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Fine Dining Coffee Experience – Leaves Something to be Desired

April 26th, 2008 by Mark Harris

As a lover of great food, the epicurean dining experience at a fine restaurant is one of life’s magnificent pleasures.

In the spirit of great gourmet food, a complete fine dining experience should embrace all aspects of the meal. This includes the skillful selection and preparation of the food, the use of the freshest premium ingredients, the combination of familiar and new flavors that delight the senses, the pairing of great wine that compliments the food, the arrangement of food courses that guide the palette through the meal from beginning to end, a desert course if you’re up for it that finishes a superb meal with a sweet celebration, and perhaps an after dinner drink or liqueur, and ….

So, at the finest gourmet restaurants, what’s up with the coffee?

So much care and attention is focused on all aspects of the food and wine. At the culmination of a fabulous meal, there’s so much opportunity to introduce a truly gourmet coffee experience, but most of the time, it just doesn’t happen.

Let’s start with the espresso drinks. Preparing truly world class espresso, and the associated popular cappuccino and latte drinks is an art. At most fine restaurants, you typically won’t find a skilled and passionate barista at the espresso station. More often, I find restaurants opt for a super automatic espresso machine, maybe include a proper quality grinder with the setup (usually not), train the help to push the buttons, and turn out pretty average espresso results.

Occasionally, I run into a restaurant that pulls an exquisite double espresso, but my experience at most restaurants is usually a disappointment. I’m actually OK with this. Mastering great espresso is difficult, and most restaurants are not going to invest in the baristas, the training and the equipment to pull it off. I understand this and I can live with it.

But the cup of coffee is another story entirely.

Let’s focus on the drink side of the gourmet dining experience for a moment. Fine dining establishments take great pride in their wine lists. And invest lavishly in the wine cellar. They hire a sommelier to coordinate and attend to all aspects of the wine experience.

Imagine that? A dedicated wine professional and connoisseur to insure that the wine experience meets or exceeds every discerning expectation.

When I’m presented with the desert menu, I often see many choices and opportunities for continuing the gourmet experience on the beverage side. There are wine pairings that enhance the desert and pastry offerings. And on the sweeter side, the Sauternes, the Late Harvests, the Dolces, and even the Ports can pair nicely

Or perhaps the after dinner drink is the dessert. The Ports, the Brandies, the Cognac, and even the Single-malts abound. Many choices with full descriptions on the desert menu. And if the menu doesn’t spell it out, the waiter can usually speak to the full after dinner beverage offerings.

So, why not the coffee?

All of the coffee opportunity in the world, and it usually nets out to “coffee” or “decaf”. The coffee is usually a dark French roast. Which is fine, but that’s the roast. There’s so much more opportunity than a dark roast blend of some kind.

Is there any indication of the coffee itself? Ever try and inquire where the coffee beans are from? Or who the roaster is? Huh? Sorry, didn’t mean to catch you off guard. Just curious.

A waiter at the top of his/her game will make sure I hear about the “fresh black truffles we just got in from Northern Italy yesterday”. Or a full rundown on the Quilcene, Malpeque or Kumamoto oysters on the half shell.

As for the coffee? Ummm, it’s really “good” coffee. “From some artisan roaster, I think”. “Hold on, let me find out for you”. Actually, I’d be impressed if I actually got that much information.

The most attention to the coffee detail is typically “let me make sure there’s a fresh pot brewing”. Of what? Oh yeah, a fresh pot of “coffee”. And what coffee would that be? At least you weren’t going to bring me coffee that’s been sitting there for an hour. You weren’t going to do that, were you?

Here’s what I’m after.

There’s a wonderful range of single origins out there, full of dimension, ready to offer a satisfying taste, flavor and aroma experience at the finish of a fine gourmet meal. As I ponder over a desert menu, I would love to compliment my selection with a choice of single origin coffee pairings.

