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Looking for a cheap and cheerful coffee maker? The Finesse Friendly could be the one for you, but mind how much you're spending on pods.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: one-minute review

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly from Bosch is a compact capsule-based coffee maker that's an affordable alternative to similar machines from Nespresso and Keurig. It works in much the same way as its rivals, accepting proprietary capsules, piercing them, and forcing hot water through to brew your drink.

Unlike some other small coffee makers, it can also brew milky drinks such as lattes if you use separate pods for the milk and the coffee, with impressive results. The downside is that these capsules (known as T-Pods) can be quite expensive, particularly for drinks with two components.

The Finesse Friendly is very simple to use and clean, with a blank disc stored in a slot at the bottom that enables a quick rinsing cycle between drinks. Its water tank is east to remove as well, though its small capacity (just 23.7oz / 700ml) means you'll be making frequent trips to the sink if you're making more than one or two drinks at a time.

(Image credit: Future)

It's a well-built and likeable little coffee maker, but if you enjoy lattes regularly, you might want to consider learning to use a compact espresso machine with a manual steam wand instead. Although the initial cost will be higher, you could save money in the long run by using fresh milk for your regular brews rather than capsules. Take a look at my roundup of the best espresso machines for options at various price points.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: specifications

Name

Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly

Type

Capsule coffee maker

Dimensions (W x H x D)

6.2 x 10.4 x 14.2 inches / 15.7 x 26.5 x 36cm

Weight

6.2lbs / 2.8kg

Water tank capacity

23.7oz / 700ml

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: price and availability

• List price £89.99 (about $120 / AU$180), but often discounted
• Widely available in Europe, but not in the US or Australia
• T-Pod capsules can be quite expensive, depending on type

The Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly is one of the most affordable capsule coffee makers machines I’ve ever tested. It has a list price of £89.99 (about $120 / AU$180), but is frequently discounted to £49.99 (about $70 / AU$100). That’s even less than the entry-level Nespresso Vertuo Pop. You’ll find all today’s best prices below.

The downside is that although it’s widely available in the UK and continental Europe, it’s not currently sold in the US or Australia.

Although the Finesse Friendly is cheap, Tassimo capsules (known as T-Pods) can be quite pricey particularly if you prefer drinks with milk, which require two pods each. They are widely available online and from supermarkets, and include varieties from brands including Cadbury’s, Costa, Kenco, Jacobs, and L’OR.

(Image credit: Future)

Prices vary widely depending on your chosen drink. For example, a pack of Costa Caramel Latte T-Pods, for example, contains enough capsules to make just eight drinks, and has a list price of £7.25 (about $10 / AU$15). Pods containing just coffee are much more affordable. At the time of writing, a bundle containing 80 Kenco Pure Colombian capsules is £21.38 (about $30 / AU$40).

• Value score: 3.5/5

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: design

• Compact and lightweight
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Water tank holds only 23.7oz / 700ml

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is an exceptionally light and compact coffee maker, which is ideal for small kitchens and easy to tuck away in a cupboard when not in use. Its body is made using 60% recycled plastic, and is available in four colors: black, white, cream, and red. The black version I tested had a tendency to accumulate fingerprints, particularly on the matt-finish sides, but they were easily cleaned off with a damp cloth.

Its drip tray is removable for cleaning, and can be repositioned closer to the dispenser to accommodate espresso cups without splashing.

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It has a single control button, which uses colors and blinks to indicate the machine’s current status. A red light means the machine needs attention, and usually signals that the water tank is running low.

The tank is attached to the back of the machine, and is easy to remove; just angle it slightly and pull upwards. It has a maximum capacity of just 700ml / 23.7oz, so you’ll need to refill it after making two full-size drinks.

(Image credit: Future)

Cleaning the Finesse Friendly is straightforward. Just 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 hit the brew button just as you would when preparing a drink.

The machine will rinse itself with a cupful of hot water, leaving it clean and ready to use next time. It’s also worth wiping the outside of the dispenser clean if you’ve made a drink with milk, as this has a tendency to splutter.

