Ninja Coffee Bar System Model Comparisons – Your Full Buying-Guide

We have previous looked at the amazing features of the Ninja Coffee Bar, which gives you a full coffee house experience at the comfort of your own home. In this post, we’re happy to look at the features of a new system, the Ninja Coffee Bar System, which includes many upgraded features to give you an even better experience.

Just a quick note: The Ninja Coffee Bar system is now an outdated system. While it is still being sold at some retailers, Ninja has released a newer line of coffee makers to replace it. You can read all about the Ninja DualBrew and DualBrew Pro here.

What Is Ninja Coffee Bar System?

Ninja coffee bar

Ninja Coffee Bar System in the next generation Ninja Coffee Bar. The original coffee system has been upgraded to include more features that will suit many people’s need. Do you need a single-serve that doesn’t use pods? a combination of a pod-free single serve and carafe coffee machine? Something that doesn’t specialty coffee, too? the Ninja Coffee Bar System has it all.

First thing you’ll notice is that the machine has been redesigned and looks different than the first gen. machine. It works the same way though.

The Ninja Coffee Bar System is available in two models:

  • The Ninja Coffee Bar Single-Serve System (models:CF110, CF111, CF112) : Which brews single cups of coffee (no pods required)
  • Ninja Coffee Bar System which brews single cups as well as a carafe size. This system is available in two types:
    • Ninja Coffee Bar System Glass, models: CF090A, CF090CO, CF091, CF092, CF092W
    • Ninja Coffee Bar System Thermal, models: CF097, CF097W

We understand how confusing it can be where there’s way to many models for the same appliance. We tried to make this as simple as possible to help you understand the difference between each model and easily pick the right one for you.

Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF111)
Ninja CM401 Specialty 10-Cup Coffee Maker, with 4 Brew Styles for Ground Coffee, Built-in Water Reservoir, Fold-Away Frother & Glass Carafe, Black
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF112)
Ninja Coffee Bar Auto-iQ Programmable Coffee Maker with 6 Brew Sizes, 5 Brew Options, Milk Frother, Removable Water Reservoir, Stainless Carafe (CF097)
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF111)
Ninja CM401 Specialty 10-Cup Coffee Maker, with 4 Brew Styles for Ground Coffee, Built-in Water Reservoir, Fold-Away Frother & Glass Carafe, Black
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF112)
Ninja Coffee Bar Auto-iQ Programmable Coffee Maker with 6 Brew Sizes, 5 Brew Options, Milk Frother, Removable Water Reservoir, Stainless Carafe (CF097)
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF111)
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF111)
Ninja CM401 Specialty 10-Cup Coffee Maker, with 4 Brew Styles for Ground Coffee, Built-in Water Reservoir, Fold-Away Frother & Glass Carafe, Black
Ninja CM401 Specialty 10-Cup Coffee Maker, with 4 Brew Styles for Ground Coffee, Built-in Water Reservoir, Fold-Away Frother & Glass Carafe, Black
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF112)
Ninja Single-Serve, Pod-Free Coffee Maker Bar with Hot and Iced Coffee, Auto-iQ, Built-In Milk Frother, 5 Brew Styles, and Water Reservoir (CF112)
Ninja Coffee Bar Auto-iQ Programmable Coffee Maker with 6 Brew Sizes, 5 Brew Options, Milk Frother, Removable Water Reservoir, Stainless Carafe (CF097)
Ninja Coffee Bar Auto-iQ Programmable Coffee Maker with 6 Brew Sizes, 5 Brew Options, Milk Frother, Removable Water Reservoir, Stainless Carafe (CF097)

Features of Ninja Coffee Bar Single Serve System:

ninja-coffee-bar-single-serve-system
  • Brew a single cup of travel mug of coffee.
  • Brew type: Classic, Rich, Over-Ice, Specialty, Cafe Forte
  • Brew Sizes: Cup, XL Cup, Travel Mug, XL-Multi-serve (volume varies on type of brew).
  • No pods required, use your favorite coffee ground.
  • Use paper or permanent filter.
  • Removable water reservoir with auto-metering.
  • Built-in milk frother with cold or hot froth options.
  • Easy to use dial control and push button for customizing your coffee.
  • Drip stop eliminates coffee mess.
  • Includes a double-sided scoop and permanent filter.

Ninja Coffee Bar Single Serve System CF110 vs. CF111 vs. CF112, What’s The Difference?

Source of feature list: link 1, link 2, link 3

CF110CF111CF112
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
Built-In Frother
40-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
Ninja XL™ Hot & Cold Multi-Serve Tumbler
Built-In Frother
40-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir

So between CF110 and CF111 there isn’t much difference other than the recipe book. The CF112 includes a Ninja hot and cold tumbler which is worth it if you need a to-go tumbler mug.

Features of Ninja Coffee Bar System:

ninja-coffee-bar-thermal-carafe-system-cf097
  • Pod-free single serve coffee system with 10-cup carafe and XL hot/cold tumbler.
  • Programmable clock with brew delay time of up to 24 hours.
  • Brew type: Classic, Rich, Over-Ice, Specialty, Cafe Forte
  • Brew Sizes: Cup, XL Cup, Travel Mug, XL-Multi-serve, Half Carafe and Full Carafe.
  • Built in milk frother makes hot or cold froth for specialty drinks.
  • Easy to use dial control and push button for customizing your coffee.
  • Drip stop eliminates coffee mess.
  • Includes a double-sided scoop and permanent filter.