If I see a tempting cheese cake, I’m fine with the dark French roast (whatever that coffee might be). With an apple or pear tartin, perhaps a dark roast Haitian. Or maybe I’m in the mood for a soft-ripened cheese course, a medium roast Indonesian Java would be a nice compliment. A fresh fruit or berry tart, try a medium roast Kenyan.

Tell me about your coffee selections, and include the single origins. Mix it up, and tempt me with a few surprises. I think I would actually fall out of my chair if I saw a menu selection of single origin offerings from Paradise Roasters , Counter Culture Coffee, or Intelligentsia. To be fair, I know there are a few enlightened fine dining establishments out there that serve and care about great coffee. But we’re talking about far and few between.

Or, better yet, publish a simple coffee insert for the desert menu, and feature two or three outstanding single origins each week. Or put up a coffee selection chalk board. Even more charming. Imagine running across a description like “featuring a Guatemala Huehuetenango – San Vicente Estate Bourbon from Paradise Roasters this week …. a classic Huehuetenango, caramel-like cup, notes of citrus, chocolate, brown sugar, with a tropical wisp of passion fruit and guava”.

Now, go ahead and pair that up with something chocolate, maybe a decadent chocolate souffle. Oh baby, now we’re talkin’ …

And if the fine restaurants aren’t sure there’s a consumer demand for this level of coffee indulgence, then show some epicurean leadership. Fine food, wine, and yes – coffee, are all part of the adventure. We want to learn and experience and expand our culinary horizons. That’s why we show up. Go ahead, dazzle us with a special coffee or food/coffee combination that we’ve yet to experience.

And the preparation doesn’t have to be overly complicated, or require a world class barista to get it right. Bring the single-origin to the table in a French press. A little ritual around the cup and the French press will thoroughly delight me and make me feel special. And impress me that your fine restaurant appreciates the coffee dimension. I’ll be thrilled to discover that you share the coffee passion too!

Admittedly, there’s some technique and technicality around insuring a proper and consistent extraction. So be sure to get the grind right for a French press. And if watching over the optimal steep time is a challenge with too many busy tables to attend to, bring me a small digital timer, set it next to the coffee press, and tell me to push the plunger when the four minutes on the timer expires. It’s perfectly reasonable to allow me to participate in the coffee ritual. In fact, I’ll enjoy it!

Hey, if your truly wonderful fine dining establishment is already on-board with the full coffee experience, please sound off. Leave us a comment below. I’ll be sure to come by and visit next time I’m in town. And I bet our readers at the Gourmet Coffee Zone will show up as well.

Give us the full culinary experience. And please don’t forget to pay some attention to the coffee!

Posted in Coffee Banter | 9 Comments

Coffee Technology – Better Coffee or Cute Novelty?

April 21st, 2008 by Mark Harris

Is technology advancement in the coffee industry always good? There are several camps that line up on different sides.

The latest coffee technology advances are immediately appealing to those that line up on the side of “any and all advances in coffee technology must be good“. If you can attach a computer to it, it’s gotta be great!

Then there are the more natural purists that are skeptical and tend to be opposed to coffee technology advancements. This camp’s mantra is “what’s wrong with the manual method, it’s worked great for … “. You can plug in for how long the old fashion method has been in practice.

Of course, more reasonably, there’s a middle ground, taking each situation on a case by case basis. In this more objective view of coffee technology advancements, clearly some are truly advancements, and others are much more novelty than utilitarian or beneficial.

Here are a few coffee technology criteria to consider:

Does the technology produce better coffee?
Does the technology create new efficiencies and save money?
Does the technology solve a difficult problem with a better solution, or does it actually make matters more complicated?
Does the technology replace a human, attempting to duplicate a process or technique that requires some art, nuance or subtle skill that only a human can accomplish?

Here are a few examples of new applications of technology to coffee. Some are intriguing, but are they truly useful? Others are simply amusing. Look, entertainment value counts for something, right?

