UPDATE 2019-12-22: I finally replaced this leaking, broke-down Tassimo dog with a Keurig. The price was right, compared to the overpriced, faulty, leaking, completely useless Tassimo I would be forced to replace if I was stupid enough to buy another Tassimo. Obviously I’m in favor of price.

The Keurig gives me more choices for a cup size, too. All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my new Keurig. It also makes great tea!

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I like tea. I like Tassimo tea. There just aren’t enough varieties of Tassimo tea to keep me happy. Consequently, I scratched my head for a bit and then remembered the yellow cleaning T-disc tucked away in the back of the machine.

Voila! Hot water – in an instant.

To get a full cup, I taped a tea bar-code over the bar-code on the cleaning disc. You must orient the new bar-code in the right direction, or the Tassimo won’t recognize the cleaning disc (which is now your hot water disc). Don’t forget to first put the tea-bag into the cup and let it infuse for the best tea. Any other way of making tea just isn’t.

After the process is complete, when the green light appears, I hold down the button for another seven seconds to get a full oversize cup. Your time might vary somewhat.

Should you want to ensure the piping hotness of your cup of tea, hit the cup with some hot water from the hot-water tap and allow it to sit for a bit. Empty and wipe the pre-warmed mug before placing it in the Tassimo brewer.

Noodles? Of course. You can heat heat noodles that way, too.

Bravo, Tassimo! I can now drink tea made from a tea-bag, any variety I desire.

UPDATE: Looking for instructions on descaling your Tassimo and turning off that red light? I use a 50-50 solution of CLR and water to descale mine. It works like a charm. Don’t forget to rinse the tank well and run some fresh water through the machine using the cleaning disc.

Here’s how to descale:

1. Take out the water filter (if you use one). Descaling won’t work with the filter in there.
2. Mix up 500 mL of descaling solution in the water supply bucket. You must have at least 500 mL of solution in there or it will run out and you’ll have to start over.
3. Put the cleaning disc into the machine and close the little disc door.
4. Put a cup that will hold at least 500 mL into the machine (you will probably want to take out the cup stand to make room for it). If the cup won’t hold 500 mL, it’ll overflow and you’ll have a mess.
5. This is the key: press and hold the brew button for at least 3 seconds. Now wait 20 minutes.
6. DON’T FORGET to run several cups of hot water through the machine to clear out the CLR or whatever else you have used to clean the machine.