Tassimo: A Review

I purchased a Tassimo Single Cup Home Brewing System just under two weeks ago. My model is known as the Tassimo-T20 which I believe is the most basic model and has the lowest price tag. I've seen these sold from $70- $100. I think this model was slighty more (In the $150 range) when it first came out. I purchased mine from Real Canadian Superstore for $80 (I was choked because the day before I purchased it, it was on sale for $70).

Here is the box that it came in. It didn't come with anything except for the machine itself and some user guides with basic instructions and safety info in them. I felt that for $80, it should've came with some freebie t-discs (T-discs are the discs that you put into the machine that tell it what to make). It does come with a product code on the bottom of the machine which you can register online to receive 2 free packages. I have yet to do that because I'm lazy and want free stuff NOW. I do need to remember to do that though...

This is the machine outside of the box. Pay no attention to the glass, pieces of packaging from the Tassimo box and butter knife covered in margarine :) It is pretty compact and smaller than most coffee machines. It does not take up much counter space at all which is great!  This model is very simple to use and has very few buttons to contend with. It has a power on/off switch and a button which you press when you want it to brew something, or when you want the machine to give you more water in your cup after something has brewed. This is a nice feature, particulary when brewing drinks that use strong espresso.  I find it very simple to use and my only complaints about the machine are very minor.

Pros:
- easy to use
- doesn't take up much space
- easy to clean
- I enjoy that it only makes one cup at a time
- no coffee grounds!
- makes specialty drinks (lattes, hot chocolate, macchiatos, etc)
- T-discs are easy to store, do not need to be refrigerated and are available in most chain stores
- I have enjoyed the taste of all of the t-discs I have tried. Some I like more than others, but I have yet to try a truly yucky one! :)
- It isn't extremely noisey and it brews a cup of coffee (even if there is a two step process in about two minutes).

Cons
-The t-discs are PRICEY. The t-disc packages usually make 8 cups of coffee and cost about $6-$12 a package (depending on the type of t-disc). However, it works out to being about 1-1.50 a cup and that is a lot cheaper than buying specialty drinks at Starbucks!
- There isn't a huge selection of t-discs to choose from (at least not in my stores). I have noticed that there are some on the Tassimo website which my stores do not appear to carry. I hope more options are introduced in the Tassimo line in the coming year(s).
- I find that sometimes the latte or steamed milk t-discs tend to be a bit messy when removing them from the t-disc tray. Clean-up simply requires a quick wipe and isn't a huge deal, but sometimes I have had hot milk drip out of the t-disc onto my skin.

As you see, I have identified many more pros than cons. So far, I really enjoy the Tassimo! I like that it is basically a robot barista. It is a pretty neat piece of technology. Simply place in your desired t-disc and the machine reads the barcode on the t-disc. The barcode tells the machine what type of drink is to be made and what water levels it requires. Pretty nifty!

I thought I would share my thoughts on the specific t-discs that I have tried.

These are the first four that I bought when I purchased the Tassimo machine. I picked up Cadbury Chocolate Milk (2 step process; chocolate syrup and steamed milk), Nabob French Vanilla (one step process), Caramel Macchiato (two step process; caramel espresso and latte milk), and Americano coffee (one step process).

I have also tried (but do not have a photo of):
-Skinny Latte (two step process; espresso and skim milk)
- cappucino (two step process; espresso and cappucino milk)
- Chai Tea Latte (two step process; milk and chai tea)

Cadbury Chocolate Milk :I enjoyed this one but probably wouldn't purchase again. It has a great true hot cocoa taste and is much less artificial tasting than most hot cocoa powders. At $7 it is pretty pricey to be a regular purchase when a large tin of hot cocoa powder can be purchased for a fraction of that cost. It is nice for a treat though.

Caramel Macchiato: I LOVE this one and would definitely re-purchase. You can really taste the caramel flavouring and it is nice and frothy and just yumtastic! It is very similar to the caramel macchiato that you would purchase at Starbucks.

Nabob French Vanilla: This is a nice rich cup of coffee with a wonderful french vanilla taste to it. Would definitely repurchase.

