Starbucks Single-Origin Colombia by Nespresso: Tasting One Country

A blend exists so a roaster can make the cup taste the same all year, swapping beans as crops change. This box names a single country instead, and the reason to buy it is to taste what Colombia brings to the cup.

Blend versus single origin

A blend is built backwards from a target flavour: the roaster decides the taste first, then draws on beans from several places until the cup gets there. A single origin gets no such correction. Here everything comes from one country, so the roast is there to reveal the coffee, not to steer it. You give up a little consistency and gain something more specific, which is exactly why this capsule rewards some attention.

Colombia is a gentle place to start tasting by origin. Its coffee tends towards balance: caramel and toasted nut up front, a clean edge of citrus acidity, and body enough to hold a small cup without help. Plenty of people have drunk Colombian coffee for years without anyone telling them so, which makes it a useful reference point before moving on to origins with louder, stranger personalities.

What the medium roast protects

Roast level decides how much of the origin survives. Taken dark, the citrus note would burn off and the cup would taste of roast rather than of Colombia. Stopped at medium, there is enough development for body and a proper crema while the bright edge of the acidity is still intact. Bitterness stays modest for an espresso capsule, so this is a balanced shot rather than a punchy one, and the finish fades cleanly instead of coating the tongue.

Strength is a separate matter from roast. How strong a shot tastes comes down to dose and extraction, not bean colour, so a medium roast still makes a full espresso when pulled short. Each capsule holds roughly 5.7g of coffee, and this is a regular caffeinated capsule rather than a decaf. If you prefer a longer cup the lungo setting is there, but in our view the nut and citrus detail is clearest in a small one.

Brewing and drinking it well

Drink the first one black. Sugar smothers the citrus and nut detail that separates this capsule from a house blend, and a large milky mug hides its balanced body completely. Warm the cup before brewing so the shot does not cool on contact. In a hard-water area, filtered water is worth the trouble; limescale dulls the citrus into flat cocoa, and the capsule then takes the blame for something the water caused.

Milk drinkers have a better option in the same range. If most of your coffee disappears under milk, the Ristretto Shot is the stronger candidate, because the body here is balanced rather than heavy. The Colombia is at its best on its own or with the smallest splash, and it can also be pulled over ice for a short iced coffee. Beside it, choose a biscuit that echoes the caramel and nut rather than one that shouts over them.

The packs we stock

• Starbucks Single-Origin Colombia by NESPRESSO Coffee, Medium Roast, Box of 10, 57g (barcode 7613037290967)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Starbucks Single-Origin Colombia by NESPRESSO Coffee, Medium Roast, Box of 10, 57g (barcode 7613037290967) names none of the 14 major allergens. Read the current Colombia carton before buying; its recipe and allergen notes can be revised.

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The Colombia carton in your hands is the last word.

What to eat with it

• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch picks up the caramel sweetness in the cup without drowning its citrus edge.
• McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: An oaty milk chocolate Hobnob sits alongside the nutty side of the coffee, and the chocolate is gentle enough not to take over.
• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Dark chocolate and a little ginger warmth make a sharper partner for a black shot after lunch.

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

What does single-origin mean on this box? All the coffee comes from one country, Colombia, instead of several origins mixed together. A blend is tuned to taste the same all year; a single origin shows what one place tastes like.

Can a medium roast make a proper espresso? Yes. How strong a shot tastes depends on the dose and the extraction, not the colour of the bean; a medium roast shifts the flavour towards sweetness and acidity instead of roast bitterness.

Which machines take these capsules? Nespresso original-line machines. They are made under the Starbucks and Nespresso at-home partnership and do not fit Vertuo, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo machines.

Does the label list any allergens? No: Starbucks' published Colombia ingredients name none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack all the same, because formulations can change.

Should I add milk? Try it black first. A small splash is fine, but a big milky mug hides the character you chose it for, and the Ristretto Shot suits mostly-milk drinkers better.

Curator's note: Warm the cup, drink it black and give it a moment to settle before you decide what you think. That is when Colombia shows its hand. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Starbucks Single-Origin Colombia by Nespresso: Tasting One Country

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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