I’m a bit of a coffee snob. I’ll admit that. I also rarely drink coffee at Starbucks, as there are better options around the city and, frankly, I think I make a better cup of coffee at home with my drip coffeemaker and beans procured from a local roaster or merchant. Starbucks does, however, sell beans, and sell a whole lot of them, and as of a couple of months ago, has moved into what they consider to be the “ultra-premium” market — sourced from exotic locales, these are rare, limited-quantity coffee beans, which of course carry a much higher price tag than conventional coffee.
This is why I gladly accepted The Feisty Foodie’s offer of an 8-ounce bag of Galápagos San Cristóbal, procured from Starbucks PR.
However, note the price tag: I get excellent beans from the Galápagos for about $10 per pound at Porto Rico, in town. This 8-ounce bag of beans: $12.50. These had best be something really, really special. (Hey, they’re kosher!)
Well… the beans certainly look pretty. On top of that, they smelled good. Really, not a significant trace of the acrid, burnt signature aroma of the standard Starbucks dark roast. Lots of earthiness gets through, a richness I get from better-quality roasters. So Starbucks passed the first test.
I like seeing a little oiliness on top of a fresh-brewed cup of coffee. It’s kind of a signature of really freshly-ground coffee that I look for, even if I can’t taste it as such. The taste of this cup? Surprisingly good. Very little burnt roast; a lot more care went into these beans, no doubt. The taste is surprisingly full, too, rich and, dare I say it, all about the raw flavor of the coffee. I brewed a pot of this, perhaps a little on the strong side just to make sure that burnt, bitter expression didn’t surface, and it really didn’t.
To put it simply, if this were a regular offering on the Starbucks coffee menu, I could be persuaded to purchase it occasionally. I hope they have this at one of their Clover-equipped stores; I would travel for that.
In summary, I like this new coffee from Starbucks, but for home use? I have to balk at the price. I guess this is going to be positioned as a gift item, since “real” coffee connoisseurs — of which I am not one — wouldn’t typically bother buying beans at Starbucks, though their friends and relatives would. At least in this case, price equals quality, but if it’s going to take $25 per pound to extract a very good cup of coffee from Starbucks… maybe that says something. Still, I would gladly accept it as a gift, and if I ever see a Reserve coffee on the board at a Starbucks, I won’t hesitate to grab a cup.
Please note that this coffee was courtesy of Starbucks. I received no monetary compensation for this review, nor was I obliged in any way to post about the beans, positively or otherwise. This is my own opinion and I feel it was unbiased; you are free to take from this what you will.
Hungry says
Do you recommend any coffee maker(s) that would serve just one person? I was contemplating a french press but was wondering if you had a better idea. Also, I hate those mini-pod type coffee makers so please don’t suggest that. But since you’re a whole bean to ground coffee guy, I assume you wouldn’t suggest that in the first place.
BeerBoor says
You are correct, I would never suggest the pod things.
I would either go French Press — which is a pain, so I don’t own one, or a Chemex, which is absolutely awesome for coffee but I’m too impatient to use it.
Honestly though? You know how Gevalia is always offering a free coffeemaker and coffee? Often the giveaway is a “personal” size, and I bet that thing would work just fine.
Alternately, get a Keurig machine and the reusable K-cup thing (don’t spend all that money on the premade K-cups, big waste): it has its own filter so you can grind your own beans, pack them into the contraption, and make one large cup of coffee. Beautiful.
Feisty Foodie says
My sister and mother both have a Gevalia coffeemaker. Neither are personal size – my sister frequently uses it for company and huge pots of coffee (huge meaning 6 or 12 cups, I forget, I’ll look later).
PS I love Keurig machines, they are awesome, but I also apparently like bad coffee.
BeerBoor says
Six isn’t huge. Just saying.
I’ve seen small Gevalia coffeemakers that come with travel mugs and an attachment that allows the coffee to be brewed directly into these cups instead of the carafe. That would probably suffice, and considering it’s essentially free, a good deal.
Keurigs are fine, but most of the time the coffee is meh. Better to use whatever beans you like, if that’s your thing.
Hungry says
Thanks! I’ll look these up!
T.C. says
Ack. Starbucks has horrible regular coffee. Not a fan of their regular joe either. Maybe their premium beans are much better?
I like green mountain but K-cups/ Flavia packets is too much of a reminder for me of Corporate America/ office life.
Save your homes from such contraptions! 😛