Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g
Hazelnut is the flavour people come back for rather than the one they try once, and of everything in our flavoured pod range this is the box that draws the warmest words. The reason sits in the nut. A roasted nut is not purely sweet; it carries a toasted, faintly savoury note underneath, so the drink has something other than sugar to be about, where a sweet flavour laid over a sweet milk drink has only one direction it can go. Hazelnut and coffee is also an older pairing than the flavoured-pod business itself, which is why this reads as traditional rather than as a novelty, and novelty is what wears out first. It is built for a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine; neither a Nespresso nor a Tassimo will run these pods. The milk sits inside the pod as a powder, which puts it out of reach of a dairy-free household.
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, in brief.
Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato by Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the nutty coffee-shop macchiato in pod form for a Dolce Gusto machine, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the drier, more savoury alternative to the caramel version.
The pack names the coffee as 100% Arabica. Nescafe Dolce Gusto machines only, so these will not fit a Nespresso or a Tassimo. The milk is in the pod, so the drink is not dairy-free. If anyone in the house has a nut allergy, read the box.
Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato by Nescafe Dolce Gusto is a twelve-pod box that makes six drinks, and the arithmetic is the first thing to understand about it. A macchiato on this system is a two-pod build: a milk pod goes in first, a coffee pod follows, and the two are loaded one after the other rather than together.
The pack names the coffee as 100% Arabica, which is worth knowing because it tells you something about the cup rather than just the marketing. Arabica is the sweeter, more aromatic of the two commercial coffee species; Robusta carries more caffeine and a harsher, rubbery edge that a dark roast can hide but a milk drink cannot. In a sweet, nutty macchiato that harshness would be the first thing you noticed, which is why the all-Arabica build matters more here than it would in an espresso.
Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind Starbucks at Home
The Starbucks at-home range is produced under licence by Nestle, which is why a Starbucks name sits on a Nescafe Dolce Gusto box. The flavour and the naming come from one company and the pod engineering from the other. What that buys you is a recognisable coffee-shop drink assembled by a machine that handles the pressure, the dose and the milk, so the cup is the same every time and the only skill involved is loading two pods in the right order.
Hazelnut is one of the steadier sellers in that line-up rather than a seasonal one, which means it is usually on the shelf when you want it. That applies with particular force to the nut question, which is dealt with below.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
What You Are Actually Buying
- Count: twelve pods making six drinks, 123g in the box. Two pods per serving, so the box empties twice as fast as the pod count suggests.
- Machine required: Nescafe Dolce Gusto only. These will not fit a Nespresso machine or a Tassimo machine, and no adapter makes them.
- All Arabica: the pack names the coffee as 100% Arabica, which in a sweet milk drink is the difference between a clean coffee note underneath and a rubbery one.
- Milk included: the milk is inside the hazelnut pod in powder form, so the box needs no fridge and no frother. It also means this is not a dairy-free drink.
Ideal Serving Conditions
A pod machine removes most of the ways a coffee can go wrong, which leaves a short list of things still worth getting right. Pod order, volume on the slider and the state of the machine account for almost every disappointing cup that comes out of one.
The Proper Cup
- Order: milk pod first, then the coffee, unless the box says otherwise. A macchiato is a marked drink: the milk is the canvas and the coffee is the mark, and building it the other way round gives you a muddy latte instead.
- Volume: stop each pod at the level marked on it rather than when the cup looks full. Overshooting is the commonest fault with a pod machine and here it thins the hazelnut and the coffee at once.
- Cup: a clear glass if you have one. A macchiato is built to be looked at, and the layering is half of what you paid for.
- Rinse: run a short water-only cycle afterwards. Milk powder and flavouring left in the head is what makes the next coffee taste faintly of hazelnut.
Getting More Out of the Box
- Make it less sweet: pull the coffee pod slightly past its mark to put more coffee under the same amount of milk. That is the only real lever the format gives you.
- Make it iced: brew both pods short into a jug, stir, then pour over a full glass of ice. Cold suppresses sweetness, so this is the easiest version for anyone finding the hot cup too sugary.
- Make it a nut affogato: brew both pods very short over two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Hazelnut and vanilla is one of the few pairings that improves out of a machine.
- Make it two: six drinks from twelve pods is the honest count. For a household of two, one box is three rounds.
Getting It Right in the Cup
- Machine: Nescafe Dolce Gusto only. Check which system you own before ordering.
- Pods per drink: two, so twelve pods is six servings.
- Volume: stop at the mark on the pod, not when the cup looks full.
- Storage: a cool dry cupboard, sealed pods, away from the kettle. The pods protect the contents; the carton does not.
- Best with: an afternoon break, a biscuit, or a pudding you did not make.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind Nescafé
Nescafé invented mass-market instant coffee in 1938 and has been refining it ever since. The Azera range brings cafe-quality micro-ground instant coffee; Gold Blend is the premium freeze-dried; the Original is the everyday standard.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
Sourcing and packaging details are printed on the current UK pack; the brand page carries the fuller story.
