Starbucks Reserve at MBS – First Siphon Brew for Starbucks Singapore

If you want to drink Starbucks Reserve coffees in the past, you’ll need to travel all the way to Resorts World Sentosa but not anymore! Starbucks Reserve™ is now available at 5 other outlets, namely Vivo City Level 1, Rochester Park, Capital Tower, Fullerton Waterboat House and Jurong Point. The latest 7th outlet is now open at Marina Bay Sands B2.

This outlet exudes a cozy and relaxed ambience and there are natural light streaming in the full length glass windows near the entrance to make the environment livelier. Starbucks Reserve™ believes in providing a “rare, exquisite and exotic” experience for customers. You’ll notice a map painted on the wall behind the shelf of Starbucks merchandise. The map portrays the places where the coffee beans for Starbucks are sourced from such as Africa and the Asia-Pacific countries.

Starbucks Reserve™ outlets offer various manual brewing methods such as the Clover Brewed, Chemex, Pour-Over and Coffee Press methods but Marina Bay Sands Starbucks Reserve will be the first to offer the Siphon Method, which is kind of like a dramatic theatrical performance by the coffee baristas as they extract the full flavour potential of the Starbucks Reserve™ coffees through a visually appealing process. There are currently 4 Reserve coffees offered for manual brewing. Papua New Guinea Luoka has bright acidity with lemon and orange citrus notes, smooth body and a cocoa finish while Colombia La Union 16 features effervescent lemony acidity with fresh green herbal notes and the Malawi Sable Farms contains delicate citrus aromas with cranberry notes and a creamy chocolate finish. Finally, Burundi Procasta boasts floral black-tea aromas, bright lemony acidity and cardamom spice notes.

Siphon Method

The earliest known patent for a siphon coffee brewer was filed by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s, but it was a French woman, Marie Fanny Amelne Massot of Lyons, France – better known as Mme. Vassieux, the name she used on her patent applications – who designed and patented the first commercially successful vacuum brewer in 1840.

The entire brewing process using Siphon method takes around 10minutes. The red light that appears once the machine is switched on radiates heat upwards and water in the bottom chamber will start bubbling. The barista will then insert a filter into the upper chamber before pouring in the coffee powder. The filter gives Siphon-brewed coffee a tea-light, milder aroma and flavour without compromising on its acidity. This coffee is served with a bite-size portion of lemon pound cake to bring out the acidity of the coffee. It is only available in “tall” size and served hot between the pricing of $7.80 and $8.40. The plain water that accompanies the coffee is for filtering your palates so as to ensure you get to taste the authentic original flavour profile of the coffee. The barista recommends Colombia La Union 16 coffee beans for Siphon method. Here’s a little caution: the coffee brewed using Siphon method arrives boiling hot so wait a little while before sipping to avoid burning your tongue.

Clover Brewed Method

Highly precise, the Clover utilises a full-immersion brewing method, paired with vacuum filtration to bring out the coffee’s flavours. It ensures that no air will enter hence, the coffee will not turn sour. Most people know this machine as the “Inverted French Press”. The outcome is a very flavourful cup of coffee that distinct itself from the other brewing methods. Clover Brewed coffee comes in all three sizes – Tall ($6.30 to $6.90), Grande ($6.90 to $7.50) and Venti ($7.50 to $8.10) and you have a choice between iced or hot. We were recommended to try the Iced Coffee using Burundi Procasta coffee beans and really enjoyed it.

Other unique brewing methods include Chemex and Pour-Over. The former is a hybrid brewing method of pour-over and full-immersion that highlights the brighter notes in coffee and yields a clean, sweet aftertaste. It is only served in Grande size, with the price ranging between $6.90 and $7.50. On the other hand, the latter produces a delicious, clean cup of coffee that allows subtle notes to shine. Pour-Over comes in three sizes – Tall ($6.30-$6.90), Grande ($6.90-$7.50) and Venti ($7.50-$8.10).

Besides shining the limelight on Starbucks Reserve’s coffee brewing methods, the usual beverages and light snacks are also available at Marina Bay Sands. This outlet has just become one of our favourite Singapore Starbucks outlets and we’re going to return on a lazy afternoon with a book and catch up with friends over the weekend with good coffee.

Do note that the prices indicated above are just a rough gauge as prices will be based on the seasonal offering of Reserve Coffees.

This post was brought to you by Starbucks Reserve™.