Ninja Coffee Bar Costco Review

The Costco Ninja Coffee Bar system eliminates the need for expensive coffee pods. Now, you can have single-serve coffee house quality coffee in your own home every morning.

If you are the type of person who needs to drink coffee before doing anything else in the morning, the last thing you need is a coffee pot that limits what you can use to make your morning coffee.

The Ninja Coffee Bar offers professional quality coffee without limiting you to coffee pods. The recipe book will give you everything you need to know to make your favorite Starbucks specialty brew.

Breakdown of the 5 Ninja Coffee Bar Models

Which Ninja Coffee Bar is right for me?

With so many different models to choose from customers are often confused which Ninja Coffee Bar system is right for them.

This article is going to give you everything you need to know in easy to understand bullet points to make buying your first Ninja Coffee Bar quick and easy.

Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer w/ Glass Carafe - CF080Z

Ninja Coffee Bar w/ Glass Carafe & Auto-IQ 1 Touch Intelligence - CF080W

Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer with Thermal Carafe - CF085Z

Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer System with Glass Carafe - CF091

Ninja Coffee Bar Brewer System w/ Stainless Thermal Carafe - CF097

Overall, the CF080W offers the best of both worlds featuring both the glass and thermal carafes. However, it has fewer brew options than the CF091 and CF097. The CF091 and CF097 varieties offer more brew type and brew size selections, including the specialty brew Cafe Forte.

Ninja Coffee Bar vs. Keurig

The Ninja Coffee Bar offers 2 distinct advantages over Keurig.

First, the Ninja Coffee Bar does not require specific K-cups. Some people may not be aware that older K-cups are not compatible with newer models. This is not an issue for the Ninja Coffee Bar because the permanent filter allows you to scoop in any ground coffee of your choice.

Additionally, say hello to frothy cappuccino when you choose the Ninja Coffee Bar. The Ninja system comes with a built-in milk frother or Ninja Easy Frother so you can make more deluxe coffee varieties. The recipe book also helps guide you through the steps of making your own Starbucks at home.

Ninja Coffee Bar vs. Nespresso

If you want a variety of coffee that doesn’t require specific size coffee pods, the Ninja Coffee Bar is definitely the way to go. Some may argue the Ninja doesn’t offer a true espresso. However, the Nespresso only makes espresso-based drinks and doesn’t offer classic coffee brews.

Like the Keurig, the Nespresso also requires users to invest in specific coffee pods, which are only compatible with one machine.

Ninja Coffee Bar vs Cuisinart

Cuisinart offers side-by-side brewing of single serve or full carafe. The Ninja Coffee Bar saves space by brewing any size, cup or carafe, in the same brewing area.

According to Nerdwallet, many buyers claimed the Cuisinart water reservoir is harder to refill without spills.  The Ninja Coffee Bar solves this by providing buyers an easy to replace removable water reservoir. This allows customer to refill their Ninja system with fewer spills than a Cuisinart machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

As with any new product, consumers often ask the same questions when considering to buy a Ninja Coffee Bar Brewing system.

1. Which Ninja Coffee Bar is the best?

The answer to this question depends on what is most important to you. If you like dark concentrated coffee over light, subtle coffee and you don’t care about losing a couple brew sizes then the CF080 series and the CF085 series offer the best extras. These come with a few paper filters, an insulated To-Go tumbler, and twice as many recipes.

However, if you feel like you would be missing out with fewer brew options, then you should choose between the CF091 glass option or the CF097 thermal option.

2. What size are the brew options in ounces?

Specialty - 4 ounces dark, concentrated coffee

Cafe Forte - 8 ounces light, full-flavor coffee

Classic Cup - 9.5 ounces traditional brew

Classic XL Cup - 11.5 ounces traditional brew

Classic Travel Mug - 14 ounces traditional brew

Classic XL Multi-Serve - 18 ounces traditional brew

Classic Half-Carafe - 28 ounces traditional brew

Classic Full-Carafe - 43 ounces traditional brew

The Rich and Over Ice brew settings dispense slightly less than the classic brew option.

3. What size paper filters should you use?

It is not necessary to use paper filters with the Ninja Coffee Bar. However, those who have used paper filters for easier cleaning recommend using size #4 paper cones.

4. What is a common defect in the Ninja Coffee Bar systems?

According to reviews, the light to alert users to clean their Ninja Coffee Bar comes on too frequently or does not go off. The manufacturer acknowledges this as a problem and recommends buyers ignore the light and clean the unit once a month.

5. Can you use coffee beans? 

No, this machine only uses ground coffee.

6. Does the Ninja Coffee Bar make espresso?

According to reviews, this becomes a matter of personal preference. Some users claim the specialty brew is concentrated enough to be comparable and used as espresso. Other users claim the Ninja Coffee Bar does not make true espresso. Those reviewers claim the Ninja Coffee Bar should be compared to drip coffee brewers.

Many reviewers said the recipe guide was helpful in creating Starbucks quality coffee drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes for a fraction of the price. One reviewer commented the ingredients she used actually resulted in a coffee that was better than Starbucks and made 25 cups for the price of 1 at Starbucks!