For many, it’s important to start the day with the right cup of coffee. Whether hot or iced, dairy or alternative, that wake-up kick before you go on with your errand or schedule is what gives one the initial drive. In a way, it alludes to a moment of calm, a comforting sip — before the rush commends.
In this Q&A, Sergio Alvarez, who’s a master coffee developer at Starbucks, shares all about being a certified Q-Grader, his experience with creating coffee blends, the most interesting creation he has worked on, why he champions sun-dried coffee from the Asia Pacific region and more.
“My role is to inspire curiosity and connection: to make people pause and imagine the story behind the cup or bag of coffee they’re enjoying. If they feel connected to what we’ve created, then I’ve done something right,” said Alvarez.
LSA: For the uninitiated, what does being a certified Q-Grader mean? How does one taste coffee like a Q-Grader?
SA: Think of it like the Olympics of coffee tasting. A Q-Grader is a professional certification in the coffee industry – kind of like being a sommelier for wine. It involves a five-day marathon of theory and sensory skill tests: evaluating your ability to identify and describe different tastes, aromas, acids and accurately score coffee quality. Only about 10–20% of candidates pass on their first try. But once you do, you’re part of a global community that speaks a universal language of coffee — one that goes beyond Starbucks and connects professionals around the world.
To truly taste coffee, start by smelling it – your nose can detect far more aromas than your tongue can tastes. Then take a loud slurp to spread the coffee across your palate, allowing you to fully experience its flavour, aroma, and texture before putting it all into words.
LSA: Tell us about your time as a barista at Pike Place Market. How did that prepare you for your role as a master coffee developer?
SA: It wasn’t my original plan! I actually graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design back in Mexico, but coffee found me when I started as a barista at the first ever Starbucks, Pike Place Market. That experience was incredibly inspiring — it’s where I fell in love with coffee and saw firsthand the pride our partners take in every cup. It grounded me in the Starbucks mission and continues to shape how I approach my work today. When I develop a coffee, I always think about how it will be experienced by our customers.
My creative background definitely helped, but developing the ability to taste, identify, and describe coffee takes time, discipline, and a lot of practice. It’s like training in a CrossFit gym for your palate – intense routines, constant repetition – until it becomes second nature.
LSA: You’ve have been crucial to the coffee innovation at Starbucks and helped with the curation and development of many blends so far. How has your experience been and what have you learnt about coffee throughout the years?
SA: I was once told that coffee chooses you – not the other way around. If you had told me 16 years ago, when I started as a part-time barista at Starbucks, that I’d one day be developing coffees, I would’ve said you were crazy!
What began as a job quickly turned into a journey of curiosity and learning – about the coffee cherry, the places and the people who grow coffee, pick, buy, roast, blend, and serve coffee around the world. Every cup tells a story, and I’m still humbled by how much more there is to discover.
As a coffee developer, I’ve learned that creating a coffee isn’t just about taste; it’s about working with countless variables and constantly tuning and adjusting. It’s also about striking the right balance between craft and consistency: honouring the uniqueness of each origin while creating a reliable, memorable experience in every cup.
For many, coffee is part of a daily ritual – and sometimes an afterthought. My role is to inspire curiosity and connection: to make people pause and imagine the story behind the cup or bag of coffee they’re enjoying. If they feel connected to what we’ve created, then I’ve done something right.
LSA: Since you started at Starbucks, what have been the biggest changes? What’s one thing you wished you knew earlier?
SA: I think the rise of cold coffee brewing and consumption has been one of the biggest shifts. It has outpaced almost every other style or brewing method. Personally, I still enjoy and appreciate coffee best when it is hot, but the global coffee trend is undeniable. We’ve made great progress in innovating and differentiating coffee in this space but there is still a lot we can explore from how we brew and serve cold coffee!
LSA: As the mastermind behind the brand’s coffee blends, you are known for crafting favourites like Pike Place Roast. Tell us about your creative process. What do you look for when creating a blend and how has your experience shaped the way you approach this?
