Tassimo capsules for coffee machines: reviews

In the summer of 2021, Bosch decided to update the junior line of its Vivy capsule coffee machines (review of the first series is here). The updated line is called Bosch Tassimo Vivy II T14 .

T14 because the articles changed to:

• Bosch TAS 1402 Black – black version
• Bosch TAS 1403 Red – red version
• Bosch TAS 1404 White – white version
• Bosch TAS 1407 Cream – beige version

Please note that in Yandex.Market all colors are combined. Therefore, you need to go to the website of a specific store to understand what kind of color is presented there.

The differences between them, as before, are only in color. What has changed in the updated Vivy 2, maybe something has been improved or added?

The most radical change is that the separate on/off key on the right side has disappeared.

Previously, in addition to the drink button on the front side, Tassimo Vivi had a separate power button at the bottom of the right side. Now it's empty. The switching function is assigned to that single front key, and the machine turns off on its own after each preparation of a drink.

The second and final change is that now the “forehead” and the only key are painted in the color of the body

This is the most significant visual “improvement”. Yes, previously, in all colors, the upper lever, which opens access to the camera where the capsule is inserted, as well as the large button on the front panel, were always black (and in the very, very first incarnation, the entire front panel was always black).

In Tassimo Vivy 2, practically nothing disturbs the uniform harmony of color. Except for the plastic grille of the cup stand. I hope that the next update to the line will finally be completely painted in the color of the body.

Changes in the new model compared to the previous generation. Using the beige Bosch TAS 1407 as an example.

No, these are certainly not the only changes, if you look at it formally. In addition to the “more color” approach, the Bosch TAS1402 / 1403 / 1403 / 1407 can be found with slightly smoother curves of the brewing chamber (upper “beak”) and cup stand. The latter has a protruding protrusion - a kind of hook for a slightly more comfortable grip. But this is really such a small thing...

I couldn't find any more changes. Purely technically, the second “Vivi” is 100% the same as the first, it uses the same pressure pump, the same flow-through thermoblock, the same cooking compartment, and the entire body with the same water tank holding 700 ml. The controls, with the exception of the removal of the on/off key, remain the same.

The only key can still adjust the portion volume, but does not allow you to save it for the future. To supply an arbitrary amount of water, do this:

1. Press the key once, release.
2. After this, hold it and hold it until the required amount is poured into the cup.

The “flushing” T-disc is hidden on the lower left under the tank. In the photo: white Bosch TAS 1404.

Also included is a special yellow disk for launching an automatic descaling program (hidden at the bottom on the left side). The stand for cups, although it received slightly different contours, remained at exactly the same level in terms of functionality. It can be set to two different heights or removed completely, then tall latte glasses will fit under the dispenser.

For the sake of formality, I repeat that, like all coffee makers of the Tassimo system, the Bosch TAS 1402 and the company are based on the principle of reading barcodes from capsules (in the case of Tassimo, they are also called T-discs). This allows the coffee maker to activate one of the programmed programs to produce the appropriate drink. The programs differ mainly in the volume of supply, plus there are stated differences in the water heating temperature and brewing time.

To read barcodes, a scanner is used in the capsule chamber, which, as before, must be wiped from time to time. There is no automatic ejection of used capsules; there is no container for this.

Capsules for Nespresso coffee machines

NB! Read about Nespresso coffee machines themselves, their pros, cons and how to choose here. There is also information about Dolce Gusto, Cremesso and Tassimo coffee makers. This review is only about capsules . Vertuo capsules - separately in the profile material; if anything, there are no analogues for them.

Let's start with, perhaps, the most popular and, in my opinion, the highest quality capsules - for Nespresso coffee machines. This system is notable for the largest range of alternative capsules from third-party companies, in fact there are a great many of them. Here is a far from complete list: Smart Coffee Club, Vergnano, Julius Meinl (quality alternatives, I recommend. The truth and price are almost the same as the original ones), Blues, MUST, KSP Caffe, Noble, Living Coffee, L'Or, Single Cup Coffee (wide variety ), Movenpick (unreasonably expensive), Molinari, Brill Cafe, Bialetti, Jardin, Starbucks. All of them are noticeably more budget-friendly - from 150 to 400 rubles (at the time of publication).

A rare example of alternative capsules in general, and for Nespresso in particular, from the producers of freshly roasted coffee - Tasty Coffee and Torrefacto. Of course, they are not sent on the day of roasting, as is the case with their beans, but nevertheless, these capsules can compete even with the original ones.

Although all the alternatives I know are, one way or another, worse than branded Nespresso capsules. Yes, cheaper, but lower quality. But some are really quite good in terms of price/quality ratio, well, with a caveat to how “nothing” capsule coffee can be.