Now, here’s a fellow, Oleksiy Pikalo, who has come up with a rather ingenious application of computerized coffee technology. Oleksiy has modified a computer controlled robotic plotter stylus to produce programmable patterns on the surface of a cup of latte. He substitutes an edible chocolate syrup for the plotter ink, so you can drink your latte design after you’re done admiring the art work.

See the following demonstration of his device, plotting the Starbucks logo pattern on the surface of a latte. OK, definitely an example of technical creativity, but probably not too practical, this one falls under the category of “entertainment”.

Computerized Latte Art – Starbucks logo on the surface of a latte.

OK, looking for your next do-it-yourself computer project? For the coffee geek at heart, this PC modification grinds the coffee, tamps, produces a shot of espresso, and ejects the coffee puck. Hmmm, isn’t this a homemade super automatic espresso machine. Probably don’t want to know the price. But clever, ingenious and cute. This one also falls under the category of “coffee technology entertainment”.

No ordinary PC modification.

Next, consider a new feat of coffee engineering, a “coffee tasting machine developed by scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland“. This machine may be quite impressive, but I remain skeptical of a device that can mechanically replace the sophisticated human skill of “coffee tasting”. Sensory pattern recognition is a complex human process, with the added level of “cognitive decisioning” by the human brain that is difficult to mimic with a computer. Computer scientists have been chasing the “artificial intelligence” holy grail for years. OK, maybe I’m just being stubborn when it comes to replacing people with computers.

And then there’s the Clover. We’ve been talking about the Clover brewing machine in a number of posts. See “Starbucks Acquires Clover Manufacturer, Should Have Seen It Coming” and “Starbucks Tests the Clover in Several Stores“. It’s an $11,000 automated brewing system designed to produce “custom single cup brews” that maximize the best extractions. The Clover has been a feature at a number of high-end specialty coffee houses for the last few years.

Now that Starbucks has acquired the company, the ability for specialty coffee houses to differentiate themselves has been diminished somewhat, at least in the eyes of some of the coffee house owners. In the end, it’s very possible that the old standby pour-over brew bar technology can do just as good a job in the hands of a skillful barista. At several hundred dollars for a quality brew bar, that’s easily a cost savings of $10,000. And the truth is, the Clover doesn’t eliminate the need for barista skill by any means.

Stay tuned, there’s always new coffee technology emerging. We look forward to bringing you more commentary and perspective on coffee technology.

Posted in Coffee Technology | 53 Comments

Starbucks Pike Place Roast – Thumbs Up or Down?

April 14th, 2008 by Mark Harris

Starbucks introduced Pike Place Roast last week. According to the company’s press release, Pike Place Roast is the result of significant customer input with the following objectives:

“Starbucks newest, everyday brew”
“Signature bold flavor with a smooth finish balanced by soft acidity and subtle, rich nutty flavor”
Embracing “new quality standards for freshness including freshly roasted, hand-scooped, freshly ground and brewed with shorter hold times”.
“Will be the first coffee to bear the new mark symbolizing Starbucks ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through an expanded relationship with Conservation International (CI)”
Available in all stores

Many suggest that the new Pike Place Roast offering is an attempt to address the common criticism that Starbucks coffee is too strong and burnt tasting. The familiar, bold, over-roasted style has been the signature profile that many customers identify as Starbucks coffee. Pike Place Roast may very well be an attempt to reach a different segment of the market that prefers a more toned down coffee.

As expected, just about any move that Starbucks makes today stirs up controversy and criticism. Some happy and loyal customers complain that Starbucks is selling out with this milder coffee profile. So you hear comments like “Starbucks is now trying to be more like Dunkin’ Donuts”.

If you listen to the noise level, Starbucks can never win. Either the standard coffee profile is too strong and bold, or it’s too meek and mild. In either case, there’s a contingent out there that is always eager to voice their opinion that “Starbucks sucks”.

