In Seattle, whether the skies are a cold grey or bright blue, there is a street called Pike Place, running north-south through a small market area. It is not called Pike’s Place. It is not called Pike’s Peak. (“Pikes Peak” can be found in Colorado, NOT Seattle, Washington). And just like baristas do not serve Gold’s Coast, it is NOT Pike’s. On this old brick road called Pike Place lies a very small store with no seating, sandwiched between two east-west streets called Virginia Street and Stewart Street. At this address, 1912 Pike Place our story begins …
And of course this really is the “Three Coffee Conundrum” episode of Starbucks: Howard, how could you do anything more confusing than giving THREE whole bean Starbucks coffees nearly identical names!
COFFEE #1:
**** PIKE PLACE BLEND:[2003 to about 2008] [[BOLD]]
This coffee is NOT produced anymore and NOT for sale. This coffee was sold exclusively at the first Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place, and somewhere in the early 2000s it was introduced into the whole bean line up, at the market. I have almost no information on this coffee! THIS IS NOT THE SAME COFFEE AS PIKE PLACE ROAST!!!!!! I found a random photo online of the brown simple packaging of Pike Place Blend, from that long-past era of when it was sold at 1912 Pike Place and image from a seemingly now defunct Starbucks page:
The image that I’ve loaded called “Pike Place Blend history” came from this web address:
http://www.starbucks.com/retail/anniversarypopup.asp – Notice that the accompanying marketing language states that Pike Place Blend was introduced at the market in 2003. Definitely, during that era of Starbucks, this coffee was sold ONLY at the original Pike Place Store.
Here are a few more random Pike Place Blend images from my google searches on this coffee:
COFFEE #2:
****PIKE PLACE SPECIAL RESERVE:[April 2008 to present] [[BOLD]]
Pike Place Special Reserve is NOT the same coffee as PIKE PLACE ROAST!!! Pike Place Special Reserve IS currently for sale at two stores only: 1912 Pike Place and the Heritage Starbucks at First and Pike.
I know a lot more about Pike Place Special Reserve than its predecessor Pike Place Blend. In 2006, I began working in downtown Seattle, and in about 2007 I began to frequent the store at 1912 Pike Place because I realized at that time that it was one of the very few Starbucks that still had a manual espresso machine. At some point in late 2008, I became aware of a coffee called Pike Place Special Reserve. Let me make this totally clear: This coffee existed well before the opening of the Heritage Starbucks at First and Pike and it absolutely definitely pre-dates Pike Place Roast!
I have asked a number of Starbucks partners and baristas at the original store this question: “Is Pike Place Special Roast the exact same coffee as Pike Place Blend, but just renamed??” and I have gotten a variety of mixed answers, but the majority of partners will say, “Yes – It’s the same coffee but it has a new name“. From the conversations I’ve had with various coffee masters, I think this may very well be the exact same coffee as the predecessor Pike Place Blend, just with a fancy new name.
The coffee tasting information for Pike Place Special Reserve is as follows:
Description: A blend of Starbucks’ finest single-origin Latin American coffees that speak to the perfection of the Starbucks Roast and the rich coffees that are a part of both the Starbucks past and future. Pike Place Special Reserve is balanced, well-rounded with a smooth complexity and a touch of roast intensity.
Similar coffees: House Blend, Guatemala Antigua, Columbia Nariño Supremo.
Complimentary flavors: Nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, and chocolate.
It is absolutely worth noticing that if a customer is buying this coffee at the first store at 1912 Pike Place, it comes with an extra layer of packaging on it – There is a brown paper bag with a very large Pike Place Special Reserve sticker, and the white and brown flavorlock bag is inside the brown paper out coverings. If a customer is buying this coffee at the Heritage Starbucks at First and Pike, there is no outer brown packaging and it is often found in woven baskets throughout the store. It is the exact same coffee either way!
Heritage Starbucks at First and Pike opened brand new to the public on Friday, March 13, 2009. I was there the morning it opened and remember it well. Right from the outset, that store got the privilege of selling this coffee which previously had been exclusive to 1912 Pike Place, and to this day, as I write this, continues to sell this rare coffee. The larger upper-left image of Pike Place Special Reserve was taken inside the Heritage Starbucks.
Why was this coffee re-named from Pike Place Blend to Pike Place Special Reserve? The lore and legend of it that I hear from long-term Starbucks coffee masters is that Starbucks wanted to make sure that this coffee had a distinctive name from Pike Place Roast, and that it is ‘specially reserved’ to the Pike Place Market area of Seattle. I can honestly say, I think this was a confusing strategy for Starbucks to take, but that’s just me.
