Starbucks Winter Blend – is it any good (Vs Cafe Nero Winter Blend)

Regulars at Cafe Nero will already be accustomed to this trend – the changing of the seasons brings in new beans, flavours and varieties of coffee to try out. In the summer, they offer beans from Brazil, Kenya or Colombia, but their most popular is the Winter Blend that comes around every winter. It’s full of sweet, nutty and aromatic flavours, in contrast to the most peppery house blend. 

If you thought Starbucks would let that slide, you thought wrong. This year, Starbucks is offering their Winter Blend in Stores across the UK

We decided to try it out, see what we thought and let you know if it is worth the extra 40p or so. 

Let’s take a sip!

Our Starbucks Winter Blend Review 

The obvious comparison to me is Cafe Nero. Another high street brand in the UK, and somewhere that appears to be of slightly better quality. At least, they seem to take more care in their products and services. A more premium brand. 

Their winter blend is noticeably different to their house blend. The house is peppery, full-bodied and has a strong aroma of burned chocolate. It packs a punch and tastes very similar to many Colombian coffee varieties I’ve tried. If you like your coffee strong, the house blend is a winner. 

The Winter Blend is more subtle; it has notes of caramel, Christmas spices, sweet nuts and dates. It keeps the strong, full-bodied character that Cafe Nero customers love, but adds a little bit of Christmas to your morning fuel. 

The Starbucks blend has gone a similar way, but the difference was much less pronounced. I got an americano, which really should be one of the better coffee types to really pick out the notes. I could taste a note of dried fruits there, but really, It was hard to tell the difference between the normal blend and the winter one. 

I thought for a second the barista may have made me the wrong drink, but I was wrong. On my second try, the same slightly stale taste of coffee came through with subtle dried fruits. I was very disappointed, actually. 

I do have a theory, though – the coffee machines are constantly used through the day, and unlike Cafe Nero, they are automated. I wonder whether this has a subtle effect on the quality of the coffee because there is not artisan tweaking the machines to get the perfect temperature for each bean. 

Starbucks Winter Blend Vs Cafe Nero Winter Blend – The verdict. 

The verdict is clear – absolutely no competition – a clear country mile winner: Cafe Nero. 

I regularly grab coffee from both places, and before I am accused of having a favourite, I like both places equally – albeit for different reasons. I just think the Cafe Nero Winter Blend is way better than that of Starbucks. The Coffee in general, feels as though greater care has been put into it. 

So – if you are looking to upgrade to a winter blend, safe the money and go to Cafe Nero.