Ninja CE251 review: a cup of delicious coffee, day after day

Why choose Ninja CE251 coffee maker over others?

Ninja Ce251 coffee maker has made it on our list of top coffee makers under $100. And, for a pretty good reason!

If there’s anything you should remember from our Ninja CE251 review is the machine’s affordability and PHENOMENAL coffee. Ninja CE251 coffee brewer comes with advanced features that contribute to much better coffee. Therefore, this coffee machine is an extraordinary proposition for the price-to-value.

Ninja coffee machines have become popular in American households over the last few years. They brew delicious coffee thanks to their fantastic designs, advanced features, and multi-functionality.

Ninja CE251 is no different. The machine offers not only convenience but technology that improves coffee flavor.

The machine is extremely intuitive, easy and quick. We can program our next brew 24 hours in advance, select strength, and pause brewing half-way to enjoy a cup of coffee faster.

Furthermore, Ninja has installed several features that impact coffee flavors in very positive ways. For instance, the machine comes with Thermal Flavor Extraction® Technology. This technology balances between the right temperature and pre-infusion for complete extraction. Additionally, the machine can pre-infuse and infuse coffee grounds with the shower head, which is extremely uncommon in drip coffee makers.

All of these contribute to nuanced coffee flavors that we enjoy week after week, day after day.

Who is Ninja CE251 coffee maker perfect for?

As we were testing the product for this Ninja CE251 review, we really wanted to understand who would most likely fall in love with this product.

Ninja Ce251 is the best coffee maker under $100. Not only does it offer unparalleled flexibility, but it brews delicious coffee. We feel that many people would thoroughly enjoy this coffee maker.

Specifically, we feel that CE251 might be a compelling choice for those who are looking for:

✓Stylish, modern and elegant coffee maker

✓ Easy machine with sophisticated features for unforgettable coffee

✓ Rich and delicious coffee thanks to a variety of controls (temperature, strength)

✓ Ability to program the brew 24-hours in advance (so you can sleep in a little longer!)

✓ Desire for a hot coffee (and for coffee to remain hot for longer)

✓ Need to brew larger quantities of coffee at a time

✓ Affordable coffee maker

Who is Ninja CE251 coffee maker NOT perfect for?

Just like with other coffee maker reviews, we would love to remain honest in this Ninja Ce251 coffee maker review. We think that there are a couple of examples where where Ninja Ce251 might not be a perfect choice:

✗ A coffee machine that will make you feel like a barista

✗ A machine that uses capsules (like k-cups, nespresso capsules or other coffee pods

✗ A small machine for a small space

✗ Super quiet machine

Ninja Ce251 Review and Evaluation 🕵️

→ Appearance

As one of the evaluation criteria in our Ninja Ce251 review, we want to draw your attention to the external appearance and design.

The coffee maker comes in one color option, which is black with stainless-steel accents. In addition, there’s a large dose of transparent materials (a glass carafe, and a plastic water reservoir). The combination of the materials and their colors makes the machine modern, elegant and versatile.

The machine is overall quite tall. And, we do not like that the brew basket needs to be opened UP to refill (as opposed to swing out to the side). Because of this, we had to typically pull the machine from under the top cabinet.

The control panel is located right next to a carafe. The control panel has a digital clock and large digital buttons, easy to see and easy to use.

The digital clock can be set to show the time, but it is also used when programming the “Delayed brew” feature and the “Stay warm” feature.

There are 9 buttons in total on the control panel:

• Hour and Minutes to set up the hour and the minutes on the digital clock
• STAY WARM button to adjust the time the hot plate will stay on after brewing
• DELAY BREW button to program the next brew
• SMALL BATCH button to adjust brewing settings and strength for brew 4 cups of coffee or less
• CLASSIC brew button and RICH brew button to determine strength of coffee
• Clean Cycle Button to perform automated cleaning
• Power Button to start brewing

Ninja CE251 sells in a black design, and it is made of plastic, with stainless steel accents on the brew basket and on the carafe handle.

→ Features and technical specs

Voltage: Ninja Ce251 is made for 120V, and can be used in Canada and the US only. The warranty becomes void in case any defects or damages happen while using a converter for non-US/non-Canadian power outlets.

