Starbucks Vs Nespresso: How Their Pumpkin Spice Pods Compare

Fans of all the best pumpkin spice products eagerly await the onset of fall, when the popular flavor comes back to menus everywhere. There's perhaps nothing greater than stepping inside a warm Starbucks to get your hands on the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, and there's nothing wrong with getting this beverage as an occasional treat. If you're on a tight budget, though, a daily sweet treat coffee run may simply not be in the cards for you. If that's the case, we have some good news: Here's one way you can now get the warming flavor of pumpkin spice coffee in your own home, provided you have a Nespresso Vertuo machine.

There's no better time to stock up on your favorite pumpkin spice Nespresso pods (in fact, you may want to grab enough to last you until next fall), but picking a pod begs the question: Which pumpkin spice pod is the best? I brewed up two popular options to compare against each other, so you don't have to. I tried both Starbucks' Nespresso-compatible pumpkin spice pods and Nespresso's own pumpkin spice cake pods to taste test their flavor profiles against one other. Though I didn't try either in combination with a pumpkin spice coffee creamer, I'm sorely tempted to next time I treat myself to a cup.

Fortunately for me, the pumpkin spice Starbucks coffee pod fits Nespresso's Vertuo machine, and I was excited to try the trendy flavor. I was curious to see how each brand infused pumpkin spice into plain black coffee. I got 32 of these Starbucks pumpkin spice coffee pods on Amazon for $44.20, making each pod about $1.38, and the convenience of getting overnight shipping through Amazon can't be overstated. 

Starbucks' limited-edition pumpkin spice pods boast spicy notes of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and it's brewed with the chain's blonde roast Arabica coffee. Box directions suggest you add some cream and sugar to experience the fullness of the coffee's flavor. I've also seen these boxes on shelves at some local grocery stores; and though I can't guarantee universal availability at any grocery chain, it's worth a gander down the coffee aisle the next time you're shopping to see if it's in stock.

Of course, pumpkin spice had to make the list of Nespresso's fall flavors, and I must say I always appreciate the sophisticated packaging Nespresso uses for its pods. The box is unassuming and doesn't boast about itself, making you feel like you're in for an upscale coffee experience even though you're having it in the comfort of your own home. Nespresso sells a 10-count box of its pumpkin spice cake pods for $14.50, making each pod $1.45 — however, as I don't have a Nespresso store in my area, I also had to pay $6.95 for shipping. This makes Nespresso's pods slightly more expensive than Starbucks', though not notable enough to make a huge difference as far as I'm concerned.

Nespresso's pumpkin spice coffee pods also vary slightly from Starbucks' in terms of the spices used. Nespresso uses pumpkin flavor along with cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom to create its fall-flavored pods, and it specifies using an Arabica blend of Latin American and African coffees. These pods are also a limited-edition offering, so if you want to try it, we recommend grabbing a box before it's pulled for the season.

I was surprised by the pleasant aroma of Starbucks' pumpkin spice coffee during the brewing process. It smelled sweet and spicy, and there was a complexity to the aroma that I really wasn't expecting from this pod. It dispensed with a small amount of foam on top, but that quickly dissipated, and I was left with a pretty standard-looking cup of coffee. I opted to try it without cream to get a full sense of the pod's flavor profile. 

Overall, I enjoyed this coffee. I was concerned that Starbucks' take on a Nespresso pumpkin spice pod would be sickeningly sweet, but this wasn't in the slightest. The coffee was a bit bolder than I typically like, and I do think this would be better served with cream, but the spices in the cup were well-balanced in proportion to each other. The pumpkin and nutmeg come through very well; I only wish there was slightly more cinnamon and even a little vanilla to further warm up the spice of the drink. On the whole, I was happy to have enjoyed this as much as I did.

Contrary to the sweet scent emitted while brewing Starbucks' pumpkin spice pod, Nespresso's gave off a delightfully savory, spicy, cake-like aroma as it was being brewed. It smelled warm and creamy, and the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon all came through, making me excited to try this cup. It dispensed with more foam than Starbucks' pod, and as with the other pod, I chose to try this coffee just black.

The two coffees are actually quite different, and I think the "cake" qualifier is what sets Nespresso's apart. I'd be happy to drink this black. I'm not sure I've tasted cloves so prominently in a drink before, and I don't mind it in the slightest. This cup boasts a certain depth of flavor in the spices that isn't overshadowed by the bean itself, which I really appreciate. Cloves hit you at the beginning of the sip, while cinnamon rounds out the end. It's a very cozy cup of coffee that I would enjoy drinking again.

Given the choice between Nespresso's pumpkin spice cake pods and Starbucks' pumpkin spice pods, I would generally choose Nespresso's. If you like your coffee sans accoutrements, Nespresso's pumpkin spice pods are simply better for drinking black — and though it's slightly more expensive than Starbucks', the difference is negligible. It's also worth noting that if you're going to load up your coffee with cream and sugar, you could probably choose either brand without noticing much of a difference.

I would only drink Starbucks' again with some creamer and even some added pumpkin spice syrup to enhance its flavor. I could see myself enjoying Nespresso's version on its own regularly, though next time I'll be trying it with a bit of steamed milk or even as a pumpkin spice affogato to make it creamier. I think Starbucks' pumpkin spice pods could be dolled up to make a perfectly palatable cup of coffee, but Nespresso's pumpkin spice cake pods need less accessories to make it a quality cup. Unless I was faced with serious issues accessing Nespresso's pods, I'd opt for them every time; but if you can't get them for whatever reason, Starbucks' are a decent enough substitute.

I made each cup of coffee one after the other, to try them as close together as possible (though I cleansed my palate with some water in between). I brewed them both in the same Nespresso Vertuo coffee maker and judged them first based on aroma. I actually enjoyed the scents of both — my first hint that these coffees would rank relatively close to one another. But as I don't love sweet coffee, I was slightly put off by the sweet scent emitted when brewing Starbucks' cup. 

Though I'd enjoy each coffee more with cream the next time I have either, I wanted to drink each black to get the most accurate gauge on flavor. My primary factor when judging the coffees' flavors against each other was balance: How did the spices balance well with one another and with the coffee itself? What was the sipping experience like? Where Starbucks' pods had a decent enough balance of spices, its coffee was too bold for the spices to stand out; Nespresso's, on the other hand, balanced the coffee and spices well against each other, leading to a pleasant drinking experience that ultimately made this brand come out on top.