Starbucks Espresso Nespresso Compatible Pods

I adore coffee and can’t get through the day without at least one cappuccino. Although I have a Nespresso coffee machine at home which produces the most delicious coffee, my favourite coffee of all comes from Starbucks.

And finally, it looks like it might be possible to recreate that Starbucks taste at home as Starbucks have finally produced Nespresso compatible coffee pods.

So as soon as possible, I hotfooted it down to my local Starbucks and purchased one box of 10 Fairtrade Espresso Roast capsules for £2.95.
It has long been my quest to recreate that Starbucks taste at home. Over the years I’ve purchased their ground coffee to use in a cafetiere. But naturally that wouldn’t work as it’s not espresso. So I tried using ground coffee in my little Italian Bialetti stove top espresso maker. This does produce a lovely espresso, but sadly not that unique Starbucks taste.

I’ve tried buying the whole beans and grinding them at home. Still no luck. Then I purchased empty Nespresso compatible pods which you can fill with your own coffee. Nope, still didn’t taste like the Starbucks from the shop.

So I gave up trying. Until now!

To ensure everything matched as closely as possible in order to recreate my favourite Starbucks drink, I also purchased the same Alpro Soya milk. It’s not the one I use at home which is the Soya Light, but the Alpro Original which has more calories. But hey, I was prepared to sacrifice those few extra calories for the cause.

My first attempt was to make a lungo. The milk frothed up well, the espresso smelled gorgeous and all was looking optimistic. And then onto the taste test. Sipping through the soya froth and down into the coffee itself, I could tell immediately this wasn’t it.

The coffee had a slightly bitter taste, not the mild smoothness I'm familiar with from the shop-bought beverage.

So next time I used the espresso option on the Nespresso machine, which meant less coffee but maybe that’s what it needed. (I always ask for one shot when I order my cappuccinos or lattes).

Did it work? No. Well, it was better than the lungo option. It lost some of the bitter taste, but it just wasn’t the same. It still produced a lovely tasting coffee but it’s not what I hoped for. I can only imagine it has something to do with the water or milk temperature. I really don’t know.

Pricewise, Starbucks coffee capsules cost the same as the Nespresso standard capsules (29p per capsule) which is good and certainly a lot less than buying out.

I’ll keep on experimenting by making small adjustments. I live in hope!

Capsules are available in Starbucks coffee shops. Other varieties available include Colombia, Guatemala and Kenya espresso.

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