A few weeks before we left Seattle, I was hearing rumors about a sun dried coffee from East Timor. My interest was piqued.
At that time, Reserve stores were featuring an East Timor peaberry from Cooperative Café Timor (CCT). This coffee comes from the same cooperative, a collaboration between Starbucks and CCT. Starbucks wondered what a natural processed coffee from East Timor would taste like, and the result is a powerhouse of fruit flavors highlighting pineapple and black cherry
East Timor Red made it’s debut at the Roastery exactly one week after I moved away. However, I am so thankful for my friend Melody, who keeps me up to date with all of the Roastery exclusives! Thank you, Melody. I couldn’t do this without you 🙂
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We are officially in Michigan and in our new house. As soon as we got here, I was asked if I could do a coffee tasting for the district meeting. Of course I said, yes, but internally I was wondering what on earth I was going to make. I happened to have a few bags of Rwanda Hingakawa from the Roastery and a 
Gravitas Blend number 2. A blend of three African coffees; Rwanda Abakundakawa, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelba and Burundi Murambi. Paired with grapefruit and buddhas hand brioche wrapped in dark chocolate…. 
2015 Rwanda cup of excellence second place winner Rwanda Mahembe. Vibrant flavors of orange, peach and honey. So sweet it’s like eating candy! Served in 
When you think of Sumatra, you probably think of a coffee with incredible earthy notes and a heavy syrupy body. This is not that coffee.
A few weeks ago Burundi Murambi appeared on the scoop bar at the roastery. We have not seen an offering from Burundi in a very long time (about 3 years) so I was ecstatic to go over there and pick up a few bags.
Nicaragua Maracaturra is the first reserve subscription for 2016! What an epic way to kick off the year! This coffee has sweet herbal aromas, with notes of peach, apricot and honey. This is the second time Starbucks has offered this coffee, the first being in 2012.
I first had Cameroon Mt Oku at the Roastery. It was in the cold brew rotation, and I quickly fell in love. It was light, yet rich, and had this long lingering flavor that took me quite a while to pinpoint. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I tried the Cameroon Mt Oku on the clover. The same familiar flavor was present. It finally hit me; mace. Mace is a delicately fragrant spice, think of it as nutmeg’s less sweet (and more intense) cousin.
In the early 19th century, muffins were baked in small cups or rammekins. This is how the term cupcake came to life! This food fact is the reason why I almost always bake my muffins/cupcakes directly in ceramic cups. Not only is it less waste, it is also adorable. It also gives me a chance to use my new mini mug from the Roastery 🙂