Americano: I enjoyed this one, but it is very potent. I probably wouldn't repurchase it. I did enjoy the forthy topping it makes though!

Skinny latte: Love this and would definitely repurchase. This drink is only 35 calories and tastes very similar to Starbucks.

Cappucino: This was lovely, but I didn't really notice much of a difference between it and the latte. For that reason, I probably wouldn't purchase again because my store didn't have a skinny cappucino version. I'd rather just buy the latte package and have the option of skim milk.

Chai Tea Latte: This is by far my favorite. Lovely flavour and sooo yummy!! I have purchased this one twice as both me and my boyfriend enjoy this one. We have both picked it as our favourite so far!

Overall, I really enjoy this machine and it has made early mornings slightly more tolerable!

Ontario Fashion Haul!

My previous post featured a few things that I picked up during my Ontario trip that were beauty related. Now I would like to dedicate a post to the clothing that I picked up. I tried to choose things that were unlike anything that I already have in my closet and I tried to pick things that I felt were unique and not in the stores around where I live. I did not come back with piles and piles of items and this was actually a relief. I had JUST done all the de-cluttering and did not want to have an over-run closet again.

This first top is a flowy poncho style top that I got from Forever 21. I LOVED the back detailing, the mint colour and the flowy material. This is really comfortable, but still chic!

Here is a close-up of the top. I can't remember exactly how much I paid for this. I believe it was in the $10-13 range.

Next up is my new polka dot dress. This is a cotton dress. This was purchased at Forever 21 as well for about $15. This is SO comfy and stretchy. I paired this with high heels, a cardigan and leggings for my work outfit today.

This is a cardigan from Old Navy which I love. This was purchased for $22. It is really soft, flattering and I love the coral/orange colour.

Here is a close up of the cardigan to give you a better idea of the colour. I have received compliments on this cardigan and think it is very appropriate for my upcoming teaching practicum.

Next is a plain black tee from H&M. I purchased this on sale for $7!! I love picking up basics and I enjoyed this black tee's elegant lace detailing at the top of the shirt and the cute pocket on the chest. I think the details of this shirt make the basic black tee a bit more dressy and interesting.

Here is a closer look at this top.

Next is one of my favourite items that I purchased. This is a top from H&M that was also only $7. I love the bird print. This top is really flowy and so comfy!

A closer look at my beloved bird top!

I loved this top the moment I laid eyes on it. It is a beautiful pink lace and very flattering. I love that this cardigan is long and a baggier fit, but is still dressy enough for teaching. This was purchased at Forever 21 for about $15.

 

 

This isn't anything super exciting, but I loved the colour and I love good layering pieces. This was purchased at Forever 21 for about $8.

 

 

This was my favorite purchase of the entire trip (well aside from my first bowl of icecream at Baskin Robins :)) This lululemon scuba hoodie was purchased for $110 at Lululemon. I absolutely LOVE it. It fits beautifully and is even more comfy than the first Lulu hoodie I purchased a couple years ago. The newer Lulu hoodies are longer, have an even softer interior and are just overall fabulous. This was my most pricey purchase of the trip, but well worth it! I'm actually secretly wishing summer away so that I can bust this out for fall weather.

 

So you've now taken a look at my fashion haul and my messy bedroom. Hope you enjoyed!

 

xoxoxo

 

Nicole

Ontario Beauty Haul!

I am back in BC after spending a week in Ontario with my sister and brother in law. I had such a wonderful time and I feel much more positive and ready to take on the rest of August and the approaching school year. It was great to spend some quality girl time with my sister.  I am pretty bummed it is all over though. I had looked forward to the trip for so long and now it is all over like Christmas. At least I have a tonne of trip photos to look through and great new beauty products to play with! As I did buy quite a few items, I have decided to make one blog post for beauty items and a separate post for fashion items.

Surprisingly, I only bought 5 beauty items. I tried to only buy things I really loved on this trip as I have been on a major de-cluttering kick. I also knew that I would have to get rid of one beauty item for every item purchased (I have been good about keeping up with this- I've talked about this in previous posts).  I visited Sephora and MAC at Eaton Centre in Toronto and thoroughly enjoyed both stores. I had never visited a MAC or Sephora in person before as there are no MAC's or Sephoras anywhere near me.

