Starbucks Reserve Palm Springs

Tanzania Mount Meru. Nicaragua Maracaturra. Aged Sumatra Crop 2013. Where would you like your next cup of coffee to come from?  Would you like a coffee flight?  How would you like it brewed? The Clover method, siphon, pour-over, cold brew or maybe nitro cold brew? These are just a taste of your exotic choices at the hip new Starbucks Reserve in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.

Starbuck’s Premium Brand

As one of the select locations of Starbuck’s premium brand, the Starbucks Reserve Palm Springs is attracting a steady stream of coffee aficionados, who are sliding up to the chic blonde wood coffee bar, sitting on the equally chic bar stools, and relaxing with friends over tantalizing cups of seasonal rare small-lot coffees, brewed before their eyes in a variety of uncommon methods to bring out each coffee’s unique elements.

Custom Contemporary Architecture

Upon my arrival, the sleek contemporary architecture inside and out, was my first sign that this was no ordinary Starbucks. Floor to ceiling windows and glass doors offer a breezy indoor-outdoor view of the San Jacinto Mountains and bustling see-and-be-seen street life. It sits at the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way. My second was the brightly printed cards that tell the story of each small-batch coffee.  It includes where the beans originated, how they’re grown and flavor notes. They were handed to me by one of the specially trained baristas when I sat down at the coffee bar. And my third, was the printed Starbucks Reserve Coffee Menu, including seven different brew methods. The “Origin Flight,” featuring three different small-lot coffees, and the “Brew Comparison Flight” using the same small-batch coffee brewed two separate ways.

Choices, Choices.

I was tempted by the Aged Sumatra Cop Year 2013. Harvested in 2013, the beans were rotated and sampled every six months until now when it reached its peak.  It delivers “aromas of balsam lead to cocoa, earth and sweet tobacco notes,” according to its card. But the Nicaragua Maracaturra won me over knowing from its card that these beans “come from a delicate plant that requires farmer Luis Emilio Valladarez in Nuevo Segovia, Nicaragua, to approach cultivation with extreme care and diligence.”

The brew method was my next choice. My barista recommended the visually intriguing siphon method – pairing full immersion and vacuum filtration . This is to fully release this coffee’s nuances of red-apple sweetness, allspice notes and hint of vanilla. My final choice was the preparation: Espresso, Americano, Latte and several other ways. I chose Americano to enjoy its honest flavor.

“Are we talking wine tasting here,” I thought to myself. All this attention to detail reminded me of wine tasting. And you know what. Enjoying a coffee at the Starbucks Reserve Palm Springs is similar to wine tasting. Sitting at the bar, taking your time to savor your drink, and enjoy the comradery of those around you. When my delicious Nicaragua Maracaturra arrived, I paid attention to its flavors, compared it to my friends’ coffees and the coffee selections of those around us. It might as well have been happy hour.

And speaking of happy hour deals. Perhaps the best Starbucks Reserve Palm Springs news is the pricing. It’s about the same as traditional Starbucks for many coffee orders. You can also buy the rare small-batch beans to take home and enjoy.

Located at 101 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA, 92262