Basket size: Ninja CE251 has a brew basket large enough to hold about 12 tablespoons of coffee. In fact, the manufacturer recommends using its own measuring scoop (equivalent to about 12 tablespoons) to fill up a brew basket.

The basket comes with its own permanent gold mesh filter. To brew filtered coffee, I will need to replace the permanent filter with a #4 paper filter. The machine only accepts this filter size, and larger filters may cause overflow.

Beverage size: The size of the carafe is 60oz, and each cup is calculated at a size of 5 oz. But, the machine will brew through the entire quantity of water from the water reservoir. Therefore, we should never use more than 60 oz in total, however, because this may lead to an overflow and a little flooding.

Weight: Ninja CE251 coffee maker weighs about 7 pounds. This is a fairly light coffee maker given its size and capabilities. The stainless steel that covers the machine and the glass carafe contribute a lot to the overall weight.

Unit size: Ninja CE251 is 10 inches deep, 10.5 inches wide, and 14 3/4 inches tall, so it is a bit large. In addition to its height, the brew basket is accessible only by opening the lid UP. Therefore, it needs even more space. With all of these things in mind, we had to pull out the machine from under the top cabinet to refill.

Water reservoir: CE251 coffee machine comes with a 60oz removable water reservoir. The reservoir is on the right hand side of the machine, to the right top from the control panel. The reservoir is easily removable for cleaning or re-filling.

The reservoir is from a transparent plastic material and it is marked with thin lines that show me how much water we have added to the tank. The top of the water reservoir flips open for easy filling.

Carafe: Ninja CE251 comes with a glass carafe. The carafe is great, but it can apparently stain permanently. In case of breaking, replacement carafes appear not to be easily available.

Additional perks: We were so excited for this Ninja CE251 Review. The coffee maker comes with really nice (and unique) features.

✓ Stronger, richer and more complete coffee flavors with the hot expert brewing technology. Ninja CE251 comes with a sophisticated design to ensure proper brewing temperatures and to afford temperature stability in the brewing process. It further unlocks complete coffee flavors by combining pre-infusion and proper coffee saturation.

✓ Manual mid-brew pause to enjoy coffee faster and allow a longer extraction time. Just like a few other coffee makers, Ninja CE251 allows to manually pause brewing to enjoy a cup of coffee faster. Furthermore, this option also enables to pro-long extraction in hot water to get stronger flavors (however, we feel that the machine does an excellent job with it anyways, so no need).

✓ Regulate the strength with Rich and Classic flavors. Ninja CE251 coffee machine provides a function to select a desired coffee richness. Classic would yield a cup of standard coffee. On the other hand, Rich would yield more intense, deeper and richer flavors.

✓ Ability to program the coffee maker 24 hours in advance to enjoy more sleep in the morning. Ninja CE251 coffee maker allows us to program the next brew for up to 24 hours in advance.

✓ Automatic clean function for easier and faster cleaning. The clean function allowed us to clean the unit quickly and conveniently. As a guideline, the manufacturer suggests running a clean cycle when it takes longer than 12–15 minutes to brew a full carafe of coffee.

✓ Adjust the keep warm plate for hotter coffee longer. The CE251 coffee machine can keep coffee at our ideal temperature for a whopping 4 hours.  By default, the machine will shut off after 2 hours. However, I can also program the warming plate to stay on for more or less time by pressing and holding the STAY WARM button on the control panel.

Furthermore, Ninja has added a couple more features in the Ninja Ce251 coffee maker:

• Removable water reservoir with easy access.
• Measuring scoop. This scoop takes the guesswork out of measuring. The manufacturer recommends one scoop of coffee grounds per each cup of coffee. The included measuring scoop is the equivalent of one tablespoon.

→ Performance

Brewing time: We can report in the Ninja Ce251 review that the coffee maker takes a bit longer to brew coffee than what coffee makers should typically take. The exact brewing time depends on the volume of coffee we wanted to brew. However, in our tests, we were able to brew 12 cups in about 12-14 minutes. If the machine takes longer than 12-15 minutes to brew 12 cups of coffee, then the machine might need descaling.