Starbucks is under increasing competitive pressure today in the marketplace and they have a number of initiatives underway to improve quality and customer satisfaction. Good for CEO, Howard Schultz, for doing something about it. You may not agree with the change, but at least Starbucks is making a move. Nothing will improve without taking some action.

Bottom line, people just don’t like change. They like to stay in their comfort zone, where everything is easy to recognize and familiar. And if there’s the slightest nudge or push out of that comfort zone, it’s immediate grounds for whining and groaning.

To these folks, I suggest that it’s OK to embrace a little adventure and curiosity. Life is more interesting with a little variety.

For example, food is a great adventure. Lots of people routinely enjoy many different styles of food and cuisine. And the opportunity to try something new and different is exciting. Why should coffee be any different for the curious who seek a little adventure in life?

By the way, are you stuck on one and only one coffee? If so, I recommend our “coffee tasting course” now underway.

With Pike Place Roast, you now have more choices. You can still order your strong, bold, heavy roasted profile if that’s your preference. Starbucks continues to have that brew ready and available for you. And if you might like a more mild, less edgy coffee, you now have a great option with Pike Place Roast.

Personally, I enjoy many varieties of coffee. I find the differences between an East African and a Central American coffee satisfying and interesting to explore. And for me, a great Indonesian Sumatra or Sulawesi is always a special coffee experience.

And the variety goes for the roast level too. The roast is an important consideration to bring out the best qualities of a particular coffee. Hey, I like a coffee as strong and bold as you can get. But, for many coffees, I much prefer a lighter or medium roast that doesn’t overpower the more subtle characteristics of the coffee. With other coffees, for the right blend or single-origin, a darker Italian or darkest French roast with a dominant smoky or toasted quality is the only way to go.

I had a chance to stop in last week and try a cup of Pike Place Roast at my local Starbucks. Nice cup of coffee, actually. This is definitely not the classic Starbucks over-roasted, in your face profile. Definitely nothing burnt tasting about it.

I found the acidity a little more bright and lively than “soft acidity” as the press release suggests. Smooth, not overdone, but sufficiently perks up the palette. A nice body and pleasant mouthfeel. And a slightly nutty taste with soft fruit tones. This is clearly not a bland, mediocre coffee as some have complained. Different than the typical bold dark-roast at Starbucks that you might be accustomed to? Yes. But bland, not at all.

I did find it interesting that Starbucks brought back a version of the original logo for the introduction of Pike Place Roast, along with the slogan “Roasting coffee since 1971. The best cup then. The best cup now”.

The cup has the sleeve attached with the brown colored logo, similar to the cigar band motif of the original logo from the 1970’s. With a few differences. The phrase around the perimeter of the old logo was “Starbucks – Coffee – Tea – Spices”. The new logo retains the familiar “Starbucks – Fresh Roasted Coffee”.

And another more subtle difference. On the new image, the siren maiden’s breasts are covered by her flowing curls of hair. On the original logo, she was bare-breasted. Starbucks updated the logo to the more familiar green colored motif in the 1990’s, partly to address some controversy and customer discomfort with the original logo.

And a tip about the name. You might be tempted to ask for a Pike’s Place Roast. It’s a common mistake to attach the ‘s to Pike in the possessive form. But you’re sure to expose your lack of familiarity with Pike Place Market, the famous Seattle public market on nine acres for over a hundred years. Pike Place Market is the home of the very first Starbucks store, and the namesake for the newest Starbucks coffee blend.

So stop by a Starbucks and try a Pike Place Roast. You might enjoy something a little different from Starbucks.

Posted in Starbucks | 38 Comments

Coffee Tasting eCourse is Underway

April 10th, 2008 by Mark Harris

At the Gourmet Coffee Zone, we offer ongoing coffee education across a variety of gourmet coffee subjects. Consider this a fun version of online coffee school.

