Now available in limited international markets, Starbucks is offering Sumatra Lake Toba coffee. It is from the Lake Toba region of Sumatra and is described as “earthy and woody”. Some interesting facts about this coffee and its growing region: This coffee comes from three select villages perched on the shores of Lake Toba, a volcanic crater lake in northern Sumatra. Lake Toba is the largest volcano-tectonic lake in the world – 54 miles (86.90 km) long and 17 miles (27.35 km) wide.
As good luck would have it, a twitter follower of mine (located in Amsterdam) sent me a bag of this precious coffee to try. And as I have done many times in the past, I ran to 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea and asked them to cup it with their daily cupping.
On June 13, 2010 barista-Lauren did the daily cupping at 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, and we cupped the following coffees:
- Three Region Blend
- Sumatra (core line up coffee)
- Sumatra Lake Toba (limited international Starbucks coffee)
- Sulawesi Kalosi (currently a seasonal Starbucks Clover small batch coffee offering)
Three customers joined in the cupping, hosted by barista-Lauren. Everyone loved the Sumatra Lake Toba. Several of us noted a sort of creamy mouth-feel with hints of cocoa to the Sumatra Lake Toba, like a nice chocolate pudding. Though the packaging describes it completely differently, so we were a little surprised to get so many cocoa notes out of the Lake Toba. At the end of the cupping, Lauren and I tried the Lake Toba on the Clover and suddenly we both picked up the more herbal notes that this coffee is known for, but the creamy mouth-feel lingered.
The customers loved the cupping. One particularly liked the Three Region Blend. It was definitely a success.
I write frequently about cuppings and 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, and so if you’re brand new to this blog, there have been a few key previous blog posts to help explain why I’m often writing about these two things and what I mean when I talk about a “cupping”:
- There are two street-level Starbucks – This is a great blog entry to explain that there are two totally uniquely stores operated by Starbucks
- Your introduction to a cupping at 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea – The reason this is a great blog post is because it involves some conversation about my very favorite coffee (Arabian Mocha Sanani) and talks about the difference between a coffee “cupping” and a coffee “tasting” which are really two different kinds of coffee education experiences.
- Sumatra Aceh and Sumatra Siborong-Borong – Continuing Coffee Education – This blog entry talks about two more very rare Starbucks Sumatra coffees. My understanding is that Starbucks produced four very small batch Sumatra coffees, all coming from different regions, from small farms or small cooperatives. I’ve had the chance to try three of the four coffees: Sumatra Aceh, Sumatra Lake Toba, and Sumtara Siborong-Borong.
As always, here are some photos from today’s event. Does anyone else love this coffee?
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How did you determine the proper settings on the Clover?
This sounds like a coffee I would adore. Especially since Starbucks Sumatra is an all time favorite of mine. I must search for this roast at my Starbucks.
Nice entry. Melody it still so amazes me how different the SB stores are in your neck of the woods. Nothing compares to it here on the east coast. Are they planning on expanding the 15th Avenue Coffee stores to the east coast?
@Purple1 – Well first off, the “Sumatra Lake Toba” is an international coffee offering. I think it is roasted at Starbucks’ roasting plant in Amsterdam, so it’s not available anywhere in the US, not even at 15th Ave Coffee – You gotta travel somewhere in Europe to find it. I don’t think Starbucks will ever expand the two street level stores beyond the two in Seattle. I write about 15th all the time because it’s a place where I can cup coffee, and that experience is not available easily at ANY regular Starbucks, even in Seattle. I rarely feature just normal Starbucks on this site in Seattle because it is the same as anywhere, but I have reviewed a couple of totally normal Starbucks store reviews. Last year I wrote about the Starbucks on Madison on First Hill, a licensed store in a QFC (a grocery store) on Broadway, and last year there is also a blog entry about the Columbia Center Starbucks. But 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea has its one year anniversary coming up soon – July 24th! I’m think of doing another story on it to coincide with the one year anniversary. Sorry for the ramble. Starbucks are the same everywhere, hopefully, though Starbucks has to work on the consistency of the experience.
Melody thanks for the comments. I have to pick up on your comment re consistency of the experience. This am at my local SB one of the barista was just promoted to shift supervisor and as you can imagine she is quite excited. Today is her first day in that role and she had her checklist of things to do, etc. She was so happy and you could see it in her face. I, of course, congratulated her and then wondered if her excitement for the new role would continue and bring to the store some added motivation that would sprinkle down to the other baristas.
Another great thread Melody. I realiz this one is not aavailable in the U.S., but really, Sbux has to get back to offering more ‘exclusive’ (small bacth) coffees around the country, ie: outside of the Seattle area and the very FEW Clover stores that they scattered around. (oh wait! they didn’t scatter them! they piled them all up in MA!) sorry, couldn’t resist the MA thing….. 😉
@Deniser – I completely agree with you. It’s a strange thing. It’s like as if there are too many Starbucks in the U.S. so by its sheer size, we get the least amount of actual coffee, whereas a small of lot of SumatraLakeToba can go to Starbucks in Europe, no problem. That’s why I wrote that blog post earlier this month called “a proposal”.
