The Flavour Of Geography: Starbucks Celebrates Coffee's Unique Regional Profiles

“When you make your favourite recipe but you alter the preparation method—say, switch from a pressure cooker to an open pot or from a high flame to a wood flame—the flavours change, right? That’s exactly what we’re exploring here,” said Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Nikitha Umesh enthusiastically, setting the tone for a deeply sensory experience at Starbucks’ first-ever coffee experiential store in South India, now open at Khajaguda, Hyderabad.

After successful openings in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh and Mumbai’s Dhanraj Mahal, the Starbucks experiential store is now brewing something special down South. The session was filled with aromas, stories, memories, and of course, coffee!

Chef Nikitha took to the floor early on with a simple but compelling example. “Like when you make a fish curry in an earthen pot versus a stainless steel kadai. The pot adds an earthiness to the curry. Similarly, the way you make something makes a huge difference to the final product,” she explained, drawing a direct parallel with brewing methods.

That set the stage for Rithika, proud Coffee Master and Store Manager at this flagship store. “I am going to take you through a tasting session with one of my favourites—Papua New Guinea island coffee brewed using a Chemex.”

Why Chemex? “Because of its thick filter paper, it gives you a clean cup with full-bodied, textured flavours,” she shares, adding, “The coffee has bright acidity and fruit notes. Let’s go through the four steps of coffee tasting: smell, slurp, locate the flavours, and describe the body.”

She added with a laugh, “Yes, slurp it loudly! I realised that when my grandfather used to slurp at home, my grandmother would scold him. But later, when I joined Starbucks, I learnt the science behind it. Slurping spreads the coffee evenly over your palate, helping you pick out aroma, acidity, flavour and body.”

The room buzzed with curiosity as Rithika continued, “So what’s the unique thing about this store? We are taking you around the world of coffee, combining international beans with Indian-origin flavours, and showcasing different brewing techniques.”

As guests began guessing, the discussion turned to how flavours get into coffee. “So do we add sugarcane or black cardamom to the beans?” Vibhor Mishra, Coffee Ambassador, APAC & China, Starbucks said “No! The biggest flavour influencer is the source of the beans. Geography is flavour. Just like mangoes taste different in different parts of India, coffee beans absorb the essence of the region—soil, flora, fauna, and climate.”

Vibhor Mishra stepped in with more insights. “We have a very special machine downstairs. It’s called the Black Eagle, the Ferrari of the coffee world. It brews your espresso-based beverages to perfection.”

At the Starbucks experiential store, you could also pick your choice of Espresso. You can now customise your drinks with either Starbucks Blonde Roast or Dark Roast. The Blonde is smooth, floral, and citrusy, while the Dark is bold with caramelly and chocolatey notes.

The event took a delicious turn with Starbucks introducing its India-inspired beverage pairings. Think red peru guava and kanthari chilli cold brew, Malabar coconut cream, and black palm jaggery with cinnamon latte.

Chef Nikitha shared her memories: “Red peru is what we call guava in Marathi. It’s juicy, used in desserts and beverages. And kanthari—also called bird’s eye chilli—is fiery, and reminds me of school days when we ate guava slices with chilli powder and salt.”

It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the coffee lovers gathered at Starbucks. That’s the magic of coffee—it connects with memory. Starbucks has also launched the Black Palm Jaggery Cinnamon Latte. The blend is smooth, aromatic, and layered, while the Malabar Coconut Cream has a creamy coconut finish with a bold coffee base. It’s also a vegan option!

Now, what’s too much coffee without some food? Well, Starbucks boasts a bake-in store, which means they ensure that 60% of the food served at this store is freshly baked on site. The freshly baked flaky butter croissant deserves a special mention and paired beautifully with the Malabar coconut cold brew. The onion cheese sticks were crisp on the outside and soft inside, a perfect savoury to go with the coffee.

And for those wanting to learn more about the art of coffee making or what exactly goes into growing coffee, the Starbucks experiential store at Khajaguda also offers educational programs for the discerning customers.