Bosch Tassimo TAS5542GB Multi Hot Drinks Machine, Black

To start with… I’m 70, and this is the very first “automatic” brewer I’ve ever owned or used. I used a traditional Melitta-style “pour-over” coffeemaker for all of my adult life, until I moved from Southern California to the Seattle area (i.e., “CoffeeLand”) in ’92. I walked into a Starbucks for the first time, explained my unfamiliarity, and asked about different sorts of coffeemakers… adding that I enjoyed strong, flavorful coffees. The barista grinned, and asked if I’d ever tried a French Press. I didn’t even know there WAS such a thing, and said “No”.Twenty minutes later — after he’d shown me one, explained how it worked, and brewed a mug with it using beans he ground for me — I bought my first Bodum… and since then, until getting this T55, I haven’t made a single cup of home-brewed coffee any other way.Problem is… I’ve simply become “disenchanted” with the ever-so-slightly-tiresome French-Press routine. Every time I want a caffeine boost, I have to grind the beans, go through the F-P steps, and then clean up afterward. However, since I live alone, and usually only have one mug in the morning, and perhaps another in the late afternoon, the whole programmable “Mr. Coffee” style of coffeemaker doesn’t appeal, and would also be far too wasteful.Consequently, I recently spent a zillion hours reading online specs and reviews of the various “pod-brewers” available, and ended up ordering a “New-Open-Box” T55 from a seller on Amazon. It arrived yesterday afternoon, had obviously never been used in any way, and after performing the initial setup/cleaning process, it brewed me a PERFECT mug of coffee. Admittedly, buying a “N-OB” unit initially seemed a tad risky to me… but this T55 from Super Discount Deals really IS “like new” — thereby fulfilling my wants and needs, and saving me $150 over the Amazon-offered new ones in the process!Regarding the brewer itself, I downloaded the user manual from the Tassimo website before ordering it… and among other things, I was able to determine that using the T55’s water-filter mechanism isn’t an operational “requirement”. For me, this is critical, because my local tap water is so heavily mineralized, no water-filtering mechanism I’ve tried has lasted longer than one month, before its filter became clogged and needed to be changed… so it’s FAR less expensive in the long run for me to just use filtered drinking-water purchased from a machine. As such, I leave the T55’s filter and its holder completely out… and just pour filtered water into the main water-tank. This, of course, has the added benefit of giving me more “useable” water, in between refills.Speaking of that… I did read one negative comment about having to rely on the T55’s electronic “refill” indicator, and that doing so could cause you to run out of water in the midst of a brewing cycle. ONLY HALF-TRUE. It is true that the electronic refill indicator doesn’t give you enough of a warning, and you CAN consequently run out of water in the middle of brewing (Edit: I did, on the third morning).But you don’t need to rely on the indicator. When there’s no coffee-mug in place on the cup-stand, a portion of the water tank (and its water-level) is clearly visible from the front of the machine. I now know the minimum level needed to brew a full 12 oz mug, so all I need to do is look at the level before starting.I do agree that the water tank should have been made with a bit more capacity. As it stands, even without the water-filter and its holder in the tank, I can only make four 12 oz mugs before having to refill it. Seems to me that adding an additional liter of capacity wouldn’t have drastically increased the overall unit’s size.I’ve also read complaints about some of the T55’s plastic parts being “flimsy”. In step 5 of the manual’s “Maintenance and daily care” section, we are told to “Remove the T DISC holder and the piercing unit. Also remove the drink outlet, by pushing it up.”Well… grasping the Disc-holder’s ring and attempting to move it in ANY direction, will instantly have you realizing that too much pressure in the wrong direction is definitely going to result in breakage.The unexplained secret to removing the T DISC holder, is to place your fingers underneath the back-most part of the ring, and push gently-but-firmly upward, allowing its nearly-vertical snap-fit prongs to disengage. Same thing with removing the piercing-unit/drink-outlet. Just push gently-but-firmly upward on the bottom of the drink outlet, and it snap-pops free.Regarding coffee strength… I always use a 12 oz mug, and I like my coffee to be REALLY strong, even though I do add a fair amount of Half-n-Half. Also, I strongly prefer African blends (Ethiopian or Kenyan). I can’t remember ever trying a European blend, and do not like Asian blends at all. Nonetheless, relying on reviewer recommendations, I bought a case of Gevalia Dark Roast Italian. For my first “test” mug, I used the standard brewing method, without adding or subtracting any water. Adding my normal amount of Half-n-Half to the mug, I found the flavor to be absolutely DELICIOUS… but even for me, just a bit too strong. This morning, for my second “test” mug, I pressed the T55’s “ ” ring prior to pressing “Start”. That amount of extra water filled the mug to exactly the “right” spot, and with the subsequently-added Half-n-Half, I had found my new Coffee-Fix Nirvana.By the way… registering the T55 on the Tassimo website causes them to e-mail you a redemption code good for two free packs of T-pacs in your choice of flavors, with free shipping. I requested Carte Noire Kenya Coffee and King of Joe Dark Roast… and I am looking forward to the opportunity of trying them.In conclusion, I cannot begin to tell you how pleased, and how utterly surprised I am, in discovering that this Tassimo T55 coffeemaker is actually capable of quickly and easily making a mug of coffee for me that is a COMPLETELY acceptable alternative to my French Press. Looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship!HIGHLY recommended!