Customer Reviews

Bosch TAS4513UC Tassimo Single-Serve Coffee Brewer, Glamour Red

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

As a coffee enthusiast I've done most of the things coffee enthusiasts do - grind their own beans, try to get their roasts as fresh as possible, use different brewers and methods, etc. I tried the Senseo pod system as well. I also currently have a Keurig system that I enjoy. About six weeks ago I decided to try the Tassimo system, and these are my thoughts so far:

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

On impulse I purchased the Keurig machine while out shopping. New to the single-serve world of coffee, I brought the machine home and proceeded to listen to what sounded like a 747 lifting off on my kitchen counter. The coffee choices were vast (which propeled me into my purchase) but back to the store it went, approximately 15 hours and four cups of terrible coffee later. I purchased the Tassimo as a second attempt and boy, am I glad I did. Much quieter, a richer coffee brew, and less splatter to name just a few things. Sure, not as much variety in flavors, which I hope the manufacturer will establish, but what they do have is delicious. I was completely impressed with the Maxwell House line of coffees. A bit of a coffee snob myself, I again impulse purchased (some people never learn!) the Maxwell House cappuccino and was plesantly surprised! If you are looking for a gift for a coffee drinker-this is your machine!

Purchased this tassimo today, at a different retailer, after a lot of research.

I knew I wanted a single serve coffee maker with:
1. A large reservoir (I'm lazy about refilling)
2. Starbucks pods
3. A fairly decent track record
4. A small(ish) footprint.
5. A decent price point

I ruled out the Keurig and purchased the Bosch because:
1. The Keurig doesn't have starbucks pods/the Tassimo does (this was a big one for me). I know some people grind their own starbucks for the Keurig and then use the my-Kcup to make a cup of starbucks. This, however, made little sense to me. I want a single serve coffee maker so I don't have to grind coffee and deal with cleaning up coffee grounds. I am clueless as to why people promote the my-Kcup as such an asset. If you want to deal with grinding coffee and cleaning grounds, save yourself a ton of money and buy a small traditional coffee pot.

2. The Keurig, at the price point I was looking at, had a fairly small reservoir... I didn't want to refill it every other day. The Bosch has a ginormous reservoir (It's big...but I'm too lazy to go look up how big)... Also, the Bosch has a replaceable filter. This is a big deal because:

3. According to reviews I read, a lot of these machines seem to stop working after a year due to being gunked up. I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend a small fortune for a machine I only use 100 times... That would add over $1 a cup to every cup of coffee I make. The water filter should help this immensely and is likely one of the reasons this machine is highly rated.

4. The size of the machine. I have VERY limited counter space, and a friend I have with a KEURIG voiced concerns because hers wouldn't fit tucked away on a counter under her cabinets due to its size. Looking at the Keurig and the Bosch side by side I was surprised how much smaller the Bosch seems to be.

5. I am happy with the price I paid. At first glance, the tassimo seemed much more expensive than the Keurig, but do some research and see if there are any rebates/coupons you can use to bring the price down!! I paid less for this than I would have for an entry level keurig.

SO FAR SO GREAT:
As I write this I am drinking my first cup of Tassimo... it's a starbucks cappucino... it's late, and I'm likely to be up all night... but I was too excited not to try it. The cappucino is good, and surprising strong. This makes me happy...

Other things I like:
1. The tassimo makes coffee quickly, a minute or two even for the cappucino. Some people say it takes longer than the Keurig, and they might be right. How quickly do you need your coffee?? I figure, when I wake up to feed the baby, I can pop a pod in, make a bottle, and it will be done when baby's bottle is ready. I understand this is a go-go-go society... but it takes A LOT less time than a standard drip machine.

2. I like my coffee piping HOT! I've read complaints about hotness. My coffee was piping hot!

3. The coffee is plenty strong. Should satisfy everyone but the ardent french-press fanatics. However, ardent french press fanatics, stick with your french press. This is a case of convenience over quality. Quality is pretty darn good, but a french press will always be better (albeit definitely not easier).

4. I can't say the machine is quiet (because it actually startled me when it started) but it wasn't loud enough to wake the baby...wish I could say the same about my dogs.

