To support the construction of the future Courtyard Coffee Corner, the school academy has launched this activity to help students better understand the business operations, coffee evaluation, and production techniques of the coffee industry.
||(This activity is aimed at undergraduate students, but it seems like I managed to sneak in.)||
The Shanghai Roastery we visited is one of Starbucks' only six global roasteries and the second overseas roastery outside of the United States. Many people refer to this store as the Starbucks flagship store, but it is actually a roastery. You can learn more on the official website.
We arrived at the store at 10 o'clock in the morning, and compared to the crowd outside on Nanjing West Road, there were already quite a few people inside the store.
Our activity started with an introduction to the growth of coffee beans. Coffee cultivation is mainly distributed in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, and the processing differences caused by local economic development give each of these three origins their own characteristics.
Next, we visited two types of coffee machines for making espresso, and the gravity-defying coffee machine left a deep impression (you can catch a glimpse of it in this video). Some lucky students even got to experience latte art.
Another colleague gave an introduction to coffee roasting, including quality control during the roasting process. We had the opportunity to witness the moment when the coffee came out of the oven.
The machine for roasting coffee beans is similar to a washing machine with a rotating drum. The coffee beans roll inside for roasting, and when the time is up, the lid opens and the beans are quickly cooled to room temperature by stirring. At the same time, the beans are subjected to spectral analysis for quality control. The qualified coffee beans are separated using airflow screening, and impurities such as stones are removed (disstone). They are then transported to the assembly line for packaging, and afterwards, you can buy these coffee beans at Starbucks stores throughout China. Yes, all of Starbucks' selected coffee beans in China come from here.
For coffee tasting, the main steps are smelling the aroma, slurping, locating, and describing the experience. The experience is unique to each person, and there is no need to pursue conformity with others. In addition, this tasting method is not limited to coffee alone; you can also apply it to wine tasting and tea tasting.
As for how Starbucks achieves desired flavors in coffee beans, they first establish a foundation and then blend different coffee beans to create a complex flavor. The most valuable aspect is that all the flavors are natural and do not involve technology or harsh processes.
Regarding this store, you can feel that it is a thoughtful work that combines Starbucks with national and city culture. It is like a coffee library, combined with tea and alcohol, and gives a feeling that even surpasses Apple's flagship store. If you are interested in coffee, I highly recommend visiting this store and experiencing the atmosphere here.
Anyway, this is a valuable experience to learn about coffee and the culture behind it, and I wanted to share it with you.
This article is synchronized with xLog by Mix Space.
The original link is https://xxu.do/notes/129