COFFEE #3:
****PIKE PLACE ROAST:[April 8, 2008 to present] [[MEDIUM]]
Pike Place Roast is the “everyday brew” for ALL Starbucks and was launched on April 8, 2008, with much fanfare, at Seattle’s Pike Place market. It was the new blend of Starbucks coffee that Starbucks promised would re-invent and revitalize coffee at Starbucks. I remember that day well too. I had heard that there would be festivities at the market for the new brew starting early evening, so after work, I hustled down to the market so that I wouldn’t miss a thing! There was a stage set up on Pike Place nearly in front of the old 1912 Pike Place Store, and a ban played, followed by speakers from various corporate levels of Starbucks. Lots of coffee samples were being given out – cups of brewed Pike Place Roast, and small whole bean samples of Pike Place Roast. Starbucks launched a comprehensive website for this coffee as well – http://www.starbucks.com/flash/pikeplaceroast/index.html – As I write this, that appears to be still a functioning website.
Towards the end of the event, the mayor of the City of Seattle, Greg Nickels, spoke and presented Howard Schultz with a certificate forever declaring April 8, 2008 as “Pike Place Roast Day” in Seattle. I had with me an old very poor quality cell phone and I snapped a few pictures of the happenings, though sadly most were blurry or not close enough. This one here shows mayor Nickels in a blue suit and reddish tie, standing next to Howard Schultz:
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i love anniversary blend, and have made my own custom blends with it for the past few christmases. perhaps i should blend this year’s with some special reserve?
Would Love To Sample The Reserve, I Have Tried The Regular Pikes, I Think I Brew Mine A Lil Better Than The Barista At Starbucks, Not To Be Insulting, I Just Love What I Love 😀 c|_|
I work for the DoD and travel to the Seattle area often. This Special Reserve is absolutely amazing and a must try. Very unfortunate that I live in Orlando, FL and cannot buy this at my local Starbucks. I usually have to ask a co-worker to buy me a few bags when they go out there. Sad that my wife doesn’t appreciate this roast as she has been grinding my last bag like its a quick buy at the local Starbucks. I was devastated to be down to my last few beans : (
Love Pike Place. Special Reserve? Sign me UP!
Thanks for the clarifications. So many variations sharing so few names reminds me of the way Apple often changes a computer model but leaves the name the same.
Very informative! I’m glad you approached this objectively. The whole Pike Place arguement gives me a headache and I know that you yourself aren’t a huge fan but I feel like there are a lot of people out there who didn’t realize that they “dislike” Pike Place until they saw the negative posts sprayed across MSI. It’s something I’ve come to notice as I’ve worked at the wide variety of stores that I have. At my store when we began selling Pike Place Roast we were really good about keeping french presses going, having conversations with our customers and genuinely attempting to engage them in the product. We don’t have a lot of customers complaining about Pike Place. So my store is a slow store and therefore an exception and I fear that at some of the higher volume stores partners didn’t have a chance to have that initial connection with the customer over Pike Place roast and it came across as something more like, “I’m sorry we only brew Pike Place Roast”… which I can’t imagine would have done a lot for that customer’s initial impression of the product.
I don’t necessarily agree with brewing PPR only after noon… and that’s different. I just feel that a lot fewer people would complain about it if we partners took more care in promoting the product.
So, again, thanks for being objective.
And yeah, I’ve hear everything… Pike’s Place, Pike’s Blend… Noo point in trying to correct it..
From my experience with PPSR, it’s a good coffee! I did a tasting of it with some DMs and they were impressed with the pretty sticker from the 1912 location.
As far as PPR, I still remember the first time I tried it. My manager was really excited and had 7 of us in the small back room, crowded around a portable DVD player. Howard Schultz was lookin’ dapper and talked about recapturing the magic of Starbucks… and that PPR was the best coffee he’d ever tasted. So, we tried it, fresh. It had just finished brewing. A barista next to me honed in on the word “smooth” and said it tasted like Verona. We all kinda agreed. It does have a cocoa taste, and it is smooth. Another barista didn’t like it off the bat. I thought it was alright. I was pretty hooked on Ethiopia Sidamo at the time, so it didn’t speak to me… but the more I drank it, the more I disliked it. Some of it might have been in my head because I was reading negative reviews on MSI.
When I did the 42 day challenge, the partners I tried PPR with and I weren’t impressed with it as a shot. Maybe one day I’ll have to go down to Seattle to try it through the Pike Place La Marzocco.
I agree, Pike Place Blend was quite amazing. Pike Puke is gross.
