Coffee lovers enjoy a tasty cup any time of the day. Whether it is black or cream coffee, you need a great machine. You need one that can serve you without getting damaged. As you purchase a machine, the budget is also important. There are many good coffee makers in the market. However, the popular ones are the Keurig coffee makers made by Keurig Inc, a company started in 1992. The other is the Ninja coffee bar made by SharkNinja which was established in 1995. Let’s go through the differences between the two of them in this Ninja coffee bar vs Keurig contest.
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Ninja coffee bar vs Keurig coffee makers: Key Differences
Coffee Brewing Method
Keurig relies on coffee pods to brew the coffee. On the other hand, Ninja coffee bar uses coffee beans that have been ground. It doesn’t use pods at all. It simply makes coffee using the common traditional dripping method.
Having said that, Keurig does have coffee makers which is compatible with its reusable coffee filter. This filter allows you to use ground coffee when you need to.
Recently, Keurig has also introduced the Keurig K Duo Single Serve and carafe coffee maker. This coffee maker allows you to make single serve K-cup on one side and a carafe of coffeee using ground coffee on the other. The single serve side is also compatible with Keurig’s reusable filter. So you can also use ground coffee on the single serve side.
Portability
Keurig coffee makers are mostly small in size. They occupy a limited amount of space. If you have a small counter space, then it will do you good.
The smaller Keurig coffee makers are really portable and can be moved when you need to. They are easy to carry from place to place. If you need to move it from one floor to another, it is simple.
The Ninja coffee bar can be difficult to move around, given their size. It is quite a large machine at 16 inches wide, 11 inches deep and 15 inches tall. It is certainly going to take up a lot of space on your kitchen counter. You might even need to look for a designated place to store the machine.
Milk Frother
There are only 2 Keurigs with milk frothers:
For the other Keurig machines, the milk frother is separate from the machine. If you need a frother, you need to get it separately. On the other hand, the Ninja Coffee Bar comes with the milk frother attached.
Water Tank Capacity
On the water capacity they hold, some Keurig models can hold as much as 90 ounces. This means with Keurig, you can serve a really large number of people. You won’t need to keep refilling the reservoir. You will be able to get a good serving for some time.
Ninja Coffee Bar, in contrast, has a holding capacity of 50 ounces.
Ease of Cleaning
Being pod-based coffee makers, the Keurigs are easy to clean up. With pods, they are easily removable and you don’t need to clean up spilled over coffee powder mess. Some parts of the Keurig machines such as the drip tray, can be cleaned in the dish washer. So you basically just wipe the exterior of the machine and empty the used coffee capsule.
With the Ninja Coffee Bar, you will have to clean up coffee powder spillover on the kitchen top if you are not careful. Orr remove the coffee leftovers in the filter. Certainly, it can take more efforts.
Price
Price varies between the two machines. Keurig espresso makers are available from $89 to $400. The Ninja Coffee Bar can be bought at slightly under $150. In fact, the other Ninja coffee makers are in the price range from $80 to $200.
Basically, the prices for Keurig and Ninja coffee makers are not far apart from each other. You can get one that will fit your needs as a coffee lover. The performance of the machine should, however, be your determining factor in choice.
Differences between coffee produced
The two brands of machines produce distinct coffee. Keurig will give you more than coffee. You can brew tea and hot chocolate with Keurig too.
The coffee is richly brewed with Keurig. They can prepare classic and strong coffee. They do not use ice but produce great cappuccinos and lattes.
Ninja Coffee Bar produces only coffee. However, you can get iced coffee can be obtained from the machine too.
Differences Between Keurig vs Drip Coffee Makers
Advantages of buying Keurig Espresso makers
Speed
Most Keurig machines operate at fast speed. They are time-effective when it comes to brewing the beverages. For example, you can get the coffee ready within a minute or less.
Being a pod-based single serve machine, you basically pop in the capsule and make your selection. You don’t waste any time setting up the whole machine. They are the best when you have little time in the morning to spare.
Variety of beverages
When you need to prepare tea or hot chocolate, you can do so using such Keurig pods on the Keurig coffee makers. In addition, you have a variety of beverages to choose from the vast variety of Keurig pods available in the market. With this range of flavors the pods have, you can always try out a different taste every other day.
When you have visitors who don’t take coffee, you will be able to give them something to drink. And they won’t feel left out.
Highly flavored coffee
The coffee in the pods is sealed airtight. This means that they don’t lose the aroma and can be kept for a long time. Thus, providing you a consistent coffee every single time.
Ease of cleaning
The coffee maker is easy to clean. Some parts can be cleaned automatically using the dish washer. There’s also no need to do any cleaning of spillovercoffee powder since the coffee maker only uses pods.
Quiet when brewing
Keurigs don’t brew loudly. This means that you can wake up early and get coffee. You can also brew it at any time of the night, if you like to burn the midnight oil.
LED touch screen
Some Keurig coffee makers have a full LED touch screen with awesome control buttons. They include a time clock which is programmable. The screen also has a display with many languages to select from. Some models even have control for you to control the brew temperature.
Advantages of buying Ninja Coffee Bar
Affordable cost
If you compare to the higher end Keurig coffee makers, Ninja coffee bar is certainly cheaper. In addition, since buying coffee beans or powders will be cheaper than buying the Keurig pods which are priced higher for the same cup of coffee.
Different brewing sizes
Unlike the Keurig coffee makers, Ninja Coffee Bar can brew different amounts at one go.
If you have a large family, you can use the carafe. If you like to drink more coffee yourself, you can use the large mug. This saves you time to prepare a large amount of coffee for a large family.
Freedom to choose the type of coffee bean or powder
With the Ninja Coffee Bar, you have the freedom to choose the type of coffee powder or beans you like. You can choose Robusta or Arabica coffee beans. Light roast or dark roast beans is up to your taste. You can even use different grind sizes for the coffee beans.
All this determine the type of coffee you can get. With such flexibility, you can also satisfy the tastes of the people you need to entertain at your place.
Verismo vs Keurig Coffee Makers
Ninja Coffee Bar or Keurig Coffee Makers?
If you ask me, my preferences are towards the Keurig coffee makers.
Personally, I like the Keurig K155 single serve coffee maker as it has an affordable price and yet it comes with a large reservoir of 80 ounces. That means you don’t have to keep refilling it. Also, it has strength control. Not forgetting its visible LED screen for maximum performance.
Keurig K55 is also another great one with a lower price tag. It automatically turns off after 2 hours of brewing. This helps in conserving energy. The water reservoir is 48 ounces, which is still large enough to serve a large family.