I haven’t swooned about a Starbucks in forever and I’ve even been gushing about this one to total strangers since I went the other day. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle is so worth visiting if you love coffee and I’m so excited that it’s finally open.
Of course I had to go there with my dad who thankfully came to visit from Canada a few weeks after it opened. We have gone to coffee shops together since I was little and we have years of experience tasting hot chocolate, coffee and pastries and finding intriguing coffee shops where you can enjoy a hot drink and read the paper. I remember how excited my dad was when Starbucks first came to our neighborhood because espresso from Seattle was finally coming to Vancouver and I was thrilled the first time I waited in line there and they gave me a coupon because I waited. (Years ago they used to give out coupons anytime you waited longer than 5 minutes for a drink!!!)
It was only right we tried this new shop together.
Is the Starbucks Roastery the original Starbucks in Seattle?
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery is definitely more of a coffee tasting gymnasium than a coffee tasting room. It is not the original Starbucks-you can find that one in Pike Place Market. But this coffee shop is so vast you can’t even see the whole place when you look around it and there is coffee bubbling and brewing and roasting in any corner you peek in. We managed to score a comfortable seat near a fireplace and window and we decided to do a tasting of one coffee three ways.
It’s amazing how differently the same coffee turns out when you try it made by a clover press, a chemex and as a pour over coffee. We really enjoyed the clover pressed coffee and this might have been the coffee we tried.
And I loved that all the pastries here are made by Tom Douglas who makes some of my favorite pastries in Seattle at his Dahlia Bakery. (Sadly Tom Douglas no longer makes the pastries here in 2018….but Princi bakery makes them and they are really yummy now too)
I would like to go back again and see the beans actually get roasted-we saw some beans in one part of a roaster but didn’t have time to see the whole process complete. Apparently the beans roasted here get shipped ALL over the world, so it’s truly a working roaster/factory and I can see how a whole morning could slip away just taking all of it in.
So now I have my eye on some things you can buy at Starbucks like this coffee press and this gold Swarovski Tumbler. And in this particular store they have some really unique coffee items that aren’t in every store and I know my hubby would love like a coffee mill by Zassenhaus and cool pottery cups we could use at the cabin.
I loved the candy shop feel of the area where you could buy beans and it reminded me of the candy counters they used to have in the food emporium part of old department stores.
I hope this is a trend we’ll see more of in Seattle shops-more friendly spaces with neat ideas about food and drink and how to present these things thoughtfully. The Roastery was delightfully friendly and welcoming, my food and coffee was good, and my company was perfect. I will definitely be visiting again. Maybe even later today. Happy Monday!
(PS. do you love coffee? I usually drink lattes or Americanos but at Starbucks I can easily be tempted by caramel macchiatos and here are a list of my other favorite Seattle Coffee Shops.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
What would be your top recomendation for someone to try at Starbucks that is not keen on coffee?
Maybe a London Fog- steamed milk, a shot of vanilla and earl grey tea. Or Passion Iced Tea might be a non-caffeinated option-just check to make sure. I love the gingerbread loaf at this time of year, but at the Reserve Roastery location in Seattle I’d definitely recommend a bite of Tom Douglas’s coconut cream pie. Hope this helps:)
that looks SO COOL!! I’ve never been to Seattle, but if I get there, this will definitely be on my list. Thanks for sharing!
It’s definitely worth a visit. It’s one of the coolest coffee shops we’ve been to!
My husband went today and was really impressed! I’m a weirdo and don’t like coffee…but I definitely do dessert. So I’ll have to go one day when the lines are short :).
We went again the other day and watched the beans being roasted. And there is pizza and yummy desserts. Let me know when you go-I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Well, this made it to my bucket list. Very cool!
My Dad and I went for a walk around London a couple of years ago and counted coffee shops on our way. There were sooo many Starbucks. The first one in Bedford where I live is currently being “built” (the shop is already there they are just refitting it). I love the place mugs that they do. I nearly bought one on holiday but we don’t really have space for any more mugs at the moment.