Reviews for Starbucks Reserve Roastery
Roundly roast-toned but nuanced. Scorched oak, dark chocolate, apricot, soft hints of lily-like flowers in aroma and cup. Roast-rounded, gently tart acidity; lightly satiny mouthfeel. Chocolate, apricot and flowers carry faintly into a briskly drying finish.
Price: $17.50/8.8 ounces
Roast-toned but spicy; sweet, intricate. Cocoa powder, lightly scorched sandalwood, peach, narcissus in aroma and cup. Lively, spice-toned acidity; light but buoyantly silky mouthfeel. Sandalwood, peach and chocolate carry into a rich though drying finish.
Woody, complex roast pungency. Mildly scorched cedar, carob, sassafras, musk in aroma and cup. Roast-rounded, gently bittersweet acidity; full but slightly rough mouthfeel. The finish is sweet though heavy, a little cottony.
Impressive balance of roasty pungency and gently brisk acidity. Softly scorched cedar, a distinct, complexly expressed dark chocolate, hints of blackberry and grapefruit in aroma and cup. Roast-nuanced, softly bittersweet acidity; plush mouthfeel. Flavor consolidates around dry chocolate and a hint of berry in a crisp finish.
Sweetly pungent, lightly roast-influenced. Black currant, dark chocolate, mildly scorched cedar, an herby hint in aroma and cup. Roast-muted acidity; plump, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. Finish consolidates around a dry chocolate and a complicating hint of tart black currant.
Quiet, roasty, chocolaty. Scorched oak, buttery dark chocolate, a hint of lemon in aroma and cup. Crisp, roast-toned acidity; lean though silky mouthfeel. A roasty chocolate dominates in the finish.
Some pleasing chocolate, but generally dominated by a very aggressive dark roast. Heavily scorched oak, dark chocolate, hints of cashew and prune. Full, though rather rough-textured mouthfeel. Sweet dark chocolate carries into an otherwise rather cottony finish.
Evaluated as espresso. Very discreetly and mildly roast-toned. Ken (93) found the hint of roast fine, maybe even refreshing given all of the bright, lighter-roasted espressos he tastes, but Ethan (91) was not entirely happy with the roasty suggestions. Chocolaty and floral yes, but he also found the blend “bittersweet,” “dry”, even “gritty,” and “lacking complexity overall.” The term “dry” found its way into Ken’s notes as well, but nevertheless he appreciated the chocolate, the caramel, the raisin, the flowers and for him a pleasant hint of anise. True, Ethan did fall in line with Ken when it came to sampling the blend in three parts milk, where both found the chocolate and caramel notes appealing and the floral notes surprisingly clear and persistent.