SA: Every blend starts with intention. We begin by asking: what kind of experience do we want someone to have from that first sip? From there, we look for coffees that can bring that vision to life.
I draw a lot of inspiration from the culinary world – the ingredients, traditions, and flavours of global cuisine. I’m deeply “taste curious,” which keeps me open to the unexpected. Whether it’s experimenting with roast profiles, processing methods, origins, or brewing techniques, the creative process is dynamic.
To me, it’s like painting: it’s about the colour and contrast you create on the canvas, to create a good coffee that’s distinct – full of character and personality. And ultimately, I’m always thinking about the person enjoying the cup. What do I want them to feel? That’s what guides me.
I’m involved in a lot of tasting across various stages of coffee development – early proposals from one of our Farmer Support Centers, new harvest samples from a new origin we’re exploring, or roast iterations that our master roasters are testing.
Most of our tastings are simple: ground coffee, hot water, a spoon, and a lot of focus. Coffee is made from the seeds of a fruit that grows on trees, and just one defective bean can affect an entire batch. That’s why at Starbucks, we taste, taste, taste — and then taste again. It’s how we ensure every cup meets the high standards our customers expect.
LSA: Were there any creations that did not work? Share with us what was the most interesting coffee you’ve created.
SA: Definitely! Not every idea translates well in a cup. I’ve had blends that made sense in theory, but didn’t quite deliver what we were aiming for. That’s part of the creative process.
One of the most interesting coffees I’ve worked on is the Starbucks Single-Origin Aged Sumatra. It’s unlike anything else. This coffee is aged for up to five years in a special coffee warehouse in Singapore, where warm, tropical air circulates through burlap bags of green coffee. The beans are rotated and re-palletised multiple times a year to ensure even aging. Over time, the coffee develops deep, layered notes of spiced vanilla bean and oak. It’s a labor of love — an investment in patience, care, and craftsmanship. And when it’s finally ready, the result is a cup that’s bold, complex, and truly unique.
LSA: You are a champion of sun-dried coffees, especially from the Asia Pacific region. Can you describe them and what makes sun-dried coffees different?
SA: Sun-dried, or natural process, coffees are dried with the fruit still on the bean. This allows the coffee to absorb more of the fruit’s sugars and results in a cup that’s often more fruity, juicy, or wine-like. In Asia Pacific, we’re seeing more producers explore this method — and the results can be stunning. It brings out unexpected flavour profiles that expand what people think is possible from the region.
LSA: Tell us about the Indonesia Aceh Single Origin coffee you created for Dewata Coffee Sanctuary in Bali and the newly launched Starbucks Reserve Papua New Guinea Moanti Peaberry.
The Aceh Single Origin coffee is earthy, herbal, and full-bodied; very characteristic of Sumatra but with a clean finish. It’s rooted in Indonesia’s rich coffee heritage and was crafted especially for Dewata to celebrate that.
In contrast, the Moanti Peaberry from Papua New Guinea is a different experience. Unlike most coffee cherries, which have two flat-sided beans, about 5–10% produce a single, round bean – known as a peaberry, which tends to carry a different flavor profile than a standard coffee bean.
The Moanti Peaberry is bright, with juicy acidity and hints of red fruit. It’s expressive and really shows the potential of coffee from that origin.
LSA: What’s your favourite combination of coffee with food? If you could, name a specific coffee that you enjoy with some kind of snack.
SA: I learned this from experiencing the traditional Ethiopia coffee ceremony, which is held in almost every household during family and community gatherings. They serve coffee with freshly popped corn! It’s a surprisingly delicious pairing — the saltiness of the popcorn brings out the sweetness and complexity of the coffee. In fact, there are studies that show a pinch of salt can enhance the flavour of coffee, so it turns out Ethiopia really know a thing or two about what to pair with a great cup.
(Photos by Starbucks)
