I taste tested Starbucks Colombia Roast Nespresso Capsules: My Review, Photos

by Nigel Ong

Starbucks Colombia Roast is one of the more popular single-origin coffee from the coffee giant. Aside from the regular whole bean roasts, there are other versions, such as ground, Via instant coffee, and capsules.

In this post, I will review the Starbucks Colombia Roast Nespresso, one of the capsule versions of the roast. I will brew the coffee several ways and then compare it against other related coffee in my collection.

About Starbucks Colombia Nespresso

Starbucks Colombian Roast is one of the most original roasts from the company. It was introduced way back in 1971. Until today, it remains a popular blend that captures the unique flavors of Colombian coffee beans.

Colombian coffee beans are renowned globally for their quality and distinct taste, influenced by the ideal growing conditions found in the Colombian Andes. This may be the reason that Starbucks offers the blend.

The Starbucks Colombian Roast remains one of the more popular roasts from Starbucks. It has generally received positive reviews from drinkers, who appreciate its consistent quality and accessible taste.

If you go online, reviewers may mention its well-rounded flavor, which includes mild fruity notes, a subtle nuttiness, and a smooth finish.

This makes it a versatile choice, suitable for coffee drinkers of many preferences, from those who prefer black coffee to those who enjoy it with milk or sugar.

The Starbucks Colombian Roast is available in many forms – whole bean, ground coffee, instant coffee, or capsules, such as my Nespresso pod.

How To Brew Starbucks Colombia Nespresso?

With Nespresso capsules, you will require some sort of Nespresso-compatible brewer to brew the coffee. You can start by getting one of those Nespresso machines, which should set you back quite a bit.

Or you can be like me and pick up a Wacaco Minipresso NS instead. The Minipresso is a hand-held, portable espresso maker that operates manually. This means you do not need electricity or charge the Minipresso to use it.

This makes it my favorite since I can easily take them into the woods to make coffee when hiking, for example.

To brew espresso using my Wacaco Minipresso NS:

Add hot, off-boil water into the water tank.
Put on the main body. Place it on top of the water tank and twist it slightly.
Now drop in the coffee pod on the top end of the main body. T
Screw in the outlet cap. You may need to push down slightly before twisting the top cap in.

The assembly is now complete. Time to move into the brewing:

Push down at the piston, then twist anti-clockwise to release the piston.
Turn the device upside down. This means the water tank faces up, and the outlet cap is at the bottom.
Start pumping. It may take about 8-10 pumps to build enough pressure inside the Minipresso NS.
Continue to pump until the pushback force gradually disappears and the espresso has slowed to very slow drips.
You now have a fresh cup of espresso!

OK. Enough with the brewing. Let’s get to the tasting.

How Does Starbucks Colombia Nespresso Taste?

Since the coffee I brew from the Starbucks Colombia Nespresso will be in espresso form, I will use it to create popular espresso-based coffee drinks and sample the coffee from there.

Espresso

The espresso is straightforward. I drop the capsule into the Minipresso NS and then pump one a single shot.

The crema looks beautiful, rich, and thick. The color is a paler shade of brown, but this is expected since this is, after all, a medium roast. The espresso has a nutty aroma with hints of cocoa-like bitterness.

On my palate, the espresso is light and not as strong as your regular espresso. The bitterness and earthiness are medium; once it goes away, you may pick up flavors of nuts and chocolate.

As I sip my espresso, I can clearly tell that the nutty note is closer to walnut.

Once I swallow the espresso, the aftertaste on my palate is medium, with some lingering sweetness.

Long Black

I brewed another espresso, and this time, I decided to make a cup of Long Black. Popular in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, Long Black is a stronger recipe than Americano.

I first pulled out a shot of espresso from the Minipresso NS to make the Long Black. Then, I poured a single shot of hot water into the cup before pouring in my espresso shot. The result is a stronger coffee, with the crema dissipated and broken.

As I take my sip, I can detect the nutty and cocoa notes, although not as intense as in the espresso. The Long Black also tastes less acidic and smoother than the espresso, probably because it’s more diluted.

Americano

Next up, I went ahead and made one of the world’s most popular coffee styles, the Americano.

A more diluted form of espresso coffee, American soldiers made it popular during World War 2. As they fought through Italy, the local Italians learned that these soldiers like their espresso diluted into soft cups of coffee, like a regular cup of joe.

To make Americano, I first pulled out a shot of espresso using my Minipresso NS. Then, I added two shots of hot water into the espresso. This style preserves the crema, unlike Long Black.

As a result, my cup of Americano has a beautiful layer of crema on top. When I sip the coffee, the crema gives the coffee an additional dimension of flavor that I greatly appreciate.

The crema itself is mild, with notes of chocolate. Once the coffee is in my mouth, I can pick up the nuttiness after the soft knock of earthiness has gone away.

This is a pleasant sip and should satisfy many palates. Mine certainly did.

