Compare Coffee Machines
SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER - Plastic-Free Coffee Maker scores higher on safety - here's why.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
The reservoir and brew basket are BPA-free plastic — hot water contacts plastic throughout. Not as extensive as the cheapest machines, but more than stainless-dominant designs.
This is the only automatic drip brewer I've found where absolutely no plastic touches your water, ever. The heater is stainless steel, the carafe is glass, and the filter basket is metal. That's a genuinely rare thing in drip coffee.
Ninja says BPA-free, which is better than nothing. But the concern has moved to BPS and BPF — the replacement chemicals that many manufacturers switched to when BPA came under scrutiny. Those are also not disclosed.
UL Listed — confirmed via the owner's manual. Third-party electrical safety verification for fire, shock, and overheating.
Because there's no plastic in the brew path, BPA, BPS, phthalates, and PFAS are structurally eliminated -- not just avoided. Stainless steel and glass simply don't contain these chemicals.
It's sold at Costco and Walmart, which require UL or ETL listing for all electrical appliances. That means an independent lab has verified the electrical components meet safety standards.
Ninja's 'Hotter Brewing Technology' reaches 200°F, confirmed by independent reviewers. That's in the right range for proper coffee extraction — you should get a well-balanced cup.
The brewer is rated 195-205°F, which lands right in the SCA's sweet spot for extracting coffee's full flavor. This is the same temperature range that certified Gold Cup brewers target.
The Ninja CE251 is not SCA certified. It hits the right temperature, but the SCA looks at more than temperature — it checks water volume, brew time, and extraction consistency. No independent body has verified the full picture here.
Calling your brewer 'Gold Cup Standard' is a marketing claim. The SCA Certified Home Brewer program is an independent test -- separate labs verify the temperature, brew time, and extraction. Simply Good Coffee hasn't earned that badge yet.
1-year warranty is the minimum. At $90, a 2-year warranty would be reasonable — this is the industry floor.
Two years is the standard industry warranty. It's fine, but Technivorm offers 5 years at a similar price. The brand does have a 5-year Coffee Quality Assurance Program, but that's a replacement policy -- different from a manufacturer's warranty.
Reservoir and carafe components are dishwasher safe — easy cleanup confirmed by Target and product documentation.
The carafe and filter basket are dishwasher safe -- which honestly matters a lot when you're making coffee every morning and don't want another hand-wash chore.
The CLEAN button light illuminates when the machine needs descaling. You don't have to remember — it tells you.
No descaling indicator was mentioned anywhere in my research. Hard water areas will need to track descaling manually -- either set a calendar reminder or watch for slower brew times as the signal.
At $89.99, the Ninja CE251 offers a programmable 12-cup machine with a descaling indicator at a very accessible price. Price is recorded for context but does not affect the overall score.
At $180, you're in premium drip brewer territory. The Technivorm Moccamaster starts around $330. The Breville Precision Brewer is around $200 with SCA certification. Simply Good sits below both -- but without the SCA badge.
Everything you need to make the call - who each one is for, and who should skip it.
Go for it if you...
You want a $90 machine that actually reaches brewing temperature (200°F) without spending on premium brands.
Dishwasher-safe parts and a descaling indicator matter to you for easy daily maintenance.
You understand the BPA-free-only safety limitation and are comfortable with it at this price.
You want a 12-cup machine with simple programmable features without a large investment.
Eliminating every plastic-water contact point is your number one priority when choosing a coffee maker.
You want full BPA, BPS, BPF, phthalate, and PFAS elimination and don't need a third-party label to trust stainless steel and glass.
You're comfortable with a 2-year base warranty and find value in the brand's 5-year Coffee Quality Assurance replacement program.
You brew daily and want dishwasher-safe removable parts to make cleanup genuinely easy.
The main thing to know
The Ninja CE251 hits 200°F — good enough for proper extraction — but the safety profile is held back by moderate plastic in the brew path, a BPA-free-only claim that doesn't address replacement bisphenols, and no independent SCA certification to back up the brew quality claims.
This is the only automatic drip brewer where zero plastic touches your water -- but it has not earned SCA certification and its 2-year warranty is half what Technivorm offers at a similar price.
Skip this if you...
Chemical safety in water-contact plastics is important to your family — the brew path has moderate plastic and only a BPA-free claim.
You want independent SCA certification that the machine brews to gold standard — this machine doesn't have it despite hitting the right temperature.
You're comparing this to SCA-certified options — the OXO Brew 8-Cup at $200 delivers significantly better validated performance.
SCA Certified Home Brewer status is a dealbreaker for you -- this brewer claims the standard but hasn't earned the badge.
You want NSF/ANSI 372 lead-free certification on the metal components before buying.
A 5-year manufacturer warranty is the minimum you'll accept for a premium appliance purchase.
Neither of these quite what you're looking for?
I've reviewed all Coffee Machines options at every price pointEvery Coffee Machines in our database is scored using R3's deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. For this comparison, we evaluated Ninja and SimplyGoodCoffee across 3 independent criteria: Safety (81%), Efficacy (18%), Usability (1%). No sponsored rankings. No paid placements.
Straight answers - no sponsored content, no filler.
I'd start with SimplyGoodCoffee SimplyGoodCoffee THE BREWER - Plastic-Free Coffee Maker - it scored 7.4/10 overall in our scoring system. Safety is our top-weighted scoring pillar, followed by efficacy, and usability. Check which pillar matters most to your family and compare those specific scores.
R3 uses a deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. We evaluate each Coffee Machines across Safety, Efficacy, Usability using independently verified data. No sponsored rankings. No paid placements. Every score is fully reproducible.
Not necessarily. The overall score reflects our weighted rubric, but your priorities may differ. If you care most about safety, compare the safety scores directly. If budget drives your decision, the prices tell a clearer story. The "right" pick is the one that matches what matters most to your family.
Not the right match? Explore these alternatives in the same category.
