Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room

So Starbucks set out to prove naysayers wrong and on Friday 5 December, opened a 15,000-square-foot brand new Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room on the Hill, its decor effectively screaming 'indie with a big budget'. It serves up small batch beans and single origin coffees done in three ways- clover brewed, pour-over and coffee press. (More info about the new line of Reserve cafes here, here, here and here.)

Located on the corner of Pike and Melrose, this cafe has nothing green and white in the decor. It's all chic copper, wood and black, replete with wooden trays. Grinned at the wooden trays. Like wooden trays are the new hip. For a moment, I thought they served their oats and granola in a Mason jar too, with plastic alternatives (they call it 'Tritan') available for children.

Honestly, I don't mind it. Clearly it's rather differently branded and way more focused. Still mass market though. There's nothing cosy about the space that has a gazillion tourists and residents alike thronging the space. For fun, bought a few packs of its coffee. Gonna ship it over to the friends. Not that it's fantastic. It's more of, for the idea of the checking out the first few packs of Reserve coffee beans. Had time to sit down for coffee and wasn't too harassed by the crowds. I had its Pantheon Blend pour-over, and its Colombia Montebonito clover brewed. Black of course, the only way to discern flavors and body. Very satisfying.