Bosch Tassimo TAS4011GB 2023 Review
Product Details
- Coffee strength control
- Drip tray
- Water level indicator
- 2 litre water reservoir
- The Bosch Tassimo Multi-beverage Machine delivers automatic freshly brewed hot drinks at the push of a button
- It makes a range of drinks, including caffe crema, espresso, latte macchiato, cappuccino, teas, hot chocolate and more
- The discs have the right amount of ingredients sealed into them to protect their flavour
- The drinks system reads the bar code printed on each drink, adds the right amount of water for that drink and sets the best temperature, to ensure a perfect drink every time
- You can even manually adjust the drink strength to suit your taste
- It also includes 'flow heater technology, which means there is virtually no heat up time and minimal waiting between drinks
- Theres an automatic de-scaling function and 2 litre removable easy-fill water tank
- An adjustable and removable cup stand lets you use different types of cups and mugs
- Dishwasher safe parts
- Short name: Bosch TAS4011GB
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Review
This is such a pretty, sleek coffee machine. My parents and I are quite big on coffee, and we find that this machine delivers, especially on ease of use and value for money: two things which have been selling point for Bosch's other Tassimo machines. The box for this came with an assuring two year guarantee, complete with the machine (of course), a water tank and a lid for it, a cup stand with a cup stand base, an instruction booklet, and an instruction brief and a cleaning disk which were in the rear of the machine. It is compatible with Tassimo pods (called T-Discs) which come in lots of varieties including caffe crema, cappuccino, espresso, hot chocolate, filter coffee and tea.
We found that the quality of the coffee and various disks was brilliant and of barrista quality. The hot chocolate in particular is wonderfully creamy and not watery, and tastes like melted chocolate. With regards making the drinks, it's very simple. All you need to do is place your chosen T-Disc in the top compartment, allowing the machine to read the barcode (which contains all the information on brewing, temperature and water amount). We also fill the removable water tank after 8 drinks - although you may have to refill more often - thus making it like a kettle. I don't have dishwasher and all the components are easy to wash by hand with warm soapy water. If you like hot chocolate as much as I do and make it regularly, I would recommend that you wash the nozzle regularly as this makes the hot chocolate thicker and creamier; it a nutshell simply delicious.
Key Features
- Virtually no heat up time: given that most hot drinks can be brewed in approximately 60 seconds, it's not long before you can enjoy your coffee in the morning. The latte macchiato and capuccino take a little longer than this
- It has a height adjustable cup stand which means you can accommodate to your favourite cup or even remove altogether if you plan to take your drink in a travel mug (this is what I find myself doing most often, it's incredibly convenient)
- Simple to operate. It essentially consists of 4 steps: 1) pick your choice of drink 2) pop this T-Disc into the top compartment of the machine 3) push the button to start brewing 4) after roughly 60 seconds of brewing, enjoy your drink
- Easy to maintain and clean. As mentioned before you can either clean this by hand or simply pop the components into a dishwasher. There is a flip up handle attached to the refill water tank so it's easy to fill up. You can monitor the water level from outside using the float
- The steam purge at the end of each drink preparation means that there is no mixing of tastes - i.e., if you have just made a coffee and make a hot chocolate afterwards, your hot chocolate will not taste like a mocha because of the taste of coffee. The drinks always taste consistent and refreshing
- Since the Bosch Tassimo reverts to a standby mode straight after a brew has been made, it has a low energy consumption which means it is not overly expensive to run
- You can enjoy a wide range of drinks from many brands including Twinings, Cadbury and Kenco etc.
Although we're very happy with our purchase and still use this machine as we did when first purchased, there are a few small niggles:
- The price of the pods can add up if using this machine is a regular thing. We were lucky enough to receive £20 off our first batch of pods when we ordered through Tassimo
- It would have been nice to have a few samples of the coffee pods in the box when it was purchased - that way you could see which drinks you liked and disliked
- The nozzle needs more regular cleaning than the other components (which is understandable)
- Some may find this machine too noisy, but I'm sure this is evened out by the fact that making a drink is a very quick process
- More de-scaler could be included with this: once the de-scaler light comes on you cannot use the machine until it has been de-scaled
- Too many people come over for coffee now... only joking! (Or am I?)
Size
It's not too big, roughly I'd say it's 25cm tall by 20cm wide by 30cm. I find it doesn't take up too much room on your work surface. It's more the pods that take up the room! It's adviseable to store your favourite ones by the machine, then store all the rest in the cupboard so there's not too much clutter. We have about 20 different pods in our house and if we had all them on display it wouldn't leave us with much of a kitchen work surface!
Price
As already mentioned, I paid £40 for it and received a gift vouchers for £25 of pods - it was a bargain considering in the shops at the time it was retailing for £70! It's worth keeping an eye on the facebook page as they often have similar deals. The pods that you need for the machine can be a little expensive if you buy them when they're not on offer (about 30p each), but if you're clever and wait for facebook deals or go to pound shops you'll be able to get them fairly cheaply. There's often deals on the facebook page for £10 if you spend more than £25, and I also often find 12 tassimo pods on sale for a £1 in my local bargain shops!
Conclusion
Pros
The coffee machine is compact, good looking, well designed and excellent quality - what you would expect from Bosch. It is very easy to clean (unlike others I have experienced), and is quick and simple to use - basically open the lid, select your pod and place it in (only one way to do this so you can't go wrong); put your cup/mug underneath and press the button - that is it, no messing (other than to check your water tank is filled sufficiently (which, for the size of the machine holds a fair few cups before you need to refill). There are lots of variety of coffees, speciality coffees, teas + to choose from, and the online Tassimo site definitely has the best range.
In summary:
- easy to clean
- excellent quality & durability
- simple to use
- excellent range of pods (on-line)
Cons
The initial outlay of the machine is expensive, particularly if you also decide to use the water filters with the machine (bulk buy when on offer - available in all major supermarkets). The ongoing cost of the pods can also seem expensive (particularly from supermarkets, where the range of Tassimo pods is extremely poor), but compared to a daily coffee from one of the big branded high street names, you really do save. Also, check how much 'ml' each coffee provides, some are very small quantities (e.g. expresso), but some of the others do fill a mug (particularly if you want to add a normal dash of milk too). My biggest bugbear is the drip tray; whilst this has been designed to change size (very easily), it does not reduce in size, and some cups/mugs are too big for it, but removing it causes the cup/mug to be too low, and once dispensing coffee causes a lot of splashing. This may not be a problem for you, but bear it it mind.
In summary:
- can be expensive (initial outlay + filters + pods)
- limited range of pod availability at supermarkets
- cup sizes vary and may need 'topping' up (which the machine facilitates)
- inflexible drip tray for some cup sizes/can splash
Overall, I think it's a brilliant little coffee machine for a brilliant price. Agreed that the pods are a bit on the expensive side, but the drinks you get are of a wonderful quality. I remember when this was first placed in our kitchen, it became an object of awe to everyone. It's great if you want to get your friends together, or if you just want to have a nice cup of hot chocolate by yourself whilst sitting near the window and watching the rain on a cold day. Yummy. I'm off to make one now! :}
