12 Creative Ideas to Refresh Your Nespresso Latte for Spring

Everyone loves Nespresso for the convenience it offers your daily brew — but who’s to say your Nespresso machine can’t also make a delicious seasonal coffee that’s perfect for springtime? Whether you prefer espresso all on its own or a delicious latte made with Nespresso, there are a few unique ways you can add seasonal flavors into your latte no matter what your favorite Nespresso pod is.

As a former barista — and someone who’s tried and tested many Nespresso pods before — if there’s a way to make your latte taste just like the spring season, I’ve tried it. I rounded up a few unique ingredients you can add to your next cup of Nespresso to make them feel a little more seasonal. I’ve also compiled some recommendations for what Nespresso pods pair best with these fun spring drinks, so you can feel confident you’re picking the pod that’s ripe for the season. Don’t be afraid to get creative and pair these ingredient picks with any Nespresso pod of your choosing!

Maybe you’re already a fan of a classic matcha latte, but have you ever heard of a “dirty matcha” before? The concept is simple: matcha, milk, and a shot (or maybe a few shots) of your favorite espresso. Truthfully, there aren’t many coffees that don’t go well with matcha. Though matcha itself is quite grassy and herbal-tasting, even fruitier and more floral coffees bring a brightness and sweetness to the tea that’s hard not to love.

This is one of the most straightforward ways to add a little spring pizazz to your morning Nespresso. Matcha will pair beautifully with virtually any pod — you might want to start out with a medium roast to avoid overwhelming the latte’s matcha flavor — and will bring a deliciously refreshing, vegetal taste of the spring season to your coffee. I recommend adding plain, unsweetened matcha powder to your drink. You can sweeten it later on with brown sugar or simple syrup, but traditional matcha truly is best when it comes to flavor.

If you want to layer your latte like a professional, you should try adding your matcha milk first, pouring a little extra milk on top for a gradient color, and then topping the whole drink with your Nespresso (lungo or espresso works best in this case). This will look prettiest with ice, but who says you can’t opt for a hot dirty matcha instead? Not the most striking name, perhaps, but delicious all the same.

A lavender latte is truly a classic seasonal menu — there’s virtually no bougie local coffee shop that won’t offer a springtime lavender concoction on its menu. If you want to bring the same floral energy into your home, lavender is actually very easy to add to any type of coffee or espresso drink.

A lavender latte isn’t made by putting actual lavender flowers into your drink, though most lavender itself is perfectly edible, so you’re welcome to use it as a pretty topping. What you should look for in order to achieve that classic lavender flavor, however, is lavender syrup. A simple syrup will do well in this case. How much syrup you’ll want in your coffee truly varies by taste; start with one or two pumps and go from there. Lavender can be a relatively faint flavor, so don’t be surprised if you need to add a little more syrup than you’re used to in order to taste it.

Lavender is a super easy add-in for coffees that are floral, earthy, or nutty. A blonde or medium roast would be my personal recommendation, so as to avoid overpowering the delicate flower’s flavor. Even Nespresso’s Sweet Vanilla pod would be a great flavor pairing.

Honey is a warm flavor that’s often associated with winter, but when you start pairing it with iced lattes and summery flavors, honey suddenly has a whole different vibe. You can opt for a honey syrup to make it easy to mix in with the rest of your coffee, but the richest and fullest flavor will always come from pure honey. Put the honey at the bottom of the glass you’re planning on using before you pull your Nespresso shot, so that the hot coffee will distribute the honey thoroughly. Making an iced coffee with honey is always an option, but don’t forget the fact that honey will start to solidify once it gets cold; dissolve the honey in your hot espresso shot before adding ice.

My favorite tip for adding honey to your spring latte is to visit a local farmers market or nearby honey vendor to source honey from your area. Not only will you have a much larger variety of honey flavors to choose from for your coffee — like orange blossom, clover, and even chocolate — but you’ll also get to support the local bees in your area. I love trying different honey pairings with coffee; pairing Nespresso’s Rich Chocolate or Golden Caramel pods with chocolate honey would be so fun, while orange blossom honey and Orange Blossom & Citrus or Solelio would make a delightfully sweet and sunny pair.

