When writing the title of this blog post it truly was the most peaceful last day in Milan, because we were gifted with an extra day to spend there. Originally we were supposed to fly out of Milan on the 18th of December, but that morning at 6am I (Neomir) got a text message that our flight was delayed an hour and a half and most likely we will not be making it to our layover to JFK. So, Delta suggested that we rebook our flights for the following day for December 19th with a longer layover. That’s exactly what we did: we booked our flight for 9:45am and instead of having a two and a half hour layover we had a five and a half hour layover in JFK. 

With our flights changed we got to sleep in and later got ready to extend our stay, and explore the extra sites Milan has to offer. We love coffee, and believe it or not one of the things one has to do when visiting Milan is to visit the Starbucks Reserve. You are probably questioning, “Visiting a Starbucks, really?” Our reply is “Yes, really!” There are only six Starbucks reserves in the whole world. Of course one is in Milan and the others are in Seattle, Chicago, NYC, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The Starbucks reserve in Milan is located in the Cordusio Plaza in between the Sforzesco Castle and Duomo di Milano. In a building built in 1901 that used to be a bank.

When we headed into the Starbucks Reserve our first impression was “Wow” on how big it was and the variety of food and drinks they offer. However, there is more that plays into the Starbucks reserve than one thinks. I (Neomir) am fascinated with coffee, and I have been on various coffee expeditions in Colombia getting to know the process, picking coffee cherries of my own, and seeing various coffee preparations (from drip, french press, espresso etc.) it’s an art. We scanned the menu and saw that they offered guided tours. We decided to do the Reserve Coffee Lab guided tour that was 35 euros per person totally worth it! The tour starts on the outside, speaking on the building, location, and the importance of Italian architecture, also letting us know that many Italians artists have been involved in magnificent pieces of art outside and inside the building. Then we head to the inside where they highlight all the details of the interior from the detailing on the flooring that was designed and made from natural stones and layed out in a magical traditional pattern, to the lamps made in Venice in the glass factories of Murano on the ceiling. 

With the tour you get a different perspective rather than just showing up and buying some coffee. You get to learn about what inspired the design in the Starbucks Reserve who were the local Italian artists who designed and created this space. There are murals on the building next door painted on the walls highlighting the coffee bean process of growth and how it turns to be brewed coffee in your mug, to a hanging bronze statue of Starbucks mermaid, to the upstairs bar area where the bar is made out of a marble slab and the design inspired by the Sforzesco Architecture. Everything was absolutely stunning and beautiful. Our tour guides guided us around explaining every detail of architecture, how the coffee blends are picked and inspired to how the socialization of Starbucks was inspired in Milano. 

To end our tour we got to brew our own coffees in two different ways one by French Press and the other by Drip. Both processes are completely different, requiring different amounts of water, different types of coffee grounds, and different amounts of coffee brewing. We brewed our own coffee. If you are a coffee lover you can’t miss visiting the Starbucks Reserve. Let us know what you think? Have you visited any of the reserves?

Keep Up with us for our next travel adventures!!

Address: Starbucks Reserve Roastery, P.za Cordusio, 3, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

Links: 

Starbucks Milan Reserve: https://www.roastery.starbucks.it/

Guided Tours: https://www.roastery.starbucks.it/explorebyexperience

Our Specific Tour: Reserve Coffee Lab https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=368481&restref=368481&experienceId=386275&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared