Tassimo vs Keurig

[Alix]

I am mulling over whether this would be a good purchase for me. My Mom has given me some money to spend on myself for Christmas and I think I'd like one of these brewer things. There are days when I am running out the door and don't have the time to wait for my kettle to boil. What are the +'s and -'s of these two things? Is there one where you can put your own coffee in it?

 

[GB]

I do not know about Tassimo, but I have used many Keurigs over the years. The pluses are that is is easy, fast, and convenient. The negatives are price per cup and quality of the coffee. Now the quality is not bad in any way so don't let that throw you, but you can certainly get better coffee if you buy and grind your own.

I know that at lest with the Keurig, and I would assume with the Tassimo too, that you can purchase third party reusable pods so that you can use your own coffee instead of buying the pods. That would take care of the cost and quality issue, but it would take away a little of the convenience factor.

Oh another drawback I just thought of is that it only makes one cup at a time so if you are brewing coffee for a number of people at the same time then this is not the way to go. It only takes a few seconds from start to finish to get a cup though so for a few people it is not a big deal. If you were having a dinner party though it could be an issue. Keep a French press or another coffee pot around for those times if you need.

I have been using a Keurig in the office for about 10 years now and for office coffee it is just fine.

Oh the Keurig also does tea. The tea, again, is not the best tea you will ever have, but it is decent enough that you do not feel cheated.

 

[GB]

There are also esspresso machines that use pods if you want to go that route. I have a Nespresso Citiz espresso maker and I LOVE it. Its the same concept as the Keurig, but it comes in a much smaller package and puts out a much better cup IMO.

 

[Alix]

Hmm. Does the keurig do fancy stuff or strictly coffee and tea? I'm not going to be using it for tea, I've got all my tea stuff set up already. I will keep my 8 cup coffeemaker for those days I'm doing a whole pot, but I thought this might be a good option for "panic mornings"

 

[GB]

It is perfect for panic mornings. It is simple to use and very fast. The Keurig only does coffee and tea as far as I know. There are settings for how much water to use for your cup. Our office one does 4 oz, 6oz, 8oz, or 10oz so you can at least adjust the strength that way, but you won't be making a cappuccino with the Keurig.

 

[Alix]

I just took a peek at all the varieties of stuff on the Keurig site. Holy moly that's a lot of stuff. No cappuccino though. I'm still researching. Do they all have removable tanks?

 

[GB]

I am not sure about the removable tanks. I would guess so but I can't say for sure. Now if you want to go all fancy you can have it plumbed into your waterline. That is how both my offices had it. My current office even has a water filter in line so we get better quality in the end.

 

[bakechef]

As far as becoming obsolete, I think that the Keurig is the best bet for a machine that will hang around for a while, mainly because they have their K-cups everywhere with so many varieties of coffee.

We have seen the Melita One One, come and go (I still have a machine, but the pods can only be found online) the Senseo has very limited pods available for it now.

Other brands are starting to put out Keurig machines, Cuisinart, Mr. Coffee, etc, so that shows me that they may have some staying power.

 

[LPBeier]

I have a Tassimo and love it. I got it on points at Save-On (Alix will know it) and also got coupons for the pods. I love that you can make cappuccinos, lattes, hot chocolate, tea, coffee. And they do have a wide variety of brands and types - not as many as Keurig but definitely enough for me. I wasn't thrilled with the hot chocolate, but they have come out with a Cadbury one that has the chocolate and the milk separate like a latte or cappuccino.

My one complaint is that for the lattes and cappuccinos you must buy it as a "kit" which contains the coffee/tea and the milk. DH doesn't use the milk from the chai tea pack because he is intolerant, so we end up with lots of that. The espresso is separate, but the decaf espresso and the chai tea are not. I think it would be more economical to have them all separate.

The water tank is removable for cleaning and you can get one with a filter in it (ours is the basic model).

