Ordered this new Bosch Tassimo machine on-line directly from Tassimo. Same price as Amazon at $139.99. www.tassimo.com. We have been using it for about a week now and I absolutely love it! We had used the Braun Tassimo machine for about 5 years and the new Bosch has much improved the Tassimo coffee maker. Here's a list of the Improvements:1. It's narrower and doesn't take up as much counter space
2. There is a power button on the front of the machine so you can easily turn it off at night.
3. There is essentially no water warm-up time. It is almost instant after you insert the T-disc and push the green button.
4. It is extemely quiet.
5. It even makes the coffee a little stronger than the old machine did.
6. It does not collect waste water that you have to empty all the time. Only the few drops of coffee that don't make it into your cup are collected.
7. Much better filtering system. It also has a change filter indicator to tell you when its time to change the filter.
8. Higher construction quality, more solid feel to the machine.
1. I think the Bosch unit is well-built. It is virtually instant-on, and its resevoir is adequate for home use. Keurig requires a couple minutes from cold to ready, but allows you to set an on time to coincide with your wake-up time so it's ready to go when you are.
2. I appreciate the fact that I can hold the brew button in and add some extra water to increase the portion size of a cup of coffee. I think that is more convenient than Keurig's fixed-size portion choices.
3. Overall, the coffee seems stronger than what the keurig typically brews. This system seems to have a better extraction method, and of course the bar-coded discs allow for variety.
4. While not a foamed-milk connoisseur, I think it does an adequate job of making lattes and such, with none of the attendant mess a steam wand and milk jar can create.
5. The cost seems pretty much on par with the Keurig products. If you have made a commitment to a cartridge-based coffee maker, you won't be sticker-shocked by the cost per cup. Of course it's higher than if one grinds their own beans, but on average I am using far less for brewing and, more importantly, not wasting partial pots that have grown cold or being forced to brew 4 cups when I only want one. I think if one begins to consider the waste factor of regular coffeemakers and their minimum brewing quantities, these cartridge systems become more cost competitive at providing a near-instant cup of completely fresh, hot coffee.
That being said, I think there are some irritating drawbacks to this system:
1. Unless you are happy with what you get locally, you better be prepared to get your order in by Wednesday at Tassimodirect, because they only ship on Fridays. Miss the deadline, and you will wait a week. Tassimo has a relatively thin selection compared to pods and K-cups, and many T-disc brands and types seem to be available only from Tassimo directly. This reminds me of small-time E-Bay retailers who run their auctions and set them up to end and then have a once-weekly "ship date". That's fine for them; it's amateurish for a company that is a division of Kraft Foods.
2. Brewing takes longer to complete. When my Keurig machine is done, I need to wait perhaps 5 seconds to remove my coffee cup and open the unit and pull the pod out. The Tassimo system seems to linger at the end of the brew cycle and dribble out coffee for quite some time. If you get impatient and open the lid, you will likely be greeted by a whoosh of hot steam and hot, wet coffee grounds. It really increases the amount of time to brew multiple cups. Bosch needs to introduce an option that allows people who know they are not going to add additional water to their coffee to have the brewing cycle terminate and relieve the pressure in the brewing chamber at whatever point the barcode on the T-Disc has instructed the machine to fill/brew to.
3. Watch out if you get a bad batch of T-Discs. I have had 2 batches of discs (same flavor, 2 different packages) where about 80% of them ruptured during their brew cycle. This results in hot water streaming out of the brewing area, accompanied by lots of coffee grounds in the brewing area and coming out of the unit. It's a mess, and it's dangerous. Both batches had actually ruptured the foil tops on the T-Disc pods. I really doubt it's my unit because the dozen or so other brands/flavors/types I have tried have not ruptured.
Is it a good system? Yes, it is. It's positioned somewhere between K-Cups and Senseo-type pods, which have the largest choice, and the highly boutique systems such as Nespresso and Lavazza Blue, which have a much narrower focus and selection. Its system is also more versatile at brewing than Keurig, which can't do Crema or milk foaming, but it does need some fine-tuning to cut down the cycle finishing time and make it safer to open to unit more quickly at the end of a cycle.
