If you're lucky enough to live near a Starbucks Reserve, you know the type of bougie that the place emits. Just walking in, you may feel like a secret rockstar. Or maybe you're not as dramatic as I am and you're just in there to get your freaking cup of coffee before you have to talk to anyone. Either way, Starbucks (known for constantly one-upping themselves), is taking that bougie and multiplying it by 1,000 with it's newest Starbucks Reserve Roastery located in Shanghai.
It's The Biggest Starbucks Ever Made
In April 2016, Starbucks announced that it was building a huge Starbucks in NYC, coming in at 20,000 square feet and set to open in 2018. However, Shanghai is officially it's biggest store to date, and so far, it's the most innovative and beautiful.
This store is MASSIVE. Like, 30,000 square feet massive. To put it into context, that's about six times the size of Taylor Swift's newest NYC townhouse. It's approximately the size of Beyoncé and Jay Z's LA mansion.
The Shanghai Roastery has three coffee bar experiences, including an 88 ft. long coffee bar (the longest ever in Starbs history). It also features China's first Starbucks Teavana Bar, made entirely from 3-D printed recycled materials.
Exclusive Drinks
The menu features over 100 beverages, and some of the drinks will be exclusive to this location only. You can order up a Teavana tea infused with nitrogen (that's pretty neat) or a new type of tea using Steampunk. No, that's not a terrible name for boy band, it's actually a new way of brewing tea that uses steam to bring out new flavors from each tea leaf.
Beyond drinks, this location will house a Princi bakery and cafe—the first in the whole continent of Asia. The menu has over 80 menu items that will be baked onsite, fresh each day. We can assume it will be similar (but much bigger) than the Seattle Reserve Roastery Princi bakery that serves flaky cornetti and focaccia sandwiches, using ingredients imported from Italy.
Um, It's Gorgeous
If you're not in Shanghai, maybe you can visit the huge Starbucks Reserve opening in NYC in 2018.
In April 2016, Starbucks announced that it was building a huge Starbucks in NYC, coming in at 20,000 square feet and set to open in 2018. However, Shanghai is officially it's biggest store to date and so far, it's the most innovative and beautiful.
China also holds the title of the country with the most Starbucks locations in the world. Right now there are more than 3,000 stores, but a new store opens roughly every 15 hours.
If you can't tell from the photos, this thing is beautiful! The design was made with coffee in mind, and is exclusive to China. As customers walk in, they'll see a two-story, 40-ton copper cask decorated with Chinese stamps, each hand-engraved, that tells the story of Starbucks and its coffee. The cask then connects to each of the three coffee bars, filling each of the roasted coffee silos—more proof that you don't have to choose between being smart and pretty.
As customers look around (and there's a lot to look at), they should hold up their phones—through augmented reality, information about Starbucks history will pop up. Yeah, this is crazy. It's basically like a digital tour guide, and customers can even unlock virtual badges to celebrate their visit.
China currently holds the title of the country with the most Starbucks locations in the world. Right now there are more than 3,000 stores, and every time a bell rings, a new one opens its doors. Just kidding (kudos to those who got the joke), but a new store does open roughly every 15 hours. The new Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the first to open outside of the US, and if you're in Shanghai, you can visit when it opens tomorrow, Dec. 5.