We tried Starbucks' special $12 Jamaica Blue Mountain Reserve Siphon coffee

The coffee takes about 10 minutes to make

Forget lattes or the trusty flat white, there's an exciting new beverage at Starbucks - unfortunately, it will cost you $12 (£9) and take 10 minutes to make.

In a quest to try the most expensive and extravagant coffee Starbucks has to offer, we journeyed two blocks from The Independent's US office to one of the firm's eight Reserve locations in New York City - where they serve the cup of The Jamaica Blue Mountain Reserve Siphon coffee.

Upon entering the elevated Starbucks, there's an eye-catching bar on one side of the cafe where shiny glass vials sit, as well as what looks like a normal Starbucks on the other side - where we ordered our expensive coffee.

After putting in our order, the barista behind the register walked us over to the Reserve Bar - where she informed a second barista, Aaron, that we wanted the Jamaica Blue Mountain Reserve - siphoned.

“I’ve never seen this before, so I’m going to watch too,” she said as she sat down at the bar with us.

While the process doesn’t require special training, not all baristas know how to do it.

To make the special reserve siphon coffee, it first requires some prep - grinding the special Jamaica Blue Mountain beans and measuring out 385 grams - yes, it's that specific - of water.

After preparing the ingredients, the water is poured into a glass bulb chamber and placed over a 400-degree halogen light bulb, which will heat the water.

A lot of preparation goes into the $12 cup of coffee

Once the water begins to boil, it is sucked into the top chamber - and combined with the ground coffee.

At this point, it requires special attention to detail on the part of the barista - as a perfect cup is made by stirring four times every 45 seconds to rotate the grinds.

A halogen lightbulb heats the coffee and water

You know the coffee has come out correctly if it bubbles once it’s sucked back down the top tube - and if a dome of grinds is left.

The entire process takes about 10 minutes - during which barista Aaron explained that the coffee is so expensive because it comes from a country that doesn’t normally grow coffee and it is only delivered to Starbucks about once a year.

After the coffee is finished brewing, it is poured into a second vessel - as it is really hot.

The coffee is then stirred into the water

“You lose five degrees every time you transfer vessels,” barista Aaron said as he poured the coffee into a cup.

The fancy coffee was then placed on a tray alongside a piece of lemon loaf drizzled with caramel - which Aaron informed us would “complement” the chocolate and almond flavours of the coffee.

The coffee was served on a platter

We were pleasantly surprised by how good the actual coffee - served without milk - was.

It's slightly bitter but still smooth, so the 12oz cup was easy to drink. And while we didn’t taste any chocolate notes, it did pair well with the lemon cake.

Overall, the experience is definitely worth trying if you have a spare $12 and 30 minutes to sit and enjoy your coffee, but it's not going to replace the cup of joe you grab on your commute each day.