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Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: One Minute Review
The Tassimo Finesse Friendly from Bosch is a compact capsule coffee maker that is an affordable alternative to similar machines from Nespresso and Keurig. It works much like its rivals: it accepts proprietary capsules, punctures them, and runs hot water through them to prepare the drink.
It's a nice, well-built little coffee maker, but if you enjoy lattes regularly, you might want to consider learning how to use a compact espresso machine with a manual steam wand. Although the initial cost will be higher, you could save money in the long run if you use fresh milk for your regular preparations instead of capsules. Take a look at my roundup of the best espresso machines to find options at various price points.
Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: specifications
|
Name |
Bosch Tassimo Finesse friendly |
|
Guy |
Capsule coffee maker |
|
Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth) |
6.2 x 10.4 x 14.2 inches / 15.7 x 26.5 x 36 cm |
|
Weight |
6.2lbs/2.8kg |
|
Water tank capacity |
23.7oz/700ml |
Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: price and availability
- List price £89.99 (around $120 / AU$180), but often discounted
- Widely available in Europe, but not in the US or Australia
- T-Pod pods can be quite expensive, depending on the type
The Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly is one of the most affordable capsule coffee makers I've tried. It has a list price of £89.99 (around $120 / AU$180), but is frequently discounted to £49.99 (around $70 / AU$100). That's even less than the entry-level Nespresso Vertuo Pop. You'll find today's best prices below.
The downside is that although it is widely available in the UK and mainland Europe, it is not currently sold in the US or Australia.
Although Finesse Friendly is cheap, Tassimo capsules (known as T-Pods) can be quite expensive, especially if you prefer milk drinks, which require two capsules each. They are widely available online and in supermarkets, and include varieties from brands such as Cadbury's, Costa, Kenco, Jacobs and L'OR.
Prices vary greatly depending on the drink chosen. For example, a pack of Costa Caramel Latte T-Pods contains enough pods to make just eight drinks and has a list price of £7.25 (around $10 / AU$15). Capsules containing only coffee are much more affordable. At the time of writing, a pack containing 80 Kenco Pure Colombian capsules costs £21.38 (around $30 / AU$40).
Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: design
- Compact and lightweight
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Water tank holds only 23.7 oz/700 ml
The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is an exceptionally light and compact coffee maker, ideal for small kitchens and easy to store in a cupboard when not in use. Its body is made from 60% recycled plastic and is available in four colors: black, white, cream and red. The black version I tested was prone to collecting fingerprints, especially on the matte-finish sides, but they cleaned easily with a damp cloth.
Its drip tray is removable for cleaning and can be repositioned closer to the dispenser to accommodate cups of espresso without splashing.
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It has a single control button, which uses colors and flashes to indicate the current status of the machine. A red light means the machine needs attention and usually indicates that the water tank is running low.
The tank is attached to the rear of the machine and is easy to remove; Just tilt it slightly and pull up. It has a maximum capacity of only 700ml/23.7oz, so you'll need to refill it after making two large drinks.
Cleaning the Finesse Friendly is simple. Simply remove the orange maintenance disc from the slot at the bottom of the machine, place it in the capsule holder with the barcode facing down, close the lid and press the brew button just as you would when making a drink.
The machine will rinse itself with a cup of hot water, leaving it clean and ready to use next time. It's also worth cleaning the outside of the dispenser if you've made a drink with milk, as it tends to sizzle.
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Finesse Friendly does not have a water filter, but it is easy to descale when indicated by the red status light. Simply fill the water tank to the line marked 'calc', add two descaling tablets (not included with the machine but available online), insert the cleaning disc, place a cup under the dispenser and hold the start button for about five seconds.
Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: performance
The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is extremely easy to use. Simply fill the water tank to the maximum line, pull the top of the machine up to open, and place the beverage capsule into the opening face down. Push the lid closed and the control button light will illuminate orange, indicating that Finesse Friendly is ready to begin brewing.
Once the drink has finished dispensing, wait until the light stops flashing orange before removing the used capsule.
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I tested Finesse Friendly with a couple of different pods: Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte (which Bosch provided with the review machine) and Jacobs Latte Macchiato (which I purchased myself). Each variety came with two single-serve boxes: one containing the coffee and another filled with long-life milk.
Although the latte macchiato is usually my coffee of choice, the cinnamon pods were the clear winner. While it was definitely sweet, the drink had a milder flavor than many other coffee pods I've tried. In fact, it was so good that I ended up purchasing a second package.
The small Finesse Friendly did a particularly good job of steaming the milk, producing a long-lasting layer of creamy foam. During my testing, the machine had a tendency to sputter a bit and emit quite a bit of steam once it finished dispensing, but this had dissipated when the orange light stopped flashing.
In the UK, you can recycle used T-Pod capsules through Podback (a scheme that also accepts used Nespresso, L'OR and Dolce Gusto capsules). You will receive a Podback bag when you receive an order for T-Pods and can order more through the Podback website.
You can drop off your Podback bags at most large supermarkets or take the loose capsules to a recycling center with a Podback container. Find your nearest delivery point.
Should I buy the Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly?
|
Attribute |
Grades |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Worth |
The machine itself is very affordable, but the capsules for milk-based drinks can be expensive. |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
Compact and light, made with 60% recycled plastic, but the water tank is very small. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
It heats quickly, froths milk well, and serves consistently tasty coffee. Easy to clean and maintain. |
5/5 |
Buy it if
Don't buy it if
Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: also consider
If the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly is not the right coffee maker for you, here are two alternatives to consider.
How I tried the Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly
I used Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly in my own kitchen for three weeks and made an average of two coffees a day. I used tap water and used the maintenance disc with the rinse program to clean the machine between each drink.
I used Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte and Jacobs Latte Macchiato capsules, and first used the milk capsule for each drink before dispensing the coffee through the foam. I compared the results to my own Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine.
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