Buy Bosch Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Brewers Now
My wife and I bought the BRAUN Tassimo Maker about a year ago as a wedding present to ourselves and we LOVED it (use it just about every single day). The BRAUN unit did have a few drawbacks that we would have liked to see changed: Unit too wide, too LOUD, no cord storage, and that annoying "puddle cup" for unused/overflow water, etc.We had heard the BOSCH unit was much improved over the BRAUN so we bought it this past weekend. All I can say it BOSCH got it right. Although we were a bit disappointed neither unit has a timer, the fact that the beverages are brewed so quickly (even faster in the BOSCH) that the inconvenience of not having a timer is really not a big deal. Although the BOSCH is a tad bit deeper (longer) than the BRAUN...it has a slimmer width and looks much nicer on our kitchen counter. The new BOSCH is still very simple with a similar one-touch operation...but with the addition of an on/off. Our 11 favorite features of the new BOSCH Tassimo are:
1 The noise has been reduced by at least 90%! Anyone who has had the BRAUN will notice a HUGE difference with the BOSCH!
2 FASTER brewing time. Within a few seconds after turning the unit on and inserting a T-disc the unit will start brewing, unlike the BRAUN which sometimes took a minute or more for the "ready" light to come on.
3 A more "solid/quality" look and feel. This is especially evident in the T-disc housing. It is a much heavier plastic and you don't feel like you are going to break it whenever you clamp down on a T-disc.
4 Longer "piercing unit" that narrows down toward the cup. This significantly cuts down on coffee splatter which was a real pain with the BRAUN.
5 CORD STORAGE! With the BOSCH I only pull out the exact amount of electrical cord I need making for a much better fit on the counter than the old coil and hide cord on the BRAUN unit.
6 NO MORE PUDDLE CUP! Although the storage tank on the BOSCH has slightly less capacity than on the BRAUN, we love not having to empty the "dribble cup" or soak up water in the base everytime the unit's base cup was removed to fit tall mugs!
7 The Cleaning Disc is conveniently stored away in the back of the unit, virtually eliminating the possibility of misplacing it.
8 On/Off switch! This is a nice feature for turning the unit OFF when going out of town, etc. rather than having to unplug it!
9 Filter Change Indicator. I like this feature, but I feel that having to buy filters every couple of months can get pricey. We use "double filtered" water (filtered from our fridge and then filtered in the unit). By doing this I am confident we can get twice as much usage out of the filters than those using unfiltered tap water...simply "reset" the filter indicator twice.
10 The water reservoir on the BOSCH has a handy-dandy handle which makes it much easier to remove/fill/clean, etc.
11 PRICE! Considering the improvements on the BOSCH, I would have gladly paid the same amount as we did for the BRAUN (retail $169)...but at just under $140 this until is well worth the price.
I hope this helps those of you trying to decide between the two units!
Read Best Reviews of Bosch Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Brewers Here
You've probbaly done a lot of research, as did I, on the Tassimo system. I'm familiar with some of the others, but found I like this system the best. That being said, for the machine itself, the BOSCH is the one you want.I bought the Braun system for home, and thought I would try the Bosch system for work. Definately go with the BOSCH.
I think its mentioned before, but worth repeating.
* The Braun is very quiet. Its slightly louder than the air circulation pump in an aquarium if thats an indicator. Nice little bbbbrrrrrr... sound when dispensing coffee/ tea.
* Its much cleaner than the Braun machine. No spatters, dripping, splashed water from a lid that falls into the water holding container. This has a nice little handle, secure fitting lid and little if no extra water as in the other system.
* Heat up time is very quick, although I think it does take a bit longer to pour than the other system--however, the heat up time is so fast, it more than makes up in overall time to prepare a cup of coffee/tea.
* There is a water filter replacement gauge which is a nice little feature
* The controls are a lot easier to understand and use than on the other machine.
