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You Can’t Afford This Coffee Maker
The high-tech Clover, and two affordable alternatives
An $11,000 coffee maker—and a drip brewer at that—sounds like Exhibit A in a congressional hearing on criminally inflated military spending.
It’s the Clover, a commercial machine that has gained a cult following for the heavenly coffee it produces. It precisely makes one cup of coffee at a time, letting you select brewing time and temperature to coax the best flavor out of the particular bean you’re using. The barista pours ground coffee onto an extremely fine filter atop a piston that descends into the machine. After the coffee steeps, the piston rises, creating a vacuum that pulls water through the grounds. The finished coffee flows through a spout into a waiting cup. Despite its price tag, a Clover can increase café owners’ profits by allowing them to charge more per cup according to the bean.
To date, only a smattering of roasters and cafés have the machine. I tracked one down at Intelligentsia’s Millennium Park location, near my home in Chicago, to see if it was really worth it. Intelligentsia charges anywhere from a few bucks to $22 per 12-ounce cup of Clover-brewed java.
The Clover 1s
How the Clover works
- 1. Hot water from the Clover’s boiler is added to the grounds.
- 2. After steeping, the piston is forced upward, creating a vacuum beneath it.
- 3. The vacuum draws the brewed coffee down through the screen and the valves of the piston, straining out the grounds.
- 4. The drain valve opens and the piston moves down, pushing the fresh coffee out into an awaiting cup.
- 5. The piston moves to the top of the brewing cylinder, where the spent grounds can be easily wiped off into the nearby receptacle.
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The best coffee maker
After weighing and grinding the beans—the coveted Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha from Panama—I adjusted the Clover’s settings for cup size, time, and temperature. Intelligentsia’s quality-control team at its central roasting works in the city determines the settings for its top five beans every week. A cheat sheet is taped to the side of the Clover to aid baristas. After I poured the ground coffee onto the filter screen just below the attached hot-water spigot and pressed the start button, the pistoned screen descended into the brewing chamber and hot water flowed in. I gently agitated the mixture with a flat silicone whisk.
In 42 seconds, the filter screen rose up, bringing with it a patty of coffee grounds, which I squeegeed into the waste slot, leaving an amateur’s sloppy trail I had to wipe down.
The finished coffee streamed out automatically from a spout underneath the control panel. Even before my initial sip, the deep chocolate color and rich aroma drew me close. I suddenly remembered my first whiff of ground coffee as a kid. My introduction to Clover-made coffee was exactly what I’d wished for from that childhood scent. It had full body, remarkable clarity, and bright acidity. I thought, “This has ruined me for all other coffee.”
You probably can’t afford a Clover, nor could you fit one in your kitchen. Not all is lost, though, if you don’t live near one of the few cafés that use a Clover. Baristas I talked to recommended that home brewers buy one of the coffee makers on the next page.
Illustrations by Bryan Christie Design
Once again, I must say toss the Chemex, ditch the french press.
What you want is an AeroPress.
I second the praise for the AeroPress. After a bit of practice, an awesome cup -- or any number of different awesome cups -- can be yours on demand and on the cheap.
Phil & Sebastian's at the Calgary Farmer's Market also has a Clover. They have developed a very loyal following.
it allows them to chg up to $22 a cup
only someone with piss for brains would spend that for a cup of coffee
any one that will even attempt to rationalize that stupidity must have a mother and father that were bro. and sister
maplesugar- when Java Jamboree opens their new shop (Kawa Espresso Bar) in the beltline (8 St and 14 Ave SW), they'll have our second Clover- well, third, since there's one at Fratello roasters but that's not open to the public. Amazing that Calgary had a Clover before any shop in Toronto, Montreal, or NYC did! But the west is the best for coffee, in North America at least.
foodperv, where do you get off telling someone they have piss for brains for buying a $22 coffee? Have you ever had one? No. Then how can you judge whether or not it's worth it. Some people are passionate about coffee, so what?
I've had some Clover-brewed coffee, though it was $11.25 not $22.
I must say, it was amazing coffee. Seeing as how I've had $hit coffee served to me for $5-7, the $11.25 coffee had amazing value
It's no different than spending $8,000 on a stereo. $200 on jeans.
$125 for a Kobe Steak, $100+ for a bottle of wine. Don't even start with coins, stamps and artwork. I'm sure if I went over your spending habits I would find something that you spend money on that the majority don't.
i have to say, electronics are fabulous and have made our lives simpler, i think...but in the realm of food, never mind the absurdity of price, i never have had such a good cup of coffee as a hand-pulled espresso and someone who can work the wand for foam (i'm talkin' rancillio/etc.) you can't beat that skill with a machine. it just never measures up, in my opinion.
i have to say, electronics are fabulous and have made our lives simpler, i think...but in the realm of food, never mind the absurdity of price, i never have had such a good cup of coffee as a hand-pulled espresso and someone who can work the wand for foam (i'm talkin' rancillio/etc.) you can't beat that skill with a machine...that is, a machine that "does it all" for you. it just never measures up, in my opinion.
