Starbucks is a big deal in the PNW, since it was started here. We went to the original location, but then we stumbled upon the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room.

On Friday, December 5, 2014, Starbucks opened the doors to an all-new coffee experience: The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room. You'll find it at 1124 Pike Street, in Seattle, Washington. It is a place where you can experience coffee from the unroasted bean to your cup of coffee. You can watch it being roasted. You'll see the burlap sacks it comes in. You can watch it being loaded into the green coffee loading pit. You can buy it scooped at the coffee scoop bar. You can experience your coffee as a pour over, Siphon brewed, Clover-brewed, a shot of espresso, espresso beverages, and more (SOURCE).

How cool is it to go to the place where the beans are roasted? Plus, you get to try new, artisan drinks in this beautiful space.

The menu features coffee beans from all over, awesome concoctions and a beautiful show, too. I ordered a "barrel aged con crema," which had whiskey barrel-aged Sulawesi brewed hot as a pour-over with barrel-aged vanilla syrup and a cascara-sugar cold-foam topping.

It was fantastic! We sipped while walking around to see the baristas putting on displays and the coffee beans roasting. I bought a pour over cone so I can make more at home.

Just a very cool experience to stumble upon. Definitely cooler than the original Starbucks, in my opinion.


Grade: A