Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte for Dolce Gusto: A Two-Capsule Autumn Drink

Pumpkin spice is the name of a spice mix, the warm, cinnamon-led blend that flavours a pumpkin pie, rather than a promise of vegetable in the cup. On this label, pumpkin appears only within the natural pumpkin and spice flavourings.

What the label actually says

The published ingredient list opens with whole milk powder at 56%, followed by sugar, and those two make up nearly all of it. After them come a colour from carotenes, starch, the natural pumpkin and spice flavourings with other natural flavourings, salt, butteroil from milk, beetroot concentrate and a natural flavouring. Milk is the base of the drink, so it is not one for a dairy-free household.

The order explains the cup. Sugar is dosed at the factory, which makes this very sweet and leaves almost no way to dial it back at the machine. The spice floats above the milk instead of being blended through it, baked and warm rather than sharp, and the coffee is present but well behind both. Anyone who wants to taste the roast should pick a different box; fans of a spiced biscuit will feel at home with it.

Six drinks from twelve capsules

This is a two-capsule build, a coffee capsule and a milk capsule for each drink, so six cups is all twelve capsules will give you. Load the milk capsule first unless the box says otherwise, then run the coffee over it. The coffee lays a fine crema on top, and that crema traps the spice aroma right under your nose; stir it through before the first sip and you throw part of the flavour away.

Let each capsule run only to its marked level, not to the brim of the mug; going over dilutes spice and coffee at once. Your only control over sweetness is the coffee: letting that capsule run slightly beyond its line adds coffee without adding sugar, which tips the balance a touch. It also works iced: brew both capsules over a glass full of ice for a cold version.

A seasonal box, and what to eat with it

The Starbucks name appears on a Nescafé Dolce Gusto box because Nestlé produces the at-home range under licence. That also fixes the machine: these capsules fit Dolce Gusto only, not a Nespresso or a Tassimo, and no adapter makes them fit. Limited-run boxes like this appear in autumn, sell and disappear, so buy it while it is about.

Within the Starbucks Dolce Gusto lines we stock, it sits with the other flavoured milk drinks, the Madagascar Vanilla Macchiato and the White Mocha, rather than the black Americano House Blend. Because it is so sweet, pair it with something buttery, gingery or darkly chocolate: a butter cookie recalls the pastry of a pie, ginger echoes the spice, and dark chocolate cuts the sugar.

The packs we stock

• Starbucks Nescafe Dolce Gusto Pumpkin Spice Latte, 12 Capsules 129g (barcode 8445291097063)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Starbucks Nescafe Dolce Gusto Pumpkin Spice Latte, 12 Capsules 129g says it contains milk. Read the current box of 12 capsules before buying, as the pumpkin spice recipe and its milk warning may change.

Ingredients, as published: Whole Milk Powder (56%), Sugar (39,6%), Colour (Carotenes), Starch, Natural Pumpkin and Spice Flavourings with other Natural Flavourings, Salt, Butteroil (Milk), Beetroot Concentrate, Natural Flavouring.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. Your pumpkin spice box has the last word.

What to eat with it

• Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies, 340g: Plain butter cookies bring the pastry note that completes the pumpkin pie idea.
• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Ginger echoes the warm spice while dark chocolate brings some bitterness against the sugar.
• Thomas Fudge's 6 Dark Chocolate Florentines: Dark chocolate florentines give a bittersweet contrast to a very sweet, milky 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

Is there pumpkin in Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte capsules? Pumpkin appears on the published ingredient list only within the natural pumpkin and spice flavourings. The name describes the spice of a pumpkin pie.

How many drinks does a box of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte make? Six. There are twelve capsules and each drink uses a milk capsule and a coffee capsule.

Can I make the pumpkin spice latte less sweet? Only a little. Let the coffee capsule run a little beyond its line for more coffee against the same sweetened milk.

Will these capsules fit a Nespresso or Tassimo? No. They are Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules and fit Dolce Gusto machines only.

Why should I not stir the crema? The crema holds much of the spice aroma at the top of the cup. Leave it for the first few sips.

Curator's note: Leave the crema alone for the first few sips, because that is where the spice is sitting, and keep a ginger biscuit within reach. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte for Dolce Gusto: A Two-Capsule Autumn Drink

More from the tea wiki

• Starbucks Tea: Café Range and the Teavana Story
• Nescafé: The Instant Coffee Benchmark
• 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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