Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Brewer (CE251)
A best-selling programmable drip machine with a glass carafe that hides an all-plastic water path - a 60oz plastic reservoir, plastic internal tubing, a plastic showerhead, and a plastic brew basket, all in hot-water contact every brew.
The verdict: Mostly plastic
The CE251 is a standard automatic drip machine, and like the category default its water path is plastic where you can't see it. Cold water sits in a removable 60oz plastic reservoir, is heated and moved through internal plastic tubing, drips from a plastic showerhead, and passes through a plastic brew basket onto the grounds - hot-water contact with plastic at every stage. The glass carafe and stainless-accented exterior give a clean impression, but the carafe only holds the finished coffee; it tells you nothing about the plastic water path upstream inside the machine. It's BPA-free, but it is not a plastic-free brew path.
Verification: Manufacturer confirmed · Last reviewed
What it's made of
| Part | Material | Food contact |
|---|---|---|
| water reservoir (60oz, removable) BPA-free plastic tank; cold water sits here before heating | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes primary |
| internal water tubing / heating path hot water is moved through internal plastic tubing | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes primary 🔥 |
| showerhead hot water drips from a plastic showerhead onto the grounds | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes primary 🔥 |
| brew basket plastic basket holding the permanent filter; coffee flows through it | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes primary 🔥 |
| permanent filter reusable mesh cone filter | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes primary 🔥 |
| carafe glass carafe - holds finished coffee only, not the upstream water path | Soda-Lime Glass | Yes primary 🔥 |
| exterior accents stainless-look accents on the housing; not the water path; grade unconfirmed | Stainless Steel grade unspecified | No |
The Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Brewer (CE251) is one of the most popular automatic drip machines sold - a capable, affordable, programmable brewer with flexible brew sizes, a permanent mesh filter, and a glass carafe. It's a solid everyday machine. For an automatic machine engineered to avoid the plastic water path entirely - glass reservoir, steel plumbing and showerhead, steel basket - the Simply Good Coffee Brewer is the pick in this category.
Pros
- Affordable, programmable, flexible brew sizes; glass carafe
- BPA-free plastics
Cons
- 60oz reservoir, internal tubing, showerhead, and brew basket are all plastic - near-boiling water contacts plastic at every stage
Categories: Drip Coffee Machines
Sources
Every material claim above is backed by these. This is the scattered info we centralized.
- retailer https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-12-Cup-Programmable-CE251-Stainless/dp/B07S98411N CE251 listing - 60oz removable water reservoir, glass carafe, permanent filter
- manufacturer https://www.sharkninja.com/60oz.-water-reservoir/129KKW300.html OEM 60oz water reservoir replacement part - the removable plastic tank
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