Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

A few years back I worked as a Barista for the most popular coffee shop that is on every street corner. It was a fun scene to work in and I learned the ins and outs of making all of the signature drinks. I was excited to get the chance to review this product and I wanted to see if I could recreate those drinks with this home bar. Turns out I absolutely could! Overview: For this review, I am keeping in mind that this is a home coffee bar and shouldn’t be compared to an industrial bar. I also wanted to keep the focus on the specialty coffee drinks that you can make with this bar, which is the reason to get this! Does it brew coffee well, of course, but that's not the fun part of owning this. Water Reservoir: This pops on and off easily with no problem. It is easy to clean, and you can make as little or as much as you need. It has a flat base so it is easy to place in the sink or on the counter unattended while it is filling up with water. It won’t tip. The only thing I wish it had was the actual measurements (in oz.) on the outside. Instead, it has pictures of the amount of coffee you wish to make (cup,travel mug, ½ carafe, etc.). Cup Platform: This is a genius invention. If you only want to make a cup, you can pull down the cup platform, which elevates your mug to eliminate splashing. I love that it’s easy to make just one cup of coffee, and you have the option to slide in mugs, tumblers, carafes, etc. Permanent Filter: I am all for the permanent filter since it is the most eco-friendly option. I did not experience any grinds in my drip. If you prefer using a paper filter, that is also option, you just have to remove the permanent one. The filter was surprisingly easy to clean up. I just dumped out the grinds, which took care of almost all of the clean up, and then ran it under the faucet for a couple seconds. Drip Stop: Another great feature! This serves two purposes. If you are making a large quantity and don’t want to wait for the entire pot to finish, you can flip the drip stop, pour yourself a cup, and then unflip it and let the brew continue. The other purpose is to guarantee no more drips once the coffee has finished brewing. No mess! Interactive Menu/Brew Settings: This is the part of the machine that feels very high end. There are multiple brew settings that individually light up as you turn the dial to your preferred setting. You also have the option to brew in various quantities and styles: classic, rich, over ice, or specialty (similar to an espresso shot). Again I wish this showed the exact measurement (in oz.). The peel off sticker actually does include the measurements but the face plate below did not. However, it is easy enough to figure out from the icons and they match with the water reservoir icons. Frother: The frother works great and can make voluminous foam, but the instructions were a little off here. First off, it says you can make either cold froth or hot froth. I had doubts about the cold froth setting, since I haven’t seen that before. Following the directions I was able to froth up my 2% milk to about three times the original volume, however it immediately deflated within a minute. I didn’t really mind since this isn’t what you will find in the specialty drinks anyway. Also, when making “hot froth,” it cools down to just above room temperature because you whip so much air into it. Making the hot foam is the most fun part of owning this machine. This foam kept its shape for about 40 minutes. I used ⅓ cup of 2% milk and was able to get 5 times the original volume out of it. You will need to microwave your milk first(i did it for 30 seconds) as this is what will allow it to hold air. To get a good quality foam, you will need to slowly move your cup up and down underneath the frother whisk for about 2 minutes. Once finished, you will want to use a spoon to catch the “rich foam” at the top and spoon it onto your drink. This will be the thick foam that will hold it’s shape and will hold any toppings or sauces. There will always be the milky froth at the bottom of your cup, so if you pour all your foam on your drink, you will get a lot of milk which will dilute your drink. I also wanted to point out that the whisk flips in and out to save space. It also detaches from the machine, so you don’t have to worry about drips. They really thought every feature of this through! Overall: I am in love with this Ninja specialty coffee maker and can’t stop recommending it to everyone I know. It’s nice to be back behind a coffee bar, and it’s a really fun way to impress friends and family. You can absolutely make all your favorite drinks you find in the coffee shops from cappuccinos, to macchiatos, to lattes, or even just a cup of coffee. This does come with a recipe book, but you can also just do an easy internet search to find exactly how to make your favorite drinks. As a former barista, I highly recommend this! I’ll be sure to update my review should my opinion of this product change.