Braun Tassimo TA 1400 Hot Beverage System

by Braun

• Hot-beverage system brews drinks at the touch of a button in about a minute
• Patented T-Disc system with barcode technology; customizable strength settings
• Beverages pour directly from T-Disc into cup; no measuring, no fuss, and virtually no cleanup
• Measures approximately 10 by 15 by 16 inches; 2-year limited warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 16.5 x 11.6 inches ; 11.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000A7W4YS
• Item model number: Tassimo
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (517 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,441 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Introducing Tassimo, a revolution in home brewing. This state-of-the-art system delivers the ultimate in hot-drink variety--coffee, tea, espresso, hot chocolate, and even authentic cappuccinos and lattes with real milk, all at the touch of a button. The Tassimo hot-beverage system brews one perfect cup at a time using Tassimo discs, called T-Discs, which contain precisely measured amounts of the ingredients for each drink. Each T-Disc contains a barcode that tells the machine the optimal brewing conditions for your drink, expertly adjusting the brewing time, amount of water, and temperature. With Tassimo, you simply insert a T-Disc, press the button, and in about a minute you can enjoy a delicious hot drink, one perfect cup at a time. You are also able to customize the strength of each beverage to your taste. And, since all the brewing takes place in the T-Disc itself, there is virtually no cleanup! A system this extraordinary deserves partners of the same caliber. Select from world-class brands Gevalia, Suchard, and Twinings to find your favorite drink. Discover the art of the perfect cup. Right on your kitchen counter.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

183 of 190 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great so far... November 3, 2005

By SBR

I have had this for a few days now, and so far I am very impressed. Fast, practically no clean-up, and very good quality. To be able to offer guests a choice of coffee, coffee drinks, tea or hot chocolate is great. So far I have tried the Gavalia drinks that came with it or that are sold seperately in stores (Gavalia latte, cappucino), except the espresso alone (not a big fan of espresso), and the hot chocolate. The Gavalia coffee is smooth and mild and very good, though I am hoping the coffee I ordered through the Tassimo website includes stronger alternatives. Latte and Cappucino are very good, and comparable to coffee shop (though maybe not the top shops). I'll get to the Twinings earl grey tea soon, and make myself a mocha with Hershey's syrup. Overall, I have zero complaints about the function or quality. I am very anxious to get the coffee only offered through their website, although the Maxwell House brands are not available for some reason (support e-mail says available again soon).

The negatives, which for me are minor, are 1) expense. I like it so much I am drinking way too much. That'll slow down as the novelty wears off. 2) Why can't any of these pod makers account for a tall travel mug? It seems so easy to consider given the popularity. You can remove the entire cup holder, but since it is also the drip tray and steam relief valve you have to clean up some water in the bottom tray. I could not give it 5 stars because of this.

I am thinking of getting a second one for the office but not sure whether I get this one, or try the Kuerig (??) just for variety. It is hard to not get another Tassimo now that I know what it does. Also depends on others pitching in on t-discs. I may take it in for a week as a trial before I buy another one.

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent machine and very versitile! November 19, 2005