It is amazing to me that apparently some areas don’t have the business to support the Clover. You saw my list, and apparently Starbucks took the Clover out of Swampscott, Mass. That city just didn’t do enough Clover business! But there has to be some way to figure out where they work: It should be a combination of understanding metrics: What stores are selling a lot of whole bean and brewed coffee AND there should be a human touch!! What stores have partners really enthusiastic about getting a Clover! The passion for coffee will make it work. Passion isn’t a metric.
@Melody I’m so glad you got to try some Sumatra Lake Toba! I cupped it with Mandheling, Aceh and Siborong-Borong a couple of weeks ago. I thought Lake Toba was the most mellow and earthy coffee I’ve ever tasted; it was delicious! I just got another bag, so I’ll look for some cocoa notes this time! And you’ve hit the nail on the head re: partner’s coffee passion making it work…
Oh, coco notes! that’s fun how different flavors come out in different preparation methods. you’re such a lucky duck to get to try all the different international flavors (well OK not just luck you do work hard for us all to have a friendly place to hang and chat) with a cupping.
I still am saving up my frequent flier miles to get to Seattle! I will go to a cupping *evil laughter* well wither there or the tazo plant in OR
@AmazonV – The best of 15thAvenueCoffee and Tea really is the personality of the store. I mean, I totally love the photo for this blog entry. This blog post on Lake Toba is a tad dull, because I have done the same sort of thing several times, but the photo of the barista holding up the coffee like that just makes this blog entry totally. Lots of great partners in the store. Hopefully when you come to Seattle I will have my new condo downtown! We will be in a sea of Starbucks!
I wish Starbucks could at least offer some of these small batch specialty coffees online. Or let stores that have a lot of whole bean sales order them for their store.
What is the fourth Sumatra small-batch offering you haven’t tried?
@Nathan – The fourth rare Sumatra is Sumatra Mandheling. I know that Starbucks produced a small amount of it, but I’m not sure which international market got it, and I’ve never been able to get my hands on a bag of it.
This really makes me want to go to Europe and Australia just to try these coffees. (And also buy enough Sanani to last a lifetime!!)
Oooh, lovely pictures! I can practically smell the coffee… YUM!
Fantastic! I did another cupping at my store with Jack (ChacoDude88) with some coffee he bought in Israel. I have to say it was a more successful cupping than my last one because there weren’t as many grinds in it!
Sumatra Lake Toba sounds delightful. I love coffee with cocoa notes. Guatemala Antiqua is one of my favorites for that reason.
Wow, fantastic blog Melody. You’re an inspiration. My mouth is watering! LOL If you’ll excuse me, I must go make myself a cup of coffee. 🙂
(@CamSpi and @BreathingSoul)
Hi BreathingSoul! Welcome to the blog! I talk about pretty much ALL things Starbucks on this site – even dipping slightly into gossip sassy conversation at times, but the blog has a bit of a coffee emphasis. You can click on “Categories” and scroll down to “whole bean coffee” to find some more kind of related posts. Come back soon!
@CamSpi – This is why your store deserves a Clover. Such coffee passion, in a hot climate. You guys are amazing.
Sounds like a fabulous cupping!
Ok, maybe my mouth is still just watering over the Sulawesi Kalosi that we finished a month ago (thank you AGAIN!)
It’s on my favorites list. We pressed it the first time and I got to slurp it, then we got busy and like 5 minutes later I was on bar going “oh wow. OH WOW!” lol
Sumatra Mandheling is offered in Indonesia, Malaysia and some stores in Japan, to my knowledge 🙂 I think Singapore may have received it too, but basically most of the markets in the Asia-Pacific Region got 2/4 from Siborong-Borong, Mandheling, Lake Toba or Aceh.
The Sumatra Lake Toba blend was incredible! Melody, I am honored to have shared the experience with you! BTW, @purple1 Starbucks is not planning on expanding their ‘non-branded’ stores, for fear of brand dilution I imagine. You can find more here at: http://bit.ly/bS0gTP
Hi Daryl! So glad you find your blog entry with you in it! I love the pic of you really getting into a deep smell of the ground coffee bean aromas! Thanks for being such a willing participant in a cupping with me hanging around with a camera. I definitely enjoyed meeting and your two friends. Your small group’s timing into 15th Ave. Coffee was so perfect. I hope I will see you again sometime, and please tell your friends about this blog. 🙂
I like this coffee so much, but I can’t buy it in Poland’s Starbucks ;( Is anybody know where it’s possible to find it?
@Patty – Welcome to the blog! Hope you will poke around some more and take a look at some of the other threads. Sumatra Lake Toba coffee is extremely rare – Starbucks offers it once in a blue moon. Since it is from the Lake Toba area of the Island of Sumatra, it is from a much much smaller growing region than the blend Sumatra which is a core coffee. The core coffee Sumatra, offered at all Starbucks, includes beans from anywhere on the island of Sumatra. The Lake Toba beans are only offered as a very small limited offering, and sometimes just international markets. I think this past summer 2010, Australia and just a few other Starbucks markets got the chance to sell Sumatra Lake Toba. I’m with you. I hope it comes back again, and I would love to see it offered as Reserve coffee. Until then, the best you can do is the core coffee Sumatra.