Starbucks opened its newest reserve outlet on 3rd October 2016. Located at Marina Bay Sands Shoppes, it’s the seventh Starbucks Reserve outlet but, the first in the coffee chain to offer siphon brewing locally.
The Starbucks Coffee Experience Bar greets you upon entering the outlet, with its counter top adorned with stainless steel and glass coffee making apparatuses, welcome to coffee heaven. Brimming with excitement without a single drop of coffee drunk, we eagerly looked forward to our turn to experience coffee – on a high.
Spacious and contemporary, the decor plays up the idea of exploration, with a map depicting the regions from where Starbucks’ reserve coffee originates from painted on the wall.
Coffee Masters
Time for a cuppa or two – heck make it as many we need to get to experience coffee nirvana. I can’t help but dedicate a paragraph or two to the Coffee Masters of Starbucks who made our coffee and will make your experience more than a cup of caffeinated joy.
Coffee Masters undergo an eight week training phase to earn the title of Coffee Master, just so you don’t mistake them for just any other barista.
Their passion ties the whole experience together, and I’ll even liken their willingness to share their knowledge like the lingering notes of the finest of coffees.
Siphon Brewing – The Starbucks Coffee Experience Bar
Like something out of a chemistry lab, the siphon (tall $7.80-$8.40) utilises clear glass chambers and emits an orange glow during the heating process, which drew me into the whole process even more.
The entire brewing process took somewhere between five to six minutes, with a constant heat of 92 degrees Celsius applied throughout – these are just snippets of the knowledge bombs we received from the Coffee Master attending to us.
She took a moment to (deservedly) show off a little by directing our attention to the sizeable mound of coffee grounds that formed in the tube with the final stir at the end of brewing.
Pointing out that larger mound in the center indicates a highly skilled person had tended to the brew, so be sure to challenge your Coffee Master when having a cup at Starbucks at Marina Bay Sands.
It wasn’t long before we were slurping on our cups of Burundi Procasta, a reserve coffee offered on the menu. With notes that can be described as floral and citrus with a finish that reminded me of black tea, it’s refreshing brew, and not only because of the caffeine.
Depending on the coffee you’ve selected, a suitable small snack will be paired with your freshly brewed cup of coffee.
In our case, it was a piece of orange pound cake. Taking bites of it in-between the mandatory slurps, the bright citrus notes were accentuated, just another example of coffee being more than that drink we’re all too dependent on.
Comprehensively Coffee
Siphon brewing isn’t the be all and end all of Starbucks’ Coffee Experience Bar. The bar is equipped with the Clover® brewer, Chemex® coffeemaker, traditional coffee press and paraphernalia for the pour-over method.
Watching the Coffee Master tend to a batch utilising the Chemex (grande $6.40-$7.50) brewing method, she explained that the bubbles of carbon dioxide released during the process are a sign of the coffee’s freshness.
The Burundi Procasta coffee brewed using the Chemex resulted in an extremely clean final product, but I prefer notes of cocoa and a brew that is stronger and darker overall.
With each method of brewing producing slightly different flavour variations even when the same coffee bean is selected, there’ll always be a new experience and personal preference for the coffee connoisseur.
Be it a cleaner finish or a more robust flavour profile you’re looking for, the Coffee Masters at Starbucks MBS are more than happy to answer questions, and tailor your brew every time you take a seat at Marina Bay Sands’ Starbucks’ Coffee Experience Bar.
For more on Starbucks Reserve Coffee, click here.
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Starbucks Reserve, 2 Bayfront Avenue, Canal Level #B2-56 | Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 8am-11:30pm & Friday, Saturday, Eve of PH 8am-12am | Expected damage for Coffee Experience Bar: $6.90-$8.40 |
*This post was brought to you in partnership with Starbucks
