Posted by Adam Kuban, August 27, 2008 at 7:30 AM
Starbucks is trying out its new Clover brewing system in Beantown. The Clover is the $11,000 coffee machine that uses vacuum-press technology and computerized brewing cycles custom-calibrated to bean type to make single-pour cups of joe. The machine is lauded by coffee geeks, who say it brings out subtle flavors that are masked by conventional brewing methods.
The Boston Globe says about 30 Starbucks locations in the Boston area will get the units for testing, debuting there September 9. It's of particular interest to the company to test in Boston, as the city is rival Dunkin' Donuts' home turf. Clovers debuted yesterday in Seattle and will also appear in San Francisco on an unspecified date.
But you don't have to wait till your Starbucks gets one. There a a number of independent coffee shops worldwide (but mostly in the U.S.) that have them. Find one near you and try it.
Have you tried a Clover-brewed cuppa joe? I've tried a few bean varieties at a coffee shop near my house. So far, I actually could taste hints of blueberry in an Ethiopian bean I had but found a couple of the other varieties I tried too bitter. (I'm sorry, I can't remember which ones at the moment.)
Also note: Clover-brewed cups are way more expensive than typical drip coffee. Some people find it worth it, others don't. I'm on the fence. It's a nice treat once in a while. Do you or would you shell out the bucks for it?
Posted by Emily Koh, July 30, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Starbucks has been hurting recently, but if anything can save this flagging chain, it could be an $11,000 Clover coffee machine. The stuff of dreams for hardcore java addicts, the Clover has the potential to steer the coffee giant back to great coffee basics and, for once, justify the high prices.
As Wired reports, Starbucks discreetly purchased and installed a few Clovers at various Seattle and Boston stores in the summer of 2007, charging $3.05 for a cup of the fancy Clover brew. After thumbs-up came from testers, Starbucks purchased Clover's makers, the Coffee Equipment Company, and now won't sell any more machines to independent cafés. With plans to install 80 of them across the country this year, Starbucks has early Clover adopters outraged. Some have even tried returning machines in protest, shaking their fists at the Coffee Man.
Can the fancy machine save the 'bux, or was the Vivanno smoothie a better plan?
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 19, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Well, the Starbucks shareholder meeting has come and gone, and the two biggest pieces of news out of it are that the Seattle-based coffee giant is buying Clover Equipment, makers of the single-brew coffee machine coveted by beanheads, and that Starbucks is starting a social networking site (mystarbucksidea.com)—basically to pick your brain for further improvements.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 23, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Did you read the article about high-end coffee brewers in the New York Times today? If so, you're probably wondering where you can find a coffee shop that uses one of the $11,000 Clover brewing machines mentioned.
Easy enough. Just use the Find a Clover map on the company's website. Turns out there are quite a few more than the handful of locations the paper mentions. After the jump, a video of a Clover in action, if you're curious.
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