How Tassimo works: T-Discs, barcodes and price per drink

Tassimo looks like any other capsule system, and yet it works unlike all of them. The capsule is not a cup but a flat disc. The machine reads a barcode off that disc and decides for itself how much water to use and how long to brew. And you cannot make a milk drink from one capsule — you need two. Those three things decide whether Tassimo will suit you, and they also explain why a cup works out dearer than the price on the pack suggests.

The T-Disc: a capsule the machine reads

The Tassimo capsule is called a T-Disc and you can tell it from every other system at a glance. It is not a cup like Nespresso, nor a tall plastic capsule like Dolce Gusto, but a flat disc sealed with foil that you lay flat into the holder. Around its rim there is a printed barcode.

That code is the whole heart of the system. The machine reads it as you close the holder and sets the recipe itself: how much water it pushes through, at what temperature and for how long. So the drink is not made according to what you press, but according to which capsule you put in. An espresso gets a short flush of hot water, a caffè crema a longer one, tea a lower temperature, and chocolate a different run altogether.

What this means in practice

It makes the system the easiest to operate in the whole capsule family. You do not need to know what a lungo is or what a ristretto is, and you do not need to watch for the moment to stop the drink — you drop in a disc and the machine does it for you. In a household where several people use the machine, including those with no interest in coffee, that is a real advantage.

The other side of the same coin is that you have very little control over the drink. The volume is set by the code, not by you. Some models let you fine-tune the dose afterwards or stop the brew by hand, but the default always comes from the capsule. Anyone who wants to play with the ratio of coffee to water has come to the wrong system — any other one from our range of coffee capsules will serve them better.

The shape means you cannot mix up systems

Capsules from other systems physically will not go into a Tassimo, and a T-Disc will not go anywhere else. Among capsules that is a rare piece of clarity: mixing up Nespresso and Caffitaly, or Dolce Gusto and Caffitaly, does happen, but with Tassimo it does not. The barcode around the rim is also a mark no other home system carries — so if you find a disc with a code in the kitchen, you own a Tassimo.

One milk drink, two capsules

This is the most important thing to know about Tassimo before you start comparing prices. A latte macchiato, a cappuccino or a flat white will not come out of a single Tassimo capsule. You need two: one with milk and one with coffee. You put them in one after the other, milk into the glass first, then the coffee on top.

A pack that says “16 capsules” is therefore a pack for eight drinks. The maker usually states this on the box, but shops and comparison sites routinely quote the price per capsule — and there Tassimo comes out exactly half as expensive as the reality in the cup.

The difference shows on a specific pack. Tassimo Latte Macchiato costs $9.68. That is $0.60 per capsule, but $1.21 per finished drink. The first number is arithmetic; the second is what leaves your wallet.

The milk in the capsule is real milk

The double capsule is not only a nuisance; you get something for it. The Tassimo milk disc holds long-life milk, not a dried mix, and it shows in the result: the foam is finer and the drink does not taste of milk powder. This is exactly where the system has the edge over its rivals, because milk capsules in other systems mostly work with a dried component.

For that quality, though, you pay twice — once for the coffee and once for the milk. If the milk matters to you and you drink a latte every day, it can be worth it. If you just want a cheap cappuccino, this system will hurt.

With black coffee there is no problem

An espresso, a caffè crema and a lungo come out of one Tassimo capsule, the same as anywhere else. The double dose applies only to milk drinks. Anyone who drinks coffee without milk can treat the price per capsule and the price per drink as the same thing — and Tassimo then lands close to the other systems, and with XL packs even better.

Why compatible Tassimo capsules do not exist

With Nespresso, Dolce Gusto and Caffitaly you can now choose between the system owner's capsules and capsules from Italian roasters. With Tassimo you cannot, and the reason is technical: without a barcode the machine will not start the brew. Making a capsule of the right shape is not enough; it also has to carry a valid code the machine recognises.

