The Student Room Group

Nespresso, Tassimo or Dolce Gusto?

Hi all,

Looking to purchase one of these pod-coffee machines, ive looked into them all and the machines seem to be similarly priced depending on where you look but id say youre looking at between £40 and £60 which isnt a big deal. Tassimo and Dolce Gusto pods also seem to be similar in price and you can get them from the supermarket with no issue, Nespresso puts me off because you cant just go to your local Tesco and pick some up, you have to order online and wait however many days - not ideal!

However, the most important thing to me is 1) the taste of the stuff and 2) id like it to do tea/hot chocolate too as im a big tea and hot chocolate fan as well as coffee, I also like mocha, lattes, espresso, everything! Hence why I want one of these machines and not just a stove top or espresso machine (have them already but cant be dealing with the hassle).

So, who can give me a greater insight? I know Tassimo does everything and has a good range of pods, I was told that its just instant coffee with dried milk, in which case a jar of granules and fresh milk would be better and not much more effort, is this true?

Thanks in advance!

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Original post by hypercaine.
Hi all,

Looking to purchase one of these pod-coffee machines, ive looked into them all and the machines seem to be similarly priced depending on where you look but id say youre looking at between £40 and £60 which isnt a big deal. Tassimo and Dolce Gusto pods also seem to be similar in price and you can get them from the supermarket with no issue, Nespresso puts me off because you cant just go to your local Tesco and pick some up, you have to order online and wait however many days - not ideal!

However, the most important thing to me is 1) the taste of the stuff and 2) id like it to do tea/hot chocolate too as im a big tea and hot chocolate fan as well as coffee, I also like mocha, lattes, espresso, everything! Hence why I want one of these machines and not just a stove top or espresso machine (have them already but cant be dealing with the hassle).

So, who can give me a greater insight? I know Tassimo does everything and has a good range of pods, I was told that its just instant coffee with dried milk, in which case a jar of granules and fresh milk would be better and not much more effort, is this true?

Thanks in advance!




I have a Nespresso machine. Some of the pods taste alright, others come out tasting really over-extracted and bitter. You have no real control over the brew, it just uses the same preset extraction times for every coffee and obviously you get no control over the grind. If you want taste buy a Hario mini-mill and an aeropress or drip brewer like the the v60. It'll be a fraction of the price and after a little experimentation you'll be getting coffee that's miles better than anything that comes out of a Nespresso machine. Besides, I really can't imagine tea would taste good out of a Nespresso style machine. Tea should be immersion brewed, not pressure brewed.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by Captain Haddock
I have a Nespresso machine. Some of the pods taste alright, others come out tasting really over-extracted and bitter. You have no real control over the brew, it just uses the same preset extraction times for every coffee and obviously you get no control over the grind. If you want taste buy a Hario mini-mill and an aeropress or drip brewer like the the v60. It'll be a fraction of the price and after a little experimentation you'll be getting coffee that's miles better than anything that comes out of a Nespresso machine. Besides, I really can't imagine tea would taste good out of a Nespresso style machine. Tea should be immersion brewed, not pressure brewed.


Thanks for the reply, do you actually think theyre worth it? Do you use yours?
Im a bit unsure, everyone gives each one raving reviews; originally I was going for Nespresso until I realised that it only does coffee and the rest of the faffing is down to you if you want something fancy but I get the feeling it will be nicer coffee than Tassimo/DG
Reply 3
I have two Nespresso machines at home and one Nestlé Special-T machine. I by far recommend the Nespresso machines; they produce excellent coffee, beating the others by far. It should be noted that Café Dulce is a Nestlé product too. I don't really like their coffee though: it's got an artificial taste.

Some more expensive Nespresso machines do milk coffee too.
Reply 4
Original post by hypercaine.
Hi all,

Looking to purchase one of these pod-coffee machines, ive looked into them all and the machines seem to be similarly priced depending on where you look but id say youre looking at between £40 and £60 which isnt a big deal. Tassimo and Dolce Gusto pods also seem to be similar in price and you can get them from the supermarket with no issue, Nespresso puts me off because you cant just go to your local Tesco and pick some up, you have to order online and wait however many days - not ideal!

