Tassimo troubleshooting

Among all coffee pods machines, Tassimo makers are undoubtedly my favorites. Not only do I like them because they are small, quiet, and offer a wide variety of high-quality coffees, but also because they hardly ever present problems. Additionally, when we do encounter an issue with a Tassimo coffee maker, it’s usually very easy to identify and fix.

The same simplicity of the coffee maker we see on the outside exists on the inside. Tassimo coffee makers are easy to disassemble with few internal components, which leaves plenty of space to work. However, despite all the positive aspects we’ve mentioned about these coffee makers, it’s inevitable that they may occasionally encounter some issues.

Before continuing to read this Tassimo troubleshooting guide, we recommend that you download the user manual for your coffee maker model here, as what we often perceive as a fault may actually be a misunderstanding.

Tassimo maker not turning on issue

To start our troubleshooting guide for Tassimo coffee makers, let’s address one of the most challenging issues we may encounter with our Tassimo coffee maker. We’re talking about when we plug in the coffee maker, no lights come on, and there’s no sound at all; it’s as if the coffee maker is dead.

As not all coffee pod maker brands are the same, we had to create a specific article for this issue that your Tassimo coffee maker might experience: Why Won’t My Tassimo Coffee Maker Turn On?

You might be interested in: My Opinion on the New Tassimo Finesse.

Tassimo maker water temperature issue

When studying temperature problems with coffee in Tassimo coffee makers, we need to separate two completely different issues: On one hand, when the coffee temperature is low and, on the other hand, when the coffee comes out completely cold.

Tassimo coffee maker manuals do not address these types of issues in their troubleshooting section, so it’s very important for us to explain what’s happening and how to fix it.

List of Problems and Solutions in Tassimo Instruction Manual
List of Problems and Solutions in Tassimo Instruction Manual

Is it possible to adjust the coffee temperature in a Tassimo?

Tassimo coffee makers use an intelligent coffee pod system called “intellibrew,” through which the coffee maker automatically adjusts the amount of water for each coffee pod.

For this reason, most Tassimo coffee makers have only one button to prepare coffee. In this type of coffee maker, it is impossible to adjust any value related to coffee preparation.

However, in the case of MyWay and MyWay2 coffee makers, we have a standard temperature displayed with a yellow luminous thermometer, a higher temperature with a reddish luminous thermometer, and a lower temperature with a whitish luminous thermometer. Press the thermometer button to select the desired temperature:

Tassimo MyWay coffee maker temperature selector
Tassimo MyWay coffee maker temperature selector

Coffee temperature isn’t high enough

This problem is not exclusive to Tassimo coffee makers. When a Tassimo coffee maker starts producing increasingly colder coffees, we’re dealing with a clear issue of limescale buildup in the water circuit.

When limescale and other sediments accumulate inside the thermoblock, the temperature exchange between this device and the water occurs inefficiently, resulting in excessively cold water. Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution to the problem: Perform an urgent descaling.

Regular descalings are very important not only for the proper functioning of the Tassimo coffee maker but also for a better taste of the beverages we prepare with it.

Water leaks in Tassimo maker

When we talk about water leaks in the Tassimo coffee maker, we assume that the drip tray is not overflowing, and that’s not the cause of the problem. We also assume that the water tank has no cracks through which it’s losing water. We understand that the most obvious causes have already been checked.

A Tassimo coffee maker will essentially lose water in two different areas:

  1. The head and coffee pod holder area. We’re not referring to the steam that usually comes out after preparing any beverage, but to a constant drip during the preparation of our coffees.
  2. The interior area of the coffee maker. We’ll find water coming out from the base of the coffee maker, which depending on the severity of the problem, the drip could turn into a stream.

Since we’ve considered this problem to be quite common and serious, we’ve created an exclusive article where we delve into it: Tassimo Water Leak Issues.

Meaning of the lights on the Tassimo maker

Tassimo is known for having one of the most innovative coffee preparation systems in the coffee pod coffee maker market, thanks to its barcode reading system. We simply insert the pod, press “the single button,” and the coffee maker does all the work for us.

However, like other brands, Tassimo coffee makers indicate the states they’re in through a color-coded light system. These lights can be off, on, or flashing, and they can do so individually or together, and in some models, the colors can vary from orange to red.

