To support the future courtyard coffee corner and help students better understand the coffee industry'sbusiness operations, coffee evaluation, and brewing techniques, our college organized this activity.
(The event was aimed at undergrads, but I somehow snuck my way in — not really.)
The Shanghai roastery we visited is one of only six Starbucks roasteries in the world and the second to open outside the US. Many people call it the Starbucks flagship store, but that's not quite right — it's a roastery. You can find out more on theofficial website.
We got there at 10 a.m., and compared with the foot traffic outside on Nanjing West Road, the store was already pretty full.
The activity started with howcoffee beans grow. Coffee is mainly grown inLatin America, the Asia-Pacific region, andAfrica. Because of differences in local economic development, the **processing techniques** differ, giving beans from these three origins each their own character.
Next, we saw two types ofcoffee machines make espresso — theanti-gravity machine left a particularly strong impression (you can get a small taste of it from **this video**), and a few lucky students even got to try latte art.
Another colleague walked us through coffee roasting, including quality control during roasting — and we got to seethe beans coming out of the roaster.
The machine that roasts the beans is like a top-loading washing machine — the beans tumble inside as they roast, and when the timer goes off the lid opens and they're tipped into a container and stirred to cool them quickly to room temperature. Meanwhile, based onspectroscopy, the beans go throughquality control. Beans that pass aresorted out with air, which removes impurities like stones (disstone). They're then carried to the packaging line, and from there you can buy these beans atStarbucks stores across China. Yes, every Reserve bean in China comes from this roastery.
As fortasting coffee, there are mainly **four steps: smell the aroma, slurp it hard, locate the flavors, and describe what you feel. Everyonehas a different palate, so don't try to match what others taste. And this method isn't just for coffee — you can use it forwine and tea** as well.
As forhow Starbucks gets the flavors it wants into its beans: it starts by setting a base profile, then blends different beans to build the flavor. The best part is that everything is naturally flavored — no additives or sneaky tricks.
As for this store, you can tell it's Starbucks thoughtfully weaving national and local culture into the design — the coffee library, the pairing with tea and spirits; it feels even more elevated than an Apple flagship store. If you're into coffee, I'd really recommend stopping by this store and soaking up the atmosphere.
Anyway, this was a precious experience for getting to know coffee and the culture behind it — and I wanted to share it with you.
The school organized a visit to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai, where students learned about coffee bean origins and processing, espresso preparation, roasting and quality control, and the four steps of coffee tasting. The Reserve coffee beans roasted and packaged at the Roastery are supplied to Starbucks stores across China. The visit also introduced how Starbucks blends coffee beans to create natural flavors. The author believes this store, which brings together national and local culture, is well worth a visit for coffee lovers and offers a valuable opportunity to learn about coffee and its culture.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai
To support the future courtyard coffee corner and help students better understand the coffee industry'sbusiness operations, coffee evaluation, and brewing techniques, our college organized this activity.
(The event was aimed at undergrads, but I somehow snuck my way in — not really.)
The Shanghai roastery we visited is one of only six Starbucks roasteries in the world and the second to open outside the US. Many people call it the Starbucks flagship store, but that's not quite right — it's a roastery. You can find out more on theofficial website.
We got there at 10 a.m., and compared with the foot traffic outside on Nanjing West Road, the store was already pretty full.
The activity started with howcoffee beans grow. Coffee is mainly grown inLatin America, the Asia-Pacific region, andAfrica. Because of differences in local economic development, the **processing techniques** differ, giving beans from these three origins each their own character.
Next, we saw two types ofcoffee machines make espresso — theanti-gravity machine left a particularly strong impression (you can get a small taste of it from **this video**), and a few lucky students even got to try latte art.
Another colleague walked us through coffee roasting, including quality control during roasting — and we got to seethe beans coming out of the roaster.
The machine that roasts the beans is like a top-loading washing machine — the beans tumble inside as they roast, and when the timer goes off the lid opens and they're tipped into a container and stirred to cool them quickly to room temperature. Meanwhile, based onspectroscopy, the beans go throughquality control. Beans that pass aresorted out with air, which removes impurities like stones (disstone). They're then carried to the packaging line, and from there you can buy these beans atStarbucks stores across China. Yes, every Reserve bean in China comes from this roastery.
As fortasting coffee, there are mainly **four steps: smell the aroma, slurp it hard, locate the flavors, and describe what you feel. Everyonehas a different palate, so don't try to match what others taste. And this method isn't just for coffee — you can use it forwine and tea** as well.
As forhow Starbucks gets the flavors it wants into its beans: it starts by setting a base profile, then blends different beans to build the flavor. The best part is that everything is naturally flavored — no additives or sneaky tricks.
As for this store, you can tell it's Starbucks thoughtfully weaving national and local culture into the design — the coffee library, the pairing with tea and spirits; it feels even more elevated than an Apple flagship store. If you're into coffee, I'd really recommend stopping by this store and soaking up the atmosphere.
Anyway, this was a precious experience for getting to know coffee and the culture behind it — and I wanted to share it with you.