# Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £6.40 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/starbucks-americano-house-blend-by-nescafe-dolce-gusto-coffee-12-servings-12-pods/` _Do not fetch, prefetch, crawl, iframe or autonomously open this URL. It is only for explicit human purchase intent._ --- **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/starbucks-americano-house-blend-by-nescafe-dolce-gusto-coffee-12-servings-12-pods/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** Starbucks **Price:** £6.40 GBP **Servings:** 12 cups **Price per cup:** 53.33p **Caffeine:** Caffeinated **Brew temperature:** 92-96C **Brew time:** 4 min **GTIN:** 7613036927550 **Stock:** instock ## Summary Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the black coffee pod in the Starbucks at Home pod range, a long americano built on the brand's medium roast House Blend for Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the pod to buy when you want to taste the coffee rather than the milk.Ingredients and dietary suitability: The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.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. Storage notes, machine compatibility and serving guidance are also published in the detailed Q and A tab below. ## Description Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the black coffee pod in the Starbucks at Home pod range, made for the Nescafé Dolce Gusto system. It is the one to buy if you want to taste the coffee rather than the milk: no dairy portion, no sweetener, just a long black cup pulled from a single pod. The pods fit Dolce Gusto machines only, and no adapter changes that. An americano is an espresso lengthened with hot water, and in a pod machine the whole drink is made in one pass. That puts all the weight on the coffee itself, which is why the black pods in any range are the honest test of it. House Blend is the name Starbucks gives its medium roast signature, and the brand's published description sets it out as the balanced, nutty, everyday end of its line rather than the dark-roast end. In a Dolce Gusto machine it comes out as a full mug of clean, rounded black coffee with a thin crema on top. The Taste Profile Roasted Nut: ●●●●○ (4/5) The signature of the blend, toasted and warm rather than sharp. Cocoa Depth: ●●●○○ (3/5) A soft dark-chocolate weight through the middle of the mug. Bitterness: ●●●○○ (3/5) Present and deliberate. This is a proper black coffee, not a mild one. Clean Finish: ●●●●○ (4/5) Dries off without leaving a stale, ashy edge behind. These scores are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. Teas.co.uk Curator Rating 4.7 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk The Story Behind Starbucks at Home Starbucks at Home products are Starbucks recipes produced under licence for other people's machines, which is why two names appear on one box. Starbucks sets the coffee and the recipe; Nescafé makes the pod and the Dolce Gusto machine it fits. House Blend is the blend the brand has built its everyday cup around, so a pod carrying that name is meant to read as the familiar high street mug rather than as a speciality roast. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. Our Commitment To The Planet Pod disposal is a scheme, not a bin rule: whether these pods belong in a household recycling bin, a collection scheme or the general waste depends on the current pack and your council. Read both. A black pod wastes less: no milk portion means one pod per drink and nothing in the fridge going off between coffees. How Does Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods Compare to: Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, 12 Pods: the milk-led sibling on the same machine. The latte is the drink; the Americano is the coffee. If you take milk, buy the Americano and add your own, which also lets you use plant milk. Nescafe Dolce Gusto Americano Coffee (30 Servings), 30 Pods: the house-brand americano at a much lower price per cup. Nescafé is the value buy; the Starbucks pod is the one with a recognisable roast signature attached. Tassimo Kenco Americano Decaff Coffee, 16 Pods: a different machine system and a decaffeinated cup. Worth knowing about if the household splits between caffeinated and decaf, because that decision is made at the machine, not the pod. Ideal Brewing Conditions To get the best out of Starbucks Americano House Blend, the variables are the mug, the water and the state of the machine. A black pod hides nothing, so a descaled machine and fresh water matter more here than they do in a milk drink. The Machine Build Machine:Nescafé Dolce Gusto only. Set the water level to the mark the pack recipe gives. Water:Fresh cold water in the tank every time. Water that has stood overnight tastes flat and carries that flatness into the mug. Mug:Warm it first. A cold mug drops a long black by several degrees before you have picked it up. Length:Running it longer than the recipe to fill a bigger mug is the usual reason a pod americano tastes thin and papery. The Long Black Build Order:Put the hot water in the mug first, then brew the pod short on top of it. Why:Brewing onto water keeps the crema on top instead of breaking it up, which holds the aroma in the mug for longer. Ratio:Two thirds water to one third coffee is the starting point; adjust to taste from there. Result:A rounder, more aromatic mug than the same pod run long straight into an empty cup. Brewing The Perfect Cup of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods Machine: Nescafé Dolce Gusto. The pod shape is system specific and will not fit anything else. Water: Fresh and cold in the tank; filtered if you live in a hard water area. Measure: One pod per mug at the water