Seattle, WA
"In 1971 Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market and began a journey that has taken our coffee around the world. Now we are honored to share with you this one-of-a-kind roastery just nine blocks away from our original store."
For any Starbucks Coffee fanatic, a visit to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room is a must, especially if you live around the Pacific Northwest.
W and I took a small road trip to Seattle with the purpose of experiencing the Roastery and trying out their exclusive Reserve coffee beans. We were pretty wowed when we arrived at the store! The architecture retained its heritage appearance and the design of the store had a modern, west-coast feel while also exuding an industrial vibe.
One part of the space had all their exclusive wares and products for sale. Because of its exclusiveness and quality, the prices were significantly higher than your regular Starbucks products.
Inside, it was very spacious and clean. Although the place was bustling with people and the baristas were running around preparing coffee for customers, for both W and I, we felt a sense of warmth and calmness! We just fell in love with the place! Everywhere, there was something interesting to look at. We just marveled at all the details and features that the designers put in there!
At the main coffee bar, there were 5 differently-shaped canisters that held the day's freshly roasted Reserve beans. You could sample a tasting menu of various beans brewed using different methods such as the coffee press, the pour-over, or using their Clover machine. You can also order their Roastery exclusive coffee drinks, classic espresso beverages, as well as cold brewed coffee. It's definitely a new experience for me, sitting at the coffee bar, sipping on a coffee, and watching the baristas work their magic with all those machines and gadgets. If you're there long enough, you could even catch the moment the roasted beans are transported through the copper pipes, from the roasting plant at the back to the canisters at the main bar!
Taking up some major square footage, the roastery room is open-air so you can watch the process from beginning to end. On the lower level is the micro roaster, a small-sized machine that allows extra control and roasting precision of its beans. On the upper level is their small-batch roaster which roasts their Reserve beans for shipping worldwide. In between the two roasters is a huge, tall copper cask. Inside is where the freshly roasted beans go to rest afterwards.
Off on one side are the storage silos, where the raw green coffee is housed, waiting for their time to be roasted.
There is another smaller coffee bar on the lower level as well. A Coffee Master mans this coffee experience bar as its purpose is to engage the customers, experiment and discuss all things coffee. This is also where siphon coffee is served. Looks so cool right?! It's like they're conducting science experiments!
W and I decided to sit at the main bar so we could take in all the sights and sounds happening right in the middle. We opted for the brew comparison flight where we could try one Reserve coffee brewed using the pour-over method and the Clover brewer. We picked Starbucks' Pantheon blend coffee, a Reserve coffee bean that is exclusive to this Seattle Roastery. Can't find it anywhere else!
Now, I am by no means a coffee connoisseur. As long as it is well-balanced, I am A-ok! I liked the taste of the Pantheon blend using the pour-over method. It was lighter, smoother and its flavours were not as overwhelming. The Clover brewed one, on the other hand, had a stronger, more robust flavour and I thought it was a tad on the sour/citrus side.
The next day, W and I dropped by for breakfast and more coffee. We just had to go one more time! This time, I had their latte and W tried their cold brew coffee. I think the main reason why W wanted the cold brew was that he wanted to have the re-usable plastic cup as a souvenir LOL!
We also ordered two of their breakfast sandwiches and a chocolate croissant. I don't know if it was my emotional attachment to the place or what but I thought the latte tasted better than the ones I've had back at the Starbucks at home. W and I were quite sad to leave. For sure, we are going to go back in the near future!
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