MANILA -- Starbucks has been synonymous with lifestyle and coffee since opening in its first shop in the Philippines at 6750 in Ayala Center back in 1997. This global coffee brand has since then cemented “mocha,” “latte,” and “Frappuccino” into the local beverage vocabulary opening up whole new ways of perking up a morning with caffeine.

Since 2014, stores started popping up with the Starbucks Reserve marque where they brew only their most exotic and rarest beans. The Starbucks Reserve experience is for coffeeholics who are looking to expand their coffee experience.

“We felt that there was a need for us to elevate, being the market leaders in the industry. We saw that there’s already acceptance for it. We push ourselves to elevate our consumer’s experience altogether,” explained Starbucks Philippines marketing manager Jo-Ann Ramos.

The new Starbucks Reserve branches have stylish Reserve Bars that are separate from the traditional coffee counter where discerning coffee drinkers can go up close and personal with coffee. Baristas ask about flavors rather than drinks, then will go on to recommend beans and the appropriate brewing methods. The baristas have siphon, Chemex, and their own Starbucks proprietary pour-over apparatus to draw out the nuanced flavors of their beans.

In a recent coffee cupping event, Starbucks Reserve sampled some of its beans and shared stories behind their origins. This was facilitated by Cebu-based Kara Evangelista, the current Starbucks ambassador who bested other baristas in an internal Starbucks competition and will go on to compete abroad later this year.

The coffee plantation where the Starbucks Reserve Guatemala Cecilia Estate is owned by Don Mariano Castillo and his son. Castilla was a truck driver who met local coffee growers along his route and eventually started a farm of his own. The coffee is nutty and has hints of chocolate.

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Next were the Starbucks Reserve Rwanda Hingakawa beans harvested by an all-woman co-op founded after the Rwandan genocide. The story behind the co-op was told in an award-winning documentary produced by Starbucks. This was best brewed as a pour over that allowed the fruity and had a touch of citrus of the beans to come out.

Lastly, the Microblend 21 is a mix of both African and South American beans. It does get the some of the citrusy notes of the Hingakawa and some of the nutty chocolate of the Cecilia Estate though these were not the beans used for the blend.

For pulling consistent shots and deep flavored espresso, Starbucks Reserve shops feature the Black Eagle espresso machine, the same machine used in the World Barista Championships held every year. These are used to produce special coffee creations only available at Starbucks Reserve.

The Smoked Butterscotch Latte made with the Santa Cecilia Estate, the coffee’s citrus notes balancing out the sweetness of the butterscotch.

Starbuck’s Reserve affogato features specially sourced vanilla ice cream. The espresso from the Microblend 21 beans used in the affogato is very strong and is best taken with a spoonful of ice cream. Together, they’re a great dessert that features a balance of sweet and bitter, hot and cold.

Currently, the Starbucks Reserve stores are all in Metro Manila, although there are hints of Starbucks Reserve branches opening outside Metro Manila starting with Tagaytay.