WHY I DIDN'T buy the T65

So, I go into unnamed retail store and ask a very polite sales person about the major differences between the two... She says the t65 has:

1. A bigger reservoir (it doesn't...they are both 67 oz... I stopped being lazy and looked it up!)
2. A filter (yes, but I asked for DIFFERENCES... the 45 has a filter as well)
3. A digital display. This is true... but after reading promotional material the only additional feature in the digital display (compared to the T45 non-digital display) appears to be something which tells you the water reservoir is empty... I can see it now, "oh no, there is no water coming out of my tassimo, what on earth is wrong? Let me check my digital display"... you with me?? Most of us come from the land of common sense in which this feature is unnecessary.
4. A night light. Yup...some kind of light that shines down on your pretty coffee. Having never made coffee in the dark, I am unsure how this feature can be considered necessary, an asset, or worth paying extra money for. However, if you are a fan of blue-lit coffee, you probably should shell out the extra bucks.

One final thought:
Tassimo pods cost more than Keurig. I've read this in every review. I'm unsure how this claim can be made in regards to starbucks pods,though, as there are NO KEURIG STARBUCKS cups to compare the price with. Last time I checked, starbucks coffee beans cost more than green mountain coffee beans (owner of Keurig)as well...All right, I've never checked...because you couldn't pay me to drink green mountain coffee.

I recently purchased both the Keurig B31 and Bosch Tassimo T45 personal brewers. My initial search was for a personal brewer for my office since the coffee provided at work is terrible. This review is written from the angle that I needed a brewer for my office cubicle, however I will add some insight for those looking to purchase for home use. My 3 main factors were 1)Convenience/Ease of Use 2)Price & 3)Coffee Quality. I opted with the Keurig for work and the Tassimo for home.

CONVENIENCE/EASE OF USE:
The Keurig wins for this factor since it is MUCH quieter than the Tassimo. As stated before, I sit in a cubicle at work so I didn't need a loud machine to disrupt my co-workers. We have `white noise' in our office and you can hardly hear the B31 as it brews. The Tassimo at home is louder and would definitely disrupt my co-workers sitting next to me. However, it is not so loud that it would wake someone up who is sleeping in the house. There are some good videos on YouTube of sound tests of the B31 and T45. I found the videos made the B31 sound louder than it actually is, while the Tassimo's are pretty accurate.
The Keurig brews a little faster than the Tassimo which gives it a little edge as well, but both are right around 2 minutes.

PRICE:
Since the coffee at work is free, price was a big factor for me as well. I didn't need something that was going to greatly increase my weekly spending. The Keurig B31 ($99.99) is cheaper than the Tassimo ($169.99). However, Bosch currently has a $50 rebate on the T45. Couple that with a 20% of BBB coupon and you have greatly reduced the price of the Tassimo machine.
The k-cups are also cheaper than the t-discs. I found the k-cups to be around $0.50/cup. The t-discs will run you $0.60 - $0.80 for regular coffee and $1.25 for the cappuccinos and lattes. Depending on how much coffee you drink, this could get expensive.

Since I use the Keurig every day at work and the Tassimo only on the weekend, this made it the better choice for my desk.

COFFEE QUALITY:
The Tassimo wins this hands down. I found the Tassimo coffee (specifically Seattle's Best and Gevalia) to be much better than the k-cups. The flavors out of the Tassimo seem richer and fuller and the aroma that comes from the machine when brewing is much stronger. The k-cups do produce a good cup of coffee, but I found the t-discs better. I have been able to get close to the flavor of the t-discs by trying different brands of k-cups, but haven't found one that matched it in flavor exactly.
Conclusion:

I found the Keurig B31 to be the best option for my cubicle at work based on convenience and price. I would recommend the Tassimo for those who are using it at home. Or you could purchase both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

I have this machine at home and purchased a Breville K-cup brewer for the office. After several months using both, I can now identify the strengths and weaknesses of both units.