Also, if you look, you can buy empty reusable capsules for Nespresso, into which you can add any ground coffee. Basically, they are sold on Aliexpress and are divided into three types:

The simplest reusable plastic capsule. First generation reusable steel capsule. Second generation reusable steel capsule.

True, as for me, this is already some kind of masturbation - it’s easier, cheaper and tastier to put ground coffee into a carob coffee maker. After all, in factory-made capsules, at least the tempering and grinding are chosen in such a way as to get the most out of such a small diameter. At home, you will not “fill” the capsule properly and the result will be a lack of cream foam and less extraction. In general, I am glad that some owners of capsule machines come to the conclusion that it is tastier and cheaper to prepare freshly ground coffee. But, believe me, in this case it is much better to switch to carob coffee makers (the “standby” option is the Delonghi ECP series).

But let's return to the original capsules. What flavors does Nestle offer, which is the developer of the system and a few years ago was the only one to produce capsules for Nespresso coffee machines? The company calls its capsules Nespresso Grand Cru, here is the full list as of 2020:

Capsules for Dolce Gusto coffee machines

Dolce Gusto capsules are notable, firstly, for their large selection of drinks (including hot chocolate, cold cappuccino), and secondly, for their greatest distribution in retail stores. They are sold even in small convenience stores, not to mention all sorts of supermarkets, hypermarkets and other chains.

The taste of coffee from these capsules, in my opinion, is inferior to Nespresso capsules. Yes, the system allows you to make milk-coffee drinks on any coffee machine in its system, but such drinks use powdered milk as a base. In addition, some drinks - Mocha, Cortado, Coffee with milk, Cappuccino Ice - contain not ground, but instant coffee (I marked such completely unnatural capsules with a ⚠ icon), plus, among other things, stabilizers and emulsifiers. Stabilizers and emulsifiers are contained, in principle, in almost all capsules with a milk component.

Dolce Gusto capsules are sold in 16 pieces per package. But you need to understand that milk-coffee drinks are prepared from two capsules, which are sequentially loaded into the coffee machine. Accordingly, such drinks are twice as expensive as black coffee. In the table, in the column “RRP for a drink,” I recalculated the approximate cost of a package of 16 capsules for the corresponding number of drinks received: 16 for “black” varieties, 8 for milk-coffee capsules. The price was taken as “recommended retail”, the current ones are from the links.

Each capsule has a schematic scale for the recommended volume of the drink. The same scale is available on some coffee machines of the system, with an auto-dosing function. You mark the level on the machine, and it will pour as much as is intended to correspond to the best taste. It is clear that you are free to set any level of the drink according to your preferences, in addition, on some machines of the Dolce Gusto system, the serving is, in principle, completely manual.

Below is a list of branded varieties as of the beginning of 2021:

Analogues of capsules for Dolce Gusto

Alternative analogue capsules for Dolce Gusto are found everywhere in the West; many chain stores produce them under their own brands, such as Auchan. In Russia, alternative Dolce Gusto capsules are less common, but they still exist.

This is, first of all, Must Dolce Gusto (sometimes for simplicity in stores they are simply called MUST DG). This brand produces only six flavors, as far as I know: Neopolitan espresso, decaffeinated espresso, cremoso espresso, Puro Arabica espresso, lungo, ristretto, cappuccino (⚠ milk powder, stabilizer, emulsifier) ​​and hot chocolate. Also, analogues for Dolce Gusto are produced under the brand Di Maestri (here is a small selection from Yandex.Market), Veronese (unreasonably more expensive than the original ones) and Starbucks . Previously, there were also analogues from Oysters , but now I don’t see them anywhere.

The hardworking Chinese also produce reusable capsules for Dolce Gusto. As with Nespresso, they come in three types:

The simplest plastic ones A more advanced generation: plastic, a silicone seal and a little steel The latest achievement of Chinese industry is an all-steel capsule for Dolce Gusto with a complete tamper. Yes, yes, a tamper for a capsule—whatever they come up with!

How do T-disks work and why is Tassimo an intelligent system?

The operating principle of the Tassimo coffee machine is interesting. The T-disk is equipped with a special barcode, for each type of drink - its own. During operation, the coffee machine reads the information from the barcode and determines what kind of drink it is, its recipe, and how it should be prepared.

That's why Tassimo is considered the world's first intelligent coffee brewing system. The principle of its operation is simple in itself, but at the same time it greatly simplifies the life of a person in love with a drink of vivacity. But experiments with tastes are also possible, but we will talk about this below.