Our current “Coffee Tasting eCourse” is now underway. This eCourse is a step-by-step coffee tasting education delivered by email to our Gourmet Coffee Zone newsletter subscribers.

Over the course of the next several weeks subscribers will be receiving coffee tasting lessons covering the following subjects:

Why develop your coffee tasting palette?
The fundamentals of coffee tasting characteristics.
Coffee tasting vocabulary.
Coffee origins and the many different taste and flavor qualities of different coffees from the finest growing regions around the world.
Coffee roasting and the different roast levels and roast characteristics.
Coffee tasting defects and taints.
We also include a basic brewing tutorial, specifically designed for tasting and sampling coffee.
Then we put it all together and walk through applying everything you’ve learned by actually tasting three or four specific coffees that we’ll recommend to you.

If you would like to participate in the “Coffee Tasting eCourse”, sign up for our Gourmet Coffee Zone newsletter today.

For our subscribers participating in the coffee tasting course, the comments to this blog post serve as a interactive area to post questions, share coffee tasting experiences, and learn from the community.

Taste some great coffee today!

Mark Harris

Posted in Coffee School | 61 Comments

McDonalds Iced Coffee – Smart and Savvy Advertising

April 8th, 2008 by Mark Harris

If you live in the US and you haven’t seen the latest McDonald’s Iced Coffee commercials on TV, its possible it hasn’t hit your market yet. Here in Southern California, a marketing campaign blitz is underway. See Premium Roast Iced Coffee at a Southern California McDonald’s …

If you’ve managed to miss the McDonald’s ad, have a look …

To be honest, McDonald’s is probably the last place I’m inclined to go for coffee, but I have to tell you, this marketing campaign strikes me as brilliant.

As part of a broader initiative to go further up-scale with gourmet coffee, McDonald’s introduced the McCafe stores over four years ago in the Australian market.

In the US market, McDonald’s began testing premium coffee and espresso-based drinks in approximately 800 stores over a year ago and has plans to expand the premium coffee products to nearly 14,000 US based stores across the country.

While the push to compete in the premium coffee market may seem like an inappropriate fit for McDonald’s, offering iced coffee is a no-brainer. According to the National Coffee Association, over 41 million Americans switch to iced coffee during the warmer months of the year. And for those who would prefer the more appealing ambiance of a Starbucks store over a McDonald’s, an iced coffee is more often a hit-and-run order-on-the-go purchase.

Which brings me to these latest iced coffee commercials on TV. Perfectly executed, in my opinion. Short and sweet, the ads capture the precise essence and appeal of the new iced coffee offering.

It’s only a 30 second spot, but notice a few clever techniques. The only branding is the logo on the cup, and the brief splash at the very end. There’s no shot or view of the inside or outside of the store, the line of customers, or the standard McDonald’s food counter. Just a refreshing iced coffee, on the go, from the frame of reference of the customer holding the iced coffee in her hand as she’s walking along the sidewalk, taking in the spring/summer scenery outdoors.

The music also strikes me as equally clever. A cheerful, appealing Latin sounding theme, sung by a female vocalist with a cool, sultry pleasing sound, and no one seems able to understand the lyrics. Clearly not English, maybe Portuguese, a-la some Brazilian samba music style, but it’s immediately catchy and deliberately drives the buzz marketing with people clamoring to decipher the words she’s singing.

The whole thing is appealing enough, without getting on your nerves, to sustain the relentless barrage of coverage underway. Not exactly the television version of the 2-second iced-coffee nano-ads (see Michael Stelzner’s blog) that popped up over the radio last year. These recent McDonald’s TV commercials are short bursts, delivered over and over again, sometimes twice within one or two minutes of each other. I haven’t timed the different versions with a stop-watch, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some short 10-15 second versions, almost a sound-byte, playing 5 or 6 times within a 15 minute time frame. But they don’t seem to get on your nerves.

