If you are anything like me you're probably trying to decide between a Tassimo system and a Keurig system. The apartment complex where I live has a Keurig system and free coffee (can't beat that), and I own the Tassimo system. The reason I bought the Tassimo system was because I happen to like the frothed up milk on top of the coffee -- cappuccinos, lattes, etc. The Keurig system doesn't have this feature.
However, I think I made a mistake in going with the Tassimo. The selection of coffees is really poor when compared to Keurig, especially now that Starbucks has decided to stop being a supplier. I also have to buy my coffee from Amazon, but with Keurig even my local grocery store carries their coffee. I also think the Keurig's coffee wins on taste. Of course taste is a subjective thing, but to me the Keurig system's coffee just tastes better. On occassion I also like tea. The Keurig's tea selection is also much larger and again tastes better (actually a lot better).
Answering which system is faster is also important. When your just standing there waiting for your coffee several seconds really does matter. With the Tassimo it is ready to brew as soon as the water reservoir is filled up an put on the machine. If the Keurig system is off and you fill up the water reservoir then it takes about 90 seconds before it is ready to brew. However, usually you will start with the machine already on and ready to brew -- no 90 second wait. Plus, once the Keurig system is read to brew (which is the normal state) then the Keurig system actually produces a single cup of coffee faster than the Tassimo. I'm guessing here, but I'd say the Keurig produces a cup of coffee in about 15 or 20 seconds and the Tassimo is about 10 to 15 seconds longer. If you add a milk topping (latte, cappiccino, etc.) it will take even longer.
Where the Tassimo system shines is the convience of adding a milk pod and getting a latte, cappuccino, or chai tea. It really does work and the froth doesn't immediately fall apart -- although it is not the same quality froth you get from a Starbucks cafe. Yet, if you go with the Keurig it really doesn't take too long to throw some milk in the microwave for 20 seconds and froth it up with a cheap Aerolatte Milk Frother, which will have denser bubbles and last a little longer than what you get with the Tassimo. But then you need to wash up an extra glass, and with the Tassimo there is no extra clean up.
Tassimo also has a pretty good hot chocolate as long as you stick to a small glass and don't delute it with too much water by trying to make a larger glass. I've never had the Keurig hot chocolate, but I can't imagine that it would be better than Tassimo's because Tassimo makes their's with milk while Keurig does not.
So, if you like coffee without the frothed milk then Keurig is the easy choice. If you want hot chocolate, lattes, cappuccinos, and chai tea then you might want to go with the Tassimo. It does work as advertised, but a Keurig system with a cheap Aerolatte Milk Frother might still be better, but not if you don't want the extra clean up. The Keurig's coffee taste better, has a much larger selection, and is more convient to buy. As long as you didn't have the machine turned off the Keurig system is also faster. That about wraps it up, so I hope I've given you enough information to decide between the two.