There are three practical consequences:

• The range is closed. For Tassimo you buy discs made for this system, typically under the brands of the Jacobs Douwe Egberts group and L'OR. No parallel line from an outside roaster exists.
• Refillable capsules do not work. Refillable capsules you fill yourself are common with Nespresso. With Tassimo you cannot get round the problem that way, because the code is missing.
• You cannot push the price down by choosing a supplier. The only way to save on Tassimo is your choice of drink and pack size. It is also worth watching Tassimo capsules on offer, because you have no other lever on the price.

If that bothers you, it is no reason to throw the machine out, but it is a reason to know about it in advance. What you can do about it, and which systems give a comparable result with a more open range, we cover separately in the article on what to replace Tassimo capsules with.

Price per drink against the other systems

The table below compares packs across systems. The last column is the one that counts: the price of one finished drink, which takes into account that a Tassimo milk drink puts two capsules into the glass.

Two conclusions come out of the table, and neither of them is “Tassimo is expensive”.

For milk drinks Tassimo is clearly the dearest option. A Tassimo latte macchiato costs more than twice the same drink from Dolce Gusto capsules. The gap is not down to margin but to the fact that you are paying for two capsules, one of them holding real milk. How the rival system handles milk we describe in the article on how Dolce Gusto works.

For black coffee, on the other hand, Tassimo is competitive. Both the lungo and the XL caffè crema pack work out cheaper than an espresso from Nespresso compatible capsules or from Cafissimo and Caffitaly capsules, because the packs are bigger and the drink is longer. The consistently cheapest option remains Senseo pods, but that is a different class of brewing — a pod makes a gentle filter coffee, not an espresso.

So when you compare Tassimo with another system, decide first what you are going to drink from it. For milk drinks the answer goes clearly against Tassimo; for black coffee it is a draw.

What people buy for Tassimo

The range splits into three groups, and they behave differently both in price and in taste.

Milk drinks

The strongest part of the system. Latte macchiato, cappuccino and flavoured versions such as caramel latte macchiato or Baileys latte macchiato always need a pair of capsules. The price per drink stays around $1.30, but you need no milk in the fridge, no frother and nothing to wash up. For an office, or a household where a latte gets drunk only now and then, that is often what decides it — milk in a capsule does not go off.

Black coffee and XL discs

This is where espresso, caffè crema and lungo belong. For a large mug there are XL discs with a longer drink: Caffè Crema Classico XL in a pack of 24 costs $14.94, which is $0.62 a mug. The same group holds Morning Café Strong & Intense XL and L'OR Café Lungo Absolu, which is the cheapest per drink in the whole range.

A realistic expectation: Tassimo does not make espresso in the Italian sense. The drink is made at markedly lower pressure than on a lever machine, so do not expect a thick, lasting crema. The result is closer to a strong filter coffee than to an espresso. If you only drink short blacks and the crema matters to you, other systems will give you more.

Chocolate, tea and drinks that are not coffee

Here Tassimo is strong, precisely because the barcode can set its own temperature for every drink — and both tea and chocolate need a different regime from coffee. The classic is Tassimo Milka hot chocolate in a pack of 8 for $9.38, which is $1.17 per capsule. Teas and chai latte go into the system too, so one machine will also serve a household where not everyone likes coffee. What else you can make in a capsule machine we sum up in the article on what else goes in a capsule machine.

Bosch Tassimo machines and what to expect

The system is owned by the Jacobs Douwe Egberts group, but the machines for it are built by Bosch. In practice that means when you pick a Bosch Tassimo machine, you are not choosing between different ways of brewing but between tank sizes, the height under the spout and the fittings. The recipe is run by the capsule, not the machine — two different Tassimo machines will make a very similar drink from the same capsule.

A service disc instead of a descaling programme

One oddity no other system has: the machine comes with a service T-Disc, usually in a loud colour, used for flushing and descaling. You put it in exactly like a coffee capsule and the machine starts the cleaning cycle from its code. Lose it and you cannot start the cleaning — so do not put it down just anywhere. The descaling agent then goes into the tank in the usual way.

Running and upkeep

The capsule holder and the drip grid need rinsing as you go, because the milk component bakes onto the holder faster than coffee does. After a milk drink it pays to run a small dose of water through with the service disc — otherwise residue stays in the holder and starts to affect the taste. Against systems with no milk in the capsule, that is extra upkeep.

