In late 2019, Starbucks teamed up with Nespresso to release compatible capsules containing their blends of coffee. This is the Starbucks By Nespresso House Blend with a medium roast and intensity of 9/12.
Their house blend is the one Starbucks has used since 1971 and is a one blend of Latin American beans ‘roasted to a dark chestnut colour’ and described as being ‘loaded with flavour, balancing tastes of nut and cocoa, just a touch of sweetness from the roast’. The capsule is a tan colour with a green dot at the centre, and draws on the signature colour palette of Starbucks.
Prepared as a lungo, the coffee had a rich aroma of cocoa. Consumed hot, an intense roasted flavour came through with a marked acidity developing with strong nutty notes in the body and a very prominent bitterness of cocoa in the finish. Overall, this is one of the most intense coffee that delivered a heavy punch with bitterness and acidity throughout the sip and is best enjoyed with milk to round out the flavour. (For the record, the grey marks on the glass are the bubbles from the coffee itself and not the dirty residue on the cup.)
This Starbucks By Nespresso House Blend contained 10 x 5.7 g capsules. It was produced in Switzerland and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2019.