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(Image credit: Future)

The Finesse Friendly has no water filter, but is easy to de-scale when indicated by the red status light. Just fill the water tank to the line marked ‘calc’, add two descaling tablets (not provided 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.

• Design score: 4/5

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: performance

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly is extremely simple to use. Just fill the water tank to the maximum line, pull the top of the machine upwards to open it, and place your drink capsule in the opening face-down. Push the lid closed and the light on the control button will light up orange, indicating that the Finesse Friendly is ready to start brewing.

After your drink has finished dispensing, wait until the light stops blinking orange before removing the used capsule.

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(Image credit: Future)

I tested the Finesse Friendly with a couple of different capsules: Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte (which Bosch provided with the review machine), and Jacobs Latte Macchiato (which I bought myself). Each variety came with two boxes of pods: one containing the coffee, and the other filled with long-life milk.

Although a latte macchiato is usually my coffee of choice, the cinnamon roll pods were the clear winner. Although it was definitely sweet, the drink had a more mellow flavor than many other coffee pods I’ve tried. In fact, it was so good I ended up buying a second pack.

The tiny Finesse Friendly did a particularly good job of steaming milk, producing a long-lasting layer of creamy foam. During my tests the machine had a tendency to sputter a little, and emitted quite a lot of steam once it had finished dispensing, but this had dissipated by the time the orange light stopped blinking.

In the UK, you can recycle used T-Pod capsules through Podback (a scheme that also accepts used Nespresso, L'OR and Dolce Gusto pods). You'll receive a Podback bag when you receive an order of T-Pods, and you can order more through the Podback website.

You can drop off your Podback bags in most big supermarkets, or take loose capsules to a recycling center with a Podback bin. Find your nearest drop-off point.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Boch Tassimo Finesse FriendlyBosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

The machine itself is very affordable, but pods for milk-based drinks can be expensive.

3.5/5

Design

Compact and light, made using 60% recycled plastic, but water tank is very small.

4/5

Performance

Heats quickly, foams milk well, and dispenses consistently tasty coffee. Easy to clean and maintain.

5/5

Buy it if

You want a coffee maker that's easy to use

Brewing coffee doesn't get much easier than this. Just add water and a pod, wait a minute, and you'll have a perfectly brewed drink every time.

You want more than just coffee

The Finesse Friendly also makes excellent hot chocolate, and there are plenty of T-Pod capsules available from brands including Cadbury's.

Don't buy it if

You drink several lattes daily

T-Pods for milky drinks can be quite expensive. They're delicious, but you'll go through a pack of capsules very quickly unless you keep them as a special treat.

You want to make drinks for a crowd

The Tassimo Finesse Friendly's small water tank will need refilling after every couple of drinks unless you're brewing short drinks like espresso.

Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly: also consider

If the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly isn't the right coffee maker for you, here are two alternatives to consider.

Nespresso Vertuo Pop

This is another compact pod-based coffee maker with an affordable price tag. The upgraded Pop+ has an extra large water tank, which will be useful if you want to brew drinks for a larger group, and even premium Vertuo pods work out a little cheaper than the most expensive T-Pods.

Read our full Nespresso Vertuo Pop review

Nespresso Pixie

This capsule coffee maker accepts Nespresso Original capsules. Nestlé no longer owns the patent to these, so they're widely available from a huge range of coffee producers, from big chains to small independent roasters.

Read our full Nespresso Pixie review

How I tested the Boch Tassimo Finesse Friendly

I used the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly in my own kitchen for three weeks, making an average of two coffees per day. I used tap water, and used the maintenance disc with the rinse program the clean the machine between each drink.

I used Tassimo Cinnamon Roll Latte and Jacobs Latte Macchiato capsules, and used the milk capsule for each drink first before dispensing the coffee through the foam. I compared the results to those from my own Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine.

For more details, see how we test, rate, and review products at TechRadar.

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