckered into two, second ninjas- I bought one and loved it and then got one for my mother. Both also suffered the led clock going out, one bar at a time after a couple years. Searched for one with the removable water tank and ended up with both of us ultimately getting a different, newer model ninja. I’ve had several brands, especially cheaper ones over the years - and while they do last longer, ninja for me makes the best tasting drip coffee. FWIW tho, I’m a recovering coffee addict, so I have and use pretty much every other method to make it (French press, espresso machine, cheesecloth for cold brew etc). Depending on how long these ninjas last- will determine whether they’re my last or not.

I've been on the same ninja coffee machine for 5 years, daily coffee without a single problem

We are currently on our second ninja. I think the first was a lemon.

Honestly? Something like a Cuisinart or Breville or Ninja is just fine for her. A Moccamaster or an Aiden are absurd, terrible recommendations for someone who doesn't care that much about coffee, lol. That's like buying a Pappy Van Winkle for someone who only drinks Bud Light, or a Traeger for a vegetarian. If they aren't into coffee, they're not gonna care about "SCA certified" or any of that quality stuff. In fact, they probably care more about how it looks, how fast it brews coffee, and maybe some of the other bells and whistles attached like a programmable timer. Don't spend money on something that's purely built for quality coffee; spend on the features instead.

Tell that to my Ninja coffee maker. First the tank started to leak when you removed to fill with water. The clock timer failed next. Finally the whole thing started to leak. I just got a Moccamaster on 1/2 price sale, and I do think it makes a better cup of coffee faster than my Ninja.

Have one of these too…5 years and going strong.

I’ve been using the same ninja coffee maker for 8 years. I liked it so much it put me on to a lot of other ninja products.

Do you need a whole pot? Nespresso is like 100 bucks and the vertuo ones make espresso and coffee. Strong good cups too. Otherwise, a ninja drip coffee maker was good to me for awhile. I see the pour over and French press recommendations, both a pain in the ass for a minimally and maybe no different cup than a machine drip. If you like the process and the routine then absolutely go for pour over or French press. Otherwise all drip and pour over coffee is pretty similar assuming you have good grounds and don’t have the cheapest shittiest coffee maker. Diminishing returns are insane when it comes to coffee. Someone somewhere will tell you how his $30 espresso was magical when it’s still just coffee.

The fails I’ve had have been despite routine maintenance. The ninja I loved, but the buttons stopped responding unless I left it unplugged for a couple hours before using it again. We’re on our second Braun, the first replaced under warranty after it started leaking from somewhere internally. We got a cheap Mr coffee while we waited for the replacement, but more often than not it ended up with grounds in the coffee. Use less, too weak. Before we switched back to a pot, our Keurig chugged along for years, rarely requesting maintenance. 😂

I get where you’re coming from - over the past few years I’ve tried quite a few coffee makers myself and honestly had some bad experiences too. A lot of them either broke too quickly or had weird build issues that made me give up on them. But I will say this: [This Ninja](https://www.reddit.com/r/JamesHoffmann/comments/1n2w661/my_ranking_of_drip_coffee_makers_ive_actually_used/) and the Technivorm Moccamaster have been the real standouts for me. Ninja because of how versatile it is (iced coffee, stronger brews, frother, timer, etc.), and Moccamaster because it’s just insanely consistent with flavor and feels like it’ll last forever. Totally different machines, but both made me feel like I finally wasn’t wasting money.

Several people recommended a Ninja to us. We accidentally bought one that was refurbished, and was half the price of brand new. That was probably 8 years ago - still going strong!

I often use mine for a single cup and it works great.

I’ve got the same exact one, color and all. Fantastic machine.

Try the Ninja Coffeemaker, I love mine it's not huge and I've had it for 6 years with no issues. I clean it every other month and as I have hard well water. The only downside is if you have low cabinets over where you place the coffeemaker, the vented steam from the lid might cause issues. I just pull mine forward when brewing.

Idk I swear by my Ninja coffeemaker after Mr. Coffee and other name brands failed after a year or so of purchase. Going on 6 plus years now, with only one water leak that I was able to resolve by clearing out the water inlet, as long as I clean it regularly my coffee never tastes bad. Even using ground Aribica coffee from BJs club, it tastes good enough for me.

I got the ninja and love it

I have a Ninja coffee maker that can brew either a pot or a single cup. No pods, just regular ground coffee. I also have a single serve french press that I use sometimes. There’s no coffee better than french press coffee imo, but it takes a little longer and I’m impatient in the morning. I don’t like Keurig. I’ve tried so many different types of k-cups and it just doesn’t taste good to me.

