The Starbucks App Glitch To Know Before Ordering Reserve Coffee

Starbucks Reserve features microblends that the company describes as "a selection of the rarest, most extraordinary coffees." The coffee bean origins range from Colombia to Hawaii to Kenya and beyond. If you're curious to try one of these rarer blends — or buy a bag of one of the roast's beans — you have to visit a Starbucks Reserve location. However, there's an app glitch that may give you false hope about trying one of these roasts. 

As it turns out, if you go on the app to order ahead, some non-Reserve locations let you place a Reserve order despite the Reserve roasts not being available there. Until this glitch is fixed, it's important to keep in mind that you won't be able to try the Reserve roasts unless you find a Reserve location near you. The Reserve locations are limited, with your best bet for finding one being in a major city.

Starbucks has Reserve Roasteries, which are defined as "theatrical, experiential shrines to coffee passion" where mixologists and baristas use the Starbucks Reserve roasts to craft drinks in six major cities around the world: Seattle, Chicago, Shanghai, Tokyo, Milano, and New York (including one inside the Empire State Building). The Roasteries are a bit higher end than the average Starbucks cafe, with a more specialized menu. The Roastery menu may also feature items such as gelato, coffee flights, and specialty seasonal drinks.

But not everybody lives in one of these six cities. Luckily for those outside of the Roastery cities, there are also Starbucks cafe locations that serve Reserve coffee without the glitz and glamor of the Roastery experience — these are known as Starbucks locations with Starbucks Reserve coffee. There are plenty of these scattered around the U.S., especially in major cities such as Los Angeles or Portland, Oregon. So, if you're looking to get a Starbucks drink made with their Reserve coffee, check out the locations list to see if you live near one offering it. After you've checked that, you can go on and order ahead with the surety that you'll actually receive a Reserve drink.