I have wanted a coffee machine for quite a few years now, but have never really justified the money on a luxury item that may or may not get used after the first couple of times.
Just before Christmas, we spotted the Tassimo T20 machine with a third off the price bringing it down to £66 instead of £99. This was enough of a bargain to justify the money so we snapped it up.

**In the Box**

The machine is one unit that you remove from the box, but it comes with a couple of requirements before you can use it for the first time.
The unit itself is available in a variety of colours, but we opted to buy the black unit as it fits in well with our kitchen colour scheme.
The lead attached to the unit isn't very long in length but us comparable to your average kettle lead length, so perfect really for sitting on the kitchen work top.

**Setting Up**

As you remove the machine from the box, you will find that there are a couple of packaging aspects that need to be removed such as a plastic pod that is sitting where your coffee pods will go. There is a handy store for this at the back of the machine although if I'm honest I haven't worked out the purpose of keeping this disc yet.

The water cannister which slots onto the back of the unit has clear labels for minimum and maximum guide lines for daily use. The booklet recommends that you use fresh water each day which to be honest I would always do as standard.
I noticed very quickly that if your water level is too low then the machine will tell you by flashing a red warning light against a shower symbol to represent water.

You are advised to run the machine through without a pod for the first two runs. This is to clear the machine of any impurities etc. before putting the coffee into it. You would expect to do this on many appliances so not out of the ordinary to come across.

**Look of the machine**

The whole machine is a good size for even a small kitchen. It's not too heavy to manoeuvre around the kitchen if you are limited on space. I like the shiny sheen that covers the machine, and when kept in a clean condition without water marks, then this looks very stylish and expensive.
To look at the machine you would think it's a modern design with plenty of curved lines and nothing looks out of place despite the need to attach a cup in the base of the unit.

**To Use**

Using the machine is a very easy process. The first thing is to make sure you have enough water in the reservoir. I have found that you will need to turn the machine on before adding the cup as it seems to recognise the weight of the cup to tell you it's there and ready to be used, but only once the machine is on.
The coffee pod must be the last thing you add, as if this is already in place then you have to open the pod compartment and close it again before the machine will be ready to use.

When you turn the machine on, there will be a green light with a cup symbol which tells you it's ready to be used. If there is no cup symbol then you know either the pod isn't in place or the cup isn't in the right place.

The pods only fit into the compartment one way and they all have a lip on their edge which helps them sit in the correct place ready to be used.

To start the coffee process then you press the middle button on the machine. There will be a slight delay before you hear a couple of noises that may put you off the first time you use the machine, but you'll soon realise it's perfectly normal.
The water can then be heard to be pulled through the machine and without too much delay you'll see the coffee granules being pulled through the pod compartment into your cup.

If you're making a drink that requires one pod only then the process with only take around thirty seconds to be completed. Some drinks require two pods to be used, and the base pod for the drink such as coffee is usually the first to be used, before you are required to change the pod for the milky topping etc. to complete your drink.

When a pod needs changing, the machine will act as though it's finished and you must wait until the unit flashes the cup ready symbol at you. Once this is flashing, then you can open the pod compartment to change the pods. At this point I find you should be careful as a small amount of steam can escape. I have never been burnt. But if you were badly positioned then it may sting slightly.

I usually find that I need to use different size cups or mugs depending on what drink you are making. It's really down to trial and error by yourself and you'll find what mugs or cups you have suit the drinks you'll be making.

I was pleasantly surprised that despite the process only taking a few seconds, the coffee was coming out at a good temperature, and I wasn't disappointed that it went cold too quickly.

**Cleaning**

The machine doesn't require a lot of cleaning. The pods are intact when they are removed from the machine and can be disposed of straight away. The base area underneath the cup can contain spillages or overflow in it's small reservoir area. I don't find there are spillages very often, but I have encountered one mishap with a dodgy pod which resulted in granules escaping from the pod compartment and running down the side of the machine. This meant my coffee was ruined and I had a small clean up job to do.
The only other times I find small spillages are when the froth overflows or your cup is too small for the drink.
I find it easy to give to base area a wash in the sink or a rinse and then a wipe over with a damp cloth.

The nozzle which attaches to the pod compartment is the only other area that needs cleaning. This is cleaned easily enough with a wipe over with a damp cloth.

**Value for Money**

I find the machine as a whole to be good value for money. From buying the pods which have to be purchased separately, I find the drinks to be around 50p per cup. This is as expensive or cheap as your own personal opinion. For me it works out to be very good value for money and I am happy with my purchase.