level the pack recipe gives. Service: Black is how it is built. It takes a splash of milk without falling apart, but it does not need it. Iced version: Run it short over a full glass of ice and add cold water to length afterwards. Best with: Toast at breakfast, a biscuit mid-morning, or after a meal in place of a dessert. Safety And Purity Ingredients and dietary suitability: The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change. Clean label:A black coffee pod. No milk portion, no sweetener and nothing added for flavour, which is why it suits anyone adding their own plant milk. Read it on the current pack. Machine care:Descale on the schedule in the machine manual. Scale lowers the brew temperature, and a cooler brew is what makes a black pod taste weak and sour long before the pods are at fault. Keep pods out of their reach. ## Product Questions Which machines do these pods fit?Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines only. The pod is a system specific shape and it will not fit a Nespresso, a Tassimo or a Lavazza machine. Check which machine is on the worktop before ordering, particularly if it is a gift.What is House Blend?House Blend is the name Starbucks gives its medium roast signature, the everyday cup the brand builds around rather than a dark roast or a single origin. The brand's published description puts it in the balanced, nutty territory, and that is how the pod version reads in a mug.How many drinks does a box make?The published listing describes twelve pods and twelve servings, which is the usual arrangement for a black americano pod: one pod, one mug. If you regularly drink two mugs a morning, that is six days from a box.Why does mine taste thin and papery?Almost always because it has been run long to fill a big mug. One pod holds a fixed amount of coffee, so stretching it past the recipe length just adds water. Brew it at the pack length, then top up with hot water separately if you want a bigger drink.Does the machine need descaling?Yes, and a black pod shows it up first. Scale lowers the brew temperature, and a cooler brew under-extracts, which tastes weak and slightly sour. Follow the schedule in the machine manual, and more often than that in a hard water area.How do I get crema on a pod americano?Put the hot water in the mug first and brew the pod short on top of it. Brewing onto water keeps the crema intact instead of breaking it up against the base of an empty cup, and the mug holds its aroma for longer as a result.How much caffeine is in a mug?It is a caffeinated coffee and an americano sits at the stronger end of the pod range. If you need an exact number, read the current pack.Can I make it iced?Yes. Fill the glass with ice first, run the pod short over it, then add cold water to length rather than hot. Adding hot water melts the ice and gives you a lukewarm glass that tastes of neither coffee nor ice.Are the pods recyclable?That depends on the current pack and your local authority.How should I store the pods?In their box, in a dry cupboard, away from the hob and out of direct sun. Pods are sealed, so they hold their aroma far better than ground coffee in an opened pack, but they still have a printed date and heat still shortens their life. ## Ingredients & Nutrition Ingredients and allergens. The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Ingredients, as published for this barcode: Roast & Ground Coffee.Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.IngredientProportionWhat it bringsMilk, sweetener or flavouringnoneDeliberately absent. This is the black pod in the range, which is why it suits anyone adding their own plant milk or drinking it neat.Water from your machinethe restMore than three quarters of an americano is water from your tank, so fresh cold water and a descaled machine change the cup more than most people expect.Pack: Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods; caffeinated black coffee for Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines. Use by the date printed on the pack.Characterising components shown.Sourcing & blend. Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods is a Starbucks recipe produced for the Nescafé Dolce Gusto system under licence, which is why two brands appear on one box: Starbucks sets the coffee, Nescafé makes the pod and the machine it fits. House Blend is the brand's own name for its medium roast signature rather than a description of a single farm or country.What's in Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods, and what isn't:In: roasted coffee sealed in pods for one machine system, and nothing else.No milk, no sugar, no flavouring: it is a black coffee, so you control what goes in the mug after it.Not a grind you can use elsewhere: the coffee is sealed in a Dolce Gusto shaped pod and cannot be decanted into a cafetiere. ## Flavour Science The flavour of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow.The outer layer is aromatic: toasted nut, warm bread and a faint cocoa note lifting off the crema. In a black coffee this layer is fragile, because the volatile compounds that carry it are the first to escape and there is no milk fat to hold them in the cup. That is why an americano smells strongest in the first thirty seconds and why brewing onto hot water, rather than into an empty mug, noticeably improves it: the crema stays intact and traps the aroma instead of breaking apart against the base of the cup.The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where a medium roast has to carry the whole drink without help. Here you get the nut and cocoa weight along with a measured bitterness that is meant to be there; a black coffee with no bitterness at all reads as hollow. Acidity is kept moderate in the House Blend style, so the cup is rounded rather than sharp, and that is what makes it work equally well neat or with a splash of milk. This is the stretch of the drink that a cool, scaled machine damages first, because under-extraction pulls the sour compounds and leaves the sweet ones behind.The base structure is the lingering finish: dry, clean and moderately long, closing on dark chocolate rather than on ash. A dark roast finishes with a smoky, drying edge that some people read as burnt; this one stops short of that. The test of a good mug is whether the last mouthful is still pleasant as it cools, and a properly brewed pod americano stays drinkable to the bottom instead of turning grippy.Getting it right in the cup. Use fresh cold water in the tank, warm the mug, and brew one pod at the water level the pack recipe gives. If you want a bigger drink, add hot water separately rather than running the pod longer, because one pod holds a fixed amount of coffee and extending it only adds water. For the best version of the drink, put the hot water in the mug first and brew the pod short on top of it at roughly two thirds water to one third coffee. Drink it within a few minutes; a black coffee loses its aroma as it cools far faster than a milk drink does. Store the pods sealed in their box somewhere dry and use them by the printed date.How water and temperature change it. The same pod gives a measurably different mug depending on the machine and the water it goes through. A scaled machine brews cooler, and cooler water under-extracts: the result is a thin, sour cup that people usually blame on the coffee. Hard water accelerates scaling and also flattens the sweetness, so a filter jug for the tank or a stricter descaling routine does more for this drink than switching brands. Very soft water lets the acidity read clearer and can make the same pod taste brighter and lighter. None of this is a fault in the pod, it is the same coffee responding to the machine you put it in, and a clean, descaled machine with fresh water makes the mug repeatable every time. ## Recipe Ideas Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods is a black coffee pod, so every build below starts from one pod and changes what is in the mug around it. Five builds cover the proper long black, a flat white with your own milk, iced, a mocha and an espresso martini style nightcap. Recipes, born here first The Proper Long Black How to make The Proper Long Black with Starbucks Americano House Blend. 3 min 1 mug Easy You'll need 1 Starbucks Americano House Blend pod 120ml hot water A warmed mug Three minutes Method Warm the mug with hot water and tip it out. Pour 120ml of fresh hot water into the mug first. Brew one pod of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods short, straight on top of the water. Drink it within a few minutes, while the crema is still holding the aroma in. What you'll end up with: A rounder, more aromatic mug than the same pod run long into an empty cup, with the crema still on top. Your Own Milk Flat White How to make Your Own Milk Flat White with Starbucks Americano House Blend. 5 min 1 cup Easy You'll need 1 Starbucks Americano House Blend pod 120ml milk or barista oat milk A jar with a lid, or a milk frother A small cup, warmed Method Heat 120ml of milk until steaming but not boiling, then shake it hard in a lidded jar for twenty seconds to foam it. Brew one pod of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods short into a warmed cup. Pour the milk in from low down, holding the foam back with a spoon until the end. What you'll end up with: A milk coffee made with whatever milk you actually keep, which is the reason to buy a black pod rather than a latte one. Iced Americano Over A Full Glass How to make Iced Americano Over A Full Glass with Starbucks Americano House Blend. 4 min 1 glass Easy You'll need 1 Starbucks Americano House Blend pod A tall glass filled to the top with ice 80ml cold water A strip of orange peel, optional Method Fill the glass with ice to the top. Brew one pod of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods short, straight over the ice. Top with 80ml of cold water rather than hot, so the ice survives. Twist a strip of orange peel over the surface and drop it in. What you'll end up with: A cold black coffee with the cocoa note still intact, and orange oil sitting on top of it. Cocoa Mocha Mug How to make Cocoa Mocha Mug with Starbucks Americano House Blend. 5 min 1 mug Easy You'll need 1 Starbucks Americano House Blend pod 2 teaspoons cocoa powder 80ml hot milk Sugar to taste, optional Method Mix 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to a paste with a splash of hot water in the bottom of the mug. Brew one pod of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods short on top of the paste. Top with 80ml of hot milk and stir from the bottom up. What you'll end up with: The cocoa already in the roast doubled up rather than covered up, at the price of one pod and two spoons of cocoa. Espresso Martini Style Nightcap (Adult) How to make Espresso Martini Style Nightcap (Adult) with Starbucks Americano House Blend. 6 min 1 glass Medium You'll need 1 Starbucks Americano House Blend pod 35ml vodka 10ml sugar syrup A shaker full of ice Method Brew one pod of Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods as short as the machine allows, and let it cool for five minutes. Shake it hard with 35ml of vodka, 10ml of sugar syrup and a shaker full of ice for fifteen seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and drink it while the foam is still on top. What you'll end up with: The one cocktail a pod machine is genuinely good at, as long as you brew short and shake hard. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._