Flavor: Ninja CE251 comes with settings for two brew styles: Classic and Rich. The classic style is a normal drip-coffee-maker-style flavor and strength. However, Ninja CE251 allows to obtain a more flavorful and stronger tasting cup of coffee. To do that, we need to select the Rich option by pressing the “Rich” button on the control panel. “Rich” coffee is also great if I want to add milk or creamer to cup.

Overall, Ninja CE251 coffee machine brews delicious coffee.

Temperature: With its sophisticated technology, Ninja CE251 reaches a nearly perfect brewing temperature. The machine not only heats up water properly, but maintains this temperature throughout the brewing process. Therefore, the last drop will be just as hot as the first drop in the brewing process.

Noise levels: The machine makes beeping and gurgling noises. While the gurgling noise is expected, the beeping noise can be flummoxing for some.

Cleaning: We will summarize performance of this Ninja CE251 review with cleaning. Cleaning is extremely easy and convenient.

We recommend you to follow all cleaning instructions in the Care & Maintenance section of this machine’s Owner’s Guide. The manufacturer advises cleaning after each use. After the coffee maker has cooled, we need to wipe down the main unit, shower head, and water reservoir shelf with a cloth and warm water. The water tank, the permanent filter and the carafe can be washed with soapy water.

If the machine takes longer than 12-15 minutes to brew (typically after 2-3 months), we should perform a more thorough cleaning with a descaling cycle.

Note: many parts of this coffee machine are dishwasher safe. However, despite this, we do NOT recommend washing a glass carafe in a dishwasher. The carafe appears very fragile and may break easily.

Customer-reported technical issues

As we were preparing this Ninja Ce251 review, we did not encounter any breakdowns while testing and using the product. The only thing we did not like were the noises.

Similarly, Ninja CE251 users appear to enjoy the coffee maker, as well. The consensus is that the machine brews awesome coffee and comes with superb features.

The machine comes with a 1-year limited warranty, only if you purchase from an authorized seller, such as Amazon, Walmart or Wayfair.

There are just a few common complaints:

• Machine can stop working a few months after purchase
• Can start leaking
• Carafe appears fragile and can break easily – difficult to find a replacement

Again, those are individual circumstances. We do not know whether those users properly maintained and cleaned the coffee maker. We do, however, agree that the carafe appears very fragile. We would NOT recommend washing it in a dishwasher.

→ Health and safety

The product is made with various materials. The boiler is made with aluminium, a carafe with glass, and there’s some plastic (BPA-free, according to Ninja).

As our readers are aware, we are typically very concerned about using products in which boiling water touches plastic.

The BPA-free status is helpful to know, but it typically does not guarantee that there are no other potentially dangerous substitutes used in the production process.

Reports show that many manufacturers replace BPA with other types of plastic. These types include but are not limited to BHPF (fluorene-9-bisphenol), TPP (triphenyl phosphate), and bisphenol S (BPS). The exact health effects of the BPA substitutes, such as BHPF, TPP and BPS, are unknown at this point.

→ Price to value: is Ninja CE251 worth the money?

There’s a reason why we classified Ninja CE251 as the best coffee maker under $100. The machine comes with an extraordinary set of features and technology, which were installed to brew better coffee more conveniently.

CE251 sells in a lower $$ price point, which we find AMAZING for the drip coffee machine of this class.

Of course, there are other cheaper drip coffee makers on the market, but they lack in the quality.

Should I buy Ninja CE251 coffee machine? Owly’s verdict! 🔨

As we attempted to show in this Ninja CE251 review, this is a coffee maker that balances great price with features that allow to brew awesome coffee.

The machine has a modern look and it brews great coffee. Further, it comes with technical features that set is apart from other drip coffee makers.

We think that the Ninja CE251 is worth giving a try. Ninja offers only a 1 year limited warranty, while other manufacturers offer 2 or even 3 years. But, in spite of all this, Ninja CE251 seems like a reliable purchase. It comes with useful features, it promises hot, flavorful coffee, and it comes with an affordable price tag.

Will you get Ninja CE251 coffee maker? What was your experience with CE251? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, under this Ninja CE251 review!