As far as the Tassimo system itself, you can avoid shipping charges if you make a minimum recurring order of $35 a month. I spend more than that, so its not an issue and I get a package delivered to my door. A trip to Target would cost me at least $8 in gas anyways, so its actually 'economical' to do it this way. Also, the stores are very limited in what they carry, so its better to order online for a really good selection.
What to order:
Chai Latte is really good. Spray some chilled canned whipping creme on top and its really --really, really, good.
If you like a stronger coffee, I'd suggest Seattle's Best or Maxwell House
For a lighter coffee (think Caribou Coffee vs. Starbucks), I like the Gevalia Latte and Gevalia in general.
You can also get Starbucks coffee, too. I haven't tried one, but my office mates have and like it.
The Hot Chocolate is what you would get at a highschool football game, kind of watery. That being said my kids LOVE the stuff, absolutely love it. I don't care for it, but since its for them, I'll give it a positive recommendation. You can add whipped creme to the top which helps a lot, or use a Latte disc to make it a little bit more creamy.
The machiatto is a bit watery, but I'm not familiar with how its supposed to taste as I've never ordered one from a retail store.
Basically, if you've chosen your system--Tassimo-then the Bosch is the machine that you want.
Hope thats helpful.
Want Bosch Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Brewers Discount?
I've had this machine for a while now, and I love it. I have the Tassimo at home, but at work I use a Keurig so I thought I'd write up a review comparing the two of them. I prefer the Tassimo machine by quite a bit.Tassimo pros and cons:
++++ the ability to make lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, espresso, etc. (this is the selling point for me.)
+ vastly superior hot chocolate
+ barcode technology allows for smarter brews
lack of in-store availability
poor customer service
hard to find t-discs in stores
Keurig pros and cons:
+ widespread availabilities of k-cups in stores
+ variety of coffee flavors
+ superior customer service
inferior coffee quality. Vast majority of brews are thin and watery.
limited drink variety (no lattes, etc)
In my opinion, despite the widespread availability of k-cups and the huge variety of brews available, Keurig is just a well-run company that makes an okay machine. It brews convenience store quality coffee and it does it very quickly. Their customer service and marketing departments are clearly doing a MUCH better job than Tassimo promoting the machine and providing support to consumers following their purchase. I see k-cups in stores everywhere now. I even saw some at Staples the other day! The Keurig also makes decent teas, but I find their hot chocolates undrinkable. For me, real milk is a total necessity for a rich and creamy hot chocolate.
Tassimo on the other hand is a poorly run division of Kraft foods that has a really awesome little machine. For the price, the quality of beverages this thing can produce is really pretty awesome. The lattes, capps and espressos aren't what you would be served in an Italian cafe, but are they as good as if you went to your average starbucks down the street? Sure! And the machine does a better job of making a good cup of coffee. Rather than basically just dripping some hot water through the grinds like the Keurig, the Tassimo machine uses more pressure to push the water through resulting in brews that are richer and more flavorful. The best coffees on the Keurig are comprable to the low-end coffee from the Tassimo, and the best coffees on the Tassimo are as good as what you'd get using fresh ground beans with a drip coffee maker. The t-discs on average cost about the same as the Keurig k-cups for just plain coffee and obviously a little more expensive than a keurig cup for lattes and capps. For a latte or capp you can be looking at up to about a dollar a cup, but it's still a substantial savings over going to a coffee shop daily as I had been doing. The discs that you use to make frothed milk with is real milk and it tastes like real milk. Personally I don't mind just ordering online, but the t-discs can be hard to find in stores (though this varies by region).
Despite the poor management of Tassimo by Kraft, I don't think customers need to be worried about the business going under and not being able to buy t-discs anywhere anymore. Although the Keurig seems to be the more popular machine in America, Tassimo has about 90% market share in Canada and is very popular in Europe. Even as t-discs are harder to find in American stores, online selection is growing as many once Europe-only discs are available for shipment stateside.
No comments:
Post a Comment