Pod machines get sold as coffee machines. In a lot of houses, though, the thing that actually gets made on a cold evening is a hot chocolate. Sometimes it’s for the kids, and sometimes it’s because you don’t want caffeine at nine o’clock.
That’s where Tassimo is a bit different from Nespresso. Nespresso is really about coffee. Tassimo has a proper range of non-coffee drinks, including branded hot chocolates, so it’s the one to look at if chocolate is your main reason for buying.
Which Tassimo, then?
The Tassimo by Bosch Finesse (TAS1620GB) is a sensible mid-range pick, and it’s a newer model than the Suny we’ve covered before. From the Amazon UK listing:
- Works with Tassimo T-Discs, and Tassimo says there are over 50 drinks, including Costa, Kenco and Cadbury hot chocolate
- INTELLIBREW: it scans a barcode on each disc and sets the water amount, temperature and brewing time to suit that drink
- One button to start
- 0.7 litre water tank
- About 37cm deep, 16cm wide and 27cm tall
- Auto clean and auto shut-off
The barcode thing matters more for hot chocolate than you’d think. A chocolate disc gets different settings from an espresso disc, so you’re not stuck guessing how much water to use. Pop it in, press the button, and it does the rest.
What the hot chocolate is actually like
It’s good, in a sweet, milky, café-chain sort of way. It isn’t a thick Italian-style drinking chocolate, and it won’t taste like melted bars of dark chocolate. Think of a decent hot chocolate from a motorway services, made in under a minute, with no pan to wash.
The milky drinks generally use two discs, one for the milk and one for the chocolate or coffee. That does mean the milk comes from a pod too. If you’re fussy about milk, it isn’t the same as a pan of hot whole milk.
The catch
- Cost per mug. Pods cost more than a scoop of powder and a kettle, every time. The machine itself is the cheap part, so it’s the discs you’re really signing up for.
- You’re tied to Tassimo pods. There’s no using another brand’s capsules, so you’re relying on Tassimo’s range and on which ones your supermarket stocks.
- Two discs means more waste. Every mug leaves you with two plastic pods to get rid of, which is a lot more packaging than a tub of powder.
So, is it worth it?
If you’d be making a hot chocolate most evenings and a coffee most mornings, yes. It’s quick, it’s consistent, and anyone in the house can use it without being shown how. Kids especially love pressing the button.
If hot chocolate is a once-a-week treat, I’d skip the machine. A milk pan and a good tin of drinking chocolate will make a better mug, and if you want it really frothy, there’s the Velvetiser question to think about instead.