So what did I buy? Let's start with Sephora.

If you recall my shopping list, I included Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. I did end up picking it up in the shade "black". This is a tiny mascara that has a tiny wand. So far I've really been enjoying this for both my top and bottom lashes.

This was also on my shopping list: The Urban Decay Smoked Palette! Both my sister and I purchased this palette. It was one of the things I was most excited to purchase.

The palette comes with a sample of Urban Decay Primer Potion and a Look Book. This look book has several eyeshadow looks with detailed steps of how to achieve the look. Usually the looks that come with palettes are pretty simple and boring, but these I may actually test out.

Here are the shades! Super pretty, pigmented and so easy to blend! I have only used this palette once so far and I am already impressed. My sister has been enjoying hers as well.

This is the look I came up with today using the Smoked Palette. I am happy with how the look turned out :)
That was everything I picked up from Sephora..On to MAC...

This is an amplified cream lipstick in Vegas Volt! I LOVE this colour. It is a bright coral/orange/pink. It looks fantastic on and is moisturizing and long wearing! This was also on my shopping list. I now own a MAC lipstick and am super thrilled about it!

Next up is this Mineralize Skin Finish in "Earthshine". I had wanted to pick up a MSF, but I didn't know what shade. I chose this because it is soooo stunning! It is a plum with gold and pink. Super unique and unlike anything I have. I wanted this to wear as a blush/highlighter. Upon swatching it, I have discovered that it can also be used as an eyeshadow. Honestly, this MSF is just fun to stare at!

Finally, I picked up this shadow in "Parfait Amour". I loved this shade when I swatched it. It wasn't on my shopping list, but it was a must-have when I saw it. It is a purple/pink/blue tri-chrome. I've heard people say duo chrome, but never tri chrome...if it isn't a term, it is now! I love how this shade looks so different depending on how the light is hitting it. It looks pretty on the eyes and makes my brown eyes pop! Very pleased with it.

So that is the five items I picked up! I'm very pleased with the items and stayed within my beauty budget for the trip.  As I have stated in previous posts, every time I purchase a beauty product, I must discard something from my collection. This is to ensure that my collection does not grow out of control and to ensure that I am actually using everything.

So what did I throw away? Sadly, it was really easy to pick things so that means I still have way too much crap laying around.

I really have no excuse for keeping this...AT ALL. The formula of this concealer palette is just bizarre. It is REALLY greasy. I think I've only attempted to use this once. Most of the colours do not suit my skin tone and I've never been a fan of the whole green/yellow concealer craze. So honestly, only one of these is even remotely useful shade-wise. The little brush is useless...really hard and scratchy. This concealer kit is called "Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette" and is by Hard Candy. I was suckered in with the cute packaging...don't judge.

I am pretty sad to see this go actually. This is a Revlon eyeshadow trio. The shades are really quite pretty and faily pigmented. I used this A LOT back in the day. You will see that I have created large dents in the shadows. There isn't anything majorly wrong with this, but I have moved on to other things and no longer use it. I also find it difficult to use the gold and the plum because they are so narrow. These have been discontinued, but they were decent quality. I haven't used it for years and it needs to go.

This I purchased not that long ago. I think about a year ago. It is a quad from Claire's. The pigmentation is actually quite nice. I never use it though and have shades similar to these in other things. I also do not like how the Claire's packaging appears. It looks cheap.

This is a Revlon Molten Metal liquid eyeshadow. I've had it since grade 11. I don't even need to explain why it needs to go.

There is nothing wrong with this product at all. It was actually quite a nice foundation for the price. Two reasons why I am throwing this away. A: The shade is slightly too light for me. I probably should have bought one shade darker. B: Most importantly...I DO NOT WEAR FOUNDATION. WHY DO I HAVE THIS? It is such a shame to throw away this much product, but there is no sense keeping something I do not use.

So there it is folks. That is what I picked up in Toronto in terms of beauty related items. Like I said, I will be posting a fashion haul shortly. I got everything that was on my shopping list for beauty products. I hope you enjoyed the haul!

Xoxoxo

Nicole