Tassimo...in 2018
October 8, 2018 7:12 PM Subscribe
I've just inherited a gently used, several-years-old Tassimo machine. I wouldn't have bought it on my own but now that I have it, I'd like to use it occasionally. Is it any good? My googling is not promising.
I have a French press for my regular coffee use. However, sometimes I'm in a hurry, and I'm wondering if I might use this machine on those days. I also have two teenagers and all of us enjoy sweet coffee-like treats (frappuccino, french vanilla, hot chocolate, etc.) once in awhile. So: any particular brands/blends you can recommend, both for regular coffee and the sweet stuff? Anything else I should know about owning/using a Tassimo machine?
Based on my googling, Tassimo seems to have lost popularity over the past several years (not just because single-serve machines are wasteful, but it seems to also be losing the war against Keurig). I don't NEED to make use of this machine but if it saves me some time or makes me a decent treat once in awhile, I'd like to.
I have a French press for my regular coffee use. However, sometimes I'm in a hurry, and I'm wondering if I might use this machine on those days. I also have two teenagers and all of us enjoy sweet coffee-like treats (frappuccino, french vanilla, hot chocolate, etc.) once in awhile. So: any particular brands/blends you can recommend, both for regular coffee and the sweet stuff? Anything else I should know about owning/using a Tassimo machine?
Based on my googling, Tassimo seems to have lost popularity over the past several years (not just because single-serve machines are wasteful, but it seems to also be losing the war against Keurig). I don't NEED to make use of this machine but if it saves me some time or makes me a decent treat once in awhile, I'd like to.
Best answer: I was gifted with both a used Tassimo, then a used Keurig; so we have both in our home, even though we are primarily tea drinkers.
The main difference, I've found is that the Tassimo starts up much faster, but doesn't have an auto-shutoff. The Tassimo is also pressure-fed, so it can do hot milk-based beverages such as cappuccinos, whereas the Keurig cannot, as it is only gravity-fed. I tend to like café au lait and cappuccinos a lot, when I do drink the occasional coffee -- so there's that.
If you do drink hot chocolate or sweet sticky drinks with your Tassimo, it can be a good idea to run an extra cup of hot clear water through it to clear the system and pipes of any residue. There's also a "cleaning pod disc" that you can use for cleaning.
If you don't have a manual for your Tassimo machine, I'm including a link to them.
I'll only buy Tassimo pods when they are on sale, but I still consider them a treat as I don't drink coffee that often. I usually find some of the best sale prices at Pharmaprix/Shopper's in their weekly flyer. I particularly like the Cappuccinos they carry, sometimes for about $6 a pack - it's certainly cheaper than stopping at Timmy's! (although Tassimo *does* have Tim Hortons brand.
As for the Keurig, it does have a longer start-up time, but *does* have an auto-shutoff, which we find very handy. The model we have has 3 cup sizes to choose from, which can be handy as we have some huge mugs, so we will choose medium + small to fill the huge cup, as even the largest doesn't quite fill it.
The best part is that the Keurig can be used to JUST HEAT WATER -- so we primarily use it as an almost-instant hot water heater for our one-cup tea, so we don't have to boil a kettle's worth, because even the minimum level is a lot.
We also have a friend who gifts us various Keurig pods he gets through his work at a food distribution warehouse, so we get to try various new flavoured coffees, as well as tea pods. So that's a huge bonus for us.
As to the pod recyclability factor -- we actually take all our used Tassimo and Keurig pods apart and clean out the coffee/tea residue, so that the plastic can be put into our recycling bins. We feel a bit less guilty about the environmental factor that way. We have a small silicone lined wire bin near the "coffee station" where we put the pods and clean them out about once a week.
So -- in summary, I'd say keep the Tassimo, buy yourself and your teens some Tassimo pods when you find them on sale and keep it as a bit of a special treat, as it could get expensive if used daily -- but definitely cheaper than buying take-out or drive-through coffee all the time.
posted by Jade Dragon at 4:34 AM on October 9, 2018
The main difference, I've found is that the Tassimo starts up much faster, but doesn't have an auto-shutoff. The Tassimo is also pressure-fed, so it can do hot milk-based beverages such as cappuccinos, whereas the Keurig cannot, as it is only gravity-fed. I tend to like café au lait and cappuccinos a lot, when I do drink the occasional coffee -- so there's that.