The taste profile
How does it compare
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g is a finished drink the machine builds for you, so the useful ideas are the ones that change its balance or stretch the box further. Five builds below cover the proper cup, a longer coffee pull, an iced version, a pudding and a way of splitting the flavoured pods.
Made with this tea
The Proper Hazelnut Macchiato
How to make The Proper Hazelnut Macchiato with Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
- 1 hazelnut milk pod
- 1 coffee pod
- A clear glass, if you have one
- Load the milk pod first and run it to the level marked on the pod. This is the canvas.
- Follow with the coffee pod, again stopping at its mark. This is the mark that makes it a macchiato.
- Look at it before you stir. The layering is half of what the format is for.
- Rinse the machine with a short water-only cycle so the next coffee does not taste of hazelnut.
What you'll end up with: A layered nut macchiato with a fine crema on top. If it looks muddy, you loaded the coffee pod first.
The Long Coffee Pull, For Less Sweetness
How to make The Long Coffee Pull, For Less Sweetness with Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
- 1 hazelnut milk pod
- 1 coffee pod
- Run the milk pod to its normal mark.
- Push the coffee pod about a third past its mark so there is more coffee under the same milk.
- Stir once so the extra coffee is distributed rather than sitting on top.
What you'll end up with: The same drink with the sugar held back and the savoury edge of the hazelnut further forward.
Iced Hazelnut Macchiato
How to make Iced Hazelnut Macchiato with Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
- 1 hazelnut milk pod
- 1 coffee pod
- A full glass of ice
- A small jug
- Brew both pods short into a jug rather than straight into the glass.
- Stir the two together while still warm so the hazelnut distributes evenly.
- Pour over a full glass of ice. A half-filled glass melts faster and waters the drink down.
What you'll end up with: Drier and noticeably less sweet than the hot cup, with the roasted nut note further forward. Cold suppresses sugar, which does this drink a favour.
Hazelnut Affogato
How to make Hazelnut Affogato with Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
- 1 hazelnut milk pod
- 1 coffee pod
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream into a cold glass.
- Brew both pods very short, to about half a normal cup in total.
- Pour over at the table and eat it immediately, while the hot and cold are still fighting.
What you'll end up with: Hazelnut and vanilla is one of the few pairings that improves coming out of a machine. This is the best use of a pod if you have people to feed.
Two Lighter Cups From One Milk Pod
How to make Two Lighter Cups From One Milk Pod with Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
- 1 hazelnut milk pod
- 2 coffee pods
- 2 small cups
- Run the milk pod and split the output between two small cups.
- Brew one coffee pod into each cup on top of the milk.
- Accept that these are lighter and less sweet than the intended drink, which for some people is the whole point.
What you'll end up with: Two nut-tinged coffees rather than one sweet macchiato. It stretches the flavoured pods further across the box.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Component | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee pod | 1 of the 2 pods per serving | The coffee itself, named on the pack as 100% Arabica and brewed under pressure rather than dissolved. Cleaner underneath the sweetness than a Robusta build would be. |
| Hazelnut milk pod | 1 of the 2 pods per serving | The milk, the hazelnut character and the sweetness, all dosed together. The reason no fridge or frother is needed, and the reason this is not dairy-free. |
| Sugar | in the milk pod; amount not stated to us | The sweetness, already decided. Present but not extreme, which is part of why hazelnut wears better over a second cup than caramel does. |
| Pack format | 12 pods, 6 servings, 123g | Two pods per drink. Sealed until used, no measuring, and the same cup every time because the machine sets the dose. |
Pack: Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g; six drinks, two pods each, for Nescafe Dolce Gusto machines only. The ingredient list, the nut and milk allergen declarations and the best-before date are printed on the current UK box; read them there rather than here.
Characterising components shown. The 100% Arabica description is taken from the pack name as the retailers print it.
Sourcing & blend. Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g is produced under the licensing arrangement that puts the Starbucks at-home range into Nestle's pod system. The flavour and the naming come from one company and the pod engineering from the other, so what arrives is a recognisable coffee-shop drink built by a machine that handles the pressure, the dose and the milk for you. The pack describes the coffee as all Arabica, which in a sweet milk drink is the difference between a clean note underneath and a rubbery one.
What's in Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g, and what isn't:
- In: a coffee pod and a hazelnut milk pod per serving, brewed together in a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine with water only.
- Sweetened: the sugar is dosed into the milk pod. There is no unsweetened version of this drink and no way to build one from these pods.
- Not dairy-free: the milk is in the pod and is intrinsic to the drink. Not suitable for a vegan or dairy-free diet, and not a drink for anyone with a milk allergy.
- Machine specific: Nescafe Dolce Gusto only. Not compatible with Nespresso or Tassimo machines, and no adapter changes that.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Nescafe Dolce Gusto Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato 100% Arabica Coffee, 123g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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