By N. Sbrocco

Ok, bear with me. I have read all the reviews on Tassimo, Keurig and Flavia until I was so confused I could not see straight. I have a coffe maker, tea kettle and espresso/cappuccino machine. So, I went to Linens N Things and bought a Keurig after talking to a store clerk. Thought the coffee sounded better than Tassimo (I grew up and love European coffee-mud). Got it home to realize, oops, it did not make cappuccino or espresso. Bad for me. Didn't make tea or hot chocolate either. Went back and spoke with the store manager who knew alot more than the clerk. I was convinced and purchased the Tassimo. For a person who loves strong coffee, it does the trick. I have on order the european java's and cannot wait to get them. Here are some reply's that I have for the poor ratings some people gave the machine.
1. Cleaning is easy.If you have ever owned a cappuccino machine you know about pain in the butt cleaning. Everything comes apart and all you do is rinse the pieces under water after use. Most pieces are diswasher safe too.
2. Coffee can be made strong if you read the instructions. I was told by the manager to hit the button when the strength was where I wanted it and she was right. The Gevalia signature was great without a bitter taste. I did the same with the cappuccino. Got a great coffee. And, oh the Suchard's hot chocolate, yum!!!
3. Here is another interesting point. Kraft who is the owner of the T-discs has the exclusive rights the soon to be upcoming Starbucks coffee pods which will hopefully be released next year. 3 other store managers told me this and I read it on the Kraft/Starbucks website. Tassimo and Starbucks, wow!!!!
I now have taken off my counter 3 other appliances and have my Tassimo right there. It is a Braun which is a great manufacturer.... Not everyone is going to like it, it is personal preference but it does everything that the others don't. I am personally willing to wait to see what falvor T-discs come out next year.
The only thing I have not tried is the tea until my shipment of Gevalia comes becuase I don't like Twining's but I can't wait.
Hope this helps some people determine which one to get. It is also nice when your shipments of T-discs can be sent to your house during the holidays sparing you having to brave the lines at the stores (free shipping also offerred). It is also nice when you can buy them at the grocery store too. I wrote off the Flavia becuase I don't want to have to send an appliance back to an internet store if it does not work and be left with nothing. I also like dealing with people face to face. For the people who had Tassimo's that acted up, I hope your new one's work for you so that you can benefit from the great products it makes.
Have a great day and thanks for listening.
(Addendum: Received the Gevalia tea, smashing! and the European blends, unreal. Xmas order was to be here 12/16, came today 11/28- excellent service. Going to buy some for Xmas gifts!!!) Read more ›

413 of 450 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Manage your expectations and it's a world-beater November 14, 2005

By David Mayer

I tend to burst out laughing when I read reviews from people who expected this to put a Starbucks franchise on their kitchen counter. No, it doesn't get close. But for the price, and the convenience, it's the next best thing. The machine makes good-quality hot chocolate, coffee drinks, and tea, needs next to no cleanup (who ARE these people that think the thing needs extensive breakdown and cleaning?) and, best of all, can switch easily from one to another without completely disassembling the device, scrubbing filters, etc. It's not going to put your favorite local coffee shop out of business, but for serving a crowd at brunch with diverse beverage preferences or just getting a few lattes together in the evening without having to clean up and scrub a thousand pieces of metal and plastic afterward, it's a terrific buy. Strongly recommended if you've got your head screwed on straight.

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It seems most people must find SOMETHING to complain about. July 20, 2007

By Gwen Elizabeth Snyder

I recently bought the Tassimo brewer off Amazon after spending days researching and weighing the pros and cons of other single serve makers. I finally decided on the Tassimo as I am not a huge coffee drinker, and the Tassimo gives me the freedom to make other drinks as well. I read horrible reviews of glitchy brewers, leaking water after each use and being messy, LOUD jackhammering noises, long heating times, lukewarm, subpar drinks and just all around horror. Now that I have recieved my Tassimo and had the chance to try it out, I would like to denounce some of those claims for other prospective buyers who may be swayed by these comments.

First off: Complicated set up and glitching?

There is a concise start-up manual that details the few steps that must be taken to prime the Tassimo before use, and after completion the unit is ready to go from then on. Mine has worked flawlessly so far.

Second: "OMG IT LEAKES WATER EVERYWERE" and "U HAVE 2 RINSE THE PIERCING THING"

It is mentioned in the manual that extra water not used in the brewing process will runoff into the small collection dish under the stand, this process should not interfere with the making of any beverage. In fact, I had a hard time even noticing the process was happening as it trickles out of a small slot and into the bottom of the stand. Now this should probably be emptied after every few drinks, but cmon it's water, it requires no cleaning whatsoever, just turn it over in the vicinity of a sink and you're done. Now the other claim has some truth to it, as a tiny amount of milk & chocolate residue will stay on the piercing mechanism after the use of those T-Discs. Still, the small plastic piece is not secured by anything, it pops right out and can be rinsed in a matter of seconds.... In fact, just leave a small glass of water to dip it in after use and pop it right back in. And I read some reviews of people accidentally throwing that mechanism away? I'm not even going to bother going into that, because the majority of the population isn't complete idiots like these people, and wont run into any problems. Anyways, to sum that up, those are the only two things you could run into that could be construed as a "mess". Both are so easy and quick that they still pale in comparison to the process of cleaning out a coffee pot or filter, WHICH COULDN'T OF MADE THE CAPPUCCINO IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Thirdly: "ITS SO LOUD IT WAKES UP THE NEIGHBORS"