Coconut is a great pick for a syrup that will turn your favorite Nespresso into a coffee that’s perfect for both spring and summer. This type of syrup is earthy, beachy, and sweet — I always recommend coconut syrup rather than coconut milk if you want the most concentrated coconut flavor. Many coconut syrups also happen to add a lot of sweetness and sugar that is more associated with coconut flavoring than actual coconut, however, so if you want to achieve a very subtle coconut flavor that’s also rich and creamy, coconut milk is a good way to go. For a little bit of extra crunch, you can always add toasted coconut flakes on top of your Nespresso latte, too.

Lighter roasts are always a favorite when it comes to coconut syrup. Look for coffees that are nutty, sweet, fruity, caramel-flavored, or lack bitterness. For example, Nespresso’s Alto Ambrato has notes of caramel and honey, with light bitterness and little acidity. Bianco Doppio, a gentle Nespresso pod that tastes like cereal and rich milk, could also be a good bet for a splash of coconut syrup.

A sweet yet nutty macadamia nut syrup will grace your morning coffee with a summery flavor that tastes like a day on the beach. It’s rich, often sweet, and can also have creamy roasted notes, too. It’s the perfect base that pairs well with practically any kind of coffee, but will still bring a unique spring taste to your cup of Nespresso.

Adding a little bit of macadamia nut syrup to light and sweet pods like Nespresso’s Golden Caramel will bring a complex flavor with a nutty aftertaste to the brew. The Sweet Vanilla pods, on the other hand, which is also one of Nespresso’s flavored pods, has a biscuity, candy-like taste that will benefit well from the richness of roasted macadamia syrup.

Don’t shy away from sprucing up a more intense coffee with macadamia nut syrup, either. The intense but smooth Melozio has cereal notes that complement the subtle sweetness of macadamia syrup, while even the bitter, roasted Double Espresso Chiaro can be balanced out by the flavor of macadamia.

While dark chocolate is often thought of as a more wintery add-in, white chocolate typically appears on coffeehouse menus more towards spring and summer. It’s lighter and airier than milk or dark chocolate, but still has that rich and creamy taste that dark chocolate syrups do. You can stir white chocolate straight into your latte or add it as a syrup. I personally would recommend stirring in a small piece of high-quality white chocolate for a super smooth, rich touch.

White chocolate is great for sweetening up an iced latte or a dark roast Nespresso pod. You’ll also find delicious spring variations on Nespresso’s menu of limited-edition pods that pair well with white chocolate; White Chocolate & Strawberry, for example, already has that key rich and sweet white chocolate flavor you should look for in a good pairing. If you’re a fan of dark, bold coffees, on the other hand, a brew like Nespresso’s classic Arpeggio can be made even richer and creamier with the addition of white chocolate.

For an even distribution, just drop a square (or two) of white chocolate into the bottom of your glass before you brew your Nespresso into it. You can also mix the chocolate into your coffee once it’s finished brewing, but this will disrupt the beauty of the crema.

If you’re familiar with the flavors that just don’t pair well with coffee, you’d know that basically all straight up fruit and berries are on that list. I’ll make one exception, however, for strawberry purée (or compote). It needs to be sweet, kind of syrupy, and in liquid form. The taste of natural strawberries tends to be acidic enough to clash with most types of espresso, which is why I wouldn’t recommend just smashing up some berries and adding them straight to your cup.

Not everyone is going to love strawberry coffee, but some people really enjoy it — especially in a latte. The key is to find a coffee that, well, doesn’t taste too much like coffee; very strong coffee and strong strawberry flavors can clash. Look for something light, possibly floral, or even fruity. Adding milk is a great way to soften any remaining bitterness your Nespresso has. Something like Nespresso’s Bianco Doppio, which is nutty with very low bitterness, would be a good choice here. Bianco Doppio is also made to pair with milk, which is an added bonus for this flavor.

Strawberry matcha is also a massively popular drink, so if plain strawberry coffee just isn’t for you, adding a shot of espresso into a strawberry matcha drink could be another good way to go.

If you haven’t yet explored Nespresso’s selection of pods that are meant to be served over ice, springtime is the perfect time to do so. There’s nothing that says seasonal coffee more than pouring it over ice — yes, even if you’re one of those people who prefer ice cold coffee all year long.

Nespresso’s Ice Leggero and Ice Forte are two popular pods designed to be served over ice. Nespresso’s Cold Brew XL pod is another great option for spring and summer. The key with Nespresso’s iced coffee pods is that they are stronger than your average Nespresso pod. This is because all Nespresso pods — even the iced pods — will come out hot, so they’ll need to be poured over ice. This will cause your cup of Nespresso coffee to be diluted a bit as the ice will melt into your coffee before it starts cooling down.

