Where heritage meets innovation: inside Starbucks’ elevated coffee experience

Some coffees you drink. Others you experience. On November 3, Hong Kong’s coffee aficionados discovered the difference at an intimate evening that brought together Starbucks coffee master Cheng On Lai and award-winning mixologist Antonio Lai.

The star of the night? Starbucks Sumatra coffee—celebrated in three expressions: the bright and youthful Sumatra Dua Kali (2025), the mature and meditative Aged Sumatra Dua Kali (2019), and the bold, Single-Origin Sumatra. Each revealing a different facet of the same heritage, shaped by time, craft and intention.

“Sumatra holds a special place in our story – and Dua Kali celebrates that legacy by transforming time and craft into a new expression of flavour. It is a testament to what happens when local mastery meets global craft,” said Chanda Beppu, president of Starbucks Asia Pacific. “From handpicked Arabica beans to the centuries-old wet-hulling tradition, every step of this coffee tells a story of care and collaboration. That commitment to precision, patience, and people is what makes every cup distinctly Starbucks – and what transforms coffee from something you drink into something you experience.”

Sumatra Dua Kali (2025), Aged Sumatra Dua Kali (2019) and Single-Origin Sumatra (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Chanda Beppu, president of Starbucks Asia Pacific (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Laura Elphick, director of partner and coffee engagement at Starbucks Asia Pacific (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Dua Kali, meaning “twice” in Bahasa Indonesia, is a fitting name for what Starbucks has achieved here. Two expressions of Sumatra—one aged, one fresh—each with its own personality, both shaped by time.

The fresh crop Starbucks Sumatra Dua Kali brings an entirely new dimension to the origin. A Blonde Roast with bright, herbaceous energy lifted by a subtle citrus-like vibrancy. It’s Sumatra coffee, lighter on its feet but no less distinctive.

Then there’s the Starbucks Aged Sumatra Dua Kali. Six years of careful ageing have transformed these beans into something contemplative and complex. Turned every few months to absorb humidity and warmth, the beans have developed a smooth, layered depth that only patience can yield.

Anchoring this exploration of duality is the classic Single-Origin Sumatra—a coffee that’s been in the Starbucks’ lineup since 1971. Strikingly bold and full-bodied, it carries the unmistakable Sumatran profile of rich herbals, rustic spice and muted acidity. This character cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.

Sumatra has been Starbucks’ muse since 1971, a foundation of its bold coffee legacy and the inspiration behind more than 30 blends, including the beloved Christmas Blend. Traditionally roasted dark to emphasise intensity, Sumatran beans are here reimagined through a lens of precision, intuition and deep respect. The result is a revelation of sweetness, aromatic brightness and nuance once hidden beneath the surface.

“For over five decades, Starbucks has led the world on a journey — sourcing the finest coffees, mastering the roast, and elevating our craft,” said Laura Elphick, director of partner and coffee engagement at Starbucks Asia Pacific. “Sumatra has long been a cornerstone of our bold coffee legacy, deeply rooted in our heritage and artistry. With Dua Kali, we wanted to revisit this origin through a different lens - to reveal a side of Sumatra that is lighter, brighter, yet every bit as distinctive. That’s the beauty of coffee craft – every roast, every turn of the bean can uncover something unexpected. For Starbucks, this is both a return and a rediscovery.”

Award-winning mixologist Antonio Lai (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Starbucks coffee master Cheng On Lai (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Here’s where it gets interesting. The collaboration between the Starbucks coffee master and the mixologist presented coffee in two distinct dialects: ritual and reinvention.

Cheng began the evening’s ritual with a chilled extract pour-over of the fresh crop Sumatra Dua Kali, where hot coffee cascaded over a polished brass sphere, instantly cooling to unlock flavours often concealed by heat. The result was a smooth, vivid cup alive with herbaceous lift and notes of balsam herb and green fig emerging in sharp relief.

The evening reached its contemplative peak with the Aged Sumatra Dua Kali, also brewed by Cheng in slow, deliberate motions that mirrored the patience behind its six-year journey. Here, the coffee’s aromatic complexity unfolded fully: juicy heartwood, malted barley sweetness and a trace of bittersweet chocolate creating a lingering sense of quiet reverence.

“Every step of brewing is about balance – from the pour to the temperature, to how the coffee meets the air,” said Cheng. “For the Dua Kali coffees, I used compound chilling to bring out the sweetness and soften any sharp edges. You can feel how time and care shape the cup – the fresh crop bright and lively, the aged one smooth and layered. Together, they show how experience can be tasted – and how craft turns time into flavour.”

Then Antonio Lai stepped in and redefined the familiar. Using the Aged Sumatra Dua Kali and Single-Origin Sumatra, he transformed ritual into multisensory artistry. Before the cocktails, he demonstrated his own choreography of movement designed to reveal hidden sweetness and balance. The Velvet Espresso paired Aged Sumatra Dua Kali with marshmallow foam, grated Parmesan and vodka, a daring combination that proved both playful and profound. Meanwhile, the Pandan Coffee Twist reimagined Single-Origin Sumatra with coconut water, pandan syrup and Okinawa black sugar, bridging Hong Kong’s heritage with modern coffee craft.

In each glass, Lai captured the dialogue between innovation and tradition, reminding guests that the joy of coffee lies not just in drinking it, but in rediscovering what it can be. “I wanted to reimagine the two exceptional Sumatra coffees through my mixology lens,” said Antonio Lai, “because this wasn’t just about flavour – it was about the story behind the bean. The Aged Sumatra Dua Kali has a mellow, layered complexity while the Single‑Origin Sumatra brings bold spicy notes. Together they reflect time and place, allowing me to explore texture and contrast to turn something familiar into something you can taste, feel and experience differently. That’s the beauty of coffee – it always gives you room to create.”

From left, Mona Leung, head of marketing, Starbucks Hong Kong, and Alan Chan, general manager, Starbucks Hong Kong and Macau, with Antonio Lai and Cheng On Lai (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Velvet Espresso (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Pandan Coffee Twist (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Coba Cheng (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Sonalie Figueiras (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

James Thomson-Sakhrani (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Debbie Wong (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Amit Oz and Celine Herren (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Veronica Li (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Elaine Ng (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Angie Ng (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Jessie Li (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Alice Wong (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Candice Chan and Sonalie (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

Simran Savlani (Photo: Billy Chan/ Tatler Hong Kong)

What sets Starbucks’ coffee craft apart begins long before the first pour. It starts with an almost obsessive dedication to sourcing. The team tastes more than 150,000 cups a year in search of the world’s finest Arabica beans, of which only about three per cent meet their exacting standards for quality and flavour potential.

From there, it’s all in the roast. Starbucks’ master roasters, whose combined experience spans more than 150 years, meticulously adjust temperature and time to bring out each bean’s distinct character. That same precision makes innovation possible, as seen in the Blonde Roast used for Dua Kali, which reimagines Sumatra coffee’s signature intensity into something lighter, brighter and layered with aromatic nuance.

Both the limited-edition Aged Sumatra Dua Kali and the much-loved Single-Origin Sumatra are now available as whole beans at Starbucks stores across Hong Kong.