What are the types of Starbucks boutique coffee? Are there any other boutique coffee brands to recommend?

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The high-end store and product line, called Reserve, is seen by Starbucks as a necessary step for continued growth in the future.

On Feb. 27, US time, Starbucks officially announced the opening of a new store in Seattle, where it is headquartered. For the giant brand, which opens nearly 2000 new stores around the world every year, what makes this "Reserve Store" special is that it is the closest solution Starbucks imagined to a "boutique coffee shop".

Whether in the US, China or other markets around the world, Starbucks' preparations for the high-end brand line "Reserve" have been going on for several years, from selling boutique coffee beans directly from more places of origin, or stuffing a hand into a bar in a store, to merging links such as roasted raw beans directly into the "bakery" in large stores.

This time, the "selection store" is a medium-sized store that is thought to be replicable across the United States and around the world: all the coffee in the store is made from Starbucks' boutique coffee beans and provides alcoholic drinks and meals. Among them, West Point is provided by Princi, an Italian bakery brand previously acquired by Starbucks, and is now sold in stores.

Liz Muller, senior vice president of global design and creativity at Starbucks, also compared the store to the previous Reserve experiment: "We designed the Roastery as a bold, educational store, but the selection store is to bring together the best coffee and delicacies in a market-like space, giving consumers a more dynamic and intimate atmosphere."

The pipelines coming down from the ceiling make Seattle's Reserve Store look like a factory. You can see the barista here. You can also see the operation of large machines. Choose the coffee beans you need, and the beans will be ground on the spot.

In the expansion plan proposed a few years ago, Starbucks plans to open 1000 to 1500 such "selection outlets" across the United States to complement existing ordinary Starbucks stores. According to Alliance Berstein, an investment bank, annual sales in such outlets can reach $3 million, twice that of ordinary Starbucks stores.

The experience of choosing to upgrade is also related to the impact on consumers of the "third wave of boutique coffee" that has swept across the United States and many cities around the world over the past decade. In a variety of cooking methods, more refined flavor experiences, and decorative styles in line with the aesthetic of online communication, Starbucks was proud of the concept of "third space" has been more or less challenged.

But the Alliance Berstein report points out that boutique cafe brands that have been considered very successful in the United States, such as Blue Bottle, Stumptown and Intelligentsia, are not as profitable as they thought, and the market is expanding very slowly. Once Starbucks uses the "selection store" to enter this niche market, it can expand the market size hundreds of times in terms of sales.

Blue Bottle W. C. Morse Building store in Washington, USA.

Of course, all these ideas can only be experienced in this store in Seattle, where Howard Schultz started, turning Starbucks as an independent brand synonymous with the "second wave of coffee." So this time, in more complex market conditions, can he replicate the success of that year?