Review: Bosch Tassimo Suprema Single Serve Coffee Brewer and Hot Beverage System

Review from Single Serve Coffee.com - Coffee Pod Reviews

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

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Posted by Jay Brewer at September 8, 2008 8:17 AM

So... frickin... jealous! I've been waiting what seems like FOREVER to try this new machine! We likely won't see this new model in Canadian stores for another several weeks (maybe a bit sooner if we're lucky). I suggest you try the new Starbucks Columbian T-Discs and let us know what you think... looks like tassimo.ca is still lagging behind in a site/inventory update.
Posted by: SH at September 8, 2008 6:38 PM

I dug around Sears.ca and came across an advertisement stating that the Bosch Tassimo is "on sale" (yeah right) for $169.99 CAD until January 11, 2009 when it'll go back up to the regular price of $189.99 CAD (IMO, that's a major rip-off compared to the $139.99 USD pricing at most USA retailers) Erin, can you confirm if you paid $169 in Vancouver? I'm just curious since I called all the major Sears locations in Atlantic Canada and they had no idea what I was talking about. Only one location admitted that price was from their Christmas Wishbook (annually published Christmas catalog) Thanks
Posted by: SH at September 10, 2008 9:20 PM

There were lots in the Sears in Victoria BC - and I just visited a local London Drugs as well and they have a tons in - but theirs is the non-water filter version and it is selling for $139.99 - so that may be more in-line with the US pricing you have seen. Personally I want the water filter option.
Posted by: Erin at September 14, 2008 7:01 PM

We both agree with all that was written above EXCEPT that we have found that the older Braun tassimo (TA1200) does a MUCH better job making cappuccino. The Braun machine creates a much larger amount of froth/foam that lasts longer as compared to the new Bosch model. This was VERY dissapointing and a deal breaker for my better half as that is what whe wanted above all else. We called Tassimo support and they said there should be no difference (but there is) and we even tried 2 of the same new Bosch units (TAS4511UC/01) with the same results. So if you lile a frothy cappaccino, you may be dissapointed. The end result for us is a return of the new Bosch....too bad as the Bosch didn't make our dog bark (like the Braun does) when brewing an early morning cup of Joe.
Posted by: Rick at September 14, 2008 11:28 PM

I've had the Braun Tassimo for over a year and was interested to see how the new Bosch model would compare. The Bosch model does have many design improvements, but what matters most is the taste of the coffee. This is where the Braun model is better. Like the above comments I agree that the Braun model does a better job at making cappuccinos. The Bosch model does not make enough froth/foam. I made Latte Macchiatos with both models at the same time. The Braun model was quicker and had more froth on top while the Bosch model had less froth and almost overflowed my cup. The Braun Latte Macchiato had a way better taste. I decided to test it with regular coffee next. Again the Braun model was quicker and made a better tasting cup of coffee. From what I've seen the Bosch model adds too much water and you have to stop the brewing process before it finishes. The Bosch machine is quieter and does take up less space, but it sacrifices taste. The Braun model may have some annoying quirks (louder, water drain) but I will take it over the Bosch any day.
Posted by: Matt at September 17, 2008 9:48 AM

I've been considering a single serve since I tried a friend's Senseo and liked it. I compared the Tassimo, Senseo and Keurig for the most. I decided on the Tassimo for the variety. I just pulled the trigger so I ended up with the new Bosch version. Excited to get it out of the box today I've already had a "crema", a cappucino and a chai tea latte. They were all excellent. I never tried the old Braun model so I can't speak to the froth/foam controversy but I must say I'm very satisfied for day one!I'm also really caffeined up right now!
Posted by: Mike at September 17, 2008 6:21 PM

Wow... I have yet to see/test the new Bosch model in-person so I'm amazed at how many new "annoyances" that this new model has developed. Personally, I always found my TA1200 to produce "questionable" amounts of foam for cappuccinos since if you didn't down the drink right away, the foam would disappear too quickly (plus c'mon... does Kraft seriously expect the machines to produce the perfect "mountain" of foam they show in all their press shots/T-Disc packaging?). I'm not sure if the higher-end TA1400 was better at producing foam but since that model was all but non-existent in this end of Canada, I never had the option of buying one. If anyone wants to post a link to a Flickr gallery showing comparison pics of the results, Braun vs. Bosch, that'd be great. Thanks to all for bringing up these issues.
Posted by: SH at September 18, 2008 9:14 AM

Question - we have the old Tassimo and for several of the TDiscs, we regularly get grounds in the cup. This is mainly with the Gevalia regular and decaf coffees. The espresso doesn't do this, nor do the Starbucks most times. Although, the Starbucks frequently has water spewing out the top and around the edges. We love the coffee so we put up with it. How does the new machine do with those TDiscs? Are grounds in the cup still a problem? What about the water spewing? Thanks! Love the reviews and appreciate your time. I haven't seen the new machine in stores here in Texas. Any ideas when they will be available?
Posted by: Kathleen at September 18, 2008 10:20 AM

