Tassimo Basic vs. Tassimo Suprema

VS.

The major distinctions between the Bosch Tassimo Coffee Hot Beverage System (Basic) and the Bosch TAS4511UC Tassimo Single-Serve Coffee Brewer (Suprema) are styling and the absence/presence of a built-in filtering system.

The Basic model has a matte black finish and a removable 68 oz. water tank with no filter.

The Suprema has a black and chrome finish (a new red model also on the way) with a removable 61 oz. water tank with a built-in replaceable filter. The Suprema has a few more bells and whistles to let you know when to change the filter.

Aside from the filtering operation both models are functionally equivalent.

Water quality varies so much from location to location that a general recommendation would be presumptuous. More than a few people want to keep the minerals in the water and not filter them out.

Here is one tip I picked up from a Maryland farm girl (with a PhD in Molecular Biology) who used unfiltered well water and made terrific coffee. Fill a stainless steel pot with water the night before and let it sit for the night covered with a clean dish towel. Whatever gasses are in the water will dissipate naturally over night.