The first Starbucks is a tourist attraction and this new bean to cup roaster is going to be their next stop. While there are quite a few other bean to cup roasteries, like Vivace, Ladro, and Stumptown, none of them turn the art of roasting beans into a spectacle. And this is exactly what the Starbucks Roastery is – grand spectacle. Like the Cirque du Soleil of coffee and worth the time spent watching and admiring.
I’ve been on roaster tours in Hawaii, but none have the copper, the library, or the wiz bang of Starbucks. Starbucks is also roasting beans on a massive scale, so their equipment is twice as large and twice as shiny for display. Of course you have to try the coffee while you’re here, along with the pastries, and to really make an event out of it, stay for Serious Pie pizza. Even if your palette isn’t sensitive enough to tell the difference between the different beans, you can still enjoy the experience here in learning about how beans are roasted and partaking in the coffee ritual.
If you’re a coffee connoisseur, they offer a brew flight and a bean flight. However, unless you can drink 32 oz. of coffee in a sitting, you might want to share with a friend.
expect to wait about 45 minutes to order your coffee; skip the line if you just want to walk around the roastery, go to the store, or go to serious pie
french press – the purest method for making coffee; the flavors are brighter and the coffee really sings; I know this because we had a brew flight of 3 12oz coffees; pour over and clover brewed. The family prefers French press, I liked the clover brewed for the boldness and intensity, but it does seem a little sludgy and heavy in comparison.
prosciutto pizza – with pecorino, fried egg, and arugula; one of my favorite fancy pizzas; salt from the prosciutto, a crunch and a peppery bite from the arugula, cheese, and a runny egg for creaminess and to mellow out the pizza; again, the crusts here are hearty with a nice chew
sausage pizza – with roasted red peppers; very flavorful and fennel flavored sausage on a hearty pizza crust from the wood oven
Brussels spouts – the veggie du jour currently; with balsamic reduction and soft egg, roasted and well seasoned, but not crispy like the fried ones; probably the best way to eat a Brussels sprouts healthily
a non alcoholic digestive of sorts – 33 herbs, with an orange flavor, bitter; they have a name for this – I don’t know what it is
close up of my drink with it’s demetra sugar
espresso and orange espresso – well, that’s not actually the name of what we ordered, but I can’t find the menu on the website anymore. The drink on the left is an espresso shot the one the right, something more similar to a Valencia, which is to say it had orange flavoring and sugar in it. The shortbread cookie was a nice compliment to the bitter coffee. I’m no coffee connoisseur, so I can’t tell you much about the flavor profile of the coffee, but it was fun to try different drinks.
a tom douglas dahlia bakery scone – they also have savory ones; a little cakey for a scone
freshly roasted beans ready for grinding into your coffee
bagel spreads – a nice variety of interesting spreads of your bagel or croissant
pastry case – from kale salads to crispy croissants and pound cakes, there’s something sure to please your palette to go with your coffee
SUMMARY:
Overall: happily ever after
Highlights: brew flight, sausage pizza
Footnotes: they are open until 11pm, so go at night to avoid the crowds and grab a bite to eat; there’s plenty of chairs and tables in this airy space; pay attention to the beautiful design