So, now I’m curious, and I’ll have to visit a McDonald’s soon to try one of the new iced coffees. From what I’m hearing, the feedback has been generally positive. People are saying the iced coffee drinks at McDonald’s are pretty good!

And the price is right. Looks like McDonald’s Iced Coffee may give Starbucks a run for the money. Available in five flavors, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Caramel, Sugar-Free Vanilla and Regular. As the ad says, “a large cup of cool, creamy bliss for just $1.79” ….

And, if someone can translate the lyrics in the commercial, by all means, post a comment and solve the mystery … buh, duh, buh, buh, bao

Posted in Coffee Industry | 64 Comments

Lulu’s At The Octagon – Santa Cruz, CA

April 5th, 2008 by Mark Harris

We recently took a California road trip and headed up to Napa and Sonoma for an enjoyable weekend of Russian River Barrel Tasting – wine futures. Along the way, we took the opportunity to visit several outstanding coffee houses.

Next stop, Lulu’s at the Octagon in Santa Cruz, CA.

And I apologize for the poor photographs. I promise to work on my photography.

Lulu's At The Octagon
Lulu’s at the Octagon – Artisan Roasted Coffees
18 Cooper St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 429-5858

As the name suggests, this is a unique example of local 19th century architecture, a small brick structure actually in the shape of an octagon.

A view of the front of the store, and an outdoor patio seating area to enjoy when the weather is nice.

Lulu's At The Octagon

A large skylight at the top of the building provides a soothing, natural lighting on the inside. A beautiful cherry wood bench lines the perimeter of the interior and the seating area includes about a dozen small tables for two. An impressive, well equipped espresso bar and coffee preparation counter occupies the center of the floor.

Lulu's At The Octagon - Serious about the WiFi

We arrived around 5:30 pm on a weekend. The place was quite busy, and as you can see from my blurry photograph of the interior, every seat was inhabited by preoccupied, computer toting, coffee sipping customers. It appears that Lulu’s is a popular hang-out for students from the nearby colleges, UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College. And Lulu’s at the Octagon has them covered with free Wi-Fi.

Lulu’s at the Octagon is the creation of owner and coffee entrepreneur, Manthri Srinath, who also owns Lulu Carpenters nearby in Santa Cruz, and the Coffee Cat in Scotts Valley. Manthri Srinath clearly has the passion for great coffee and it shows. See “Santa Cruz coffee entrepreneur Manthri Srinath on the perfect cup“.

At the Coffee Cat location, they do all of their own custom hand-crafted coffee roasting for all three stores.

We would have liked to spend more time with the baristas and find out more about Lulu’s, but with the busy flow of customers, we didn’t want to interfere and get in the way. So we got right to the most important business at hand and ordered up.

I started off with an espresso, of course!

I had a choice of two custom espresso blends, a more medium roast, and a darker roast. Aaron, the barista, recommended their espresso blend with a more medium roast for a subtler taste experience. Unfortunately, the grinder for those beans wasn’t working properly. So I went with their standard classic Espresso blend with a darker roast level.

I appreciated the tip, a good indication that the baristas know what they’re doing. If you can’t get the grind right, don’t bother. And, they were setup with separate grinders, another good sign, which suggests to me that they keep the grind properly and specifically adjusted for the two different espresso beans. This also prevents contaminating the different coffees grinds with one another, which tends to happen if you grind all of your beans through one grinder.

OK, it was time to pull my espresso from the La Marzocco Mistral espresso machine. La Marzocco sets a standard with innovative design, double boilers, PID (proportional, integrative, derivative) technology for maximum temperature stability, and visible saturated brew groups. This modern and trendy, futuristic looking espresso machine, in prominent view as you walk in the front door, always makes a bold statement at any espresso bar.

From my vantage point, with a view a little off to the side, I was able to observe a perfect reddish brown, syrupy mouse tail as my espresso was pouring into the cup. And the dark tan rich crema just kept flowing. My anticipation was building.

