Starbucks Creamy Vanilla for Nespresso: Flavoured, Not Sweetened

The published ingredient list for this capsule names just two things: roast and ground coffee, and natural vanilla flavouring with other natural flavourings. So the sweetness people notice is coming from the nose and from the roast, not from anything added to the mug.

Two ingredients and a trick of the nose

The brain takes vanilla aroma as a signal of sweetness whether or not any sugar is present, and on a flavoured capsule most of what we call taste is arriving through the nose. That is why this coffee brews dry and still seems sweet, and why a cup that sits for a while tastes noticeably flatter even though its strength has not changed. Drink it while it is still steaming.

The same label means there are few surprises for anyone checking allergens: the ingredient list names none of the 14 major allergens, although the current pack is always the final word. The people who end up disappointed are usually the ones expecting a syrup drink. This is coffee carrying a vanilla flavouring, brewed as an ordinary espresso, and it should be judged as one.

Why vanilla suits a blonde base

Blonde is the lightest category on the Starbucks roast scale. Coming out of the roaster earlier, the beans keep more of their own sweetness and brightness and develop far less roast bitterness. Put vanilla over a dark roast and it has to compete with a smoky, bitter backdrop, where it often comes across as artificial, the lone sweet note in the cup. On a blonde base it sits with the coffee instead.

The vanilla itself reads as cream rather than sharp extract, soft through a light body and clean at the finish, with very little bitterness anywhere. What you lose is weight: at about 5.3g of coffee per capsule on a light roast, it will not punch through a very large mug of milk. Those who like the blonde character but not the vanilla can turn to the Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, unflavoured, in the same Nespresso system.

Serving it, and keeping the machine clean

A splash of milk suits it, and ice suits it even better on a warm afternoon: brew a short shot over a full glass of ice and top with cold milk. Keep the milk modest either way, because a light-bodied coffee disappears under too much. For food, a small chocolate chip cookie keeps it in coffee-shop territory, a chocolate cream sandwich sets cocoa against the vanilla, and lemon drizzle brings a brighter contrast.

These are Nespresso Original capsules, not Vertuo, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo, so check your own machine before ordering. Any flavoured capsule leaves a little aroma behind, so run a blank shot of plain water through afterwards if the next cup is a plain espresso. A box of ten suits a flavoured coffee well: a fortnight or so of treats, not so many that the novelty fades.

The packs we stock

• Starbucks Creamy Vanilla by NESPRESSO Coffee, Blonde Roast, box of 10, 53g (barcode 8445290156167)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Starbucks Creamy Vanilla by NESPRESSO Coffee, Blonde Roast, box of 10, 53g names none of the 14 major allergens. Read the Creamy Vanilla carton on sale now, as Starbucks may change the capsules and their allergen advice.

Ingredients, as published: Roast and Ground Coffee, Natural Vanilla Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The Creamy Vanilla carton you hold has the last word.

What to eat with it

• Maryland Minis Cookies - Choc Chip 6 Mini Bags, 118.8g: A chocolate chip cookie is the natural coffee-shop companion to a vanilla cup, portioned here into mini bags.
• Maryland Cookies S'wich Choc Creme Biscuits, 150g: A chocolate cream sandwich brings cocoa against the vanilla, like a coffee-shop pastry.
• Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: Lemon drizzle beside vanilla recalls a light sponge cake and suits an iced cup.

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 Breakfast Blend by Nespresso Medium Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 56g
• 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

The full range is on the Starbucks brand page.

FAQ

Does Starbucks Creamy Vanilla contain sugar? Sugar is not on the published ingredient list, which names only roast and ground coffee and natural flavourings. Check the current pack, as flavoured lines can change.

Why does Starbucks Creamy Vanilla taste sweet? Vanilla aroma is read as sweetness, and the blonde roast keeps more of the coffee's own natural sweetness than a dark roast would.

Will the vanilla flavour linger in my Nespresso machine? A little can carry over. Run a blank shot of water after it before brewing a plain coffee.

Is Starbucks Creamy Vanilla good iced? Yes. Brew it short over a full glass of ice and add cold milk; the light body and vanilla suit a cold drink.

Is Starbucks Creamy Vanilla a Vertuo capsule? No. It is a Nespresso Original capsule and will not fit Vertuo, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo machines.

Curator's note: Ice is where this one shines: pull it over a full glass with a little cold milk, and the vanilla comes across as cream while the blonde base stays soft. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Starbucks Creamy Vanilla for Nespresso: Flavoured, Not Sweetened

More from the tea wiki

• 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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