Enjoying a $5 Cup of Coffee...

I'm at JP's Java, taking care of some work.  I came for another purpose: to test the only Clover machine in Austin.  The Clover Equipment Company makes $11,000 coffee machines, and at last count, there's about 250 in existence.  Starbucks bought the company in March 2008.  Before the purchase, individual coffee shops were welcome to purchase Clovers.  However, Starbucks appears to be holding onto any new machines, slowly rolling them out into Starbucks stores in four locations: Seattle, Boston, Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area.

What makes these coffee machines retail for $11,000?  Fantastic question.  As one would hope, the goal is for the machine to produce tailor-made cups of coffee.  Starbucks refers to the process as "small-batch brewing."  It begins with baristas grinding coffee on-demand, much like espresso shots or coffee beans for a french press.  The barista grinds enough coffee for one cup, then adds it to the machine.  Then, through an intricate menu system, the barista can choose the exact roast of coffee he/she ground and set the machine to brew it.  Different roasts brew optimally at different temperatures and under different time frames.  The coffee brews through a stainless steel filter and then pulls through a 70-micron filter (Starbucks loves filtration... they serve triple-filtrated water at stores).  Lastly, the coffee grounds push up through the top of the machine, for easy clean-up.

The real question is simple: how does it actually taste?  I had several roast options, and most were in the $2 to $3 price range.  However, I chose to go for the current "Cup of Excellence."  If I'm going to really test this machine, I should opt for the $5.10 cup of joe.  From all of the specially selected Clover roasts, only a select few earn the title of "Cup of Excellence."  The process involves several taste tests from panels of coffee enthusiasts/addicts.  About 10% of the roasts earn the title, and even fewer earn an even higher title (the name escapes me... something like a "Presidential Award").  My coffee, "El Zapote," hails from El Salvador.  I noticed a strong nutty scent with some chocolate hanging about.  It does have an excellent mouthfeel, which goes down really smooth and without any sort of aftertaste.  However, I found the coffee a little too tangy for my liking.  It has a wonderful finish to it, but I'm not a fan of coffee where I can detect a lot of fruity notes, especially citrus. 

Overall, I think the Clover succeeds in brewing an excellent cup of coffee.  I need to experiment further on other roasts to find something more to my liking.  It's a much better experience than standard flat-top brewing, like at a Starbucks.  I'd be quite interested to see how it differs in taste from a French press, which I find quite fantastic.  I hope there's a detectable difference.  If you haven't experienced coffee from a French press, I highly recommend it.  My roommate detected a huge difference in the taste and bugs me every now and then to make some more.

I'll update again when I visit for some more Clover coffee.  On a somewhat humorous note, Starbucks is gearing up to launch a campaign combating the notion of $4 cups of coffee.  A venti cup costs $2.11, and most lattes and other specialty drinks near the $3.25 mark.  When it comes to coffee, most shops charge a similar price, if not more, for a black drip.  Starbucks does get a bad rap for the myth of $4 coffee, but it doesn't help to roll out $11,000 machines that produce a $5 cup.