Capsules for Tassimo coffee machines

Tassimo capsules are also called “T-discs” and are not much less common than Dolce Gusto capsules. It's also everywhere. With alternatives, however, it’s completely deaf. That is, in theory they seem to exist, but I haven’t come across them on the Russian market, and in the West I’ve only heard about them in passing. Perhaps because the capsules are equipped with a special barcode, by which the Tassimo system machine determines the desired cooking program. And the “alternatives” apparently have problems with copying or generating these barcodes. So you have to be content with proprietary flavors, and there are not as many of them as for competing systems.

In total, the assortment at the beginning of 2021 includes about 15 drinks, including a couple of teas and one hot chocolate. Milk coffee drinks are made from two T-discs, which means the total cost of the drink doubles. In the table below, in the “RRP for a drink” column, I recalculated the approximate cost of a package of 16 capsules for the corresponding number of drinks received: 16 for “black” varieties, 8 for milk-coffee capsules. The price was taken as “recommended retail”, the current ones are from the links in the table.

Almost everywhere the coffee used is natural, ground, fairly finely ground, medium roast, from two brands: Jacobs and Carte Noire. Exception: Jacobs Café au Lait - there is instant coffee (again marked with a ⚠ icon)

Important! Previously, until about mid-2021, all Tassimo milk capsules (including Milka cocoa) contained sterilized concentrated milk. Now, unfortunately, many milk-coffee drinks have a second capsule with milk powder, like Dolce Gusto. This radically worsened the taste. However, the “classics”, such as Cappuccino, are with liquid milk.

Review Summary

The differences are least noticeable on black models. The new black Bosch TAS 1402 is visually indistinguishable from its predecessor Bosch TAS1252.

For getting to know capsule systems in general, and Tassimo in particular, the Bosch Vivy 2 series of coffee machines is just as ideal as the first Vivy. If only because, in my personal opinion, this is generally the same coffee machine. They removed the power button and painted a couple of elements in the color of the body (which didn’t change anything at all for the black versions) - voila, they updated the line, that’s what they call it.

The conclusions remain the same. Fast, simple, inexpensive compared to competing capsule systems. The main thing is to understand that with a large volume of consumption (more than 2 people), the overpayment for capsules will quickly approach the price of an inexpensive coffee machine that prepares coffee from beans.

If models with an index of 12 (TAS 1251, TAS1252, etc.) are cheaper in your city, you don’t have to overpay for the “new product.” There is nothing new here, no fundamental difference in the functionality and taste of coffee.

By the way, if we talk about taste... In terms of capsule coffee machines, the quality of the final drink of all Tassimos is inferior to the Nespresso and Cremesso systems. And the problem here is not only the equipment, which produces a pressure of 3.3 bar, which is clearly not enough for espresso, but also the contents of the capsules. Still, Carte Noire and Jacobs coffee is a compromise, no less than powdered milk for milk-coffee drinks.

An undeniable advantage of most Tassimo coffee makers is a wide palette of colors, which is important if you need to match the device to a light or red kitchen. The updated Vivy 2 has become even better in this sense - a minimum of black in appearance. By the way, I have a special selection of white coffee machines on my blog.

Competitors from other capsule systems

If you have chosen the Tassimo Vivy II coffee machine, but are in doubt, you can read my reviews of competing models from the Nespresso camp:

• Krups XN2140 is also an inexpensive model, works on Nespresso capsules (or compatible ones), produces up to 19 bar of pressure, which is better for classic espresso. But it almost disappeared from sale. In addition, it has an undoubted advantage - part of the body is made of metal.
• DeLonghi EN97 is another budget capsule option.

From the Dolce Gusto camp, Vaivi 2's competitor will be Krups Dolce Gusto Piccolo.
By the way, it also has a rich color palette. Well, there is also Cremesso Uno, which uses capsules of the rarer Cremesso system. Publication date: 07/08/2017.
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Capsules for Cremesso coffee machines

Update: with the departure of the MediaMarkt chain of stores from the Russian market, buying these capsules is a feat.

Cremesso capsules, I believe, are not inferior in quality to Nespresso capsules, but their variety and prevalence lags far behind. It’s really not easy to buy them, and the choice is limited only to branded capsules, which for the spring of 2021 are represented by 14 types, 4 of which are tea.

The approach to milk-coffee treats is serious, like Nespresso. Such drinks must be prepared using special coffee machines with cappuccino makers, or using separate frothers - Aerochino.

Disclaimer: Detailed flavor descriptions are taken from official sources. Personally, I haven’t tried all of them, and that was “a long time ago and not true.”