CoffeeYak!

The Tassimo Hot beverage system has been out in the US for the past two years, and when it launched was made by Braun. Last year Tassimo decided they needed to update the system, and went with a new partner - Bosch. Even though we really liked the older Braun model, we're glad Bosch got the job. The new Bosch Tassimo is completely redesigned, and the design changes are far reaching. Gone is the annoying loud brewing, the spill back of water after brewing a cup, and the unit heats and brews much faster.

The Bosch Tassimo Suprema Hot Beverage system.

Two models of the TASSIMO hot beverage system by Bosch are now available in the U.S. For this review, we tested the TAS4511UC model with an MSRP of $139.99. The TAS4511UC Bosch Tassimo is now available in select specialty and department stores as well as online. There is also a $99.99 Bosch Tassimo that will be available in select grocery and mass merchandise stores. The main difference in the two models is the water reservoir filtration, and aesthetics.

About the Tassimo Hot Beverage System and T Discs

For those of you unfamiliar with the variety of hot beverages the Bosch Tassimo can make, the list is nothing short of amazing. The new Bosch Tassimio is completely compatible with all of your current T Discs as well. The system can deliver the following from over 40 varieties of hot beverages delivered in a T Disc format:

• Coffee
• Espresso
• Lattes and Cappuccinos
• Tea
• Hot Chocolate

There are several large coffee companies that make T Discs that work in the Bosch Tassimo hot beverage system including Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Gevalia, Maxwell House, and others. We've reviewed just about all of the different coffee T Discs and found most of the blends to be excellent. For the pictures in this review we used the Starbucks House Blend T Discs.

The Tassimo system is also the only hot beverage system to feature liquid shelf stable milk in a single serve coffee format. The milk T Discs are filled with hyper-pasteurized milk, making the lattes and cappuccinos produced from the Tassimo very buttery, and delicious. The only other system that does a good job when using powdered milk is the Nescafe Dolce Gusto, of which we'll have a full review soon.

Features and Difference of the Braun Tassimo and the Bosch Tassimo

So what's been updated and improved on the Bosch Tassimo hot beverage system compared to the older Braun Tassimo model?

The Descaler T Disc is stored behind the water tank.

• Improved Cup Stand Area - you can now dial up the height of the cup stand to fit espresso or regular coffee mugs. Removing the cup stand allows for use of travel mugs. The older model travel mugs were not an option, so this added height clearance for travel mugs should make you happy.
• New LED Controls - The controls on the front make sense. The older model had a single button you hit, but the new model has this feature and also additional info on what's happening on the brewer. Since the Bosch Tassimo heats and brews in about a minute with on demand water, the brewer has a standby mode, automatic, manual, descale, and refill water tank indicators on LED dial.
• On Demand Brewing - The brewer now has on demand brewing instead of heating a reservoir of hot water. It's also very quiet, and the only noise you'll hear is the pitter patter of the pump when it starts up.
• Improved Water Tank and Filtration System - The Bosh Tassimo has a larger reservoir that's easier to fill and carry. The reservoir features both a handle, filter quality display (or when to replace), and larger water filter. The improvements are immediate after you fill the tank for the first time, and put the reservoir back in place - easy and it looks great with the blue tint.
• Smaller Footprint and more Attractive Design - We really love the narrow footprint and improved sleek design. We liked the older model, but when you put a gumdrop next to a porsche - you notice the difference.
• Quiet Brewing - The Bosch Tassimo is whisper quiet. Gone is the rather loud and jarring pumping and brewing you heard in the older model. In its place is a very quiet, almost pleasant brewing cycle that makes sense.
• Integrated Descaling T Disc Storage - the descaling T Disc is stored behind the water tank inside the machine. In the first week of using the older machine, we lost our cleaning T Disc. Now we have a place for it in the Bosch Tassimo and won't have to worry about losing this one.
• Smaller Power Cord and Storage - the power cord is very thin and round, and the excess cord you don't need stores inside the bottom of the Bosch Tassimo. You simply push the extra power cord inside the brewer.

The new cup stand fits larger travel mugs.

The water reservoir is quite large and
easy to carry with the built in handle.

As you can see there are many improvements with the Bosch Tassimo. We love all of them, and hope that other single serve coffee systems can take the same steps to really overhaul their systems as they make new brewers.

Making a Cup of Coffee with the Tassimo Bosch Hot Beverage System

Making a cup of single serve coffee with the Bosch Tassimo single serve coffee maker is easy. You simply pick out your favorite T Disc, insert it and close the brew head, put your mug underneath, and hit the brew button. You'll have hot coffee in about a minute.

One question that will come up with any single serve coffee system, "Can I use my own coffee?" Not with the Tassimo hot beverage system, but will you really want to? The Tassimo has some of the best single serve coffee available from Starbucks and Seattle's Best. We simply love the House Blend from Starbucks, and we also really like the Breakfast Blend from Seattle's Best. If those two blends alone won't sway you, there are over 30+ other coffee blends and flavors available in T Disc format.

The coffee comes out piping hot into the cup at 172-175 F.
The brew temp at the head is at 192 F plus.

The coffee produced from the Starbucks T Discs
is excellent.

Conclusions

We love the new Bosch Tassimo hot beverage system. The improvements in the design and features are astounding. The Bosch Tassimo is very quiet, makes an amazing cup of coffee, cappuccino, latte, and other hot beverages with ease (check out our T Disc reviews section for all the beverages you can make). If you also want to save yourself a few dollars at home, you can get Starbucks and Seattle's Best coffees for the Tassimo. The TAS451xUC or Tassimo Suprema we used in this review is priced at $139.99 and available now.

If you're looking at purchasing the older model at $99.99 until supplies last, you can read our earlier review here. We think the older model is still a good option, but for the same price you can get the newer model or for a little more you can get the newer deluxe model from Bosch.

At Tassimo Direct and Bosch Tassimo Single Serve Coffee Brewer and Hot Beverage System