However, the most important thing to me is 1) the taste of the stuff and 2) id like it to do tea/hot chocolate too as im a big tea and hot chocolate fan as well as coffee, I also like mocha, lattes, espresso, everything! Hence why I want one of these machines and not just a stove top or espresso machine (have them already but cant be dealing with the hassle).

So, who can give me a greater insight? I know Tassimo does everything and has a good range of pods, I was told that its just instant coffee with dried milk, in which case a jar of granules and fresh milk would be better and not much more effort, is this true?

Thanks in advance!


If the Tea/Hot Chocolate thing is a deal breaker, then Tassimo is your only option out of them. I have a Dolce Gusto machine, and it's amazing for coffees, but that's all it does.
Tassimo do Twinings breakfast tea and Cadbury's Hot Chocolate which you can buy in stores, but there's even more to order online (such as milka hot chocolate!)

So I like my Dolce Gusto machine, but I'm more of a coffee man :smile:
Original post by hypercaine.
Thanks for the reply, do you actually think theyre worth it? Do you use yours?
Im a bit unsure, everyone gives each one raving reviews; originally I was going for Nespresso until I realised that it only does coffee and the rest of the faffing is down to you if you want something fancy but I get the feeling it will be nicer coffee than Tassimo/DG


To be honest I use the Nespresso machine more than any other brew method at home just for the convenience, but I currently work at an artisan coffee shop so I get to drink unlimited high quality coffee for free nearly every day anyway. If it weren't for that I'd probably use the v60 every time because the taste and amount of control you get is infinitely better. Plus the Nespresso pods are very expensive for what is essentially a very mediocre espresso.
Reply 6
I can highly recommend the Dolce Gusto machines from personal experience. Never tried the other two but my parents bought a piccolo dolce gusto and I have to say I've probably used it more than both of them combined!! They've got loads of different coffees from you're classics like Americano, Espresso, Mocha, Latte, and then there's all sorts of specials like caffe crema grande which is a smoother breakfast coffee, and espresso barrista which is really strong bounce-off-the-walls stuff. There's no tea but there is chocaccino which is hot chocolate, and theres nestea which is iced tea. I've bought my own machine to take to uni now. They're also really easy to clean, are ready to brew after about ten seconds of being turned on, and are dead simple to use. The coffees either use 1 or 2 pods depending on whether they use a lot of milk/chocolate, so at about £4 a box you're getting a cup of coffee for 25p or 50p. Great value.
Reply 7
I would go for a Tassimo personally. I have just invested in one after using a Dolce Gusto for a while. The selection of pods is far superior in my opinion, with 3 different hot chocs on offer and a rather tasty chai latte (compared to the Dolce Gusto's offering which was tasteless unfortunately). I'm not a big fan of coffee, but the family approve. The choice of available teas is impressive, although some are a rather strong brew, not so good if you like weak tea.
I got mine half price in Argos, with £20 off my first online order. Safe to say it will be making the trip back to uni with me for my early morning wake up!
The price of the pods are pretty similar, with the teas, some coffees and suchard choc giving 16 drinks and the drinks requiring a creamer such as cadbury and lattes etc containing 8. Tassimo pods are in the region of £3.50-4.50 and most of the dolce gusto varieties I was purchasing around £4 (both in Tesco).
Whatever you decide, enjoy!
I'm having a similar dilemma - what I'm thinking of doing is getting an actual espresso machine with a steam wand that takes ESE pods.
Reply 9
I worship daily at the altar of Nespresso. The purple ones are the best.
My tassimo machine is great - I bought it after a friend recommended it - there's a huge range of coffees, and tassimo offer a starter pack with 112 pods and a range of different flavours for £28
If this isn't enough, you get a £20 off voucher to use on the website when you buy the machine, so the huge starter pack ends up costing £8!
Would definitely recommend!