Agree with mgl, above. I've had very, very good coffee that wasn't made in an $11,000 machine. I reckon it had to do with proper water temperature, quality of coffee beans (freshness, when they were roasted, etc), and all sorts of other factors that coffee lovers pay attention to.
This Clover machine reminds me of Auto-Tune, the pitch-correcting software for people who can't sing.
well where is that chowhounder who has made a list of all the coffeeshops in NYC that use a Clover?
well where is that chowhounder who has made a list of all the coffeeshops in NYC that use a Clover? f
A Clover for your home kitchen? Are we all the idiots who want restaurant-grade stoves in our home kitchens and act all stupid when we find out we cannot afford the $40,000 ventilation system upgrades to code?
Excuse me while I debate where I am going to buy my next Boeing 777. %^/
Even *considering* a Clover for your home kitchen? What?!?
Are we all the idiots who want restaurant-grade stoves in our home kitchens and act all stupid when we find out we cannot afford the $40,000 ventilation system upgrades to code?
Excuse me while I debate where I am going to buy my next Boeing 777. %^/
(This story is also a year old too. Search Google for "holy platinum percolators", for example. Would have been a better pitch back in Feb...)
I've had cups from a Clover twice, and the quality of the brewed coffee was amazing! That said, as a confirmed espresso kind-of-a-guy (complete with a small semi-commercial/"prosumer" machine at home and in my office), I have no desire to buy one (!), and rarely the desire to order a cup UNLESS the café is comfortable and I have a nice chair and book I can sink into . . .
That said, I'll admit to having used a Chemex in the 1960s (and its Melita successor in the 1970s), until I got my first espresso machine in 1978. Since then, when "brewing" coffee (as opposed to making espresso), I use a French Press.
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Different strokes for different folks, but my take on the AeroPress is that it's a very good alternative for a French Press when it comes to making one cup at a time. Then again, the only time I use the French Press is when we have company over for dinner. If it's just us, or us and another couple, I'm making espresso, cappuccino, etc. to order.
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Finally, there must be something on the newswires re: the Clover, as NPR's "Morning Edition" did something on Clover today, too.
Whatever for brains, the original line was "Intelligentsia charges anywhere from a few bucks to $22 per 12-ounce cup of Clover-brewed java.", so the 22 bucks would seem to be more dependent on the beans than the Clover.
For myself, I doubt that I'd be able to appreciate a $22 cup of coffee, but is someone can and has the disposable income, I say "go for it". (Just don't sing the blues about a dozen maxed out credit cards.)
FWIW, the cups I had cost around $5-6, IIRC. But you're quite right: the coffee mentioned in the article above retails at $60.00/lb.
Have to agree on the AeroPress...it's the best method for making coffee that I've tried.
I used a french press for a least 15 years until I found the AeroPress. I put the french press in the closet until company comes and I need several cups ready at the same time.
Meh. I had a cup of Nicaraguan made by a Clover at a cafe in St Louis recently, and I gotta say, I wasn't impressed. It was a good cup of coffee, absolutley, but not good enough for me to want to drop $2.75 on an 8oz cup. I have better uses for that money.
And $22? You gotta be insane.
the AeroPress looks interesting.... although, you still have to buy filters. i guess i'll have to try to make a comparison
I tried the clover today and I must say I was impressed. I had the best cup of black coffee in my life. I went to http://www.caffepronto.com/index.php and choose the "El Salvador Suiza" bean. One 12oz cup was $3.00. Well worth the try if your in the area.
....chiming in to say that these $22 cups are made from special auction-lot beans that are in very limited quantity. They are like the ultra-fine wines that can go for thousands. This is not everyday coffee, but something to call attention to the brewing machine and process. Like so much journalism nowadays, this article was written for the outrage factor. So go untwist your knickers, sheesh.
Exactly, Jane. The "Cup of Excellence" auctions have recently hit very high levels. I tried to point that out with the $60/pound reference above. Most places with Clovers are selling an array of different small lot coffees in the $3-$6 range, depending upon the specific coffee being used.
Hands down, the Clover produces an excellent cup of coffee, but it's obviously a luxury if you are considering it for home use. I was able to try a cup of the La Minita del Sol from a Clover at a Dancing Goats in Atlanta.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&...
It was probably one of the best cups of coffee I have ever had, though I don't think will ever be buying one for home use.
The Chemex does produce a very clean cup of coffee, though it has more estringent quality like tea. I'm not really a fan. Never tried the Aeropress. Sounds interesting.
i worked at a coffeehouse that had a clover. salt spring coffee in vancouver, bc.
definitely a fun machine. turns making drip into an attraction. some customers took photos.
we charged $2.25.