There’s nothing wrong with pouring your favorite Nespresso pod over ice, even if it’s designed to be served hot — just know that its strength and flavor may mellow out quite a bit. If you want to help your coffee keep more of its flavor, you can always add ice cubes to a coffee shaker and shake your Nespresso in it before straining out the ice; this will prevent your cup from diluting even more as the ice melts over time.

If you want to ramp up your spring iced coffee, a blended coffee is the way to go. You truly need nothing more than your favorite Nespresso pod and a bit of ice, but if you want to make your blended coffee an even richer treat, adding some milk will do the trick (and it will help your coffee blend more smoothly, too). Add in your favorite spring syrups to give it a little extra flavor, and you’ve got a beverage that rivals Starbucks’ Frappuccinos.

The richer the milk, the creamier your blended coffee will be. Whole milk is the best pick, while oat milk is likely to work well for those who prefer their coffees to be plant-based. For a sweet treat, opt for Nespresso’s flavored coffee pods — such as vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, or a limited-edition pod. If you prefer to keep things stronger, any pod from Nespresso’s iced lineup will do the trick. Just note that if you blend your coffee without any milk at all, it will have more of a shaved ice consistency.

Did you know that sparkling water is actually commonly served beside espresso or coffee drinks in some coffee shops? It’s said to help clear your palate between sips, and can even help you taste the flavors of your coffee more clearly. This can add a lot of refreshing zest and flavor to your favorite Nespresso pod, and it’s a great way to enjoy hot coffee in the springtime.

A less traditional method, however, is to add your sparkling water to your coffee. This is more of a cocktail-style route that not everyone will agree with — if you’re deep into the world of professional espresso machines and pulling the perfect shot, you might not want to ruin the sanctity of your morning Nespresso with sparkling water. But believe it or not, Nespresso itself actually has a recipe for a fizzy coffee drink, called the Fizzy Iced Long Black. It’s made with sparkling water, peach syrup, and a Freddo Delicato pod.

Coffee with sparkling water is very punchy, refreshing, and fun to drink. It adds a bit of bite to your morning brew, and is great with any kind of iced coffee. You’ll likely want a darker roast to pair with your sparkling water of choice, since that will help prevent the flavor from being overly diluted.

Another controversial coffee add-in is lemonade. I actually listed this as an ingredient to avoid when adding flavors to your coffee, and there’s a reason for that. Lemon in general doesn’t pair super well with coffee because it’s too acidic, and will overpower the subtle tasting notes in your favorite Nespresso pod. High-quality lemonade can actually be a game-changer for certain kinds of coffee. Lemonade and coffee is actually a tried-and-true drink. Generally, it’s made with either straight espresso or cold brew, sweet lemonade, and sometimes a flavored syrup.

Most people can agree that homemade lemonade is the key to a good coffee lemonade. This will bring out naturally bright and fresh flavors, without all the artificial sugariness of lemonade concentrates. To pair with it, look for Nespresso pods with floral and fruity flavors. Whether you prefer your lemonade with dark or light roasts will actually vary from person to person; some people love the bitter contrast a dark roast provides, while others want to match the flavor profile of their Nespresso to the lemonade they’re drinking as closely as possible. Nespresso’s original Lemonade Coffee recipe recommends Grand Cru Cosi, which is unfortunately no longer available to purchase. However, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that this pod was a light roast with very fruity tasting notes.

If you want a subtle yet rich and comforting floral flavor, rose syrup is the way to go. Just like with lavender syrup, adding rose syrup will give you a sweet and concentrated flavor. It’s light and extremely flowery; I find that rose syrup tends to work well with light, floral coffees that don’t overwhelm its delicate flavor, but it’s really up to you and your personal coffee preferences. Making a sweet latte with Nespresso’s Sweet Vanilla would be a deliciously fruity option that practically screams springtime, while even bolder flavored options like the seasonal White Chocolate & Strawberry would definitely benefit from a gentle floral aroma. 

When you add your rose syrup, start small and work your way up from there. While rose is a subtle and sweet flavor, it can sometimes become overpowering when too much of it is added because it tastes very flowery. Again, the amount you add is up to your personal preference, but I would recommend starting with just a single pump (or 1 teaspoon) of syrup and adjusting the amount from there. You can also use rose water instead of rose syrup, though you’ll probably need a lot less of it to achieve the flavor you’re looking for.