When choosing between Dolce Gusto and Tassimo you need to think about the cost of the coffee as well as the cost of the coffee machine. Dolce Gusto is better than Tassimo because you don’t have to buy the expensive branded pods if you don’t want to.
Coffee machines are all the rage and it seems like everyone has got one but if you don’t already have one sitting in your kitchen how do you work out which one to go for?
Three brands dominate the entire market, Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and Nespresso. Millions of people own a machine from one of these three so if you are in the market for a pod machine then you don’t need to look any further than them.
Lavazza also do pod machines but they haven’t proven anywhere near as popular and it’s not as easy to get hold of the pods.
It’s best to stick to Tassimo or Dolce Gusto because they are so popular that you can pick up a wide variety of their pods in the supermarket when you are doing your shopping online or in-store without having to worry about doing a separate order.
Nespresso is more targeted to the premium end of the market and their machines are more expensive so if you are looking for a cheap pod machine then it’s best to stick to Dolce Gusto or Tassimo.
We will answer all of the questions that are relevant to choosing between the two brands but if you just want to know the one that is best then it’s Dolce Gusto.
There is very little difference in the quality of the coffee between the two. As well as their own brand pods and capsules you can also get big name coffee pods from the likes of Starbucks and Costa.
The machines themselves are very affordable from both brands and are also very easy to use.
There is one very important reason why you should choose a Dolce Gusto coffee machine over a Tassimo coffee machine and that is the cost of the coffee itself.
With Tassimo, you only have one option and that is to buy their pods. The reason for that is that all Tassimo pods have a barcode on them that tells the machine what it is and how much water to push through the capsule and into your cup.
If different people in your home like different types of drinks, you never need to worry about changing any settings because the machine automatically knows what to do because of the barcode on the pod.
So if you like a cappuccino it will produce a stronger coffee by adding less water and if someone else likes a latte then it adds more water and makes it milder, all automatically.
So if you want ultimate convenience with zero hassle then Tassimo is a good option, but you will pay for it in the price of the capsules.
You can easily pay £5 for a pack of 8 latte capsules and that works out at 62p per coffee. That’s a lot for a pod that contains some ground coffee and powdered milk.
Dolce Gusto branded pods don’t work out much cheaper but you do get a lot more flexibility to buy alternative compatible pods if you want to and they can work out a lot cheaper.
We have a very detailed article that explains the best way to get the best value for money out of a Dolce Gusto coffee machine that will save you a lot of money if you decide to go down that road:
Before we take you through some of the best machines from both brands here are some answers to the most popular questions about these types of coffee machine.
Which coffee tastes better, Tassimo or Dolce Gusto?
Honestly, there is nothing in it and it does all come down to personal preference. Both types of capsules contain pre-ground coffee of reasonable quality.
The biggest problem with both is that for milk-based drinks like Cappuccino or Latte you need to use two pods for one coffee – a coffee pod and a milk pod.
Sometimes they mix the milk and the coffee in one pod but either way, it works out a really expensive way to enjoy a cappuccino or latte.
If the milk pods come separately then you are paying 66p for a pod that contains a tiny amount of powdered milk!
A huge tip to save a lot of money is to make your own milk-based coffee drinks using a combination of the pods and fresh milk.
If your drink of choice is either cappuccino or latte then buy the espresso pods and heat your own fresh milk and add that to the espresso to make your own cappuccino or latte.
Instead of paying 66p for a powdered milk pod (or liquid creamer in the case of Tassimo) you will pay 5p for fresh milk per cup. Fresh milk tastes miles better than powdered and it’s also miles cheaper!
If you don’t want to spend any money on a milk frother then you can easily heat the milk in the microwave in 60 seconds whilst the coffee is being made.
If you want to heat and froth your fresh milk better than the pod machine can then there are loads of cheap milk frothers that will create a creamy frothy, textured milk just like you get in a coffee shop.
Here are some suggestions:
Are Tassimo and Dolce Gusto pods the same?
