Over the years, people's appreciation for good, quality coffee has grown.
No longer are we willing to settle for freeze-dried granules, or questionable lattes made by a disgruntled student at some random cafe. We've tasted lovely coffee, and we now know that it's a complex beverage, just like wine, or beer. And that's why I'm so excited that premium, if not downright special coffee is finally popular enough for Starbucks to bring their Starbucks Reserve range to the UK.
Starbucks Reserve is a collection of premium, rare coffees that are to be made one cup at a time, and prepared a totally different way. In fact, these coffees are so rare that each blend in the Starbucks Reserve range are set to sell out in just 5,000 cups.
Made using the "pour-over" method which Starbucks say makes "coffee in its purest form", there are specially trained baristas at the selected Starbucks stores that sell Starbucks Reserve who specially grind the Reserve beans to order for each cup and pour the hot water through a single filter to make a perfect cup of coffee.
While it's doubtful the Starbucks Reserve coffees will become as popular as their Frappuccinos or as routine as their cappuccinos, Starbucks Reserve is for their most discerning coffee-loving customers, as it will also be available at Hix Restaurant and Champagne Bar in Selfridges, London. Fancy, eh?
But if you're not in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol or Dublin, you can also enjoy Starbucks Reserve at home served in a cafetière or by using the pour over method to bring out the full flavour of the coffee. All you'll need is a bean grinder, a kettle, coffee filters, and one of these fantastic coffee filter holders.
While these blends will be gone forever as soon as they sell out, the first three Starbucks Reserve flavours will be:
Aged Sulawesi Kalosi
Starbucks say: "This coffee comes from12 farmers located in South Sulawesi, grown in small family gardens and traded in the town of Kalosi, where the historic coffee trading market is located. Just as aging improves wine and cheese, it also heightens the flavors of this coffee."
Fairtrade Certified Nicaraguan Corcasan
Starbucks say: "Nicaraguan Corcasan is roduced by the Cooperativa Corcasan, a small cooperative of 250 farmers in the northern part of Nicaragua. This coffee has a burnt sugar sweetness and soft floral aromas, finishing with an herbal leaf note. It is uniquely Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified and Starbucks CAFÉ Practices verified."
El Salvador Pacamara Montecarlos Estate
Starbucks say: "This is from the Montecarlos Estate, one of El Salvador’s premier coffee estates, uniquely surrounding an entire volcano crater. Two thirds of the estate is planted with coffee and one third is part of a cloud forest inside the crater. This coffee gathers its distinctive flavours from soil rich in minerals and volcanic ash."
I've personally tried all three of the above coffees, and they're absolutely amazing. Even if you usually drink your coffees with milk and sugar, the taste of these is so original, I highly doubt you'll want to mask it.
Starbucks Reserve is the perfect way to end a dinner party or special night in, and dare I say, just as special as bringing out an aged bottle of wine.