The coffee shop in KC that i visit the most has one. The Roasterie charges anywhere from $2.225-5.00. i get my coffee from the clover everyday and it is so much better than any drip coffee.
The clover definitely tastes better in a side by side comparrison although, I think like a lot of things, it may not be worth it to everyone. The average $3-6 for a cup isn't going to be worth it for someone looking for their morning fix. They are going to have to be someone looking for a really delicious cup of coffee. And, of course the beans matter. As the article points out, foldgers is never going to taste good on a clover and it's going to be hard to beat coffee that sells for $50/lb even if it's brewed (correctly) as a drip. Fortunately, almost any place willing to fork out the dough for a clover, typically has really good coffee. If you want to find out where you can get a clover-made cup, Clover has put out a google map of the places that have bought their machines. http://cloverequipment.com/find_a_clo...
The clover definitely tastes better in a side by side comparrison to most other forms of brewing although, like a lot of things, it may not be worth it to everyone. The average $3-6 for a cup isn't going to be worth it for someone looking for their morning fix. It's going to have to be a person looking for a really delicious cup of coffee. And, of course the beans matter. As the article points out, foldgers is never going to taste good on a clover and it's going to be hard to beat coffee that sells for $50/lb even if it's brewed (correctly) as a drip. Fortunately, almost any place willing to fork out the dough for a clover, typically has really good coffee. If you want to find out where you can get a clover-made cup, Clover has put out a google map of the places that have bought their machines. http://cloverequipment.com/find_a_clo...
AeroPress is the way to go ($30, includes a year of filters). Much better than a French press, for the same reason a Clover is.
I have three Clovers at home; they're nowhere near good enough to use for actual coffee, but they make nice paperweights. The fellow who comes over every morning to inject pure caffeine into my veins with a platinum needle completely agrees.
But I digress. Hee. Yes, Clover-made coffee is a thing unto itself. You would never, ever confuse a normal cup of brewed coffee with a Clover cup. All the flavor is there with none of the harshness. You taste subtleties in the blend you'd never have been able to spot before. And enough about the $22 cups of coffee -- those are the anomalies; a normal cup of Clover coffee at Intelligentsia is around $3. And well worth it.
In LA, coffee from the clover is $3 (Groundwork, Intelligentsia LA, and La Mill all have it). In Portland, it's $2 (Stumptown).
Swaq,
Need to know where to get a Boeing 777 for yourself? That's easy! http://www.boeing.com/commercial/bbj/... of course. Now about that vent hood . . . .
Some coffees show better through a press pot, some through a Chemex, some through a Clover, some through an espresso machine, some through a vac pot (siphon).
About the only absolute is that you're never going to get a great tasting cup of coffee using old pre-ground beans through an inexpensive drip machine or percolator. Other than that, it's all subjective.
Some coffeehouses (far too few) have tasting bars set up where you can explore a single varietal via numerous different brewing methods. An exceptional barista will know how to brew on them all and know the variables that bean density, roast profile, bean age, brew temp, grind, dwell time and agitation will have on the the flavor notes present in the cup being served.
When done properly with understanding of the brew processes and the beans, it's possible to make a great cup of coffee with a half dozen brew methods (or more). It's not rocket science, but it's not something you can do half-awake either.
Clover is simply one other piece of ordnance in the barista''s arsenal but not the end-all-be-all. What it does - again, in the right hands - is provide a level of control over brewing variables that until now has been unachievable. Therefore, it should produce repeatable results... for a few hours, that is, because the beans will perform differently tomorrow.
Cafe Grumpy's had 2 Clovers at their West 20th Street (btwn 7th & 8th Ave). They were charging between $2 and $3 per cup. Although I didn't have a cup, the brew (I was standing very close to the Clover) smelled very rich and not burnt.
They have really good beans there from what I could taste, though I got a latte.
Cafe Grumpy apparently has the #1 and #2 clover in terms of total number of cups sold. What do people here think about <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/starbucks_clov... acquiring the Clover</a>?
I'll stick to my presso coffee maker from pressoamerica.com Not only is it portal and easy to use but it is stylish to keep on my kitchen countertop
Seriously? Really... seriously?
21st Street Coffee in the Strip District (Pittsburgh) has a Clover machine and it is a delight. I am glad to get a cup before buying my produce and Penn Mac cheese on Saturday mornings.
$11k for a robotic demonstration of the French Press method?
And you have to waggle a spatula in the grounds while they steep?
Boshemoi.
"There's one born every minute."
- Everyone who ever quoted P. T. Barnum
The clover produces a unique cup of coffee, bringing out flavors I haven't had in a cup. It doesn't mean that it is better.
I agree the best home coffee maker available is the Aeropress.
-Josh Schrock