The Clover

[adegiulio]

So now that Starbucks is trying to revitalize their business with, among other things, the purchase of the company that makes The Clover, I'd like to know if anyone has tried coffee from this machine.

Here is a link to the Clover

[Beto]

So now that Starbucks is trying to revitalize their business with, among other things, the purchase of the company that makes The Clover, I'd like to know if anyone has tried coffee from this machine.

Here is a link to the Clover

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I've had coffee prepared on the Clover at Cafe Grumpy in NYC. It was a great cup. However, it was a great coffee to start with, prepared by someone who knew what they were doing.

The Clover is a brewing device. No more, no less. Despite what some of the recent hype in the press has implied, it doesn't perform magic. Where I believe the Clover excels is in preparing coffee to order while giving the operator the ability to control many parameters. But without a good understanding of those parameters, the operator can just as easily screw up a great coffee.

Edited March 28, 2008 by Beto (log)

[potsticker]

I had some great coffee out of a Clover from Intelligensia in Chicago. Good beans, and the guy sounded like he knew what he was doing.

[barrett]

a lot of it.

of all those coffees, one, a bolivian #1 was outstanding.

as for the rest, i prefer a regular drip, or better yet, a press pot.

[johnder]

I had a clover cup yesterday with a kenya aa full city+ roast and while it was good, I couldn't really see the justification for the price (of the machine and the cup). I had the same coffee at home via a drip filter and thought the results were just about as good.

[hummingbirdkiss]

we had something similar where I worked in the breakroom it was good but not good enough to make me actually go into a Starbucks!

[MGLloyd]

On the coffee sites that I participate in, the consensus seems to be that if you already roast your own beans, grind them fresh and use a French Press, you are already at about 95% plus of what the Clover can do.

I already do all of this, so although I may find a Clover just to try it, a real test would require using my coffee in the Clover and the press to see what the difference is. As it is, I don't intend spending $ 8-15 for a cup of drip anytime soon.

Edited April 4, 2008 by MGLloyd (log)

[adegiulio]

On the coffee sites that I participate in, the consensus seems to be that if you already roast your own beans, grind them fresh and use a French Press, you are already at about 95% plus of what the Clover can do.

I already do all of this, so although I may find a Clover just to try it, a real test would require using my coffee in the Clover and the press to see what the difference is.  As it is, I don't intend spending $ 8-15 for a cup of drip anytime soon.

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Holy cow, is that how much they are charging??

I roast, grind, and french press my coffee too, but there is still that curiosity factor working...

[Beto]

On the coffee sites that I participate in, the consensus seems to be that if you already roast your own beans, grind them fresh and use a French Press, you are already at about 95% plus of what the Clover can do.

I already do all of this, so although I may find a Clover just to try it, a real test would require using my coffee in the Clover and the press to see what the difference is.  As it is, I don't intend spending $ 8-15 for a cup of drip anytime soon.

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Holy cow, is that how much they are charging??

I roast, grind, and french press my coffee too, but there is still that curiosity factor working...

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I don't think that those prices are the norm. I was charge ~$3 for my cuppa. Some of the top-placed Cup of Excellence coffees may cost in the $8 range, but they also cost well over $30/lb.

[MGLloyd]

I personally have read of some coffee cafes in NYC and Chicago charging $ 20 for a cup of drip made on the Clover. Now mind you, these have been award-winning Cup of Excellence coffees, but still...... Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks was quoted as paying $ 7 for a cup in Manhattan.

"For instance, a pound of green (unroasted) coffee that costs $10 at an auction would sell at retail for somewhere around $40 - or $3 to $4 for an 8-ounce cup from the Clover, says Mark Prince, senior editor of coffeegeek.com. Some shops have been known to sell a 12-ounce cup off the Clover for $20 or more." Associated Press, March 8, 2008

I keep meaning to try and get to the Seattle cafe (Zoka) that has a Clover, but have not made it yet. In a recent newspaper article, the cafe was quoted as charging between $ 5-10 for a single cup of drip made on the Clover for the more exotic coffees. Starbucks is apparently planning to charge $ 2.50 for a 12 ounce cup of drip.

Edited April 5, 2008 by MGLloyd (log)

[BrentKulman]

I was in Chicago last week and tried out the Clover at Intelligentsia a few times.

They offered a choice of 7-8 different coffees, most of which were in the $2.50 range for a small cup and closer to $3 for a large cup. There may have been one coffee that was considerably more expensive than that.

I came away very impressed by the quality and found it well worth the extra $.50-$1.00 for the vast majority of the coffees offered.

