A new Starbucks Coffee experience in Mumbai

I just had an amazing Starbucks coffee experience. They have opened a new store in Mumbai at Lokhandwala Complex which is a first of its kind in India. It's called the Starbucks Coffee Forward Neighbourhood store.

The place has a different vibe. Its more experimental, more modern, more lively. The staff is eager to assist you as the place does seem to get to you at first as its completely different in setup from a regular Starbucks outlet. 

The food section is small yet different. They have a limited selection of croissants, sandwiches and desserts, which are all unique. The brewing station is managed by Starbucks Coffee Masters in black aprons.  They have on offer seven different blends of coffee - Pike Place Roast, Kenya, Ethiopia, India Estates Blend, Sumatra, Caffe Verona and the Italian Roast. 

What's strikingly different at this outlet is the collection of Coffee Makers aka Brewers.

They strictly use the following:

• Siphon brewer
• Chemex brewer
• French press
• Pour-over

I decided to try the Caffe Verona Americano using the Siphon brewing method. 

The other brewers look like this:

What follows is the Caffe Verona brewing experience and review using the Siphon brewer. You can watch the entire video log if you like or read further to know more.

Video Log (you can forward it directly to 1 minute to catch the experience with Coffee Master Karam @ Starbucks Lokhandwala - Mumbai):

Caffe Verona according to Starbucks was first made for a Seattle restaurant in 1975 which they named Jake's blend. It became hugely popular and soon Starbucks was producing this blend in huge quantities which later came to be known as the 80/20 blend. They finally named it Caffe Verona after the city Verona in northern Italy.

The Siphon brewer aka Vacuum coffee brewer works to produce a clear coffee brew using the principles of heating (to produce vapor) and cooling (force of gravity) to produce coffee.

The Siphon consists of two chambers. The lower chamber is filled with water and heated using a helium torch. As the vapor builds up in the lower chamber, the pressure forces the boiling water up through the nozzle of the upper chamber where the coffee grinds (of Caffe Verona) are mixed with the water. The coffee beans go through a regular "filter" grind (also called the No. 9 grind @ Starbucks). This process takes about 5 minutes.

After mixing, the mixture is allowed to rest over 1.5 minutes (flame turned off) and slowly due to the reduction in vapor pressure, the force of gravity and atmospheric pressure, the brewed coffee trickles down through the nozzle of the upper chamber into the lower chamber. All the coffee crema and coffee grind residue is held back in the upper chamber by a filter. 

The coffee is finally ready for serving after 7 minutes. The coffee is strong yet sweet. The marriage of the coffee and cacao is excellent.

A Tall cup of Americano (using Caffe Verona beans) and the Siphon brewer costs Rs. 260 (4 US$). Well worth the buck and I noticed that Starbucks hasn't resorted to any premium pricing. This is good strategy by Starbucks to promote Good Coffee drinking practices in India.

I had to accompany the Americano with a good bite. I tried the Egg & Chicken in Multigrain wrap which was mildly spiced and generously stuffed with a lot of chicken. It costed Rs 235 (3.6 US$).

All in all, a superb experience. A must try for all.

Address: Starbucks Coffee - 1, 2, C-Wing, Silver Spring, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri - West, Mumbai - 400053.

While you are here, please check out my other blog post below.
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Cheers.