I don’t know how many of you have seen the Tassimo Brewbot Commercial. It is a stroke of brilliance in coffee geek marketing. The commercial, seen at the bottom  of  the review is brilliant. The only problem is that there really isn’t a robot willing to make me tasty beverages but this is the next best thing.

I was lucky enough to get a review unit of the Tassimo T20 sent to me as well as a sampling of some of their coffee. I have both the Starbucks cappuccino pack and the Gevalia Kaffe  signature  blend. A full listing of the  flavors  and possibilities is listed on the Tassimo Site.

My Tassimo Introduction:

I was looking forward to checking out the unit to see what it could do, but I was also  hesitant  to try it. I like good coffee. And the only other single serving coffee maker I had tried, the Kuerig, does not produce good coffee. So when I saw the cappuccino pack included and it didn’t have a cappuccino flavor option but rather a set of two disks I was very intrigued.

The very first thing I did was make a  cappuccino. Every other single serving coffee maker, or instant  cappuccino  product i have ever tried was  horrendous. Mainly because they didn’t make cappuccino, they made flavored water. To make a cappuccino, you need espresso and steam frothed milk. So imagine my surprise when I pulled open the cappuccino bag to see two discs, one labeled espresso and the other was obviously a form of creamer… Not only did the machine produce espresso with a very respectable creama on the top, but it also steam frothed the milk and made, an incredible cappuccino in under 2 minutes.

My Reaction: I  immediately  went out to buy more disks, and then I ran into the wall. Non of the grocery stores around me actually carry the product, although I did bug a manager of a local supermarket and he’s looking to see if they can stock it. But I did find T discs at Target, so it is all good.

How it all works: The system reads a bar code on the top of every disc that you  place into the machines and tailors the product to match. Is it a cappuccino? Then froth some milk, is it an espresso? higher pressure to create the creama, coffee even comes out good. In my  experience  however the Gevalia coffee was overly bitter, probably a bit stale. However the Tassimo is currently partnered with Starbucks so their beverages did much better.

Can it ever replace my regular coffee?

Unfortunately  two things will stop this from replacing my regular coffee, first off that unlike the Kuerig there is no user replaceable / refillable t disk. So my home roasted lovely will never know the wonder of a lightning quick brew.

Secondly the cost of drinking as much coffee as I do in single cup fashion will never pan out. However as a treat, or as a quick run out the door this is an  unbelievable  machine. I’ve had the chance to show this machine off to my new crack coffee testing squad, ie my close friends who drink coffee. And each one  throughly  enjoyed the coffee.

Cost concerns?

This is a product with a firm target market. if you are in a hurry and want coffee in small  doses  this is the coffee for you. One of my testers remarked when I explained of the price per disc, that it was still cheaper than stopping for coffee in the way into work. With T disc packs ranging from 6.99 for 16 servings to 10.99 for the more interesting flavor combinations he was right. It was less than half the cost of going out for coffee.

The Machine that I reviewed has an initial cost outlay of $129.00 for the machine plus two packages of 16 discs each. Not too off the mark when comparing other like-minded machines.

While the Kuerig might have the selection this machine does the job much better. Espresso is espresso, cappuccino is cappuccino, and it can even do tea and hot chocolate, but I haven’t gotten a chance to try them yet.

Conclusion:

For people who not only enjoy coffee but also need a quick fix this is the ideal machine to bring into your home.  It doesn’t replace high volume coffee brewing, nor does it intend to. Same goes for espresso machines,  French  presses or anything else.  This  machine is adeptly at one thing, creating quality beverages quickly. Tassimo  changed my perspective on single serving coffee makers. There is quality out there, you just have to look for it.

I would like to Thank Tassimo for the wonderful  opportunity  to review a quality unit.

*Full disclosure: Tassimo sent me a review unit at no charge for the purpose of review. This agreement in no way affected my opinions of the unit nor was a desired  outcome  asked for or agreed upon.

The Brewbot Commercial