A hidden coffee gem: We indulge in a decadent coffee float at a Starbucks Reserve Bar

It’s half drink, half dessert, and full satisfaction.

Starbucks Reserve Bars are worldwide locations known for offering the coffee company’s rarest, highest-quality coffee beans under the special Starbucks Reserve label. These stores are supplied by a regional Reserve Roastery and also offer special menu items that you can’t find at regular cafe locations. Recently, we learned of one such menu item available at Reserve Bars in Japan that we absolutely had to try for ourselves–the coffee float (cold brew coffee with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream).

▼ Starbucks Reserve Bar–note the special Starbucks Reserve logo

Once we got to our local Reserve Bar we realized that there are actually two kinds of cold brew coffee floats on the menu: the Cold Brew Float (short size: 825 yen [US$7.18]) and the Nitro Cold Brew Float (short size: 1,001 yen), the latter of which is particularly smooth and creamy due to the addition of nitrogen gas.

This time we elected to spring for the Cold Brew Float in a short size (the smallest option). The finished product looked magnificent from the side and came with a paper straw and plastic spoon to help with eating the ice cream.

We first took a sip of the coffee portion of the float. Its flavor was clear and rich, and definitely tasted milder than a typical hot brewed coffee. The lack of almost any bitterness made us wonder if even people who can’t normally stomach black coffee would be able to drink it easily.

As for the vanilla ice cream, let’s just say that it was a very healthy dollop. It floated like a massive, perfectly sculpted iceberg in the middle of our drink. Part of the fun was watching as the edges of the ice cream slowly melted into the surrounding coffee, swirling itself into a creamy, even more delicious concoction.

The coffee floats are available at 13 Starbucks Reserve Bar locations in Japan. Nine are located within Tokyo, two in Osaka, and one each in Yokohama (Kanagawa Prefecture) and Funabashi (Chiba Prefecture). If the thought of a cold beverage in the middle of winter isn’t as appealing for you, maybe you’d prefer a hot drink with caramel and rum instead at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo.

Reference: Starbucks Japan (1, 2)
Photos © SoraNews24
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