I want one
Oh man, do I want one of these! The Clover is a revolutionary, $8,000 single-cup coffee maker designed to brew the best coffee possible in a high-volume, retail environment. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports:
Dubbed the Clover, it's claimed to be the first commercial-grade machine to give baristas consistent, independent control over the four variables of drip coffee: water temperature, coffee grind, coffee-to-water ratio and brew time.Investors -- mainly family and friends, but also some Seattle-area venture capitalists -- have pumped just more than $1 million into the company since mid-2004.
I wrote an earlier entry about the Clover's potential impact on specialty coffee on Eternal Recurrence. A nifty video of the machine in action is here.
Comments
My main concern would be about throughput. If it takes over a minute between cups, it slows the service time of drip coffee into one parallel to espresso drinks. And into a parallel price point due to capital cost recovery.
I just read the links off the PI story, and real aficionados give the thing solid reviews, but I remain skeptical. (Adding that they say the character is like press-pot coffee, which I really have to be in the mood for, makes me even more skeptical.) But, stranger things have caught on and I wish them luck.
Posted by: Larry B | March 22, 2006 4:00 PM
Yes, that is the question: is a longer wait for the drink worth it for higher quality, freshness, and variety? I'm sure it depends a lot on the market faced by individual shops.
I believe the comparison to French press coffee comes more from the flavor in the cup than a sedimenty body. So if that's what turns you off, you may not have to worry.
In any case, it looks like I'm finally going to get to see it in operation and sample the coffee in a few weeks. I should know more then.
Posted by: Jacob Grier | March 22, 2006 4:46 PM
I've actually seen the Clover in action. It's a very cool machine - and very futuristic. As far as the cup of coffee it produces, I wasn't overly impressed. I think the whole automation and almost robotic process is more fascinating than the end product.
And those suckers are huge!
Posted by: Mags | March 22, 2006 11:07 PM