Brewing up unique tastes with Seattle’s Starbucks roastery
The aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans wafts through the air, enticing your senses as soon as you walk through the door. If you weren’t in the mood for coffee before, you are now. Welcome to the first of its kind in Seattle – Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room. It is to coffee what a taproom is to craft beer.
Starbucks offers customers an opportunity to taste exclusive blends you won’t find at your local coffee house, with beans imported from South America and Africa. Located inside a former auto dealership’s building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill District, the tasting room opened in 2014. Visitors can watch roasters release the beans from one of two roasting bins, and, when packaged, the coffee beans can be purchased onsite.
Two floors, two menus
The tasting room has two floors. At street level, customers can sit and enjoy drinks off a special menu at a bar reminiscent of a local tavern. However, the place to be may be the lower level. Here, you can order from both menus. Visitors can sample a variety of coffee in flights, including cold-brewed or steamed espressos. Baristas share their knowledge about the brewing process, as well as the coffee you’ve selected. They’ll describe the flavor and taste you can expect to enjoy.
For a different type of Starbucks experience, you can add a little Irish Cream or whiskey to your coffee at the Cold Brew Bar, giving it an extra oomph.
While at the Reserve, visit Princi, an Italian bakery featuring pastries, breads and flatbread pizzas.
Located less than a mile from the original Starbucks at Pike Place, you can immerse yourself in coffee heaven and leave the tourists to the other spot.