1. Latte/Cappucino Quality
The Bosch unit was my choice for home since I predominately drink lattes. Lattes (I've tried both the Gevalia and Maxwell House espressos in them) are okay - they took some getting used to. Latte production is uneven - sometimes they come out very watery, sometimes all the "milk" is not ejected from the t-disc into the cup, and sometimes they come out overly "milky". If you are at all fussy about your lattes/cappucinos think twice about buying a t-disc unit - this is definitely not a replacement for an espresso maker. The Bosch is marginally more convenient than an espresso maker, primarily because of the cleaning required (see below).

2. Coffee Quality
As far as coffee goes the quality produced by both units is pretty good as is the selection of coffees available for each. If you are a Starbucks only person you will have to go with the t-disc unit (Bosch). The Breville unit produces a more consistent beverage temperature, but the Bosch produces hotter beverages most of the time.

3. Adjusting the Strength and Size of your beverage
While you can adjust coffee strength and cup size on both units, it is FAR easier to do on the Breville unit and the results are reliable and repeatable. The Bosch does allow you to brew stronger or weaker but it is a guessing game to do it (during regular brewing you can push the brew button again and again to make the coffee stronger and after the regular brew cycle you can push the button to add water to make the coffee weaker)and I defy anyone to consistently produce coffee of the desired strength.

4. Cleaning/maintenance
The Breville wins easily here - no cleaning required between uses. You can brew a cup of coffee and then a cup of tea with no trace of coffee taste or aroma in your tea. NOT the case with the Bosch; your tea will taste like coffee if you don't clean the unit between cups. And you need to clean the brew spout assembly very frequently or the unit won't make your beverage properly and will spatter all over the counter. If you make beverages with "milk" you must clean the unit after every cup. And cleaning the spout assembly is a pain in the rear - your have to take it out of the machine, dissasemble it completely, scrub it (just rinsing won't work), then reassemble and re-install. Your counter will stay cleaner with the Breville as well - regardless of the size of cup used there is no spatter on your counter and very little on the machine. Unless you use a cup that comes up close under the brew spout on the Bosch you will end up with coffee splattered all over your counter and machine. Both units come with water filters the filter in the Breville lasts far longer than the one in the Bosch.

5. Cost
K-cups are cheaper - way cheaper. If you shop sales on Amazon and sign up for auto shipping you can get coffee and tea for 34 to 50 cents a cup in K-cup format but will spend 55 cents to 1.10 per cup for T-disc beverages. Also, you can reduce per cup cost further with the Breville as it includes an adapter that allows you to use your own coffee. There is also and adapter that allows you to use coffee pods in the Breville.

6. Durability
Again, the Breville is better here. Fifteen people use the Breville in my office and have been making 30-plus beverages every day for the last 6 months with no problems. Nothing on the machine has broken and it still looks like new. Only I use the Bosch at home and make on average 2 beverages a day and have already (in three months of use) had to order a replacement for the brew spout assembley because the rubber on the first one ripped during the frequent cleaning required to keep the unit working properly.

The Bosch Tassimo makes good coffee. There is no argument here. It even makes good tasting latte's. Coffee house quality, even. They're not lying in the descriptions, and it lives up to its rating here on Amazon.

However, keep in mind that when they say it's a one serving coffee maker, that's what they mean. My normal sized coffee cup gets filled just over halfway when using latte mixes or the hot chocolate. With coffee it's a bit more generous, but you'll still need to hold the silver button down to fill your 16oz. travel mug...and when you do that, it's just mixing in more water.

Final thing you should keep in mind is the price of the t-disks. When you do the math, you'll pay (on average) about 70 cents per serving of coffee. So if you want a strong morning blend of Starbucks coffee (it really does taste like Starbucks), you'll pay roughly a buck forty...which is about a dollar less than just going to Starbucks.

The question you need to ask yourself here is... do you NEED Starbucks coffee every morning? Will the regular stuff do? Can you survive with it, then splurge every once in a while on the good stuff? If so, then don't spend the money on this machine. YES, it will make coffee house quality stuff every time, but you will only be saving about 35%. If you're on a budget, the smarter move is to suffer through the regular coffee maker and wait till you find a better job.