Not sure about the grounds & water build-up in T-Discs. Maybe you had a bad batch or your piercing unit needs to be thoroughly cleaned out (it can get REALLY gunked-up inside if you use a lot of latte/cappuccino or hot chocolate discs). Something I'd like someone to confirm: Are all 4 colors (black, silver, red, orange) available for sale in retail stores like Bloomingdales, Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens N Things, etc? I have yet to get a concrete answer from Kraft customer support and press releases seem either vague or contradictory so far. For those of you who've been to stores where the new Bosch Suprema is sold, did you only see the silver model or were other colors also available? After seeing so many people ask when the machines were coming out, I can't help but wonder if Bosch underestimated demand or if they fubared something in production or delivery phase of the launch. Hopefully more stores will start getting the machines before Christmas (I've yet to see any pop up in Atlantic Canada and September is almost over!)
Posted by: SH at September 25, 2008 9:47 AM

We have a Bosch and Braun Tassimo. The Bosch has taken care of the water spewing issue. They seem to have fixed this by adding a 'depressurize' timeout to the end of the brew cycle. The machine will sit for several seconds after done and make small 'tick' sounds until it is time to remove the t-disc; if you are patient, when you open it the disc will not 'spew.' As far as grounds in your coffee, I would guess that A) there is no filter in the disc (manufacturing issue) or B) the inner-seal of the disc has reuptured during the brew process (manufacturing issue).
Posted by: Ron at September 30, 2008 2:56 PM

I have the Tassimo Braun system and LOVE IT! I wanted to know how the two (Braun Vs. Bosch) compared and thanks to you all I've gotten my answer. Once you've tried this coffee system you'll never go back to your ordinary coffee maker. Thank you all.
Posted by: Rachel at October 4, 2008 6:31 PM

Well, it's taken quite a while but the new Bosch machines are FINALLY starting to trickle out among retailers in Atlantic Canada. Most Canadian Tire stores now carry the basic black Bosch model (the one that does NOT include water filters) for $149.99 CAD while Home Outfitters in Nova Scotia should be getting the higher-end Suprema models in the next 2 or 3 weeks for $169.99 CAD. In regards to froth, more and more complaints are piling up on the tassimodirect.com forums. Will be interesting to see if Bosch ends-up tweaking the water pump design by this time next Fall.
Posted by: SH at October 12, 2008 1:36 PM

UPDATE: I had to head to Halifax today and decided to stop by both Home Outfitters. The first one in Dartmouth Crossing didn't have any Bosch models in yet, but to my luck, the one at Bayers Lake was just unloading a shipment off the delivery truck. I arrived at the store and couldn't believe it... they got EVERY Tassimo Suprema color in-stock... Silver, Red, Orange... they were all there! Pricing rang through at $169.99 even though the stickers were showing $189.99. So if anyone from the Halifax area is reading this right now, go grab your new Suprema ASAP before they're all gone. Now that I've had a chance to test the machine, I have NO IDEA why everyone's complaining about no froth. I just made a Jacobs Machiatto and there's at least 1 inch of froth on top. It was too hot to drink right away, so I've been letting it sit for the past 10 minutes and guess what... the froth started disappearing but there's STILL half an inch left! On my old Braun model, it'd disappear within 2 or 3 minutes. I suggest anyone with frothing problems either A) Install the Mavea water filter if you're not using it (better water = better coffee) or B) Use a tall 15oz glass and remove the cup stand. I think people might be sticking their cups too close to the nozzle & flattening out their froth during the steam burst. Hope this helps, sorry for the long comment.
Posted by: SH at October 14, 2008 8:30 PM

IMPORTANT TASSIMO INFORMATION! Hi, I bought a Tassimo machine last week in the UK and also got a range of discs from a supermarket. After a few days we noticed something strange when using the Kenco Cafe Crema discs. They ALL 'exploded' right at the end of the processing. If you pay attention, when the process is nearing completion, there is a final burst of steam, well, this burst seems to break the discs inside and it spills coffee all over the place. It becomes a nightmare to clean as you can imagine and moreover, the coffee is undrinkable! I have just been on the phone with Tassimo UK (care line number is on the packaging). First let me say how quick and efficient they were. However, when I mentioned the issue, the guy immediately cut me off saying he knew exactely what I was talking about! I was then told that there is a design fault in the discs! There is a small channel that should let that burst of steam evacuate, but it seems to be too small and therefore it breaks the discs... Apparently this issue is mostly with Cafe Crema but can also happen with any other discs!! Bosch is working on a new design and new discs should it the shelves end of the year.... I also was advised to use 'hard' tap water instead of bottled water (which we did use) I was offered vouchers to replace the damaged discs... So if this happens to you, you know why!
Posted by: Vincent at October 31, 2008 7:51 AM

Just bought one of the Bosch made Tassimo units at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Price was list at $139.99, but 20% BB&B coupon brought the total down to $111 plus tax. Nice price and the Tassimo machine works great. Had one of the older pod type machines previously and it was loud, intermittent, and a mess to clean out. The Bosch unit is amazing in comparison and the Starbucks house blend comes out into a great cup of coffee. IMO - excellent unit thus far, great cup of coffee, and simple to use. Love not dealing with grounds or complications or spooning out coffee into a filter and guessing. Use filtered water from the refrigerator filtered water dispenser and then the Bosch coffee unit filters the water yet again - so hopefully this will keep the scale/etc down in the machine between cleanings. So far I've just made coffee, hot chocolate (for the kiddos) and espresso - no dealings yet with the cappucino/latte making capabilities of the machine. Love not dealing with grounds/filters/scoops/open bags of coffee/or guessing at the correct amount. Plus my old "pod" machine didn't make a very good cup of coffee and the coffee selection/availability of pods was limited.
Posted by: Tdatiger at November 14, 2008 11:13 AM