Coffee pods · 4 min readStarbucks Decaf Espresso Roast by Nespresso review
A proper Nespresso Original capsule rather than a compatible one, at 30p a cup. That difference is most of what you are paying for.
This is the branded price, and it is useful precisely because of that. Starbucks Decaf Espresso Roast by Nespresso is made under licence as a genuine Nespresso Original capsule, in aluminium Starbucks state is at least 80% recycled, at an intensity of 11 and a dark roast. It costs 30p a cup, which is the pod median and 11p more than the cheapest third-party capsule that fits the identical machine. If you want to know what the compatible-capsule saving actually is, this page and the by Amazon page are the two numbers to hold up against each other.
A genuine Nespresso Original decaf capsule at intensity 11, in recycled aluminium, at 30p a cup and no decaf premium.
- Tastes
- Dark roast, caramel and molasses, full bodied
- Strength
- Strong
- Best for
- Evening espresso
- Valuecup price vs the format median
- 3/5
- Easy to likefrom the roast profile
- 3/5
- Good for beginnersblend, roast and pack size
- 4/5
Buy it ifYou want a decaf capsule that still tastes like a dark espresso rather than a hollowed-out one.
Skip it ifYou own a Vertuo. This is an Original capsule and it will not fit.
Live prices, sizes and retailers for this coffee sit on its product page. This review is the analysis alongside it. See prices →
This one is a real Nespresso capsule
Every other Nespresso-shaped capsule on this page is a third-party product. This is not. Starbucks by Nespresso capsules are made under licence for the Nespresso Original system, and Starbucks list the machines by name on their own site: Citiz, Pixie, Inissia, Essenza Mini, Creatista, Creatista Plus, Lattissima One, Gran Lattissima and the rest of the Original line-up.
It will not fit a Vertuo, and that is worth saying twice on a Starbucks product because Starbucks also sell a separate Vertuo range. The two look similar on a shelf and are not interchangeable in either direction: Vertuo capsules are larger and carry a barcode the machine reads. Check the word on the box, not the logo.
| Detail | What Starbucks state |
|---|---|
| System | Nespresso Original |
| Made for the Nespresso system? | Yes, under licence; not a third-party capsule |
| Fits a Vertuo machine? | No |
| Capsule | At least 80% recycled aluminium |
| Beans | 100% arabica, Latin America |
| Roast | Dark (5 of 5) |
| Intensity | 11, on Starbucks' own scale |
| Brew | 40ml espresso or 110ml lungo |
| Cost | £0.30 per cup, in a sleeve of 10 |
Thirty pence is the branded price, and here is the gap
At 30p this sits exactly on our pod median of about 30p a cup. The comparison that makes it interesting is not against other decaf but against the by Amazon capsule at 19p, because both brew in the same machine and the only structural difference between them is that one is made for the Nespresso system and one is made to fit it.
Eleven pence a cup is 37% off, and at two cups a day it is roughly £80 a year. That is the compatible-capsule premium stated as plainly as this site can state it. It is not a trick or a loophole. Nespresso's Original patents expired, the market opened, and the difference between the two rows below is what that competition is worth to you.
| Capsule | Who makes it | Per cup | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks Decaf by Nespresso | Made for the Nespresso system | £0.30 | £219 |
| by Amazon Colombian | Third-party compatible | £0.19 | £139 |
| Carte Noire Espresso Intense | Third-party compatible | £0.24 | £175 |
One thing this capsule does not do is charge a decaf premium. Across most coffee formats the decaffeinated version costs more per serving than the caffeinated one; at 30p this sits on the pod median rather than above it. Every decaf coffee we track, priced per cup
What Starbucks publish, and what they leave out
They publish more than most: 100% arabica from Latin America, dark roasted, intensity 11, aluminium that is at least 80% recycled, and brew guidance of 40ml as an espresso or 110ml as a lungo. Flavour is described as rich with molasses and caramel notes, which is the standard Starbucks Espresso Roast profile with the caffeine taken out.
What they do not publish is the decaffeination method. Water process, CO2 and solvent-based methods are all in commercial use, they are not equivalent, and for a lot of decaf buyers the method is the whole reason they are paying attention. We could not find a statement, so none is made here.
The sleeve of ten, and when it works against you
Ten capsules is the standard Nespresso sleeve and it is the right size for an occasional drinker: decaf is usually the second thing in the cupboard, bought for evenings, and a sleeve lasts. It is the wrong size for a daily habit, because small packs in this category carry the highest cost per cup and multipacks of the same capsule are cheaper per unit almost everywhere.
So the buying advice splits on frequency rather than on taste. Occasional decaf drinker: buy the sleeve, it is the correct product. Daily decaf drinker: buy the same capsule in a larger multipack, or accept that you are paying the highest per-cup price available for a coffee you drink every day.
What buyers consistently report
- The strongest and most consistent theme is that it does not taste like a compromise, which is the highest praise a decaf gets and is not universal in this format.
- Body and crema are rated well, which is what the dark roast and the aluminium capsule are both there to deliver.
- The recurring complaint is price, expressed as a sleeve of ten feeling small for the money rather than as anything about the coffee.
- Buyers who wanted a milder decaf find intensity 11 too much; it is the dark end of the range and it is labelled as such.
Who should skip it
Vertuo owners, on compatibility. Daily decaf drinkers buying by the sleeve, on arithmetic. And anyone who wants a light, gentle evening coffee, because a dark roast at intensity 11 is the opposite of that and no amount of decaffeination softens it.
Everyone else with an Original machine who drinks decaf now and then should just buy it. It is a good capsule at a fair price for what it is, and the honest caveat is only that a third-party capsule brewing in the same machine costs a third less.
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