Our Buyer's Guides help make buying
choices easy for consumers. We test hundreds of children's
and family products and strive to keep up to date on the latest releases.
Single-Serve Coffee Makers
After testing both the Tassimo
Single-Serve Hot-Beverage System by Braun and the Keurig
B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System, we found
advantages to both. However, our test families favored the
Tassimo.
Both the Tassimo and the Keurig offer a
convenient system for brewing the "perfect" cup of coffee quickly
(the Keurig does it the most quickly the first time around). It's
excellent for families who don't want to fiddle with coffee grinds
(both systems use special single-cup packages or pods, the T-Discs
and the K-Cups, respectively).
The advantages to the Keurig include a
somewhat quieter brewing process, quicker delivery of a coffee first
time around (it's always heating), an easy choice of different brew
sizes (3 choices with the B60 model), a reusable K-Cup option for your own coffee
selection, and a cleaner process (the Tassimo can be messy when
using larger mugs).
The Tassimo's main advantage is its ability to
brew Cappuccino and Latte beverages. Its T-Discs are more readily
available as well.
Before testing both machines, I was somewhat
disturbed about the thought of having to be limited to the specific
brands of coffee and other hot beverages designed for the unit.
However, both machines offer a good variety of coffee brands and
selection. Note that both machines offer hot cocoa and tea options.
Although the Keurig seems to be designed
better overall, the Tassimo was favored by our test families
unanimously. The reason? They preferred the coffee and hot chocolate
beverages associated with it--the Starbucks House Blend being the
favorite. The cappuccino and latte options were also strong factors
in the draw (the Tassimo can do this with its bar-code technology
that allows it to know what to do with each T-disc, and the Keurig
doesn't brew these frothy beverages). Kids preferred the hot cocoa (Suchard's)
for the Tassimo to the Green Mountain Hot Cocoa for the Keurig. As
mentioned above, the Keurig has many advantages over the Tassimo,
including a better design and more variety of coffee selections.
This didn't sway our testers, however!
Both systems make great gifts, particularly
for couples and those living alone, although families can enjoy them
as well. Be sure to include some of the coffee with the Tassimo so
that the recipients can start enjoying the machine right away.
For more information, user reviews, or to buy:
Braun Tassimo TA 1400 Hot Beverage System
or the  Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System
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