In case you haven’t heard, Starbucks Canada opened its biggest location yet here in Vancouver – a new Starbucks Reserve at CF Pacific Centre, at 700 West Pender Street. It’s the second one here in Vancouver, with the first one being on Main Street in Mount Pleasant.
This new location holds a special place in my heart. Its predecessor being a man’s clothing store was the very place where Mr. rented his wedding suit. It was sad to see it closed but I was equally excited to see a Starbucks Reserve go in its place. Especially it’s very close to work.
The store is beautiful. It’s long and spacious. There are tables alongside the windows, as well as big comfy chairs dotting the middle of the coffee shop. You can also sit at the bar and watch the baristas in action.
True to the Starbucks Reserve experience, customers at this store have access to rare Reserve coffee beans, as well as the opportunity to learn more about a variety of coffee brewing methods, including: Clover brewing system, Chemex brewer, Siphon, coffee press, and Nitro Cold Brew taps.
In addition to the media preview that I attended, I’ve been back to this Starbucks Reserve on my own dime a couple of times already. My friend CC and I got a mini version of the Siphon Experience. In a nutshell, a siphon brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee. Our barista Tyler explained the process and brewed the coffee right in front of our eyes. Tip: The full experience is $25 for three 12oz coffee, allowing you to taste three kinds of coffee beans side-by-side. But we learned that you can order your coffee brewed in Siphon for just $10. It’s got to be one of the Reserve beans, though, and we ordered it with the Aged Sumatra. It’s a medium roast with earthy note.
There are a number of special Reserve beverages as well, such as the Reserve Mocha (Dark Chocolate Mocha) and Hazelnut Bianco Latte (pic below). Using dark chocolate syrup, the Reserve Mocha wasn’t as rich as the regular mocha. It definitely had a bitter undertone. Even though I enjoy dark chocolate more than milk, I personally prefer the regular mocha more.
On the other hand, the Hazelnut Bianco Latte is made with Starbucks Reserve espresso plus steamed, house-made hazelnut praline-infused milk. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s definitely a treat.
With the cold brew, they have a drink called Spiced Ginger Cold Brew – their cold brew mixed with ginger ale and a cinnamon-spiced syrup. It’s a bit sweet, with hint of ginger and warm spice. It perhaps is an acquired taste but if you like that kind of flavour profile, you will enjoy it. I quite liked it myself.
Starbucks Christmas Gift Guide
Christmas is just around the corner. Are you shopping at the last minute for a coffee lover? Here are some suggestions for you:
Tumblers – For the one with a dazzling personality, I suggest a glitter tumbler (left). It comes with three colours, black, red and silver. They also have a sequin cold cup for those who prefer iced beverages. For the one who likes their drink super hot (points to self), an insulated tumbler (right) can keep the drink hot for up to 5 hours – that should get me through the morning!
Coffee Beans – Of course you can pick up coffee beans at any Starbucks location. Now that we have another Starbucks Reserve in Vancouver, why not pick up some small lot Starbucks Reserve coffee beans?! The selection of coffees changes throughout the year but this is what’s available right now (as of Dec. 15, 2018): Christmas Noel, Aged Sumatra and Panama Carmen Estate. Tip: You can actually find Reserve coffee beans at select regular stores as well – look for the Reserve logo (a star above the big R) on the door and they should carry the beans.
The Reserve store also carries a different line of merchandise, with the R logo adorning mugs, glasses, tumblers, etc. Check them out while you are there too.
Final Thoughts
With a longer line to order and another line at the bar to wait for your orders, I thought it’s silly for those who come to the Starbucks Reserve just for a regular cup of coffee. Psst I can tell because you are not holding a Reserve logo’d cup! I would totally just walk an extra block to find a regular Starbucks store for my caffeine fix, and only go to the Reserve store for special, unique coffee experiences. But I can’t blame them; this store is brand new and it is nice inside. Next time, I would have the Siphon again, with a different type of beans, and maybe the Chemex brewer too.
Starbucks Reserve
700 West Pender, Vancouver
starbucks.ca
VanFoodies.com 
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