[SushiCat]

just happened upon this thread ... the Clover makes a damn fine coffee, but yes it is key to have good beans that are well roasted! I think it may be slightly less critical to have well trained staff on this machine, but am not really sure as I haven't worked with one. Here in Vancouver several cafes have Clover's the first (I believe) was the Elysian Room where it is always fun to go in and try some interesting coffee via this brew method. It is a method that truly brings out the flavors within the coffee beans and allows you to taste the difference between coffees. It is a far better approach than then 'tall drip, I'll take the stronger one' that you get at *$.

To all who are talking about not liking drip coffee, nor do I. The Clover is more like a French press and should really showcase the coffee.

oh and FYI, each individual coffee shop sets their prices, but we have many options for getting a coffee brewed via Clover for a decent price e.g. not more than $3.00 ... and yes of course if you are trying some high end beans then it could be more. Who cares how much Howard Schultz paid for his coffee in NY, the guys has made the most money out of coffee than anyone else and deserves a lot of credit for today's crew of coffee snobs who are able to indulge in lots of great coffees, albeit not at *$!

[dougw]

I just can't see how the Clover will make a difference if they're using Starbucks' over roasted and old beans.

[Sam Iam]

How much does the machine sell for?

[Beto]

How much does the machine sell for?

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Around $10,000

[phlox]

I personally don't like coffee from the Clover as much as I like coffee made by other devices. It tastes a little too 'clean' to me. Know what I mean? I know this is supposed to be a good thing, but I like the microscopic bits of sediment and foam you get from using a French press.

[BrentKulman]

I personally don't like coffee from the Clover as much as I like coffee made by other devices.  It tastes a little too 'clean' to me.  Know what I mean?  I know this is supposed to be a good thing, but I like the microscopic bits of sediment and foam you get from using a French press.

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In my limited experience with the Clover (Intelligentsia in Chicago), I found that there was sediment on the bottom of the cup, much like you would get with a French Press.

[phlox]

I actually had Intelligentsia coffee from the Clover, too (one of a couple of places in Pittsburgh that use it - we've come a long way!). There may have been sediment in my cup as well, I didn't inspect it super carefully, so I guess I'm talking more about taste. It's not that it was bad, it just wasn't my favorite. Two things can both be technically good, but you can still prefer one over the other.

This still doesn't explain the random, embarrassing, and inexplicable cravings I sometimes get for those Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks. They're gross, I know they are, and yet I have to have one or two every fall. ::hangs head in shame::

[barrett]

just happened upon this thread ... the Clover makes a damn fine coffee, but yes it is key to have good beans that are well roasted!  I think it may be slightly less critical to have well trained staff on this machine, but am not really sure as I haven't worked with one.  Here in Vancouver several cafes have Clover's the first (I believe) was the Elysian Room where it is always fun to go in and try some interesting coffee via this brew method.  It is a method that truly brings out the flavors within the coffee beans and allows you to taste the difference between coffees.  It is a far better approach than then 'tall drip, I'll take the stronger one' that you get at *$.

To all who are talking about not liking drip coffee, nor do I.  The Clover is more like a French press and should really showcase the coffee. 

oh and FYI, each individual coffee shop sets their prices, but we have many options for getting a coffee brewed via Clover for a decent price  e.g. not more than $3.00 ... and yes of course if you are trying some high end beans then it could be more.  Who cares how much Howard Schultz paid for his coffee in NY, the guys has made the most money out of coffee than anyone else and deserves a lot of credit for today's crew of coffee snobs who are able to indulge in lots of great coffees, albeit not at *$!

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The first Clover was installed at Caffe Artigiano on Hornby. There is less skill involved than espresso - but it does take some attention to detail to get a consistent result.

The main difference that I have found in the Clover cup, you get more of the acidity, and less of the oompf. An all treble, no bass scenario. Not necessarily better or worse for your daily brew, but different. Where it excels is in emphasizing a different subset of flavours - maybe due to the technology, or maybe due to the Clover brewing for about a minute in total, and a french press brewing for 4 minutes.

I'm sure some people are trying to turn the machine into a cash cow, but most of those expensive by the cup offerings are probably Cup of Excellence, or Best of Panama auction coffees, and they go for way more than the 'regular' stuff, and come in extremely small lots.

[Lonnie]

The main difference that I have found in the Clover cup, you get more of the acidity, and less of the oompf. An all treble, no bass scenario. Not necessarily better or worse for your daily brew, but different. Where it excels is in emphasizing a different subset of flavours - maybe due to the technology, or maybe due to the Clover brewing for about a minute in total, and a french press brewing for 4 minutes.

I tried Clover coffee at Velouria Espresso in Jamaica Plain (Boston) last winter. While it was delicious, I have to agree that it was missing some of the "oompf" that I, personally, enjoy in my home vacpot or a French press anywhere. I have to wonder how the average cafe could ever make their money back with this machine. But perhaps there are enough cafes doing enough volume to make this a worthwhile investment. A cafe owner could buy an awful lot of presses for the price of one of those machines. The labor for the press: is it that much more than for the Clover?