I tried special offer coffee machine with Costa and Cadbury's pods and it's changed my expensive habits

I’m a sucker for pod and filter machines in hotels as a coffee lover but never had one of my own. My weakness is popping in to Costa Coffee when out and about or as a treat, which quickly adds up and gets expensive.

Testing out the Tassimo My Way 2 coffee machine, I was a unsure of whether it was something I would use that much and how simple it would be to sort out. I tried it with my elderly parents to see how they would cope with it too.

It’s become widely available with plenty of offers around online including almost 50% off at the Tassimo website, making it £74.99 instead of £139.99 here. It’s also an Amazon Choice offer at £93 here.

The set up of the machine is probably the most annoying bit, trying to understand the diagrams in the booklet, which weren’t totally straightforward and could have done with a commentary alongside. My folks weren’t completely sold on it at this point, but stay with me.

What takes a bit of time initially is that the My Way 2 needs a clean through first that drips through for about half an hour. Once I understood what it is about and what all the buttons do - with help from a YouTuber’s video - I realised it’s very easy to use.

The My Way 2 is actually a clever piece of tech that scans the pods and also a cleaning piece, which slots in instead of a pod between drinks. That gives it a good regular clean out so you don’t have the bother.

Getting started on the drinks, there’s a wide range of pods available including Costa’s Americano and Kenco. It goes beyond coffee though with Cadbury’s hot chocolate, normal or chocolate orange flavours.

I liked the fact that you can tailor the drink to your choice of cup size - small, medium and large buttons - along with strength with one, two or three bean symbols to press.

It’s simple to program for regular settings, so dad could be number one with a short black strong Americano while mum could be a weak large latte, for instance. Then they would each press their number whenever putting a pod in.

The flavour of the coffee is really good and tasted to me the same as in a Costa coffee shop - yet works out as far cheaper in the long run. Pods of Costa Americano packs are £6.49 for 16 drinks at the Tassimo website. That works out as 40.5p a drink, rather than the several pounds in a coffee shop. Plus there are offers galore on discounts if you buy in bigger supplies.

What surprised me more was the Cadbury’s pod. Although more associated with coffee, the My Way 2 is just as good for hot chocolate.

It came out tasting creamy, thick and indulgent. If you aren’t a particular coffee drinker, the My Way 2 would be ideal for making bubbling hot chocolate before bedtime without any of the faff or washing up of various jugs or saucepans.

My mum really took to the hot chocolate and has quickly working her way through the pack.

Along with the convenience, this does work out as a money-saver for someone like me that forks out for coffees at Costa. Now I can get that taste at home for a fraction of the price and start the day with a “proper coffee”, as my parents call it. It’s changed my expensive habit already.

Despite the initial intricacies of how to use the My Way 2, it’s a little machine that you can easily learn to love. It’s got a simple, cleaning function that’s quick and easy to use. Moreover, its rather petite size means it doesn’t take up much room in the kitchen.

If you like me having ageing parents and you are worried about them using a hot kettle, this would be aa great safer alternative as it only used cold water that is filled up in a container at the back.

For the hot chocolate alone, it’s worth the price. It lost a star over not being as clear in the instructions as it could be to start with.

There is 50% off the My Way 2 at the Tassimo website here, making it £74.99 instead of £139.99. It’s also an Amazon Choice offer here at £93. Argos is also selling My Way 2 for £100 here.