A few weeks ago I was contacted by a firm asking me to review Bosch’s Tassimo T20 BrewBot. For those who haven’t heard of it, this machine makes a variety of drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, cappucino and more) in the form of a single serving size. Having launched the Philips Senseo machine several years ago I’m very familiar with this category, and being an avid coffee drinker I was interested to see a few things: 1. How easy is it to use the machine?, 2. How will the coffee taste, and 3. Will my wife like it?. All of these questions answered — and a chance to win your own Tassimo T20 BrewBot — after the jump!

How easy is it to use the machine?

Putting the BrewBot through its paces was a surprisingly easy and quick task. The machine out of the box and onto the counter was very similar to the old Senseo machine and took no time at all. The machine feels solid, even though its exterior is plastic.  Like the Senseo, you have to wash the reservoir and run 4 cups of hot water through it before consuming anything from the BrewBot. The machine brews just about anything a family could want: coffee, tea, espresso, cappuccino, lattes, crema coffees and hot chocolate. Unlike the Senseo of the old days, which only launched with coffee, the Tassimo is extremely versatile and can accommodate all sorts of tastes, varieties and ages.

Once the machine was plugged in and the water had run its course it was time to check out what makes this little machine so special. For those who’ve never used a single serve coffee maker, all of the machines in this category buzz; not like a bumble bee, but more like your wife’s plastic friend if it was powered by a car battery. ;) Before you go and get all jealous just remember that the coffee goodness that comes out of this bad boy is all yours.

The machine brews your drink in about a minute and uses some pretty innovative technology to make a perfect cup every time. Each beverage’s contents come in small “T discs” that contain the coffee, hot chocolate, et al. A box of them is anywhere from $50-60, so a buck per disc for coffee. It’s more expensive than what you’d pay for a pound/pot of coffee but cheaper than heading to Dunkin’ or Starbucks for a cup of joe. Other varieties are similarly priced – more expensive than making it in bulk at home but cheaper than running out for the same drink.

The technology is pretty remarkable. Each t-disc has a barcode on top of it, which when inserted into the machine tells it how to prepare it perfectly every time. You can make a weaker cup of joe by pressing the large button once your coffee’s brewed if that’s your thing.

Back to the machine before we head on to the taste: It’s downright simple to use. You fill the reservoir with water, place your coffee mug on top of the holder (or remove it and put your travel mug in its place), place the T-disc in place, push the giant button and you have yourself a hot cup of coffee to go.

What about the taste?

I was given two varieties to try: Starbucks Primo Cappuccino and Gevalia Signature Blend coffee. The cappuccino is delicious, no questions asked. The Gevalia coffee leaves something to be desired in my opinion. I like different types of coffee – Americano, espresso, you name it – but this one wasn’t great. It needs milk and sugar, which isn’t how I prefer to drink my coffee, to add flavor. I’m sure there are others out there I may like but given my normal morning coffee consumption I can’t see switching from my weekend routine; that being said, I have already enjoyed a hot cappuccino on the way to work and can see having this machine handy for when my parents visit, company comes over or the kids come in this Winter for some hot chocolate.

Will my wife like it?

Let’s just say this: I’ve been in the product review and PR game for a few years now so I don’t get  overly excited to review products. We had a Senseo and eventually sold it before moving because we found that we didn’t use it very much once the free samples ran out. That was then, this is now. The machines in this category have gotten more advanced and unlike the early days when the  machine manufacturers would sign exclusivity deals (Senseo’s was with Sara Lee, and the most frequent comment was “Love the machine, hate the coffee”), today’s manufacturers are letting us decide what will give us the best possible experience.

Given our history with Senseo, I was surprised that my wife fell in love with it. In fact, this evening when I went to get the exact names of the coffee brands for this review she told me that I couldn’t have the last cappuccino. Not because it’s late and it’ll keep me up until 3 AM, but because she wants it tomorrow morning! Overall I’d say the Tassimo T-20 BrewBot is a keeper.

You can get more information on the BrewBot on their official web site here.

Now, for the fun part: You can have a BrewBot too!

Here’s what you have to do for an entry into the random drawing. Each action gets you another entry. I’ll pick someone by Thursday 12/16 at 3 PM EST to get their very own BrewBot!

1. Go to BrewBot.com and in the comments of this post tell me what flavor(s) you’d like to try.

2. Tweet that you entered to win a #tassimo #brewbot on @EOTBlog with a link to this post.

3. Join the Tassimo fan page on Facebook or follow @TassimoTaster on Twitter.  I have no idea how I’ll validate that you did this but we’ll just consider it Scout’s honor, mmmkay?

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