Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System

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I recently purchased both the Keurig B31 and Bosch Tassimo T45 personal brewers. My initial search was for a personal brewer for my office since the coffee provided at work is terrible. This review is written from the angle that I needed a brewer for my office cubicle, however I will add some insight for those looking to purchase for home use. My 3 main factors were 1)Convenience/Ease of Use 2)Price & 3)Coffee Quality. I opted with the Keurig for work and the Tassimo for home.

CONVENIENCE/EASE OF USE:
The Keurig wins for this factor since it is MUCH quieter than the Tassimo. As stated before, I sit in a cubicle at work so I didn't need a loud machine to disrupt my co-workers. We have `white noise' in our office and you can hardly hear the B31 as it brews. The Tassimo at home is louder and would definitely disrupt my co-workers sitting next to me. However, it is not so loud that it would wake someone up who is sleeping in the house. There are some good videos on YouTube of sound tests of the B31 and T45. I found the videos made the B31 sound louder than it actually is, while the Tassimo's are pretty accurate.

The Keurig brews a little faster than the Tassimo which gives it a little edge as well, but both are right around 2 minutes.

PRICE:
Since the coffee at work is free, price was a big factor for me as well. I didn't need something that was going to greatly increase my weekly spending. The Keurig B31 ($99.99) is cheaper than the Tassimo ($169.99). However, Bosch currently has a $50 rebate on the T45. Couple that with a 20% of BBB coupon and you have greatly reduced the price of the Tassimo machine.
The k-cups are also cheaper than the t-discs. I found the k-cups to be around $0.50/cup. The t-discs will run you $0.60 - $0.80 for regular coffee and $1.25 for the cappuccinos and lattes. Depending on how much coffee you drink, this could get expensive.

Since I use the Keurig every day at work and the Tassimo only on the weekend, this made it the better choice for my desk.

COFFEE QUALITY:
The Tassimo wins this hands down. I found the Tassimo coffee (specifically Seattle's Best and Gevalia) to be much better than the k-cups. The flavors out of the Tassimo seem richer and fuller and the aroma that comes from the machine when brewing is much stronger. The k-cups do produce a good cup of coffee, but I found the t-discs better. I have been able to get close to the flavor of the t-discs by trying different brands of k-cups, but haven't found one that matched it in flavor exactly.

Conclusion:
I found the Keurig B31 to be the best option for my cubicle at work based on convenience and price. I would recommend the Tassimo for those who are using it at home. Or you could purchase both and enjoy the best of both worlds.

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