Jesus Christ, what is wrong with these people? When I fired mine up for the first time, I waited until the following afternoon just because I was so afraid of this LOUD sound comparable to a jet plane idling on the runway. Then I found that the thing isn't loud at all, it sounds like a 10-gallon aquarium pump going off for 10-15 seconds followed by the actual clearing of the cartridge into the cup, what the %$#@ are these people talking about? I just made a Chai Tea Latte with my sleeping stepbrother six feet away, and he didnt even stir, it just isn't that loud. I mean maybe if you were an extremely light sleeper, and someone kept the Tassimo in bed with them and brewed right next to your head, maybe then you would wake up. I read some reviews of people taking it back, because they couldn't use it in the mornings for fear of waking up the whole family. I mean, I could understand if you're in the same room as them, but you're in the kitchen which is usually a reasonable distance from the bedrooms. These are probably the same people who don't talk loud in restaurants for fear of being heard by the party across the room; what is loud to you isn't nearly as loud to people not directly next to you. I honestly can't imagine this actually waking anyone up in a typical suburban household, or even a one bedroom apartment.

Fourthly: "IT TAKES LIKE 5 MINUTES TO HEAT UP, AND THEN I HAVE TO PRESS THE BUTTON AGAIN!!11!1!"

Once again, an exaggeration of a small and non-hindering process to much larger proportions. It does in fact take around a minute to warm up the first time you turn it on, but I found it only took an average of 15-20 seconds upon subsequent brewings. Even so, all you have to do is PRESS A BUTTON once it warms up, then wait thirty seconds. No one is that busy to where they can't take the time out of their hectic lifestyle to *GASP* wait 30 seconds for their coffee. And if this appears to be a problem, then you've got a much bigger worry of poor time management on your hands. And if it DID heat and dispense the coffee at the push of one button, most of these people would STILL complain that it was "too cold" or something to that effect because they left the room and it have any sort of heating mechanism like a traditional coffee pot does. By making you press the button once more, you can just stand there and get your coffee, it really doesn't take that long people. The Tassimo has already saved you a lot of time you would have spent grinding coffee beans or scooping grounds into a filter, filling the water resevoir and waiting for it to brew. Instead, you have to push one button one time, which sounds better?

Fifthly: "MY DRINK IS COLD AND TASTES LIKE DIRT"

Now I am not a coffee connoisseur, and do not purport to be, so I cannot attest to the true merit of the T-Disc coffee, but it tastes pretty good to me! I didn't notice any of this watery, lukewarm business. In fact, I couldn't even drink mine for over a minute because it was scalding hot. The cappucino tasted great to me, easily comparable to a Starbucks version, and much cheaper. I havn't tried the Lattes yet, but I assume it's the same ingredients, just no foam. The recently released Chai Tea Latte is FANTASTIC, I was truly blown away by the flavor. And to all these tree huggers out there complaining about the waste, just can it, not everything you use is woven out of palm leaves and twigs. Everyone's cars and houses are still polluting by being on the power grid, and you throw away plenty of things that aren't prime candidates for the compost heap. AND on top of that, it is mentioned in the manual, and through common sense, that if you do choose to be so high and mighty, you can simply tear off the foil cover and rinse out the grinds. Once again it's NOT THAT HARD to recycle these T-Discs, throwing another complaint out the window.

Oh, and one more thing, the direct delivery isn't nearly as slow as people are making it out to be. I was prepared to wait at least 4 weeks for my T-Discs I had ordered, and was pleasantly surprised when they arrived 5 business days later. While this is still a long time, it's no longer than UPS Ground or anything else that ships large items.

Overall, I highly recommend the Tassimo for its ease of use, its variety of drinks (which taste great) and availability (T-Discs can be found at Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Target, even some of the larger HEBs) which, in my opinion, place it well above the other options out there. Read more ›