No, they are totally different, you cannot use a Dolce Gusto pod in a Tassimo machine and vice versa.
Which is the best Dolce Gusto machine?
They all produce the same quality of coffee, it just depends whether you are happy to control the water delivery manually or whether you want the machine to stop automatically when the required amount of coffee is in your cup.
If you pay a little more you can get a nicely designed one that will look nice on your work surface.
We have picked out 3. One manual, one automatic and one that is a bit more design-led:
Dolce Gusto Jovia pod coffee machine
This is normally the cheapest Dolce Gusto pod machine that you can buy. Its really good value for money and ultra-easy to use.
You literally open the lid, pop in a pod and pull the lever to the right to start water delivery and the machine will push the water through the pod and into your cup.
This is perfect if you like to control how much coffee goes into the cup yourself so you can keep an eye on it and just move the lever back to the middle once it’s just right.
You get a 0.8 litre water tank that sits on the back of the machine that you can fill with a jug or it easily pops out to fill straight from the tap.
See the full review of the Dolce Gusto Jovia pod coffee machine
Dolce Gusto Mini Me pod coffee machine
The Mini Me tends to be a little more expensive than the Jovia because it is automatic. There is a slider on the front that allows you to choose how much coffee gets delivered into your cup and it stops automatically once its done.
The lower the setting the less water gets delivered so you just need to tweak it to suit your taste. Once you have it how you like it then it will deliver the same amount every time.
See the full review of the Dolce Gusto mini me pod coffee machine
Dolce Gusto Oblo pod coffee machine
For something a little more design-led and funky you can take a look at the Oblo. It does the same job as the others but you may like the look of it better than the other ones.
This one is manually operated so you have to move the lever from the middle to the right to start delivery of the coffee and back again when you are finished.
It’s very compact so won’t take up much space so is well suited to smaller spaces.
See the full review of the Dolce Gusto Oblo pod coffee machine
Which is the best Tassimo machine?
All Tassimo machines deliver the coffee automatically because it reads a barcode on the capsule in order to give you the right amount of coffee every time.
We have picked out 2 machines. A cheap entry-level model and a more expensive one that enables you to personalise your coffee and choose the temperature as well:
Tassimo Vivy 2 pod coffee machine
This is the lowest cost Tassimo machine and it really does represent simplicity itself. You tun it on, pop in the pod and press one button.
Because the machine reads a barcode on every pod it knows exactly how much coffee to deliver each time and it stops automatically at the right time
This is perfect for hassle-free coffee.
See the full review of the Tassimo Vivy 2 pod coffee machine
Tassimo My Way pod coffee machine
This is a more expensive option but you get a lot more personalisation options.
You can choose your coffee strength and also the temperature of the water so if you like it extra hot, no problem.
You can also preset your choice for more than one person so if multiple people like their coffee a different way in your home then each person can have their own button and it will remember how you like it without having to redo the settings each time.
See the full review of the Tassimo My Way pod coffee machine
Tassimo Happy pod coffee machine
There is not a great deal of difference between the Happy and the Vivy 2. They have the same dimensions, the same size water tank capacity of 0.7 litres and they also both read the barcode on all pods and you press one button for coffee delivery.
If you are looking for a pod machine at the budget end of the market then the happy and the Vivy 2 tend to swap places in terms of price depending on when different promotions are on. Because they are almost identical if you want to get the best value for your money then check the price of both and go for the one that is cheapest at the time.
See the full review of the Tassimo Happy pod coffee machine
Should you consider any other type of coffee machines?
Pod machines are the most convenient and hassle-free way to enjoy a decent cup of coffee.
If you have a million things to think about and you have no time to think about or make coffee then a pod machine is a good option.
Here are all of our pod coffee machine recommendations:
If however, you are prepared to spend a few minutes making your coffee then there are many different brewing methods that will produce a great-tasting cup of coffee.
This article goes through all of the different options in detail:
