Ninja® Specialty Coffee Maker CM400

This machine seemed really intimidating at first, especially while unboxing. Note that you want to be careful when taking everything out of the box because there are some individually wrapped pieces. I almost threw away the frother by mistake. This machine is really fun to use and the manual is super helpful, but it may take a moment for you to find your groove/preferences for that perfect cup of coffee or specialty drink. As an initial side note — this machine is large, so it will take up a good chunk of your counter, especially when the frother is pulled out from the side (it folds in, so it's not always sticking out from the machine). Firstly, as coffee machines go, the main functionality is standard. You put water in the receptacle, which you can either fill to the max line or fill to the dash mark that aligns with how much coffee you're going to make (e.g. cup, half a pot, etc.). You use a #4 cone coffee filter (which there a few included, but you can purchase at most stores), and use the included scoop to determine your desired amount of coffee grounds. The Ninja manual offers a suggested scoop amount based on serving size; however, I don't like strong coffee, so I figured mine out based on my own taste preferences and type of coffee used. The machine does have a warming feature, so you can keep the carafe warm for up to 4 hours. In terms of the specialty elements, you have hot or iced options. If you want to make an iced coffee, you fill the cup completely with ice, and then brew the coffee directly into the cup (which there is a pull-down cup stand for individual brew options). For a hot latte or cappuccino, you'll enlist the frother. The instructions say to froth milk for 30-45 seconds, but I actually had to do it for a minute and a half to two minutes to get a good foam. Don't try to steep the milk while frothing, just let the frother rest under the surface of the milk. For me, what worked best, was to froth the milk directly in the coffee cup (about a third to halfway full) and then pour the coffee over the milk and add any additional cream, sugar, or flavoring. This is a high-speed machine, but it's very quiet after the initial startup of the coffee brew; the frothing feature is also quiet. I like that there's so many fold-out options. It's an all-in-one machine, but you can tell Ninja did its best to make it user-friendly and to make it as streamline as possible.

…And it does ‘all' spectacularly! Ninja's done it again with this coffee maker. They've created a one-man band that can brew a pot, half a pot, by the cup (pick your size), choose regular, rich, specialty (you won't know that it's not technically espresso), and the best cold brew I've ever made at home. The thought that's gone into features for users is incredible. No expensive pods clogging up a landfill! Use cone filters at about .02 a pop in the swing-out basket that has a switch for stopping the drip so you can sneak an early cup. Literally, you won't be pulling this machine in and out to lift a lid to access the filter basket. You'll find a double-sided measuring spoon stored on the left side, and they've lived up to the Ninja name with a flip-out milk frother that not only froths perfectly, but pops on and off for a quick rinse. The reservoir is marked for easy reference to how much you need to fill, and apparently their designers heard every one of us complaining about the awkwardness of a typical pod machine, giving the reservoir a sensible shape and (gasp!) a handle for lifting! Want to fill with a pitcher? Oh my, there's a flip-up lid. You can even buy a thermal carafe to keep your coffee hot without a heating element. Delay brew? Of course. All that's fantastic, but frankly I've never made coffee at home that tastes this good. All in all, my favorite coffee maker ever.