subject: Two Brands Fighting It Out In The Pod-based Espresso Machine Market - Bosch Tassimo And Nespresso Pi [print this page] The latest trend in coffee machines at the moment are pod-based models, and there are two that stand out from the rest. One is the Tassimo, from German producers Bosch and the other is the Nespresso Pixie. If you decide that a pod-based machine is for you, which do you decide on?
First of all, a bit of background about pod coffee machines. In a conventional espresso maker, you put ground coffee beans in a holder, tamp them down firmly (a skill in itself) and insert the holder in the machine. Hot water at the correct temperature is then forced through the coffee, and espresso flows into your cup. An automated bean to cup machine can make the procedure easier. It grinds the coffee automatically in the right quantity for you and then brews the coffee in the regular way by pumping hot water through.
The results from these machines are usually great, but there is a price to pay - you have to keep the machines scrupulously clean. This cleaning can get tedious.
A pod machine takes away this difficulty. You get your coffee (or in some machines, tea and chocolate as well) in sealed pods. The pod of coffee is put into the appliance, which does the rest, pumping hot water through the pod and into your cup. Afterwards the pod is removed, or saved in a hopper for later disposal. Since it's only water going through the pipes, they don't need cleaning out. Neither does the holder need emptying. What are the other advantages?
* The choice of blends and varieties of coffee is very wide
* The system is pretty flexible - you can have a different flavour with every brew.
That's the basic idea behind both Tassimo and Pixie. How to select between them?
The Bosch Tassimo
One or two features of the Tassimo stand out over the Pixie:-
* You can pick the features to fit your spending budget, as there are several models in the range
* There's a tremendous choice of pods, with household named brands. You can even have chocolate and tea - it's maybe better seen as a drinks machine than a coffee maker.
* The barcodes on the pods tell the unit the exact temperature and volume to use.
* A good-size water reservoir - 1.5 or 1.7 litre dependent on the model
The Nespresso Pixie
What about the Pixie?
* Incredibly compact in size - so little space needed on the countertop
* It can make genuine espresso coffee - the Tassimo uses additives to get a crema
* Cutting-edge style
* The operation is particularly simple
* High quality construction
The choice is, as usual, individual. The basic Tassimo models come in around half the cost of a Pixie; the higher models about the same. But the Pixie produces genuine espresso coffee, which for me is the most important deciding factor.