If you do drink hot chocolate or sweet sticky drinks with your Tassimo, it can be a good idea to run an extra cup of hot clear water through it to clear the system and pipes of any residue. There's also a "cleaning pod disc" that you can use for cleaning.
If you don't have a manual for your Tassimo machine, I'm including a link to them.
I'll only buy Tassimo pods when they are on sale, but I still consider them a treat as I don't drink coffee that often. I usually find some of the best sale prices at Pharmaprix/Shopper's in their weekly flyer. I particularly like the Cappuccinos they carry, sometimes for about $6 a pack - it's certainly cheaper than stopping at Timmy's! (although Tassimo *does* have Tim Hortons brand.
As for the Keurig, it does have a longer start-up time, but *does* have an auto-shutoff, which we find very handy. The model we have has 3 cup sizes to choose from, which can be handy as we have some huge mugs, so we will choose medium + small to fill the huge cup, as even the largest doesn't quite fill it.
The best part is that the Keurig can be used to JUST HEAT WATER -- so we primarily use it as an almost-instant hot water heater for our one-cup tea, so we don't have to boil a kettle's worth, because even the minimum level is a lot.
We also have a friend who gifts us various Keurig pods he gets through his work at a food distribution warehouse, so we get to try various new flavoured coffees, as well as tea pods. So that's a huge bonus for us.
As to the pod recyclability factor -- we actually take all our used Tassimo and Keurig pods apart and clean out the coffee/tea residue, so that the plastic can be put into our recycling bins. We feel a bit less guilty about the environmental factor that way. We have a small silicone lined wire bin near the "coffee station" where we put the pods and clean them out about once a week.
So -- in summary, I'd say keep the Tassimo, buy yourself and your teens some Tassimo pods when you find them on sale and keep it as a bit of a special treat, as it could get expensive if used daily -- but definitely cheaper than buying take-out or drive-through coffee all the time.
posted by Jade Dragon at 4:34 AM on October 9, 2018
Best answer: I had one a few years back and loved it. I would still love it, but I stopped drinking milky drinks, which is the Tassimo's wheelhouse. It's good for those and worth having around if you have the space.
I used to buy the pods at Bed, Bath and Beyond with their coupons. Also at Target. The Gevalia ones were best. As I recall, the lattes, cappuccinos and chair-type things were all good, as were some of the mocha things. There used to be (I think?) a Gevalia one that had a syrup packet and you could make a decently fancy drink easily.
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:19 AM on October 9, 2018
I used to buy the pods at Bed, Bath and Beyond with their coupons. Also at Target. The Gevalia ones were best. As I recall, the lattes, cappuccinos and chair-type things were all good, as were some of the mocha things. There used to be (I think?) a Gevalia one that had a syrup packet and you could make a decently fancy drink easily.
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:19 AM on October 9, 2018
I have one sitting on the bookshelf here in my office that I haven't touched in 3 or 4 years. I liked their products, and when they used to stock them at Target I would pick them up. But when my only real option became "order online and pay shipping costs" they became a net negative for me.
If you can find the pods locally (like at Bed Bath and Beyond, as mentioned above), give them a try. I was usually pretty happy. And I usually added a bit of Irish Cream flavoring to the coffee ones...
posted by tacodave at 5:04 PM on October 9, 2018
If you can find the pods locally (like at Bed Bath and Beyond, as mentioned above), give them a try. I was usually pretty happy. And I usually added a bit of Irish Cream flavoring to the coffee ones...
posted by tacodave at 5:04 PM on October 9, 2018
« Older Stupid battery-operated projector | Please recommend a destination for my bachelor... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
The coffee pods / capsules are ok, but the milk products sold for it do not taste nice, kind of dusty?
And also eg if you buy cappuccino the pod become s double price as the dairy product to go with the coffee is in a separate pod. So we only buy the coffee ones and use fresh milk.
In comparison i much prefer our Nespresso capsule machine.
posted by 15L06 at 4:27 AM on October 9, 2018