I have to agree – pike place blend IS one of my favorites 🙂
Hi Melody, I can’t believe you were “brave” enough to try Pike Place Roast as a shot …… LOL ! Thanks again for the great information. I would love to try Pike Place Special Reserve, but because of the name I would have to keep an open mind. Good Coffee Day to You!
I was very thankful for this post today when I was in a Starbucks staring at the basket of Pike Place Roast. I had to remind myself that it’s not the same as the special blend. I plan on a trip soon to try out the real blend. Thanks for the insights!
@darkkatpouncing – You say that Pike Place Blend is your favorite?? But the coffee that is sold at ALL Starbucks is Pike Place ROAST – it is NOT the same coffee … Or do you mean that you like the coffee that is reserved only to the 2 Pike Place market stores … Pike Place Special Reserve — See blog.
Thank you for settling our curriosity and the debate surrounding this coffee. You know Pike Place (not Pike’s) Roast was a God send for us. While I know their is much negativity out there in cyberspace about it, honestly, a careful coffee tasting to let’s say our House blend really reveals what a remarkable cup it truly is.
I appologise to all the House Blend enthusiasts but brewing house itself was enough to turn my stomach. Wet news paper anyone? Brewing Pike is a joy although we are not givin detailed in formation as to it’s make up, it’s a remarkable multi-region blend. A high acidity, which we want in coffee no doubt from the Latin American side of this blend, gives it a wonderful palate cleansing-ness. It’s bright jucy citricy taste, nodoubt. from any African coffee reminds me of Kenya and even Guatemala Antigua it let’s drinkers know “it’s ok to b awake!” (although I will admit it has been slightly much on occasion) and lastly it’s slight spicyness we presume to b from any Asia pacific coffee used gives it a great depth.
In short it smells great, tastes wondeful black or with your favourite cream and sugar. It has to be, in this coffee drinkers opinion, one of the great daily North American coffees!
Thanks for reading!
Love What You Do!
i never really liked the pikes place coffee, when it cam out, i started getting americanos if i had to go to starbucks. I had the pikes all over New Jersey it was not the baristas making the coffee, it was the coffee
Interesting background and details behind Pike Place Blend, Special Reserve and Roast. Didn’t know about these variations.
PPR may not be a big, bold coffee, but certainly a bold move for Starbucks to take this direction for the every-day brew, now going on almost 2 years.
While I appreciate a heavy duty roast as much as anybody, I wouldn’t want to limit my coffee enjoyment to just a dark French roast. Day after day, only French roast … that would actually be boring.
BTW, I enjoy eating different kinds of food from one day to the next as well!
I find it more satisfying to experience the coffee variety from the many different origins and blends. Coffee taste characteristics that are often obliterated and over-powered by an over-done, dark roast profile.
I’m not a regular Starbucks customer, but my compliments to Starbucks for featuring a respectable, well-crafted blend like PPR, with an appropriate medium-roast that compliments the beans.
I’m another that would be interested to know more about the makeup of the PPR blend (Latin America, Pacific, …)
Thanks for the good coffee information!
Mark
Hi Melody,
I was excited enough to recieve a bag of the special reserve in the post. But having read this now made me realise how long it’s been since i was sipping on freshly ground Pike Place Blend.
I’ve not had the pleasure of the Special reserve as yet, can’t wait to make the first cup!!!
Keep up the awesome work!
Stephen
Hi Melody,
Great blog – thanks! Just wanted to mention that the Pike Place Blend was sold for a short while in the UK in the early 00’s, I seem to remember enjoying it a lot.
I’m enjoying reading this with a cup of Casi Cielo – very well matched.
I am glad to have found this page. I always thought that the Pike Place Roast which they currently sell in every store was not the same coffee I had purchased from the original store in Seattle back in 2005. I loved that blend and brought a good amount of it back to Los Angeles with me. I even had friends/family who visited Seattle pick some up for me which lasted till about 2007. Afterwards, I was completely out and it wasn’t until 2008 that I even saw that name again. Thanks for clarifying this and I think I’m going to have to order some of the Pike Place Special Reserve and have a taste test with the Pike Place Roast.
Hi
I live in Ohio and visited the Pike Place store last summer and brought home 2# of Pike Place Special Reserve. I enjoy it very much and would like to know if it can be ordered and sent to me. I have seen Pike Place Roast in our local stores, but would like to be able to have the Special Reserve, am I out of luck?
J
There used to be a homepage in place for the pike place roast. I think it was created to really sell it to the public back in 2008. do you happen to know the link to that? i can’t find it. 🙁