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Capsule shelves lean dark, which makes a proper medium roast a different drink rather than a weaker one. Breakfast Blend keeps the brightness a dark roast burns away, and it is happiest given a longer pour than you would give an espresso.
Reading the tube: ten capsules, 56g in all
Ten capsules share the 56g on the tube between them, so it is not 56g apiece; a listing written as 10x56g is easy to misread. A single capsule holds only a few grams of coffee. By capsule standards ten is a modest box, which makes it a sensible way to test a lighter roast on your mornings before buying any coffee in bigger quantities.
It is the small Original-line capsule, so any Nespresso Original machine will take it. Vertuo machines, which identify their own wide, domed capsules by a barcode, will not. Starbucks began as a Seattle coffee roaster, well before it was a chain of cafes, and this capsule range is that roasting side of the business packed for a machine at home rather than a shop counter.
Why the first cup can taste sharp
A medium roast comes out of the roaster sooner than the espresso roasts that dominate capsule ranges, so more of the bean's fruity acids make it into the cup and less dry cocoa bitterness develops. Expect citrus and floral notes, a medium body that will not coat the mouth the way a dark roast does, and a finish that is quick and clean, with very little bitterness left to clear.
If you are coming from a dark capsule, that brightness can read as sharpness at first, because there is no roast bitterness left to mask the acidity. Nothing is wrong with the capsule. Allow a few mornings for your palate to recalibrate; it usually happens sooner than people expect. This is the capsule we would point filter-coffee drinkers towards, since it sits closer to a good jug of filter coffee than to anything you would call espresso.
Lungo, black, and what to eat with it
Choose the lungo button. A short espresso pour concentrates a light roast's acidity until it tips into sourness, while the longer run opens it out into a rounder, filter-style cup. Drink it black or with a dash of milk. It will make a latte, but milk dilutes exactly the brightness you chose it for, so for milky drinks a darker capsule such as the Dark Espresso Roast is the better base.
Breakfast Blend wants food with some sweetness to set against its brightness. A butterscotch biscuit brings caramel notes that round off the acidity, chocolate chip cookies add sweetness and a little richness, and a dark chocolate florentine suits a second cup mid-morning. At breakfast, choose crisp over rich: the coffee is light enough that a dense, heavy biscuit can overwhelm it, where a small cookie or two sits alongside it comfortably.
The packs we stock
- Starbucks Breakfast Blend by Nespresso Medium Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 56g (barcode 7613287186829)
What to eat with it
- Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Buttery caramel sweetness that rounds off the bright acidity of a medium roast.
- Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chocolate chip cookies that add sweetness and a little richness beside a clean, bright cup.
- Maryland Minis Cookies - Choc Chip 6 Mini Bags, 118.8g: Small chocolate chip cookies in individual bags, handy for a desk drawer and a mid-morning lungo.
- Thomas Fudge's 6 Dark Chocolate Florentines: Dark chocolate for a second cup, when you want something more substantial.
Elsewhere in the Starbucks range
- Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods
- Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast by NESPRESSO Coffee, Blonde Roast, Box of 10, 53g
- Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto 12 x Madagascar Vanilla Macchiato Coffee (6 Servings)
- Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto 12 x White Mocha Coffee (6 Servings)
- Starbucks by Nespresso Blonde Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Pods
- Starbucks by Nespresso Blonde Espresso Roast Decaf Coffee, 10 Pods 55g
The full range is on the Starbucks brand page.
FAQ
Does each Breakfast Blend capsule weigh 56g? No. The whole tube of ten weighs 56g; each capsule holds a few grams of coffee.
Will Starbucks Breakfast Blend fit a Vertuo machine? No. These are small Original-line capsules, so they need a Nespresso Original machine or one made to take Original capsules.
Should I use the espresso or lungo button? Lungo. The longer pour suits a medium roast and stops the brightness turning sour.
Why does it taste sharper than my usual capsule? Dark roasts hide acidity behind bitterness. A medium roast does not, so it reads bright at first, and most palates adjust within a few mornings.
Can I make a latte with Breakfast Blend? You can, but milk mutes the brightness that makes it worth choosing. A darker capsule makes a better base for milky drinks.
Curator's note: Run it as a lungo, drink it black and give it a week before you judge it. If you like a jug of filter coffee, you will probably end up liking this. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Starbucks Breakfast Blend by Nespresso
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Starbucks |
| Packs we stock | 10 Capsules 56g |
| Category | Coffee Pods & Capsules |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Machine | Nespresso Original, not Vertuo |
| Button | Lungo rather than espresso |
| Best with | Butterscotch or chocolate chip biscuits |
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- Starbucks Tea: Café Range and the Teavana Story
- Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea vs Coffee
- Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
- Chai vs Coffee
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