Used discs cannot sensibly be emptied and cannot be reused. Storing new ones is simpler: the discs stack well and fit into ordinary capsule holders. Their aroma keeps for a long time, because the capsule is sealed without oxygen — so an opened box does no harm as long as the individual discs are still sealed.

Who Tassimo suits, and where it falls short

We will cut it down to the two sides of one decision.

Choose Tassimo if you want milk drinks without dealing with milk and you care that there is real milk in them; if several people use the machine and you do not want to teach anyone what a lungo is; or if you need one machine to cover coffee, chocolate and tea. In all three cases the system really is the simplest choice, and the difference in price per drink has a logical explanation.

Do not choose Tassimo if you are after the lowest price per cup, want to control the volume and the coffee-to-water ratio yourself, or if the appeal for you is picking from dozens of roasters. With this system, a closed range without compatible capsules is a permanent state of affairs, not a temporary one, and a refillable capsule will not get you round it.

If you are still choosing a machine, decide by the drink your household makes most often. Tassimo is the choice for milk drinks with real milk and for a varied range of non-coffee flavours, not for the lowest price per cup.

Frequently asked questions

How does Tassimo work and what makes it different from the other systems?

The Tassimo capsule, called a T-Disc, has a barcode around its rim. The machine reads it and sets the amount of water, the temperature and the brewing time itself, so the recipe is run by the capsule, not the user. The second difference is the way milk drinks are made — they come from two capsules, one with milk and one with coffee.

How many capsules do I need for one latte macchiato?

Two. A pack marked “16 capsules” is therefore a pack for eight drinks. With black coffee the double dose does not apply; there one capsule is one drink.

Are there compatible capsules for Tassimo?

Not in the sense you know from Nespresso or Dolce Gusto. Without a valid barcode the machine will not start the brew, so outside roasters do not enter the system. What is available are discs made for this system, among them the L'OR line.

Can a refillable capsule be used in a Tassimo?

No. A refillable capsule has no barcode, which is what the machine needs, so it will not recognise it and will not start the drink. With Tassimo this is one of the few completely closed parts of the system.

Is Tassimo dearer than Dolce Gusto?

For milk drinks yes, and markedly so — Tassimo needs two capsules where Dolce Gusto needs one. With black coffee the difference is small, and with XL packs Tassimo can even come out cheaper. What decides it is what you drink from the machine most often.

Which non-coffee drinks can Tassimo make?

Hot chocolate, teas and chai latte. Precisely because the machine reads the regime from the code, it can also set the lower temperature that suits tea — something systems with one universal regime cannot do.

Why did the machine not finish my drink and stop halfway?

With milk drinks this is usually because you put in only one capsule. The machine makes exactly what the code on the inserted capsule says — the milk component, or the coffee one, but not both. The second capsule has to go in straight after the first.

Do Tassimo capsules keep well?

Yes, the discs are foil-sealed with no access to oxygen, so they hold their aroma for a long time. An opened box does no harm; what matters is not damaging the foil on the individual discs. Buying a supply is therefore safe.

Summary and recommendations

Tassimo differs from the other capsule systems in three ways: a flat disc instead of a cup, a barcode that sets the whole recipe for you, and a double capsule for milk drinks. The first two are the reason the system is the easiest to operate. The third is the reason a milk drink costs more here than with the competition.

When comparing, then, stick to the price per drink. For a Tassimo latte macchiato that is twice the price per capsule, and roughly twice what the same drink costs from Dolce Gusto. With black coffee, and XL packs in particular, Tassimo is on the contrary one of the cheaper options among capsule systems.

The second thing to reckon with is the closed range: compatible and refillable Tassimo capsules do not exist and will not exist while the machine demands a barcode. Anyone who wants to pick from many roasters should reach for another system — an overview of all of them is in our guide on how to choose coffee capsules. Anyone who wants milk drinks at one press and no milk in the fridge will find the whole range in the Tassimo capsules category.