Day

Disclaimer: I am a huge Starbucks lover.

This was the only Starbucks I went to in Seattle, since there is a lot of other coffee places to go to. It was not only gorgeous but the food and coffee are on a totally different level than an average Starbucks. The baked goods actually seem to come from a bakery ’round the corner rather than frozen from the back of a truck. The drinks don’t come larger than 16 ounces, which for reference that is the size of a grande. Everything is a lot more expensive but the price buys you things like a Smoked Butterscotch Latte.

Do keep in mind that it was pretty busy during the day and competition was fierce to find a good spot. We lucked out and got some older ladies who were willing to scootch over. They ordered a coffee flight and shared with us since it was too much coffee for them.

Early Afternoon Lattes

They also had a ton of non-edible Starbucks products for purchase. A lot of it was cool but I kept wondering if I could find it at another Starbucks down the street.

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Night

The vibe is a lot more chill at night.

My first Affogato, it was perfect. It is made with Mora Ice Cream from Bainbridge Island. My sister had actually just come from the island to hear and had decided to skip going to Mora so it was quite lucky we got to try it anyway!

You can’t tell from the photos but the Tasting Room is actually two stories and really quite massive.

The people working all the roasting machinery are super nice and willing to answer questions. In this case she showed us the different stages of roasting and the drastic change in bean color.

Main Bar – If you could find a spot at the main bar you can order and ask tons of questions to the baristas, they are totally a different breed than the baristas at your average store. We learned all the difference between a normal Starbucks and the Reserve stores, as well as got a great lesson why this location was so special. Both day and night it was a great experience, I will be going back for my next Seattle trip.

Ximena.