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Reply 11
My mum has a Tassimo and I just received a DG as a gift. Far prefer the Tassimo coffee (Costa) to the DG (Nescafé). DG has a bit of a 'vending machine' taste to it. Still totally drinkable though.
For espresso, Nespresso, for non-coffee based drinks, Tassimo, for coffee based drinks Dolce Gusto while the last two are generally correct, Tassimo has some great coffee options too so Tassimo unless you want espressos all the time.
Reply 13
Original post by tehFrance
For espresso, Nespresso, for non-coffee based drinks, Tassimo, for coffee based drinks Dolce Gusto while the last two are generally correct, Tassimo has some great coffee options too so Tassimo unless you want espressos all the time.


Yeah, I agree

Although I do find the Costa pods for Tassimo to be quite expensive compared to Dolce Gusto

My girlfriend has a Tassimo, and I prefer the Dolce Gusto Cappucinos
Reply 14
Original post by RG.
My girlfriend has a Tassimo, and I prefer the Dolce Gusto Cappucinos


haha What a coincidence, actually my girlfriend has a Tassimo but I'm more into Dolce Gusto as well... We both are coffee lovers and we have the desire to have one when we work or study (we work from home, both, same business...). I checked some reviews on the net, finally came across this post and this one: tassimo o dolce gusto, and we ended up getting a Tassimo. Not because the reviews say so, no, because women always win..!! haha But I must admit that now I'm loving those. Plus the prices are no that expensive as they used to be, I wonder why this is.

As tehFrance says it depends if you want espressos all the time, for me is not the case so it's pretty alright.
I got a Nespresso specifically for making espresso. The pods are pricey, but keep an eye out for special deals at Lidl. They often sell their own-brand pods at half-price, so you can get a pack of 10 pods for around £1.70.
To be honest I prefer Dolce Gusto. My parents have Nespresso and find the coffees are too bitter and the pods are also expensive. I have had Tassimo hot chocs and they do taste lovely. However, the pods for Dolce Gusto are now becoming far more frequent for Dolce Gusto in supermarkets and the machines are far more compact and better looking. They also like the "Lungo" coffee that DG sells compared to Nespresso. As far as I understand, they also went and bought a DG machine eventually.

I think the teas are a waste of money with Tassimo. I would only ever buy a machine for hot choc and coffee drinks. The beauty with DG is that once you get the hang of it, you can make up your own drinks. Amazon and EBAY also sell independent recipe pods made by DG that aren't available in supermarkets as well as COLD flavoured drinks also sold online by Dolce Gusto/DG themselves. The best sellers for DG are Amazon UK as they have a few great deals on with 3 boxes as a purchase.

Do shop around but also bear in mind that DG are selling off machines that don't have an automatic guide for the coffee flow and manual flow stop. The latest machines have an ingenious dial guide for strength as well as automatic stop. Handy for walking away and returning to a coffee made in seconds for you.
Why can't you make tea and hot chocolate without a machine?
Get a good old espresso machine and make some proper coffee. You can put milk and sugar in it however you like.
Well speaking as an ex-Barista to see me through my first year at Uni, proper espresso machines are really messy. I had one and I loved it. My flat mate couldn't stand it. The coffee grinds get everywhere, not to mention the splashes of hot milk. The coffee itself has to be stored properly and so many people make the mistake of storing the coffee in the fridge which also stinks out your fellow halls of residence students food and makes you unpopular. Also if you have ever flat shared, hiding the milk can often be a necessity!

The DG, Nespresso and Tassimo eliminates all that nonsense. Everything is sealed and largely less mess constructed.

You're also missing the point about these machines; they make premium hot drinks, its a bit of a treat over the standardised "mass brand" coffees and hot chocs you can buy.
(edited 8 years ago)
To be honest I prefer Dolce Gusto. I have had Tassimo hot chocs and they do taste lovely. However, the pods are now becoming far more frequent for Dolce Gusto in supermarkets and the machines are far more compact and better looking. I think the teas are a waste of money with Tassimo. I would only ever buy a machine for hot choc and coffee drinks. The beauty with DG is that once you get the hang of it, you can make up your own drinks. Amazon and EBAY also sell independent recipe pods made by DG that aren't available in supermarkets as well as cold flavoured drinks also sold online by Dolce Gusto/DG themselves. The best sellers for DG are Amazon UK as they have a few great deals on with 3 boxes as a purchase.