Seattle is an amazing city all on its own, but for Starbucks fans, this place is heaven on Earth!
Seattle, wa
HEY STRANGERS!
We spent a weekend in Seattle, Washington in Summer 2022 and were delightfully surprised to find that a city we didn’t know much about, quickly became one of our favourite cities in the World! Alongside a really great place to visit, as Starbucks fans, we were immersed in an entire world of coffee good-ness!
Whilst researching for this blog, we found that over the years Starbucks have opened experimental stores throughout the city. Seattle became their testing ground but unfortunately, most of the unique offerings like container built stores, bakery specific, ‘inspired by Starbucks’ etc have all ceased operation. That being said, you never know when a new, unique location may pop-up in the Seattle area!
Starbucks, A Brief History…
Starbucks was founded in 1971 with the original store at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. The menu offered an assortment of freshly brewed coffee, teas and spices from around the World. In 1982, Howard Schultz joined Starbucks and after a trip to Milan, Italy where he discovered the country’s coffeehouses and their unique warmth and atmosphere. Learning from his trip, Schultz returned to Seattle where he would inject his new findings into Starbucks, expanding the company into new cities, countries and continents.
Starbucks has continued to grow year on year into new territories, constantly opening new stores, offering new products and becoming a staple in many people’s lives.
The Original Store
Opening in 1971, the original Starbucks location can be found at 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington, 98101. This store offers a large collection of exclusive Pike Place Starbucks merchandise, most with a ‘First Store’ caption. The location also offers the Pike Place Special Reserve, a unique coffee sold exclusively at the original store and one other Starbucks located at the end of the market.
When we visited, Seattle had just welcomed three large cruise ships to the port so sadly we had an hours wait to get into this tiny location. Fortunately the store’s partners (staff) handled the queue very well and with a smile at all times.
Entering the store you will quickly see just how small it is. You will first order your coffee and any merchandise you wish to purchase. Rather than picking up the merchandise, you’ll be shown a product menu with the items on it. The team will then select the products from their stock and give it you at the counter. Next you’re going to head to the side of the store and join the short coffee collection line where, in true Starbucks style, you’re waiting with a group of people for your name to be called.
Starbucks Reserve
This location is the world’s first Starbucks Reserve store. This is a unique, Starbucks ‘experiential’ store that doesn’t offer a normal Starbucks menu. Instead, you can order freshly brewed coffee in a number of methods, including pour-over, clover brewed, siphon pot and more.
The store doubles as a roastery where coffee beans are roasted, processed and sent (via pipes in the ceiling) to the coffee bar. They also produce unique coffee like a whiskey barrel aged cold brew, a beverage that smells like whiskey, served in a whiskey glass with a large ice cube but is a delicious, non-alcoholic, cold brew. Alongside this, the menu also offers a cold brew tasting flight for guests to try the different versions of cold brew.
Starbucks Reserve also offers enhancements like tours of the facilities and educational experiences for those looking to learn more about coffee, coffee production, bakeries and more.
The Starbucks Reserve location can be found at 1124 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101.
Starbucks HQ
The global centre of Starbucks, the HQ building is known as Starbucks Support Centre, located in Seattle’s industrial district of SODO. Although there are no tours available or access to the building, the location is home to another Starbucks Reserve store. Although not the original Reserve store, being located within the global epicentre of Starbucks operations, this store is unique in its own way.
Whilst offering the same menus as the Capitol Hill Starbucks Reserve, this one offers unique looks at the HQ building which is topped with a familiar face peering over the clocktower. The Starbucks Support Centre is home to more than 4,500 partners – from their product testers on the Coffee Quality team to Finance.
Seattle Starbucks Map
- Original Store – 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
- Starbucks Reserve (Capitol Hill) – 1124 Pike Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
- Starbucks Reserve (SODO) – 2401 Utah Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134, United States
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Jake & Georgia 