starbucks reserve | the modern barista

Ethiopia Kayon Mountain

March 3, 2017 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

My regional director was kind enough to purchase me a year long Roastery subscription, so I am kicking of 2017 by hosting monthly reserve seminars! Starting off with the first subscription coffee of 2017; Ethiopia Kayon Mountain.

Ethiopia Kayon Mountain is from a small lot farm in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Kayon translates to goal, and it is the mantra for the farm owners who are driven to take extra steps in the name of extraordinary coffee. Using methods that are not commonly seen in Ethiopia, such as shade growing coffee, to having their own washing station, to exporting directly. The farmers of Kayon mountain maintain full control of every step of the process.

An extraordinary coffee deserves an extraordinary tasting.

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Tastefolio: Colombia el peñol

February 26, 2017 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

Colombia el peñol paired with hot fudge marshmallows, dipped in dark chocolate infused with blackberries and red wine and topped with a fresh blackberry. Served at our February 2017 district meeting kicking off the conversations of barista championships and coffee engagement.

The Wilder – Costa Rica Las Lajas cold brew

February 3, 2017 by jocelyn 1 Comment

If you’ve been to the Roastery or a Starbucks Reserve bar recently, you might have seen a drink on the menu called the ‘Melrose’. The Melrose is Starbucks twist on a manhattan, cold brew, demerara sugar, cherry bitters topped with a cherry. When I visited the reserve bar in New York last month, I fell in love with this drink, and knew I wanted to recreate it at home.

When Costa Rica Las Lajas launched, I was taken aback by the intense grapefruit notes in this coffee, and thought that this might make the perfect cold brew. It is crisp, sweet and refreshingly tart. I decided to make my own version of the Melrose using this coffee.

Introducing the Wilder….

Nicaragua Maracaturra paired with coffee fruit cake

January 25, 2017 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

I had actually planned this recipe to go live on National fruitcake day.. which was three weeks ago. I am a little bit behind with posts and recipes, but better late than never, right? 😉

Nicaragua Maracaturra has become one of my favorite reserve coffees. First of all, I love the beans. They are enormous! Second the flavor profile has really captured me. Subtle floral sweetness with spice notes of clove and allspice woven together, and finished off with a creamy vanilla mouthfeel. This is a coffee that can go in so many different directions, from baking spices, to chocolate, to apples and nuts. It is one of those coffees you can almost pair with anything!

Even a fruitcake?!

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Jamaica Blue Mountain with candied blood oranges

January 25, 2017 by jocelyn 1 Comment

For over 40 years, Starbucks has been offering Jamaica Blue Mountain, and we celebrate it’s return to reserve stores next month. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting room in Seattle generally has coffees a good few months before reserve stores have them, and because I am very spoiled, I am able to try them before they are released to stores. Typically, Jamaica Blue Mountain is not a coffee I get excited about. First, it is pretty expensive, at $35/a half pound, but second, it has never dazzled me the way it has others.

Coffees from Hawaii and Jamaica are special. If you think about it, most people haven’t been to Kenya or Colombia, but many have been to the Hawaiian islands and/or Jamaica, so they forge a connection with these coffees. Last year, I was lucky enough to spend a day on a coffee farm in Maui, and every time I drink coffee from Hawaii, I remember being back there, the warm salty breeze, the smells, the memories we created. One of my partners went to Jamaica earlier this year, and when I told him we would soon be tasting Jamaica Blue Mountain, I watched his eyes light up. That is why I love coffee. We are constantly creating memories and sharing our experiences with others. …

Nicaragua Maracaturra with spice mice

January 12, 2017 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

Nicaragua Maracaturra is back! I am pretty excited every time this one comes around, not because it’s my favorite (it isn’t) but because of the beans. They are HUGE. This is always a great conversation starter about varietals, and what these words that we see on the tasting sheets are; bourbon, typica, and so on. I’ll get to that in a minute, but first let me talk about something very important.

Birthdays.

If you have ever worked with me, you know I love to celebrate birthdays. I don’t know how or why this started, but it is honestly my most favorite thing. On Saturday, one of my partners has a birthday, except neither of us work on Saturday, so we celebrated today. Lisa loves and collects mice, so I wanted to do something special, just for her on her day.

Meet the spice mice.

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Tastefolio: Costa Rica Las Lajas

January 7, 2017 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

#notacoffeecup Costa Rica Las Lajas served in a grapefruit cup….

Christmas Reserve with chocolate orange cakes

December 16, 2016 by jocelyn 1 Comment

I really wanted to make campfire oranges to pair with the Christmas Reserve … but then winter happened. It came fast, and I have never lived in a place where it snows, and I greatly underestimated what winter would be like in the mitten. It’s cold, it is dumping snow, and I am not about to go outside and build a campfire. Plan B, make them in the oven instead 🙂

This recipe calls for a box cake mix, so it is super quick and easy to put together, and it looks pretty impressive as well! Baking the cake inside the orange adds a lot of moisture and flavor to the cake. No need for frosting or a glaze, though you can if you’d like. These little cakes are delicious by themselves!…

Christmas Reserve and mulling spiced toffee

December 14, 2016 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

I have really been enjoying this years Christmas Reserve. I love the flavor combinations of the mulling spices and orange, layers of flavors unfolding with each sip. This year, Christmas is so different for me. This is my first white Christmas, and while I am not particularly fond of the snow, I think it has boosted my holiday spirits.

Christmas reserve has woodsy aromas and holiday accents of mulled spices and orange zest, and is the perfect holiday coffee. I wanted to create something for those who might not be on Santa’s good list this year 😉 My interpretation of a lump of coal; molasses toffee infused with coffee and mulling spices.

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Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelelektu with lemon & lavender madeleines

December 14, 2016 by jocelyn Leave a Comment

Have you ever been asked to do a coffee tasting and have no idea what to do? That was me this week. I was asked to prepare a coffee tasting for an upcoming district meeting, and couldn’t come up with anything. It didn’t help that it was short notice, and I have been working every day since Thanksgiving. My mind was completely wiped out. I decided to go back to basics, and selected the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelelektu. This is a fully washed coffee and it is an heirloom varietal. These beans are descendants from the original coffee trees, so what better way to kick off a meeting than with a tasting of coffee history.

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