Ninja Coffee Bar System is available in two main models:

  • Ninja Coffee Bar System with Glass Carafe, model numbers: CF090A, CF090CO, CF091, CF092, CF092W
  • Ninja Coffee Bar System with Thermal Carafe, model numbers: CF097, CF097W

Ninja Coffee Bar System with Glass Carafe Comparisons:

cited from: link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4

CF090ACF090COCF091CF092CF092W
10-Cup (50 oz.) Glass Carafe
10-Cup (50 oz.) Ninja Over Ice™ Carafe
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
10-Cup (50 oz.) Glass Carafe
Ninja XL™ Hot & Cold Multi-Serve Tumbler
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
10-Cup (50 oz.) Glass Carafe
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
10-Cup (50 oz.) Glass Carafe
Ninja XL™ Hot & Cold Multi-Serve Tumbler
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
10-Cup (50 oz.) Glass Carafe
10-Cup (50 oz.) Ninja Over Ice™ Carafe
Ninja XL™ Hot & Cold Multi-Serve Tumbler
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir

As you can see, the difference here is in the accessories included with the coffee system. If you want all the accessories,  model CF092W is the one to buy, if you don’t care about the extra accessories (tumbler or over ice carafe), then get the CF091 which only includes the default glass carafe.

Ninja Coffee Bar System with Thermal Carafe Comparisons:

cited from: link 1, link 2

CF097CF097W
10-Cup (50 oz.) Thermal Carafe
10-Cup (50 oz.) Ninja Over Ice™ Carafe
Built-In Frother
20-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir
10-Cup (50 oz.) Thermal Carafe
10-Cup (50 oz.) Ninja Over Ice™ Carafe
Ninja XL™ Hot & Cold Multi-Serve Tumbler
Ninja XL™ Thermal Tumbler
Built-In Frother
100-Recipe Inspiration Guide
Ninja Smart™ Stainless Steel Scoop
Permanent Reusable Filter
Removable Water Reservoir

The CF097W packs a lot of accessories, this time with two tumblers (one plastic and one thermal), as well as an over ice carafe and a guide with 100 recipes. While the CF097 only has the over ice carafe as an extra.

What’s The Difference Between the Ninja Coffee Bar and Ninja Coffee Bar System?

ninja-coffee-bar-comparison

The Ninja Coffee Bar System is the second generation of the Ninja Coffee Bar:

  • It has been updated in looks.
  • It has a built-in electric milk frother instead of a manual one.
  • It has the new Cafe Forte brew type which gives you a robust and full-bodied cup of coffee.
  • It has XL Cup and XL Multi-serve cup sizes which are for 16 oz and 18 oz travel mugs/cups.
  • Some models now have the Over Ice Carafe for a full carafe of iced coffee.
  • It includes the double-side smart scoop.

Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker:

Ninja Specialty Fold Away Frother CM401 Coffee Maker

Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker is a version of Ninja’s coffee makers that came out after the Ninja Coffee Bar, Coffee System and Hot and Cold Brewed system.

It resembles the Ninja Coffee Bar in the majority of its features, it has:

  • 6 brew sizes: single cup, XL single cup, travel mug, XL travel mug, half carafe and full carafe.
  • 4 brew styles: Classic, rich, Iced and Specialty.
  • Built-in milk frother that folds away.
  • Uses coffee ground, no pods required.

So, what has changed? Why has the name changed and what is the need to release a newer version of the coffee maker?

The difference is that the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker is SCA Certified. What does that mean? It means that it meets the temperature and brewing standards of the Specialty Coffee Association with consistent brewing temperature, coffee blooming and even saturation.

Click here to learn more about Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker, read the customer reviews and buy it.

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System:

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System Auto iQ Tea and Coffee Maker

This system, unlike the Coffee System and Coffee Bar, can brew coffee as well as tea drinks, all pod-free. It serves different type of drinks in different sizes, from a single serve to a full pot. And in addition to over-ice coffee and tea, it can prepare cold brew at a lower temperature for a 10 to 15 minutes of steep time.

Read our full review and comparison of the Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed here.

Common Questions About Ninja Coffee Bars/System:

Does Ninja Coffee Bar Make Espresso and Espresso Based Drinks?

Like we mentioned above, using your Ninja Coffee Bar you can make a lot of delicious coffee drinks, including cappuccino and latte, which usually require an espresso machine to prepare. So, does the Ninja Coffee Bar make Espresso, too? Actually, no, it doesn’t. Espresso requires a high pressure machine to make and the Ninja Coffee Bar is a drip machine.

Selecting the option Specialty Brew on your Ninja Coffee Bar, you will get a really strong and small amount of coffee that resembles espresso in a way. So what it makes is a coffee concentrate instead of an authentic shot of espresso. If you want an authentic style espresso, it’s better to go for an actual espresso machine like a Nespresso for example.

How Is Ninja Coffee Bar Different Than Nespresso?

Nespresso has a line of espresso machines and espresso/coffee machines. While Ninja Coffee Bar is actually a drip coffee maker. Read our a list of comparisons of Ninja Coffee Bar with other machines like Nespresso and Keurig for more info.

Can I Use Coffee Pods with Ninja Coffee Bar?

No, Ninja Coffee Bar uses coffee ground only. So you can’t brew K-Cup pods or any other pods with it. If you want to brew K-Cups, you’ll want a Keurig machine or K-Cup compatible machine.

Does Ninja Coffee Bar Grind Coffee?

No, it doesn’t have a built-in grinder so you’ll have to get a separate one.

Does the Ninja Coffee Bar Heat Milk?

No, you’ll have to heat the milk before frothing. If you prefer something that both heats and froths, you can get an electric milk frother instead.

What Coffee Grind Should I Use for my Ninja Coffee Bar?

You should use a medium grind for any type of coffee brand or roast you like.

What Size of Paper Filter Should I Use?

a #4 paper filter should work great.