Starbucks Launches New Reserve Coffee: Aged Sumatra Lot No. 084
After five years of meticulous aging, this coffee presented our coffee tasters with special sweetness and deep cedar notes—flavors beyond a typical aged coffee—and we knew it had to be highlighted as a Starbucks Reserve™.
Starbucks Reserve™ Aged Sumatra Lot No. 084
Flavor: FULL-BODIED WITH A TOASTED-MARSHMALLOW SWEETNESS AND DEEP CEDAR NOTES
After five years of meticulous aging, this coffee presented our coffee tasters with special sweetness and deep cedar notes—flavors beyond a typical aged coffee—and we knew it had to be highlighted as a Starbucks Reserve™.
EXOTIC: The coffee was originally purchased in 2007, then sent to our special coffee warehouse, where for the next several years, it was aged and carefully tended. The 154-lb burlap bags were rotated and flipped several times a year to ensure that the coffee aged in a consistent and uniform way, and our coffee experts sampled the coffee two times each year to determine just the right moment to use it.
EXQUISITE: The remarkable flavors of this Sumatra coffee, paired with that meticulous aging process, deliver a big, bold cup of coffee that reflects the time and care that have been put into it. In the midst of sampling hundreds of aged Sumatra coffees, our expert tasters were charmed and intrigued by this single lot—No. 084—and felt it deserved special distinction.
RARE: In the midst of sampling hundreds of aged Sumatra coffees, our expert tasters were charmed and intrigued by this single lot—No. 084—and felt it deserved special distinction
“We all know the aged coffee story. It starts with semi-washed Asia Pacific coffees, normally from Sumatra, although coffees from Sulawesi and Java are also aged from time to time. We hold the coffee for 3-5 years in our aging facility and meticulously watch over the burlap bags. The bags are rotated and turned to ensure proper flavor development of the beans. Simple, right?
Well, it is not actually that simple. Unfortunately, aging coffee is not like baking a cake, as each individual lot ages at its own speed and develops its own unique flavor profile. To monitor the progress of the beans, we sample each and every lot twice a year. It is during this flurry of excitement (where it is common to sample over 300 lots) that we stumble upon amazing lots, such as this coffee. On our cupping table, we found this extraordinary example of what the aging process can do to a coffee. We had no choice other than to offer aged lot # 084 as a Starbucks Reserve™ offering.
The coffee explodes with a dense full body sweet and syrupy that coats the mouth, with cedar and black licorice highlights. Intriguing in their own ways, aged coffees have always held a special place in my heart. I love the deep rich tones that are captured in this coffee that have an array of savory bold flavors. No wimpy coffee here!”
~~Leslie Wolford, sr. green coffee specialist
Additional Information:
- The Aged Sumatra Lot No. 084 label takes its inspiration from patterned textiles made in the area, while the bright colors remind us of the burlap sacks in which the coffee is aged.
- A Starbucks exclusive, this coffee hails from the Northern part of the island of Sumatra.
- After being sorted and bagged the coffee was transferred to our aging warehouse in Singapore where the warm, moist climate allowed the beans to age slowly, anywhere between 3-5 years.
- As the coffee ages, it is meticulously cared for–the bags are flipped, rotated and repositioned around the warehouse to ensure even aging. They are tasted every six months to assess their progress.
