Finally figured out how to actually brew coffee on my Ninja Hot & Cold system

[Thomas Martinez]

Ok so I got myself a Ninja Hot & Cold Brewed System a little while back. Fiddled with it a bit more than I should of to get a decent cup of coffee out of it. But figured I’d share what I found to be the best method to get the best out of my Ninja machine.
Fill the water tanks with water, add the coffee grounds to the coffee basket (not the tea basket, I messed that one up initially!) Choose your desired cup size and brewing program, press the start button and the Ninja will brew your coffee in 1 to 2 minutes! Once I finally got the hang of the process it worked every single time!
I realize from experience that for those who are just as baffled by the coffee basket as I was when I first purchased the machine, this might have been a crucial part of the process for you all. But since I purchased the machine it has been running smoothly without any complaints from me! Did anyone else notice any quirks about the Ninja when first getting started with it?

 

[Famous Fla]

the basket mix up is real, mine has the tea one labeled but its faded already after maybe 6 month. Ninja qc lol

 

[Poor Panda]

Wait so you actualy messed up and put grounds in the tea basket? What happened, did it just dump everything through or did the water bypass it entirely? Curious because I almost did the same thing last weekend.

 

[The Grea]

if you want actual coffee buy a moccamaster. These ninja things are fine for a dorm but lets not pretend

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

Quirk worth knowing: run a vinegar descale every couple months even if the light hasn’t come on yet. My Ninja started to brew much more slower after around the 8 month mark but a descaling fix it immediately. It’s hard water around here so ymmv.

 

[Clever Capuchin]

1 to 2 minutes for a full carafe? thats not brewing its just hot water passing through the grounds lol

 

[History of the Karate]

mine been solid for 2 years

 

[Famous Fla]

Quirk worth knowing: run a vinegar descale every couple months even if the light hasn’t come on yet. My Ninja started to brew much more slower after around the 8 month mark but a descaling fix it immediately. It’s hard water around here so ymmv.

agreed on the descale, its also worth noting the cold brew side of the Ninja tends to get gunky faster than you’d think so I pull it out and give it a good rinse with soapy water once a week now.

 

[Poor Panda]

Does the Ninja make real cold brew or does it just make hot brewed coffee that you allow to cool down? I’ve heard both sides of the discussion but never confirmed which was true.

 

[Muppet Mop]

if you want actual coffee buy a moccamaster. These ninja things are fine for a dorm but lets not pretend

hard disagree on the moccamaster comment, not everyone wants to drop $350 on a coffee maker. If you use good beans and grind your own the Ninja makes a perfectly fine cup of coffee.
coffee snobs ruin every thread

 

[The Grea]

hard disagree on the moccamaster comment, not everyone wants to drop $350 on a coffee maker. If you use good beans and grind your own the Ninja makes a perfectly fine cup of coffee.
coffee snobs ruin every thread

its not snobbery its just better. You spend more on beans over a year than the price difference between machines anyway

 

[Courageous Cat]

the basket thing tripped me up too at first. I thought one of em was broken because the water just shot straight through. Turns out the tea one in for coffee and the holes are bigger. Once i swapped it, everything was fine. They should color code them

 

[Clever Capuchin]

the basket thing tripped me up too at first. I thought one of em was broken because the water just shot straight through. Turns out the tea one in for coffee and the holes are bigger. Once i swapped it, everything was fine. They should color code them

color coding would mean ninja cared about ux which they dont

 

[Poor Panda]

Has anyone tried using paper filters in the coffee basket on these? Or does it mess with the flow rate?

 

[Escape from the Scooter J]

Has anyone tried using paper filters in the coffee basket on these? Or does it mess with the flow rate?

Paper filters work fine, I cut down a #4 cone filter and it actually cleaned up the coffee a bit. Less sediment. Flow rate unaffected to me although i dont brew the largest size so maybe when its all the way full its a bit of a backup but i havent noticed anything.

 

[British Un]

i had one of these the carafe lid broke after like 4 months. Plastic tab snapped. Ninja sent me a new one for free tho

 

[Save Yourself]

Honestly the biggest quirk for me was that the specialty brew setting makes it more concentrated for milk drinks. I was using regular brew and making my lattes taste like dishwater for weeks. Read the manual?

 

[History of the Karate]

Honestly the biggest quirk for me was that the specialty brew setting makes it more concentrated for milk drinks. I was using regular brew and making my lattes taste like dishwater for weeks. Read the manual?

who reads manuals

 

[Poor Panda]

Honestly the biggest quirk for me was that the specialty brew setting makes it more concentrated for milk drinks. I was using regular brew and making my lattes taste like dishwater for weeks. Read the manual?

Wait does the specialty setting actually pull a real shot of coffee? Or is it still drip coffee?

 

[Save Yourself]

Wait does the specialty setting actually pull a real shot of coffee? Or is it still drip coffee?

Its still drip but slower with less water so its concentrated drip basically not espresso. But its strong enough that its not washed out by the milk. The fact its called specialty is a marketing thing but the result is actually OK for what its supposed to be.