Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

Love My Tassimo 1400 Braun Tassimo Coffee Maker Easy to use and great taste - especially the espresso and cappuccino varieties. The new Starbucks coffees are a g...

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I purchased the Tassimo at Bed, Bath, and Beyond as a replacement for a replacement. (I had previously purchased the Krups Il Caffe Duomo from Sam’s Club and it turned out to be one of the worst purchases of the year!)

SIZE: The Tassimo comes in a large box with some sample in a separate box on the top. The machine is much smaller than you would think because the box it comes in was about the same size as the box for my Kitchen Aid mixer. And this is a good thing because my counter space is at a severe, San Francisco-affordable-housing-type premium.

DESIGN: The tassimo is cleverly designed in a black/gunmetal casing for us trendy Starbucks-o’-holics. It looks like an expensive machine, which it definitely is.

CONSTRUCTION: I’m not going to call it sturdy because..well, because it is not sturdy. UNLIKE my Kitchen Aid mixer, you don’t get the impression that if you drop this machine, it will survive. I think if you drop this machine, you get to buy a new one. The Tassimo is made of something like plastic all over.

NOISE: I was concerned with this factor and yes this machine makes a heck of a racket for about three seconds as it pumps the water into the T-Disc. After that it is no louder than a bubbly microwave. (Okay, I have no idea what a bubbly microwave would sound like, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this would be close.) The best approximation I can give you to that three-secound loud burst would be if you turn on the water in your sink and then turn on the garbage disposal.

TIME TO BREW: For regular coffees and teas, brew time is about three minutes. This doesn’t sound like much, but when you have to get out the door to work, it can drag. You have to turn on the machine, insert the T-Disc, put your cup in, and wait. And wait some more. And keep waiting. Finally, the water will be hot enough. At that point, it takes about thirty seconds. They actually have a complete demonstration of a complete brew cycle on their website. CHECK OUT THE TASSIMO SITE!

QUALITY OF COFFEE: Superb!

QUALITY OF ESPRESSO: Superb!

QUALITY OF CAPPUCINO: Superb! And there is ZERO cleanup!

QUALITY OF TEA: Unknown since I don’t like Earl Gray tea and that’s all they have for it at this time.

QUALITY OF HOT COCOA: Sorry, but I’m married to a Mexican who would probably shoot me if she caught me drinking water-based cocoa instead of Abuelita.

PRICE VERSUS PERFORMANCE: You’re going to pay about $1.50 per cappuccino for a while until this machine “pays for itself”. But, the cappuccino is perfect and you don’t have to wait in line for it. CAVEAT: If you are Italian by birth, you won’t like the cappuccino. I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy and it is NOTHING like the real thing, but it is EVERYTHING that we, as a Americans, have come to expect. Yes, this machine is expensive. But I feel that it is worth the cost. Over time, your “Latte Factor” will decrease.

UPDATE (7 MONTHS LATER, DECEMBER 2006): The machine still works perfectly, as designed. I do need to add a note about cleaning, though. You absolutely must clean this machine at least once/week. If you do not, the piece that punctures the T-Disc will dislodge and the lid won’t close when you insert the T-Disc. The most common cause of this is using the Suchard Hot Chocolate discs and/or the milk discs for the Latte and Capuccino drinks. The instruction manual DOES include this same advice, so you should already have seen this information, but this is something that you will definitely notice. You can quickly and easily remove the puncture/flow device, break it down into two separate piece by pulling hard and twisting, and running really hot water through it. I also recommend using a Q-Tip to get it extra clean. And don’t forget to clean out the waste water reservoir on the bottom (your cup sits on this and extra water left over from the brewing process goes here.)

I should also note that more and more companies are devising Tassimo T-Discs as the machine gains in popularity. Seattle Coffee Company and Maxwell house are two welcome traditions. I actually prefer the Maxwell House coffees to the Gevalia ones because they taste the same,yet the Maxwell House coffee is half the price. AND, since Target now sells the Tassimo machine, they also sell T-Discs. When shopping there, though, check the coffee aisle and THEN go check on the shelf above where they sell the Tassimo machine in the household appliances section. Often, you will find they have more types of T-Discs there.

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