We tested the Ninja CP307 to see if it’s worth checking out

The Ninja CP307, also known as the Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System, is one of the most versatile systems tested in the BestReviews Testing Lab. It has dozens of combinations of settings for brewing coffee of different sizes and types, including iced and cold brew, plus it has just as many settings for various kinds of tea.

We tested many of these settings, making multiple cups of coffee and tea to see how the Ninja CP307 performs. While not every result was perfect, we were still impressed enough by it to be able to say it’s one of the best coffee and tea makers out there.

What is the Ninja CP307?

A small cup holder folds down to keep your mug off the hot plate.

Product Specifications
Dimensions: 10.0” D x 11.81” W x 15” H | Brewing Size Options: 6 | Pod Compatibility: No | Water Reservoir Capacity: 50 oz | Brew Time: Variable (2 to 10 minutes)

The Ninja CP307 is a multipurpose coffee- and tea-brewing appliance. It can brew six amounts (single-serve, single-serve XL, travel, travel XL, half carafe and full carafe) and has a 50-ounce reservoir and carafe. Brewing times vary by size and type of drink, but most brew in less than five minutes. Only Cold Brew settings (10 minutes), oolong tea (5.5 minutes) and the half- and full-carafe sizes (6.5 and 8.25 minutes) take longer.

It’s a little large for smaller kitchens, but it’s weighty enough to be stable. The sleek stainless steel carafe and black plastic exterior fit in with any kitchen’s decor.

Pros 

• Many drink options
• Easy-to-understand controls
• Extra features (Cold Brew settings, milk frother, etc.)

Cons

• Many extra parts to clean
• Ineffective reusable filter (too much grit ends up in the cup)
• Can’t detect if there’s too little water in the reservoir for a setting (leads to machine stopping mid-brew)

Iced coffee performance

The two cold coffee settings, Over Ice and Cold Brew, were the only disappointments from our tests. 

For iced coffee, we had a brew time of just over four minutes and found the flavor weak and unappealing. Additionally, when brewed over ice as instructed, the coffee was still hot enough to quickly melt most of the ice, resulting in an even weaker flavor.

The Cold Brew setting is technically not real cold brew. It starts by steeping the coffee for 10 minutes (as per our tests) in warm water, while real cold brew should steep for up to 12 hours. At the end of this 10-minute period, the instructions say the coffee goes straight into a cup of ice. Because the brewing temperature was much lower, the ice didn’t melt nearly as much for us. However, we still found the flavor to be too weak for our taste.

Hot coffee performance

The three hot coffee settings performed much better.

• Classic: This took just over three minutes to brew, and the result was a little weak and a bit too bitter. Some adjustment of the grounds can fix this.
• Rich: This took about three and a half minutes and had a much stronger, more pleasing flavor.
• Specialty: This took just over two minutes and resulted in strong coffee, but it was too bitter for our taste.

Who is it for?

This Ninja is best for use by a group of people who can take advantage of its many brewing features, such as an office or large household with lots of drink preferences. It could also be a worthwhile addition to the kitchen of someone with a home office who likes to enjoy coffee all day long.

How we tested

The tea and coffee baskets are different colors so you can easily tell them apart.

Our tests focused on several key areas.

• Taste (type): For both coffee and tea, taste was tested using the smallest brewing size and the suggested amount of grounds or tea bags according to the instructions.
• Taste (size): For coffee only, how the brewing size affected flavor was tested using the Classic setting and the suggested amount of grounds.
• Brew time (type): For both coffee and tea, how long the different types of coffee (Classic, Rich, etc.) and tea (herbal, black, etc.) took to brew was tested using the smallest size.
• Brew time (size): For brewing time, we used the smallest amount on the Classic coffee setting.
• Temperature: For both coffee and tea, the temperature was checked immediately after brewing finished on all five coffee and five tea brewing types.

Additionally, ease of use and cleaning and maintenance were tested by comparing these aspects against the many machines we’ve tested in our Testing Lab and used at home.

Price and where to buy 

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System retails for $199.99, though you can often find it on sale. It can be purchased on Amazon and Wayfair.

How to use the Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

The double-walled carafe can keep coffee or tea at the right temperature for about two hours.

Using the Ninja is a little different from using other drip coffee makers. First, you insert either the coffee or tea basket, which tells the Ninja what settings to highlight for your use. Next, you twist the size dial to pick the quantity to be brewed. The steps after that depend on whether you’re brewing coffee or tea.

• Coffee: You add grounds to the basket and pick one of the five brewing options.
• Tea: You add loose tea or a tea bag to the basket and pick your tea type. Picking your tea type is important, because it adjusts how long tea is steeped and how hot the water gets. For example, our tests found that green tea steeped for 3.33 minutes for the smallest size at 160 degrees, compared to oolong, which steeped for 5.5 minutes at 165 degrees.

Ninja Specialty coffee setting

Selecting Specialty, one of the five brewing settings for coffee, instructs the Ninja to brew four ounces of a brew that’s a cross between espresso and extra-strong coffee. You use it the same way as you use any other setting: highlight it, add coffee and press Brew.

Milk frother

In addition to the Specialty brewing option, the Ninja CP307 includes a retractable milk frother. Combined, the two features result in a drink that’s essentially a latte (but a coffee connoisseur might disagree). Using the frother with either hot or cold milk is as simple as holding down the power button, though we found it uncomfortable to hold for as long as necessary. The frother easily twists off for cleaning. 

Should you get one?

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System features a retractable milk frother to create specialty drinks.

If you like brewing various kinds and amounts of coffee and tea, or you need a coffee maker for a group of people, it is worth the price. If you only need a single serving at a time, you’d probably be happier with a pod coffee maker.