Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods
This is the pod for the ten minutes between getting out of bed and getting out of the door, when you want something milky and faintly sweet and you are not about to stand there steaming a jug. The milk is sealed in with the coffee, which is what makes it quick and also what rules it out entirely for anyone drinking oat or soya; there is no substituting your way around that. The roast underneath sits at the lighter end, so the drink reads creamy and polite rather than strong, and if you like a bit of bitterness pushing back up through the foam you will find this one gentle.
Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, in brief.
Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto is the milk-led Starbucks pod drink for Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines, a Starbucks recipe built for someone else's system, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the coffee shop style latte you can make at home without a milk jug or a steam wand.
What you are buying is convenience with a known flavour signature attached. A latte is mostly milk, and the hard part at home is getting milk that is hot, sweet and foamed rather than merely warm. The Dolce Gusto system does that by pressurising the milk through the pod itself, which is why a machine latte comes out with a proper head on it while a jar of instant with hot milk does not. The coffee underneath is a medium roast built to survive the milk rather than to be examined on its own.
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.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
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 the pack carries two names. Nescafé builds the pod and the machine, Starbucks sets the coffee and the recipe. That arrangement is the reason a Starbucks pod tastes recognisably like the high street rather than like a supermarket own-label, and it is also the reason the pods are locked to one machine system.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our Commitment To The Planet
- Pod recycling is a scheme, not a bin rule: whether these pods go in a household recycling bin, a collection scheme or the general waste depends on the current pack and your council. Read both before you decide.
- Buy the machine you will actually use: the greenest pod is the one that does not sit in a cupboard because the machine was the wrong system for your kitchen.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods, 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 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
To get the best out of Starbucks Caffe Latte, the work is in the glass and the machine settings rather than in the coffee. A latte is a layered drink and it goes wrong when it is built in the wrong order or served in something cold.
The Machine Build
The Iced Latte Build
Made with this tea
The Proper Hot Latte
How to make The Proper Hot Latte with Starbucks Caffe Latte.
- 1 serving Starbucks Caffe Latte pods
- Fresh cold water in the tank
- A tall glass, warmed
- Cocoa to dust, optional
- Warm the glass with hot water and tip it out, because a cold glass takes the heat straight out of a milk drink.
- Brew one serving of Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods following the pod order and water level on the pack.
- Dust with cocoa straight away while the foam is still firm.
- Drink it within two minutes, before the foam drops.
What you'll end up with: A hot latte with a head on it, which is the bit a jar of instant and a splash of milk cannot do.
Iced Latte Over A Full Glass
How to make Iced Latte Over A Full Glass with Starbucks Caffe Latte.
- 1 serving Starbucks Caffe Latte pods
- A tall glass filled to the top with ice
- A long spoon
- Syrup to taste, optional
- Fill the glass with ice first, right to the top, not half way.
- Run the coffee portion shorter than the hot recipe so the melt does not dilute it.
- Pour the milk portion over the back of a spoon for the layered look.
- Stir once before drinking, or leave it layered and let it mix as it goes.
What you'll end up with: A cold latte that still tastes of coffee at the bottom of the glass rather than of melted ice.
Two Minute Mocha
How to make Two Minute Mocha with Starbucks Caffe Latte.
- 1 serving Starbucks Caffe Latte pods
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- A splash of hot water
- Sugar to taste, optional
- Mix 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder with a splash of hot water in the bottom of the glass until it is a smooth paste, which stops it floating in lumps later.
- Brew one serving of Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods straight on top of the paste.
- Stir from the bottom up, once.
What you'll end up with: A mocha that costs the price of one pod and two spoons of cocoa, rather than the price of a coffee shop.
Spiced Autumn Latte
How to make Spiced Autumn Latte with Starbucks Caffe Latte.
- 1 serving Starbucks Caffe Latte pods
- A pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- A spoon
- Stir 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup into the warmed glass before anything else, so it dissolves in the heat rather than sinking.
- Brew one serving of Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods over it.
- Dust the foam with a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Grate the nutmeg fresh if you have a whole one; the pre-ground jar is a fraction of the aroma.
What you'll end up with: The seasonal coffee shop drink without the seasonal coffee shop price, and without the syrup pump.
Latte Affogato
How to make Latte Affogato with Starbucks Caffe Latte.
- 1 serving Starbucks Caffe Latte pods
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- A chilled bowl or coupe
- Grated dark chocolate, optional
- Put 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a chilled bowl and take it to the machine rather than the other way round.
- Run only the coffee portion of Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods straight over the ice cream, short.
- Grate dark chocolate over the top and eat it immediately.
What you'll end up with: A pudding built from one pod, and the fastest way to use up a box that is near its date.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Typical values per 100g, as published | Per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 457 kcal |
| Fat | 19,7g |
| of which saturates | 12,1g |
| Carbohydrate | 44,5g |
| of which sugars | 42,3g |
| Fibre | 5,9g |
| Protein | 21,7g |
| Salt | 1,19g |
Ingredients and allergens. Per the published ingredient list for this product it contains milk. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Ingredients, as published for this product: Whole Milk Powder (73.9%), Sugar (12.9%), Soluble Coffee (11.6%), Butter Oil (Milk), Roast and Ground Coffee, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Bicarbonate).
Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.
| Ingredient | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|
Pack: Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods; caffeinated milk coffee for Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines. Use by the date printed on the pack.
Characterising components shown.
Sourcing & blend. Starbucks Caffe Latte 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 and the drink, Nescafé makes the pod and the machine it fits. Any sourcing or certification mark this box carries is printed on the box itself.
What's in Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods, and what isn't:
- In: a milk portion and a roasted coffee portion, sealed in pods for one machine system.
- Contains milk: this is a dairy drink and is not suitable for a vegan or dairy-free diet.
- Not a grind you can use elsewhere: the coffee is sealed in the pod and the pod is Dolce Gusto shaped; it cannot be decanted into a cafetiere.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Starbucks Caffe Latte By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods, please cite teas.co.uk.
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