Starbucks is building the largest store in its 45-year history

Starbucks is opening a premium, interactive Roastery in New York City.

The company announced on Tuesday that its next Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room is planned to open in Manhattan in 2018. The location will not only provide a place for visitors to purchase coffee, but also provide a behind-the-scenes look at the roasting and brewing process.

The New York Roastery will be similar to the Seattle Roastery that Starbucks opened in December 2014, though the company promises there will be updates to reflect the differences between the two markets. For one thing, the 20,000 square-foot Manhattan location will be even bigger than Seattle's 15,000 square-foot Roastery, which is currently the largest Starbucks location in the world. 

"In New York, we want to take elements from what we originally created and build something even bigger and bolder, celebrating coffee and craft in a completely unique and differentiated way," according to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

Starbucks has compared the original Roastery in Seattle to the fictional Willy Wonka chocolate factory. The company says that the Roastery is "coffee as theater," with a focus on Starbucks’ small-batch brewing process.

The New York City Roastery will be located in 61 Ninth Avenue, a new building being constructed one block from the trendy Chelsea Market. The nine-storey, 170,000 square-foot building is slated to be completed by the end of 2017, and is being designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, who also designed 432 Park Avenue which is the tallest residential building in New York City.

Rumours of Starbucks’ plans to open a roastery in New York City have been circulating for months. Earlier in 2016, the company opened a new upscale store that sells Reserve brew coffee in Manhattan, as part of plans to open 500 Starbucks Reserve locations in the next several years.

As Starbucks expands, the chain has doubled down on its premium features such as the Reserve brew and the Roastery. These coffee-snob approved innovations provide the reputation boost that the company needs to continue to attract trendy, young consumers as Starbucks becomes an increasingly international business.