Bosch TAS6515GB Tassimo beverage maker titanium

That noise you can hear is me emptying the last of my instant coffee into the bin!For a long time, my family has tried to find a device that produced coffee with that fresh coffee-shop taste that didn't take a degree to operate or require an age to clean up afterwards. Having just spent £60 on a percolator and being thoroughly disappointed with it, we were about to give up in despair when we saw what some people were saying about these coffee pod machines. Having done our research, we decided that the Bosch Tasssimo was the best option and, as I sit here, drinking my caramel macchiato, it was a decision well made!The device itself is quite compact (something it had to be as we don't have a great deal of space in our kitchen) and should easily fit on a counter top even if you have wall mounted cupboards (brewer dimensions: 27.3cm high, 20.4cm wide, and 33.4cm deep). The cup stand can be removed, so you can fit extra big mugs under the nozzle with ease. The stand will also collect any drips from the machine, although a quick wipe of the nozzle after brewing eliminates any drips at all.The machine is extremely easy to set up and use; simply put your Tassimo t-disc of choice into the machine and the in-built bar-code reader will identify the beverage you're brewing up and will dispense the optimal amount of water and heat it to the desired temperature. You can dispense more water for an extra big cup (stronger coffees still taste great but some beverages like hot chocolate will be too weak, so you might need to experiment). Once brewed, simply remove the empty t-disc and throw it away - no mess, no grinds and no hassle.We chose the TAS6515GB model with the Brita Maxtra water filter as our tap water tends to have quite a strong smell of chlorine (not to mention scale build up), but this model cost less from Amazon than the very basic Tassimo T20 model from competing retailers so thumbs-up for good value! You also get a £20 voucher to use at the Tassimo website to spend on coffees, which is a nice extra. You can also walk into your local supermarket and pick up a pack of t-discs if you run out, although they tend to be slightly more expensive (a few pence) than Amazon or from the Tassimo site direct.Undoubtedly, it's more expensive (roughly £0.25 per cup) than buying a jar of instant coffee, but it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than buying from your local coffee-shop and tastes much better than instants (all of ours now tastes like stewed twigs by comparison). The only down-side is you won't want to drink anything else...

Firstly, I gave the machine a 4 star rating purely because it works perfectly, it's not too wide or deep, so fits nicely where my old coffee peculator used to live, it has a large water reservoir so it doesn't need constant topping up, the water filter gives the drinks a lovely pure, clean taste, it's stylish and has lovely , sexy sleek lines, a wonderful add-on to any kitchen!I would have Given it a full 5 Stars, but unfortunately, it's let down by one, quite major problem...Namely, the Pod drinks that are available for this machine! Strictly speaking, I shouldn't let something that isn't even manufactured by the same company affect my review for this lovely machine...BUT...STRICTLY SPEAKING.....This machine is designed around, is named after, and is completely useless without, the range of 'TASSIMO' drinks pods that are available for the use with this machine.My complaint is a serious one and if this review was purely based on the taste of the drinks this machine produces, I would score it a big fat ONE STAR!!!But seeing as though that would be completely unfair to Bosch, who quite frankly have done their part of the job very well, and if I am talking about the quality of build and reliability and looks of the machine, it gets 5 stars every time!However....and this is a BIG BUT.....The range of drinks available for the Tassimo range is feeble to say the least! The main drink, and the major reason for buying this machine was for the 'Costa Coffee Latte', which I am very sorry to say is barely drinkable as is, because of the nasty, sweet tasting, evaporated milk-like flavour of the milk 'frother' pod that you have to use with the pretty decent tasting coffee espresso pod that come together in a 16 pod packet, enough to make 8 large lattes. God only know what possessed Costa to allow such a strong, overpowering syrupy, fake tasting milk to be used in their lattes, but it was HUGE< HUGE HUGE mistake! I didn't listen to a lot of other reviews, slating the taste of the milk, I didn't think a company like Costa, which is ONLY known for the quality of their coffee, would be stupid enough to allow a foul tasting milk to ruin the lovely flavour of their coffee....BUT I WAS WRONG AND THEY HAVE, AND IT TASTES NASTY! Surely in this day and age, it shouldn't be difficult to produce a milk pod that actually tastes like fresh milk? Even the automatic Costa coffee machine in the petrol stations manges to make a lovely tasting coffee!That's my major beef, however, the stand alone milk frother pods that you can buy separately taste just as bad as the Costa coffee pods, and probably are made with the very same recipe! I also tried the Kenco Latte, but quite frankly that was just as disgusting and even sweeter that the Costa Latte! The 'Suchard hot chocolate' pods produce what I can only describe a watered down, nasty version of a hot chocolate, that you would get from a drinks machine in a hospital, only NOT as nice as the cheap drinks machine version and a LOT more expensive! The 'Twinings English Breakfast Tea' pods, are about the only thing I have managed to make that tastes like it should! And that is probably because it is just a glorified tea bag that make a black tea, which you would normally use your own milk and sugar in! Again, WAY too expensive for what it actually produces!I have been trying to buy some 'Cadbury's Hot Chocolate' pods, but I haven't managed to find any ANYWHERE in north London or from the Tassimo web Site!!!! They are ALWAYS out of stock! I suspect that these are the only pods that actually taste nice and ,make a drink that actually tastes like it should taste, but don't quote me on that as I still haven't managed to find any to try out! I haven't had the heart to even bother trying other drinks as quite frankly, the drink I like the most and the whole reason for buying the machine in the first place, the Costa Latte, has let me down big time!Now, how do I explain myself to the wife, who was totally against me buying such an expensive coffee machine in the first place?

This is an excellent addition to any kitchen or anywhere else you wish to make a hot drink of your choice. Just fill the water reservoir add your pod of choice and a mug/glass/cup of a suitable size and press the button; that's all there is to it. After a milky or chocolate based drink, insert the service/cleaning disc, add a mug and press the button - the system is self-cleaning. You can remove the cup stand and dispenser spout if you get any spills.Many of the pods are available at leading supermarkets (check their online shopping sites to find out who holds what), the TASSIMO site also offers many pods that you cannot get elsewhere. Prices for all pods are fairly standard regardless of where you purchase.Each pod produces a different type and size of drink. A MASTRO Lorenzo produces a strong 50ml coffee, while a KENCO Medium Roast will produce a medium 180ml. The CARTE NOIR Latte Macchiato has 2 pods, a CARTE NOIR Espresso and a milk pod for Latte Macchiato and produces a 3-layered 220ml coffee. Any standard mug will normally hold even the largest of the coffees; however there are a range of specialist glasses/cups/mugs available. Many of the coffees are different strengths, capacity and bean, but TASSIMO also provide tea, fruit tea and chocolates. All drinks are without milk, unless a cappuccino/latte/macchiato, etc. and these all come with milk pods as part of the package. If you wish to try a range then you will need some space to store the pods, the boxes they come in act as dispensers and can easily be stacked 2 to a shelf in a cupboard. Each box holds 8 discs, those with milk pods have 2 boxes, and the larger milky drinks (lattes) have 3 boxes - something to bear in mind if space is tight.