Starbucks | Single-Origin Colombia

Nope. Nah. Nay. Well, actually, okay then.

What do they say?

We've always loved coffee from Colombia. And we're never reminded of that love more than when we're travelling to the coffee farms. Driving treacherous dirt roads with a sheer mountain wall to one side - nothing but air for thousands of feet to the other. For us, the round body, juicy taste and signature nutty finish of this 100% Colombian coffee are worth the journey every time.

The no-nonsense version, please?

I only bought this to add some variety to the blog, to be honest. My visits to Starbucks coffee shops have been as rare as they have been unedifying. From a disappointingly mundane experience in Seattle to the unpleasant burnt flavour of the coffee on offer in Edinburgh, the famous green and white logo has never held out any appeal for me in my hunt for decent coffee. To say I wasn't expecting much from my first ever Starbucks-branded Nespresso pods would, therefore, have been an understatement. The marketing spiel about it being 100% Colombian only made me want to listen to my favourite track from the Fun Loving' Criminals' second album, not down an espresso.

But, hold on... what's this? A taste that isn't something akin to black toast? And no cloying aftertaste that leaves you begging for water? Take a bow Starbucks, you've done yourself proud! Honestly, this coffee is just the right balance of smooth and flavourful. And while I'm not sure about the description of the finish being 'nutty', I would certainly agree that it is pleasant.

Running the pod through my Nespresso machine, I was presented with a reasonable crema with good dark coffee colour underneath. One my standard half a teaspoon of sugar was added, both crema and coffee remained the same. The first hit was almost taken with a grimace, such was the typical Starbucks over-roastedness I was anticipating. When that didn't come, I approached the second sip half-wondering I'd perhaps had my tastebuds removed without being informed. But no, this coffee is genuinely a winner.

Further investigation of the packaging reveals that this is at the lower scale of Starbucks' 1-through-12 intensity scale, sitting at a 'weak' 7. I, for one, am not complaining. The packaging also suggests that this can be run through on the lungo setting. I may have to report back in the coming days on that one, as there's only so much surprise I can take.

Should I buy it?

• Absolutely!

• Yeah, why not?

• Worth a punt, but don't put yourself out.

• Only if the alternative is dishwater. In fact, try the dishwater first, anyway.

What did Bruno McSwan-Neck, Editor-at-Large of The Coffee Courier say about it?

After literally fainting, I read through the unverifiable claptrap the owner of this blog mashed into his keyboard with his uneducated, unpalated heathen digits. I'm now surprised that he/she can even hold a cup of coffee, far less review one. I mean, don't they even know that Starbucks is an anagram of I hate coffee? Quite how and why we have reached this level of Trumpian truth avoidance is beyond me.

I shall take solace in the fact that I, of course, did not even allow this pod to sully my well-trained mouth. Now, back to the heightened sense of anticipation that my cold drip is building within me. Just another four hours to go...