Starbucks Coffee College

Starbucks isn't just hoping to wow customers with flavored coffee; it's also going after that longtime Summer favorite, iced coffee. Beginning June 29, the coffee giant will sell VIA Iced Coffee, a spinoff of the instant coffee it has been pushing heavily over the past year. I got an exclusive preview of the drink while in Seattle for Starbucks Coffee College. To learn what I thought of it, read more.

While in Seattle for Starbucks Coffee College, I had a chance to do everything from visiting the first Starbucks location to learning how coffee beans get roasted. But my favorite experience took place in the company's tasting rooms, where I learned how to evaluate coffees by a practice known as "cupping." See how I took my coffee appreciation to the next level — and how you can, too — when you read more.

The original Pike Place Market store was just one of the trips I took while in Seattle for Starbucks Coffee College. I also paid a visit to the company's pilot plant, which roasts coffee in small batches to test new coffee concepts and revisit old ideas. Learn more about it when you keep reading.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of flying out to Seattle to visit Starbucks headquarters and learn more about the company's practices, from coffee bean to cup. Fittingly, my journey started with a drop-in at the original Starbucks in Pike Place Market, the bean boutique where it all began.

Although the store moved a block south in 1977, I imagine its look didn't depart too much from the way it appears today. I didn't stay long, but left with the takeaway that even Starbucks, one of the most recognizable brands in the world, had humble beginnings when it began as a coffee roaster in the Spring of 1971.

Peek around inside the store when you keep reading.