A great cup of coffee starts with the coffee bean and stops with the type of machine used to brew the coffee. There are countless brands of single serve coffee machines worldwide to choose from. However, for that perfect cup, you cannot just go for a standard machine. You must go beyond and invest in a machine that will suit your needs, requirements but at the same time soft on the pockets.
If you are shopping around for a single serve machine, then you have definitely come across Keurig and Tassimo brands and you are probably wondering which way to go. Either Keurig or Tassimo.
Let’s look at the two world’s most popular single-serve machines.
Keurig
Keurig, owned by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Company, hit the market in 1990. Their main target is office environments which they have totally managed to dominate. When it started, Keurig mainly focused on drip coffee but they have since expanded their K-cup line to include cider, hot chocolate, and lemonade. Keurig machines can brew coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
Keurig has a slightly larger capacity compared to Tassimo meaning it will take you a couple of cups before the next refill. It has a removable tray that you can use to brew directly to a larger mug or travel mug.
Keurig also offers flexibility when it comes to how much to brew. There is an option of brewing 4, 6,8,10 and 12oz which is awesome for when you want to brew for a larger group of people. Also, the fact you can brew any kind of coffee by just getting a reusable K-cup filter is a great feature. They do have a varied selection of K-cup coffee options.
Another advantage of these machines is that they are super fast. It takes less than a minute to make a cup of coffee. This because of their programmability.
For cleaning, Keurig requires regular cleaning. You will need to establish a cleaning routine for your machine to maintain its functionality. Cleaning involves cleaning of the K-cup pack holders as well as the brewer needless.
The downside of camping keurig is that it can’t brew any milk beverages.
Tassimo
Tassimo on the other hand first hit the market in 2004 back in France. They are now a worldwide company. Their machines are built by the famous Bosch although the company itself is owned by Kraft Foods. Their main focus is on espresso beverages such as cappuccino, mocha, tea, crema, latte and other beverages that include milk. The machines have barcodes on the T-discs that give instructions on the amount of water, milk, brewing time and the temperature for each cup of beverage.
Tassimo’s capacity is 61 oz that means you have to refill every so often. Precisely after every 5-6 cups. It comes with its inbuilt water filter system meaning you can use normal tap water and not worry about possible stomach flu. Tassimo’s drink tray can be removed giving you the chance to make your brew directly into a larger mug or a travel mug. You just need to remove the tray, brew and return. If you need a French press, use the hot water function on the brewer to replace the kettle.
The downside to Tassimo is the lack of flexibility when it comes to brewing more beverage in one go. Like if you want to make a larger latte or say tea, you would have to use double T-discs to make. The barcodes give instructions to make a single serving only.
Also, the machine takes longer to make a cup of coffee. Like 2 minutes. This is because it has to take time to read the instructions and decode.
The cleaning process for the Tassimo machines generally involves cleaning the T-discs. Though cleaning may also vary from model to model.
In Conclusion
From the above comparison, it all boils down to what your preference for the end product is. If you want a variety of coffee, then Keurig will offer you just that. If your preference is milk beverages then Tassimo is what you should go for.
Other factors such as price, clean-up, and maintenance are really secondary and may not influence your purchase to any degree. As for durability, both the Keurig and Tassimo last for a while. Their durability ranges between 2-5 years.