To clarify all your doubts regarding these lights, we have created a very simple, yet very useful guide that we hope will allow you to continue enjoying your coffee drinks without any issues: Tassimo Button Lights and Modes.

Problem with the Tassimo maker barcode reader

When a Tassimo coffee maker doesn’t recognize a coffee pod, the machine will let you know through its LED lights. In all models, the operation indicator light illuminates in red, although there’s an exception with the Fidelia and Amia models, where the green manual preparation light turns on instead of the automatic one.

Coffee pod reading error light
Coffee pod reading error light

A Tassimo coffee maker may fail to recognize the barcode for 3 different reasons:

  1. The barcode reader is dirty and cannot read the pod’s code. It’s very common for coffee or milk splashes to occur on the reader, and if these are not cleaned regularly, the machine will struggle to recognize the coffee pods.
  2. The pod’s barcode is stained, wrinkled, or damaged, and the machine cannot read it. Depending on where you store your coffee pods, they can get stained with coffee or other substances, making their barcode unrecognizable. Make sure to always insert coffee pods with intact barcodes.
  3. The barcode reader or its flexible connector is broken. This is an extreme case but common in heavily used coffee makers. If you’ve cleaned the reader and the pods properly, but your coffee maker still doesn’t recognize the coffee pods, you need to buy a replacement.
Barcode reader and flexible cable at the back of the machine
Barcode reader and flexible cable at the back of the machine

Why do coffee pods explode in Tassimo makers?

To answer this question, I’ve done quite a bit of research and read numerous comments from Tassimo coffee maker users who experience this problem. Taking into account my engineering knowledge and the number of Tassimo coffee makers I’ve dealt with, I decided to solve the mystery of exploding Tassimo coffee pods.

Results of a refillable pod burst
Results of a refillable pod burst

To fully understand this problem, I had to turn to the sources, namely those users who suffer from this problem. Browsing forums, I gathered information about possible causes and discovered some really interesting things. Here are the facts based on what the affected users say:

  • Poor cleaning and calcification don’t seem to be the cause of the explosions. Affected users keep their Tassimo coffee makers clean and descaled to avoid/solve the problem.
  • There isn’t a single brand or type of coffee pod where explosions occur. Although milk coffee pods are the ones that explode the most.
  • It doesn’t seem to be a problem with a specific coffee maker. There are people who have used different coffee makers, and explosions happen equally.
  • It’s independent of the machine’s age. Some users report the failure in new coffee makers and others in coffee makers with several years of use.
Users who have had Tassimo pods explode
Users who have had Tassimo pods explode

So, what’s the problem? If we can’t blame maintenance, the coffee maker, or the pods, what causes explosions in Tassimo coffee pods?

Until now, the only thing we know for sure is that pods explode, but we don’t know why. So let’s see how a coffee pod works and what goes wrong. In the image below, we see where the coffee maker injects the water and where it comes out into our cup (left), plus how that water circulates inside the coffee pod (right).

How a Tassimo coffee pod works
How a Tassimo coffee pod works

The only fact we have clear is that if a coffee pod explodes, it’s because the water doesn’t reach the nozzle, or the amount of water that comes out is insufficient to release the pressure accumulated inside the pod.

Possible causes of the failure (related to the coffee maker and the coffee pod):

  • The coffee maker’s injection pipe doesn’t pierce the coffee pod properly.
  • The pod holder lid doesn’t press the coffee pod firmly enough.
  • The metallic material serving as a lid for the coffee can’t withstand the pressure.
  • The glue that joins the metallic material with the plastic can’t withstand the pressure.
  • The paper filter can’t filter the coffee fast enough to release pressure from the coffee pod.
  • The amount of water injected by the coffee maker is too much in a short time, and the pressure increases too quickly (control card problem).

I honestly don’t believe there’s a single cause for these coffee pod explosions, but a combination of them, which, occurring simultaneously, causes the pressure to increase inside the pod and not be able to exit through the nozzle quickly enough.

  • To avoid the problem, you should try different brands and types of Tassimo coffee pods and determine which ones are most suitable for your Tassimo.
  • Once you’ve selected the most appropriate coffee pods, make sure the coffee maker is clean and well maintained.
  • Finally, you can try replacing the entire nozzle assembly with a replacement one, and in an extreme case, replace the coffee maker’s control card.

How to disassemble a Tassimo maker?

Any problem affecting a Tassimo maker under warranty must be resolved by calling the brand’s technical service: