Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g
Two words on the front, two separate pieces of information, and buyers tend to read only the first. Dark is the roast, so expect cocoa and molasses and almost no brightness left anywhere in it. Espresso is the build, and that one tells you which button to press: it is ground and dosed for roughly 40ml, and the lungo setting simply drags water through a bed that has already given up what it had. Use the short button. These are Nespresso Original capsules, not Vertuo, and no adapter gets around that.
Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, in brief.
Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g is the capsule most people actually want when they say they like strong coffee. Picked into the Teas.co.uk selection as the range's milk-drink capsule.
Machine check: these are Nespresso Original capsules. They are not Vertuo capsules and will not work in a Vertuo, which takes only its own barcoded capsule.
Dark cocoa and caramelised sugar, full-bodied and very low in acidity, dosed for a 40ml shot rather than a long cup. The bitterness arrives late and clears rather than coating the tongue, which is the difference between a deep roast and a burnt one. The shelf price moves about between retailers, so the price in your basket is the price.
Darkdescribes the roast, which is the dominant flavour here by design. Espressodescribes the build: the coffee is dosed and ground for an extraction of roughly 40ml, so the espresso button is the right one and the lungo setting will drag water through a bed that was never meant to take it. Between them they tell you this is a capsule for a short, heavy shot, and for milk drinks that need coffee capable of being tasted through them.
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.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind Starbucks by Nespresso
Starbucks by Nespresso is the Starbucks range made for the Nespresso Original system rather than a third-party capsule that happens to fit it, which is why the box carries both names. The practical difference for a customer is that there is no compatibility question to weigh: the capsule is made for the machine, and the roast names on the front are the same ones used on the high street, so you can pick by the drink you already order rather than by a number on a scale.
About compatibility: these are Nespresso Original capsules. They are not Vertuo capsules and will not work in a Vertuo machine, which reads a barcode on the rim of its own capsule and takes nothing else. The two systems share a brand name and almost nothing else, and it catches people out regularly, so check which machine you own before ordering.
The price in your basket at checkout is the price you pay, and it is the only figure we will stand behind.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and your local-authority guidance. Aluminium capsules are widely recyclable, but almost never through the ordinary kerbside bin with the coffee grounds still inside them, and the carton and the capsules usually take different routes.
Deep Versus Burnt
There is a line in roasting that gets crossed more often than most brands admit, and knowing where it is makes dark roasts much easier to buy. As the roast goes on, the sugars in the bean caramelise and then begin to carbonise. Caramelisation gives the cocoa, molasses and dark toffee notes that people buy a dark roast for. Carbonisation gives ash, and ash does not leave the mouth.
The practical test is the finish, not the first sip. A deep roast delivers its bitterness late, lets it sit briefly and then clears, resetting the palate. A burnt one coats the tongue and stays there, and no amount of sugar or milk fixes it. This capsule lands on the right side of that line: the bitterness is present, cocoa-shaped and finite. It is also why the coffee is so much better in milk than a lighter roast would be, because the milk proteins bind to exactly the compounds that would otherwise read as harsh.
Getting A Consistent Cup
- Descale on schedule: scale lowers the water temperature at the group more than it restricts the flow, so a scaled machine under-extracts quietly rather than failing loudly.
- Keep the capsules sealed: leave them in the carton until the moment of use; the individual seal is the entire preservation system.
- Empty the capsule bin: a full bin is the most common reason a capsule fails to seat and pierce cleanly.
- Filtered water: in a hard-water area a filter jug does more for the cup than changing capsules will.
- Do not re-run a used capsule: the second pass gives you the bitter tail of the first extraction and nothing else.
- Caffeine note: a regular caffeinated coffee. Roast depth is not a caffeine rating, and a dark roast is not automatically the stronger cup.
- Judge it on the finish: if a dark capsule coats the tongue and stays, it has been taken too far. This one clears.
- Best with: dark chocolate, a chocolate brownie, or under a flat white.
Ingredients And Suitability
What is in it:roasted ground coffee in a sealed aluminium capsule, and nothing else. No added flavourings, no sweeteners, no preservatives.
Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations, certification marks and allergen advice can change.
Caffeine:contains caffeine. Not one for late in the evening if you are sensitive, and worth moderating during pregnancy in line with current NHS guidance.
Child Safety:Keep hot drinks, capsules and the machine out of reach of children.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind Starbucks
Starbucks needs no introduction. Their at-home retail range covers the cafe-style favourites: Toffee Nut Latte sachets, instant coffee, and the wider iced and hot drink format. Particularly strong on flavoured latte sachets.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and your local-authority guidance. Aluminium capsules are widely recyclable, but almost never through the ordinary kerbside bin with the coffee grounds still inside them, and the carton and the capsules usually take different 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
The machine does the extraction, so the variables left to you are the button, the cup and the state of the machine. A dark roast is more forgiving than a light one, which is part of its appeal.
The Straight Espresso
The Milk Build
Made with this tea
The Straight Espresso
How to make The Straight Espresso with Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast.
- 1 Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast capsule
- Fresh water in the machine tank
- A Nespresso Original machine
- A warmed demitasse
- Rinse a blank shot of hot water into the cup to warm it, and tip it out.
- Refill the tank with fresh water rather than topping it up.
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting, about 40ml.
- Drink it promptly, before the cup cools and the bitterness gathers.
What you'll end up with: The cup the capsule was dosed for. Judge it on the finish: the bitterness should arrive late and clear rather than coating the tongue.
Flat White
How to make a Flat White with Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast.
- 1 Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast capsule
- 120ml whole or oat milk
- A thermometer, or a steady hand
- A 160ml cup
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting straight into the cup.
- Steam 120ml of milk to about 60°C, keeping the texture fine rather than foamy.
- Pour the milk through the centre of the crema in one steady motion.
- Serve straight away.
What you'll end up with: The drink this capsule was built for. Milk proteins bind to the compounds that read as harsh in a black cup, so the dark roast comes out smooth.
The Two Capsule Latte
How to make a Latte with Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast.
- 2 Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast capsules
- 220ml whole or oat milk
- A 350ml mug
- Cocoa to dust, optional
- Pull two capsules on the espresso setting into the same mug.
- Steam 220ml of milk to about 60°C.
- Pour steadily and stir once at the end.
- Dust with cocoa if you want it.
What you'll end up with: Beyond about 200ml of milk a single shot is outnumbered. Two shots pulled short beat one pulled long every time.
Iced Latte
How to make an Iced Latte with Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast.
- 1 Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast capsule
- A tall glass of ice
- 150ml cold milk
- A long spoon
- Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in 150ml of cold milk.
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting straight over the top.
- Stir once and drink before the ice thins it.
- Skip the syrup; the caramelised sugar is already in the roast.
What you'll end up with: A dark roast is the only sort that still reads as coffee once melting ice has diluted the drink twice over.
Affogato
How to make an Affogato with Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast.
- 1 Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast capsule
- 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
- A small cold bowl
- Grated dark chocolate, optional
- Scoop the ice cream into a cold bowl and return it to the freezer while the machine warms.
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting straight over the ice cream.
- Grate a little dark chocolate over the top if you want it.
- Eat immediately, before the whole thing turns to soup.
What you'll end up with: The cocoa notes and the vanilla meet in the middle. A lighter roast would be lost under the sugar in the ice cream.
Brewing the perfect cup
Inside the pack
| Component | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted ground coffee | the entire contents | The whole product. Nothing is added: no flavouring, no sweetener, no preservative. The roast is the dominant flavour here by design. |
| Roast level | dark | Taken far enough that sugars caramelise into cocoa, molasses and dark toffee, and far enough that most of the acids a lighter cup would show have been consumed. |
| Grind and dose | set for an espresso | Chosen for an extraction of roughly 40ml. The lungo button pulls water through a bed built for half that volume and brings the drying end of the extraction with it. |
| Aluminium capsule | 10 per carton | An absolute barrier to oxygen and light, and rigid enough to hold its shape under nine bars so the water passes through the bed evenly rather than round the edge. |
| Pack contents | 10 capsules, 55g net | Ten short shots, about 5.5g of coffee in each. |
Pack: Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g; caffeinated coffee capsules for Nespresso Original machines. Go by the best before date printed on the pack.
Characterising components shown; the coffee is the entire contents and the capsule is the packaging. The 55g figure is the net weight of the coffee across the ten capsules, about 5.5 grams each, rather than the weight of a single capsule.
Sourcing & blend. Starbucks by Nespresso is the Starbucks range made for the Nespresso Original system rather than a third-party capsule that happens to fit it, which is why the box carries both names and why there is no compatibility question to weigh. The roast names on the front are the same ones used on the high street, so a customer can pick by the drink they already order rather than by a number on a scale. The bean composition and origin breakdown are printed on the current UK pack and are not restated here.
What's in Starbucks Dark Espresso Roast, and what isn't:
- In: roasted ground coffee in a sealed aluminium capsule, and nothing else.
- No artificial colours, flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives: the cocoa and caramel notes are the roast rather than an addition.
- Not a Vertuo capsule: Nespresso Original only. A Vertuo machine reads a barcode on the rim and will not take these.
- Not decaffeinated: and roast depth is not a caffeine rating, which is a common misreading.
Asked about this product
Ask the curator
Send a product question through the contact form; replies usually come within one working day.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g, please cite teas.co.uk.
What buyers say
No customer reviews of Starbucks by Nespresso Dark Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 55g yet.
Bought this from us? Log in to your account, then come back to this page to review it. Only verified buyers can review, and every review is checked before it appears; approved reviews earn 50 reward points.
More from Starbucks
Other Coffee worth comparing
