SEATTLE – The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room has introduced ice cream to its repertoire.
An “Affogato” line-up of beverages is now part of the cold brew menu.
'Affogato is an Italian word that means 'drowned,' and so what we're doing is drowning the ice cream scoop with espresso,” said Lillian Ontiveros, a former barista who now works in Beverage Concept Innovation for Starbucks.
The classic Affogato features two shots of espresso. Other versions come with extra flavors, from simple syrup to mint sprigs.
There's also the Nitro Cold Brew Float, where reserve cold brew coffee is poured over a scoop of ice cream in a tall glass.
The drinks are all made with small batch blends exclusive to the Roastery, and small batch ice cream from Mora Iced Creamery on Bainbridge Island.
'That first scoop when they taste it and they're like, 'Oh my gosh’ - their eyes will widen, and I feel honored to have been able to help develop that,” Ontiveros said.
The Affogato beverages are only available at the Roastery, located on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
