The coffee is served as a hot 'con crema' (left) and a cold-brew (centre). © Joshua Trujillo/Starbucks
Starbucks has launched a barrel-aged coffee to rival Nespresso, which launched a three-year-aged coffee last month.
Starbucks’ coffee team was offered the opportunity to use a small-lot coffee from the Starbucks Reserve brand, and the result is a barrel-aged coffee that will be available for a limited time from this week.
Starbucks Reserve whisky barrel-aged Sulawesi coffee is available as two speciality beverages: a ‘complex’ cold-brew sweetened with vanilla; and a hot barrel-aged ‘con crema’ – a pour-over of whiskey barrel-aged Sulawesi mixed with barrel-aged vanilla syrup, and topped with a cascara sugar cold-foam topping.
Both drinks started with an 800lb batch of green Starbucks Reserve Sulawesi coffee beans, hand-scooped into freshly emptied American oak-aged whiskey barrels from Woodinville Whiskey Co of Washington state. Over several weeks, the beans absorb the whiskey flavour and are hand-rotated frequently to ensure all the coffee comes into contact with the oak barrel.
After the beans age, they are roasted by Starbucks’ master roasters. Although the intense heat of the roasting process burns off the alcohol, the aroma and flavour of the whiskey’s identity still comes through in the final coffee.
The process is different than the typical ageing process for Starbucks’ aged Sumatran coffee, the chain said, because that method involves resting in burlap bags.
Nespresso launched a barrel-aged coffee for its machines last month.
Duane Thompson, from Starbucks’ beverage R&D team, said: “Exploring the potential of coffee and marrying non-traditional experiences and techniques together is something we’re experimenting with daily. We start with the bean first and go from there.
“There’s no better stage than the Starbucks Roastery for a unique coffee like this because customers are seeking an immersive, sensorial experience that the craftsmanship of barrel-aged coffee delivers. The process takes time, care and patience, ensuring we deliver a distinct experience that stays true to the specialness of the coffee while imparting the complementary, distinguished flavour of the oak-aged barrel. You get those earthy notes mingling with the oak to create a cup that’s unlike any other.”
As well as a hot version of the coffee, Starbucks will serve up a cold-brew version of the drink.
Thompson continued: “The cold-brewing allows for more caramel flavour to come through from the barrel, along with the vanilla, for a beautifully rounded beverage. You get the building of the flavours at every single level. It is complex, but not complicated.
“It’s a really exciting time to be in coffee. This meticulous process has been rewarding and hopefully it’s an unforgettable taste in the cup for our customers.”
The coffees will be available at Starbucks’ flagship roastery in Seattle.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024