I can't compare it to the Keurig because I haven't seen one or had a beverage from it. Maybe GB and I should get together to compare!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I love my Keurigs, both of them. One at work and one at home. The office one is a mini machine, takes a bit longer to heat up. I buy from the Keurig site every 6 weeks and the cups come to 58 cents each. With a four box purchase, shipping is free. To fill in different flavors on occasion, I can get a small box at almost any store. They have hot chocolate, but I think it is tooo sweet.

 

[Dante1972]

I have a French Press, Cuisinart SS carafe coffee maker, a good old fashion pumped espresso machine and a Keurig coffee maker. I use the Keurig every day (many times a day) and I love it. If I want an espresso I will make it the right way and if I'm entertaining I have my Cuisinart, but my Keurig became my faithful companion almost over night! Highly recommend it!

 

[GB]

This is what I have at home.. I have the Citiz & Milk Classic White.

Laurie I would love to get together and share coffee with you!

 

[forty_caliber]

Having owned both a Tassimo and a Keurig, I would unequivocally recommend the Keurig.

Both the cost and variety of strongly favor the Keurig. Available accessories also favor the Keurig. Multiple manufacturers are licensed to make the cups and the brewers lending to the longevity of the system.

As an observation, it seems to me that the Tassimo is headed toward obscurity along with Senseo and Flavia. Can't remember the last time I saw an advertisement for one of these.

Just my .02

.40

 

[ella/TO]

I have a Tassimo and enjoy my morning coffee from it.....Have nothing to compare it with tho'....

 

[Alix]

.40, the reason I was comparing them is because all I've seen is Tassimo commercials lately. Since you owned both may I ask what you disliked about the Tassimo? Can you also tell me if the tanks are removable on both brands?

Seems like Keurig is very slightly ahead because of its longevity (hopefully!) and variety.

Keep chiming in folks, thanks for all your help.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Alix, we went through the same purchasing decision when our daughter went off to college this fall. I think what it came down to for us was the big variety and availability of Keurig pods. So that's what we bought for her, and she loves her Keurig.

I had an opportunity to try a Tassimo while staying with a friend last year. If I'm being completely honest, between the Keurig and Tassimo, I think I liked the taste of the coffee a little better from the Tassimo, but as someone else pointed out, there doesn't seem to be quite as much variety in the pods available.

 

[Alix]

Thanks Steve.

 

[forty_caliber]

...Since you owned both may I ask what you disliked about the Tassimo?

Strictly speaking it was the technology that attracted me to the Tassimo. The unit reads a barcode on the "pod" that adjusts the unit for brew temperature and length for the specific beverage that you are making.

In the end, the cost per cup were too high. Because of the variability of brewing, more complex drinks were possible. Cappuccino was a cream pod (powdered milk) followed by an espresso coffee pod. The quality of the drink was poor when compared to "pulling a shot" and frothing milk with a Pannarello tip.

Both the Keurig and the Tassimo brew an OK cup of joe when you are on the run. Both had removable tanks.

.40

 

[pacanis]

I love my Keurigs, both of them. One at work and one at home. The office one is a mini machine, takes a bit longer to heat up. I buy from the Keurig site every 6 weeks and the cups come to 58 cents each. With a four box purchase, shipping is free. To fill in different flavors on occasion, I can get a small box at almost any store. They have hot chocolate, but I think it is tooo sweet.

Is that the same size cup measurement like a drip coffee maker uses? (I'm not even sure if that's an actual cup, or an "odd" cup size like rice makers use.)

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Is that the same size cup measurement like a drip coffee maker uses? (I'm not even sure if that's an actual cup, or an "odd" cup size like rice makers use.)

It's a K-cup, for the coffee maker. Not a measurement. They have regular ones, good for 4-10 ounces, depending on how strong you like your coffee. They also have "Extra Bold" that are made for 10-12 ounce. I like the extra bolds, making 10 ounce coffees. No flavorings, just the different roasts and blends.