Ninja makes a good drip machine. The carafe pours without a mess, the water reservoir detaches to fill easily. Programming is simple.

Stop buying “fancy” drip coffee makers, specifically Ninja makes nonrepairable overpriced trash in the first place. Either get a Golden Cup brewer or a Mr Coffee.

Have had one for 4+ years and it still works great. We recently upgraded to a Breville espresso machine for our everyday machine but kept the Ninja and stored it away for use when we host and need to make a pot at a time.

This last one (Ninja) just started leaking water(clean) out of the bottom...Heating elements. I can't recall all the issues.

https://preview.redd.it/gwnuzrm1400f1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6262db599fcd61316f26445c5ff9519504c7bf9 Go with the Ninja Drip and K cup combo! I had a very nice end coffee machine to start my rental and renters couldn’t figure it out!

My Ninja coffee maker has the ability to make single cups (without pods), through full pots. Daily I make a half carafe which yields about 3 cups.

We love our Ninja coffee maker. It's a workhorse. We went through 3 Keurigs in three years.

I've had a Ninja for over 5 years now that has served me well. The clock is shot but when I need to make two cups in the morning, it hasn't failed me yet. I have looked at a Moccamaster as an upgrade and will likely get one but it's hard to justify when my Ninja keeps getting the job done day-to-day.

Had mine for three years now. Does exactly what OP wants. There's an option to brew "rich" (with a steep), and also a small brew (less than 4 cups) option. Not Moccamaster territory, but it's reasonable and the counter footprint is not too big

I've been a big fan of the Ninja coffeemaker we purchased a few years ago. What I really like about it is that almost all the parts can come out (the filter holder, the water reservoir) and can go right in the dishwasher for regular cleaning

I've been a big fan of the Ninja coffeemaker we purchased a few years ago. What I really like about it is that almost all the parts can come out (the filter holder, the water reservoir) and can go right in the dishwasher for regular cleaning

We love our Ninja. It's got a standard drip brewer, plus K-cup and Nespresso pod brewing. It's been rock solid. Actually we've got several Ninja appliances and they've generally been great, and long-lasting.

The Ninja's great for the money. Refurbs go for about $70 regularly and it's built like a tank. For the value it's hard to beat. At 3-5x the $ there are better drip coffee makers, but for folks that want BIL and don't have tons of disposable income I think the Ninja's awesome.

We had one that lasted 4 years then the switch went. The company wouldn’t send me a replacement. They wanted me to send the coffee maker back to them. You don’t even need to solder anything to replace it. I know because I took it apart. Anecdotal, but I was definitely not a satisfied moccamaster customer. Cheap ninja one does the job just as well.

Just want to add that we have almost everything in common on this issue. I also came from a Ninja that I strangely liked, when I didn't have time for pourover. Also like roasts on darker side, and also was shocked at how flimsy the MM carafe and plastic parts were when I finally bought one. But in the end I got over the non-premium feel of the components and fell in love with the pump. After lots of dialing in grind & ratios I came to realize the the temp of that water and the speed it's pushed out are just so solid. I think for a drip machine that's critical. I'm still not sure if it's totally worth the $$, but 7 months in I'm extremely happy with my KBT

I’ve had my ninja coffee maker for 9 years now. I don’t even want a coffee maker that sells replacement parts. If my ninja coffee maker breaks in 5 years, I’ll just go buy a brand new ninja coffee maker. Why would I wanna wait for replacement parts to come in? What would I do for coffee in the meantime? Buy an inexpensive mr coffee? Lol

$375?? That’s crazy. Go buy a Mr. Coffee. Or a Ninja. I have owned our ninja coffee maker for about nine years now. It makes us two pots of coffee a day and cost me about $70. Takes up less space too. That thing doesn’t even look like it has a auto brew function.

My girlfriend just got us one! Prior to this, we had both a Ninja and a Delonghi die on us. This feels SOLID, and very repairable in comparison.

That’s a fair point. There’s also coffee makers that used to be certified, but they stopped paying the SCA. The Ninja is a solid machine and was certified at some point I believe.

I love my ninja coffee maker. It has settings for a single cup, a thermos, a half carafe (which is about two mid sized mugs) and then a full carafe It also has features to make an espresso, and a slightly stronger cup for either "rich" or "over ice" I've had the machine for almost a decade and I've been so happy with it

Ninja if you're not looking to spend a fortune and still want a good cup of coffee.