So, I went back to the new Starbucks Reserve in Palm Springs. This time I was armed with a buddy that actually drinks coffee, so you know, that helped. Me? Yeah, I saw something that I thought was a neatly designed coffee mug, turns out it was for something called a “pour over”. I don’t know much about coffee. Don’t drink it, don’t like it, but can appreciate it since it keeps the zombies at bay.
We sat at the fancy counter where you can order fancy coffee, and got a recommendation from two friendly ladies sitting next to us. My buddy ordered a siphoned Guatemalan cup of Joe. Now, I don’t know how meth is made, but it’s gotta look something like siphoned coffee.
Fun fact: The coffee siphon was invented by a French woman by the name of Marie Fanny Amelne Massot, and dates back to the 1830s! I didn’t know what it was going into Starbucks, but it’s actually pretty neat how the whole thing works.
This is the explanation according to The Kitchn:
There are two chambers, and the first is filled with water. By heating the bottom chamber, vapor pressure forces the water to rise into the upper chamber. Here it is mixed with the coffee grounds.
The water, now mixed with the grounds, is pulled back down into the lower chamber (thanks to gravity and a drop in pressure, the “vacuum” effect), through a filter which sits at the bottom of the upper chamber, and the bottom chamber in turn fills with brewed coffee.
Science, bitches!
Check out these photos of the process. There were many steps, and the whole show took about 10 minutes.
It was very involved, very pretty, and very exciting! Our boy Troy CRUSHED IT! I know this because he said as long as a golf ball sized mound of coffee grounds showed up at the end of the ordeal, that it was done right. Golf ball sized mound of coffee grounds? Check!
And since your curious, this drink will set you back about 10 bucks.
Today’s overall visit was more enjoyable than the previous experience. It wasn’t so crowded and the staff was attentive and answered all the dumb questions we had.
I can understand the appeal of it, especially for avid coffee drinkers. There are only 36 Starbucks Reserve shops in operation right now, so it’s pretty neat that we were able to snag one in the Coachella Valley.
Definitely a neat place to check out. To the two golden retrievers that were sitting outside when we left…I’m sorry I didn’t pet you. I really wanted to!
