Ninja Pod and Grounds Specialty Single Serve Coffee Maker, K-Cup Pod Compatible, Brews, Compact Design, Built-in Milk Frother, 56 Ounces Reservoir, 6 Ounces Cup to 24 Ounces Mug Sizes, Stone, PB051ST

Terry in SAUnited States

Rivals Keurig

I gotta say, this rivals Keurig and makes a quick and lovely cup of coffee. I've been a coffee drinker all of my life and since I'm old, I started out with a percolator. Eventually Bunn entered the home coffee maker market and I was hooked. Because it had a reservoir to keep water hot and ready to brew at the touch of a button, I got my coffee much faster. Years later, someone gifted me my first Keurig and that was it. I became a single serve coffee maker fanatic. There was nothing faster and no more burnt or stale coffee. Yes, yes - a French press makes the finest cup of coffee but I do not wake up in any condition to use a French press. I need coffee and I need it fast. So Keurig has dominated the single serve arena for quite some time. I have had a number of Keurigs over the years, as well as Nespresso machines and a few espresso machines. In fact, I currently have a delightful Nespresso Vertuo machine that I adore but I don't use heavily because of the very high cost of capsules and the relatively small number of decaf offerings. My Keurig was the heavy hitter until it recently began to just turn off randomly in the middle of brewing a cup of coffee. When searching for a replacement, I happened upon this machine by Ninja. I LOVE Ninja appliances! I have their vacuums, blenders, ice cream makers, a drip coffee maker, and an amazing air fryer with 2 baskets so I was intrigued. This one did offer a 12oz cup size and a rich coffee setting like my recently defunct Keurig so I decided to order. I chose the XL for the larger water reservoir (68oz), although it's still not as large as my Keurig had. When it arrived the next day, I was excited to get brewing but I did take the time to check out all the features (and there are quite a few.) First to mention is that you can use standard K-cups and brew a 6, 8, 10, or 12oz cup of coffee. But the surprising feature is that you can brew ground coffee and select a 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 or 24oz cup size! You will need to drop in the permanent filter (which stores neatly in a compartment on the side of the machine) but you can fill up a travel mug this way. Wonderful! There is also an Over Ice setting to brew an iced coffee and a Specialty Coffee setting that brews an intense, 4oz, cup of coffee that is similar to espresso in strength and is good for recipes that call for strong brewed coffee. Also, there is a swing out milk frother that's fun. It doesn't heat - only froths - but it's still quite handy and the wand twists off easily for rinsing under the tap. Finally, there is a little cup platform that can be moved up and down, depending upon the size of your cup. I don't move mine because I just use huge mugs. Things I don't like as much are that there is no water filter. I have very hard water in my city, which is death to coffee makers. I have an in-line water filter at my sink but I liked the additional filter on my Keurig so I didn't have to descale quite as often. There is also no option to set the brewing temperature. My husband loves very, very hot coffee so he's noticed this. What I love is that I can get a 12oz cup of coffee on the Rich setting that is wonderful and flavorful and faster that my Keurig ever did, even when it was new. I also like that it's narrower so takes up less, precious, counter space. The buttons on the top are simple to toggle through and select the setting you need. It's just a great little machine that I am using multiple times a day as there are 4 coffee drinkers in the house. I will update should it fail prematurely but so far, I think the coffee maker really suits me.

David W.United States

An awesome single serve brewer that is about as perfect as it gets.

