So there’s been a fair amount of hype about Starbucks (where I don’t normally even go, except when they rolled out the Pike Place roast for $1.25 near me) featuring this $10,000 a machine special brewing system.
Well, I could never find one near where I am, but recently happened into a Starbucks in another place that had it. I decided to have a go. They pair special roast coffee varieties that are (if I read the blather right) only available for Clover. I had an Indonesian blue something or other. Was it worth the almost $4 it cost for a large cup?
It was a damned good cup of coffee. I don’t always drink it black, but it seemed stupid to do anything else here (co-worker I dragooned into joining me agreed that while he always adds milk and sugar, that would have been a mistake here). I lack the patience or the vocabulary of a wine critic, so I can just say that it was much smoother and (important, my pet peeve at SB) less bitter than the typical Starbucks roast, and very flavorful. I’d drink it every day if we had one in the office. Would I pay $4+ a day, though? I don’t rightly know. That’s a lot, and we’ve got free (goodish) coffee and tea in the office pantry.
Here’s an unofficial list of the locations (which seem to be expanding rapidly – last time I checked about 8 months ago there were only about three outside of Seattle).
Love it! It really is a great process, and truly makes a damn fine cup of coffee. They have it at the Starbucks that just opened up near me, but it’s not $4+ to get it there. It depends on which coffee you’re getting, but the one I really like is the Aged Sumatra, which is $2.45 for a medium. A bit pricier than normal, yes, but not too bad. I think they charge a premium of like 35¢ or so for the Clover.
Yeah, I think I got the most expensive varietal and in the largest size. I’ll likely do it when I notice a location with a Clover in my travels, which may not be all that often. A nice indulgence.
I find it awful that Starbucks withdrew it from the broader market – it’s a wonderful design, but I find that to be a business decision that’s completely unsupportable.
I’m within driving distance of Intelligentsia, which also offers extremely controlled, precise brewing. In their case, however, it’s done by extremely precise individuals.
Looks like there’s one near enough to me that I could try it if I really wanted, but not near enough that I actually ever will. Lots of closer coffee places, including several other Starbucks. I’m not going out of my way for coffee, even if it’s the best EVAR.