Let me tell you, that was a terrific espresso. Rich and smooth, slightly sweet, and a little smoke. Great balance, with a lingering finish that wouldn’t quit. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. If you’re not sure what a great espresso should taste like, go try an espresso at Lulu’s at the Octagon.

Next, we sampled three single origins, brewed on the Clover. At the Gourmet Coffee Zone, we’ve been talking about the Clover quite a bit lately. For more information about this innovative brewing system, see our article, Starbucks tests the Clover in Stores. Incidentally, Starbucks just recently acquired the Coffee Equipment Co, the manufacture of the Clover brewing machine.

OK, back to the coffee tasting.

First, a Sumatra Mandheling. This was a pretty typical Sumatran, rich body, lower toned acidity, sweet with some floral tones and a detectable chocolate finish. A truly great coffee with character, and one of my favorites.

Next, a Papua New Guinea. Coffees from this island in Indonesia can exhibit a fairly broad range of characteristics in the cup. The plantation grown coffees on the island are typically wet-processed, consistent and cleaner, perhaps more similarities to the clean coffees of Central America. Other areas in Papua New Guinea produce coffee using dry processing, and these are more typical of some of the exotic Indonesian coffee characteristics.

Not sure what to expect, the Papua New Guinea at Lulu’s had some earthy notes, an expected lower acidity, and some clear and present spice tones. I suspected this might be one of the dry-processed coffees, but couldn’t be sure. Definitely an interesting and flavorful cup.

The Ethiopian Harrar was a special treat. I don’t find too many coffee houses offering up this coffee origin. A very bright and lively coffee, with a fairly high acidity level, typical of the Ethiopian coffees. And the most dramatic and pronounced fruit characteristics of just about any coffee you will find. If you taste for it, you can often detect a hint of blueberry fruit in a good Harrar. And a brew coming off the Clover has a good chance of capturing this blueberry characteristic in the cup.

So, did my Harrar at Lulu’s offer up that most unique blueberry fruit? Hmmm, not sure I was able to find the blueberry, but the distinctive dried fruit was there. A delicious cup, nonetheless.

We’ve had the opportunity to enjoy coffees brewed with the Clover at four or five specialty coffee houses. My conclusion about the Clover. While great results consistently come off the Clover, I think it’s an exaggeration to say it produces a markedly superior brew unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. I do tend to see this over-hyped praise about the Clover.

Rather, what does set the Clover apart is the consistent ability to repeat the optimal extraction for many different coffees, virtually for each and every custom-brewed cup. The Clover machine provides an automated way to dial-in and control the four important variables; water temperature, steep/brew time, fine/course grind level, and ratio of coffee to water, and hit the right parameters for each coffee consistently, each and every time.

This is ideal for a commercial coffee establishment that wants to offer custom-brewed cup-at-a-time coffee, perfect for bringing out the best taste and flavor results for the many unique single-origins.

Keep in mind, if you are careful, and pay attention to the four brewing variables, you can produce an optimal extraction with a French press as well. It may be more difficult to reach the same consistent results each and every time with a coffee press, but a properly extracted brew from a French press will approach a properly extracted brew from a Clover.

However, a Clover can usually achieve the same results in under 90 seconds, where a French press is typically four minutes or more to complete a brew cycle. And, a French press is generally geared for brewing 3 to 4 cups at a time. Trying to brew custom single cups of coffee in a busy commercial coffee store environment with a French press will create a bottleneck and longer wait time for the customers, and is not nearly as practical and efficient as a Clover.

We definitely enjoyed our coffee experience at this distinguished coffee house. If you happen to be in the area, be sure and stop by Lulu’s at the Octagon in Santa Cruz for some great coffee.

Posted in Coffee Houses | 65 Comments

Gourmet Coffee Zone – Daily Blog

If it has something to do with coffee, we want to talk about it.