Inside HQ: Starbucks Reserve SODO

Up a short flight of concrete steps and through a towering set of swinging glass doors, and you see it. The first thing to catch your eye is a soaring wood ceiling—undulating waves of walnut beams sweep across the space, designed to evoke the mountainous landscapes of coffee origins. They draw your gaze down the center of the cavernous room to a wall of intricately forged cast-iron ovens and—by now—throngs of visitors.

 

We start where all good journeys must: with coffee. Just to your right as you enter is the Craft Bar, lined with rows of gleaming copper fixtures and glass vessels. Ask your barista for a recommendation, and she'll likely suggest a small-lot coffee brewed on a siphon—the height of coffee brewing theater. Pull up a stool and watch the spectacle unfold, as boiling water defies gravity and coaxes tantalizing aromas from freshly ground beans.

 

Further down the bar, a jewel case of delicate-looking pastries casts an inviting glow. There are lightly glazed rolls sparkling with cinnamon, more studded with candied raisins, and rows of fluffy cornetti and creamy brioches. The cinnamon roll is a particular favorite, a barista enthuses. It's crafted with flour imported from Italy and enfolded with layers of butter. Grab one on your way out—you'll want to save room for what's to come.

 

Beyond that, a tap with four spouts rises from the bar top. One dispenses Cold Brew coffee, another Nitro Cold Brew and the third Nitro tea. The last spout, and perhaps the most unusual, dispenses Nitro milk. It's a key component of the Draft Nitro Latte—a cold, frothy blend of espresso and nitrogen-infused milk.