Macchiato

Milk coffee is also something popular, and I thought I’d make some here. Let’s start with some Macchiato.

Macchiato means ‘Stained’ in Italian, likely to mean how a regular cup of espresso is ‘stained’ with some milk. The recipe was first popular in 19th century Italy, when baristas served a softer espresso with a bit of milk inside.

To make my Macchiato, I again pulled a shot of espresso with my Minipresso NS. Then, I added a spoonful of steamed milk. Here, I use whole, UHT, cow’s milk.

Finally, I scooped in a bit of milk foam on top to form a blob.

The Macchiato tasted milder than the regular espresso. In between the stronger dose of coffee, there is some softness of milk, making this espresso very enjoyable as a sipper.

If you ever made a macchiato and think the coffee is too strong, you can always add more milk to soften it.

Latte

Finally, I cannot review espresso-based coffee without making a Latte, can I?

I initially wanted to make a Cappuccino, but I thought Latte was more popular worldwide, so I went ahead with Latte instead.

Traditionally, a latte is made with one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, topped with a small amount of foam. I followed the same recipe when making my cup of Latte.

The whole cup looks inviting, especially for a milk coffee fan like me. As I take a sip, the creamy, rich milk taste is strong, accompanied by the bittersweet flavor of the coffee.

The milk also made the coffee sweet, thanks to the lactose content inside. It also turned the cocoa note into something chocolate-like, giving the whole cup a decadent feel.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Starbucks Colombia Nespresso latte. I think you probably will, too, if you are a milk coffee fan like myself.

Starbucks Colombia Nespresso vs Starbucks Colombia Roast

It only makes sense to compare the Starbucks Colombia Nespresso directly with its original counterpart. I picked up a bag of Starbucks Colombia roast, made a cup of Americano with it, and then sipped both cups of coffee side by side.

Flavor-wise, there is little difference. Both coffees are smooth and contain similar notes of cocoa and walnuts.

However, after sipping both coffee for a bit, I may say that the Nespresso version tastes a little better, perhaps due to better portioning between the coffee grounds and water.

Starbucks Colombia Nespresso vs Popular Colombian Roasts

I have a couple of Colombian roasts lying around, so I thought I’d compare their tastes with the Starbucks Colombia Nespresso:

I ground this coffee down into fine grounds. Then I made espresso out of them, using my Wacaco Minipresso GR.

Then, I turn the espresso into Americano before sipping it with the Starbucks Colombia Nespresso.

Flavor-wise, I think they are about the same. All coffee seems to have that chocolatey note, with some, such as McCafe, having a bit more punch and smoke. This is probably because it is a medium-dark roast.

However, when it comes to overall satisfaction, I will place the Dunkin coffee first, with the Gevalia second. McCafe and the Starbucks Colombian Nespresso are behind.

Dunkin’s coffee seems to have that crisp and softness that makes me much more satisfied than the Starbucks Colombian Nespresso. I could say the same with the Gevalia, too. It has a bit more chocolatey notes, which I enjoy more.

Starbucks Colombia Nespresso vs Other Starbucks Nespressos

Another point of comparison would be to compare the taste of the Starbucks Nespresso capsules I have.

I pulled out my Starbucks Espresso Roast Nespresso and Sumatra Nespresso. Then, I made a cup of Americano out of each before sipping them side by side with the Colombia Nespresso.

When it comes to flavor, I think the Colombia Nespresso strikes the right spot. The Espresso roast is very dark and strong, so if you dilute it to Americano, it is still very smoky and intense. Not my cup.

The Sumatra is nice as an Americano, too, with its slight herbal and spicy notes. However, my palate seems to prefer the nutty, cocoa-like notes in the Colombia Nespresso.

Starbucks Colombia Nespresso vs Regular Coffee

Finally, I always benchmark all the coffee I reviewed with regular cups of joe. I mean those $1 coffees you can get from gas stations or convenience stores.

In this case, I marched into a 7-Eleven and got myself a regular cup of Americano. I then drank the coffee side by side with a cup of Starbucks Colombia Nespresso in Americano.

Here, the regular coffee is not a match. The crema layer on the Starbucks Colombia Nespresso alone has helped it achieve a better flavor and drinking experience than the 7-11 coffee.

Is Starbucks Colombia Nespresso For You?

Starbucks Colombia Nespresso is a more fuss-free solution to make your cup of Starbucks Colombia roast. The capsule form makes brewing easy, and with controlled portioning.

You also do not worry about grinding the beans or dealing with spilled grounds while brewing. Taste-wise, there is also not much difference.

In fact, you can argue that the coffee will be much closer to the original taste since the portioning of water and coffee grounds is controlled. The taste is also competitive compared to other popular Colombian or medium roasts in the market.The trade-off is? Price increase. If this is something you can accept, then go ahead and pick up some Starbucks Colombia Nespresso. If not, there’s always the whole bean or ground version for you to get.