You're looking for a coffee maker. Maybe a big multi-cup jobber isn't right for you, and you're trying to pick between the many options available. I too was in the same boat and after being disappointed with a recent Keurig purchase (dang chemical taste), I decided to find something that might work better for me. I will be honest that I dug out an old single serve coffee maker. Think of one of those little brewers you'd see in a cheap hotel. However, it worked, and was easy to clean with the stainless screen. I just found the flavor a bit lacking, and it didn't brew hot enough for me. I do own a couple other Ninja appliances that have worked well, so when I saw they offered a single serve coffee maker that would take normal grounds and pods, I decided to pull the trigger. The biggest plus was it has a water tank, so I can fill it with filtered water and make many cups of coffee using without having to fill it each time. I opted for the XL version to get the added water capacity. Getting into using the machine, it was easy to set up. Washed a few parts and I was off to the coffee making races. I normally brew around 12 OZ, and I use Gavina coffee. SInce it's not exactly like my other single serve brewer, I knew I'd have to tweak the amount of grounds being used. I landed on two slightly mounded tablespoons for a 12 oz brew. In terms of the build quality, I really like it. I also like that I can fit my big coffee mug without any issues. That is one big factor that can irk me, not being able to use my travel mugs. However, this machine has no problem in that area. Nothing feels cheap on this machine, and it looks nice as well. So how does it brew? Great! It gets plenty hot and brews the best cup of coffee I've had in a long time. I first tried the classic mode and it was good. However, when I switched to the rich mode, wow. It really enhances the flavor of the coffee and tastes excellent. Also, unlike the Keurig brewers I've bought over the years, this one has ZERO chemical/plastic taste. Good to go. I did run about 5 cycles through the machine before using it though. This thing is awesome and I'm glad I bought it. I didn't test the frother since I normally don't froth anything, but in terms of it making a great cup of coffee, it's a winner. I also love that it saves settings in between uses. So if I dial it in for the way I like my coffee, it has the same settings the next day. SImple but many brewers do NOT offer this. In terms of critiques, I only have one. It's cleaning out the filter assembly after brewing. It has a diffuser lid and it just makes smacking the filter assembly to knock the grounds out more difficult. I wish the lid was designed differently, but it's a very minor annoyance. Besides that, this thing is a home run in my book. I hope it lasts, but I can tell you sipping on a cup of coffee I brewed with this machine, it's the best I've been able to brew from this Gavina blend. Updates: 1. The removable basket which holds the grounds has a diffuser for the hot water to distribute over the grounds. This is not just a clip on, it's a twist lock, and is a bit cumbersome if it comes loose. It fell off in the garbage can a few times until I realized you really had to push and give it a hard twist to lock it on the lid. 2. I have moved on to using disposable filters which greatly reduces cleanup time and also puts less sediment into the brewed coffee. ASIN: B0FQV6H53G 3. The brewer continues to work great. Super happy with it!

ElleUnited States

Time to open your own home café!

This Ninja single serve coffee maker has been such a smart purchase for our household. My teen loves those expensive coffee shop drinks, and I really wanted to show him that he can make something just as good at home without constantly spending his hard earned money. He actually invested in this machine himself (even found an open box deal that looked brand new and saved a few extra bucks), and it has absolutely paid off. We’re easily saving over $1,000 a year making coffee at home and honestly, it’s been fun experimenting with all the different options.What really sets this machine apart is the versatility. It’s not just a basic coffee maker it truly feels like having a coffee shop at home. There’s an espresso option for quick, strong shots (which Dad loves), a cold brew setting that’s perfect for iced drinks (a huge win for my teen), and even a built in frother on the side so you can make those café style drinks right at home. You can also use pods for convenience or brew your own coffee, which gives you total flexibility.The machine itself is sturdy, reliable,and the perfect size and we don’t have to fill up the Water reserve too often and really well made unlike the other popular brand name starting with a K which I won’t name ! It’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from Ninja. We own several of their products, and they consistently deliver great quality and value.This has been one of those purchases that truly makes a difference long term. If you’re looking to save money, cut back on daily coffee runs, and still enjoy high quality drinks with lots of options, I highly recommend it.

Berenice CMexico

Excelente cafetera, llegó rápido y funciona perfectamente

El paquete llegó muy rápido y la cafetera llegó en excelentes condiciones, con todos sus empaques originales y los instructivos completamente nuevos. Probé la cafetera desde que llegó. Encendió sin ningún problema y probé ambas opciones de preparación: café molido y cápsulas K-Cup. Las dos funcionan muy bien. Algunas cosas que recomiendo verificar si planeas comprarla: Primero, es importante hacer un primer ciclo de preparación sin café antes de usarla por primera vez para limpiar el sistema interno. Segundo, si vives en un lugar con gran altitud sobre el nivel del mar, es recomendable nivelar o ajustar la cafetera siguiendo las instrucciones del manual. Definitivamente recomiendo leer el instructivo antes de usarla.Tercero, si usas café molido, es muy importante usar molienda media para obtener mejores resultados. También es importante saber que esta cafetera utiliza cápsulas tipo K-Cup compatibles con Keurig. No acepta cápsulas Dolce Gusto ni Nescafé. Estas cápsulas tipo K-Cup se pueden conseguir fácilmente; por ejemplo, yo las encontré en HEB. En general, la cafetera funciona muy bien. Ya probé varios de los estilos de café que ofrece y todos funcionan correctamente. Es una cafetera muy versátil.La recomiendo mucho. En mi caso, el equipo llegó completamente nuevo y hasta ahora ha funcionado perfectamente. También compré el seguro de Amazon por si llegara a necesitarlo, pero hasta el momento el producto ha funcionado de manera excelente. Muy buen producto y una excelente compra.