Maybe I fit into the ’snobbish’ category of coffee drinkers but the 3 cups of coffee (not in one day) I had were absolutely amazing. The Clover system delivered a deep, rich and clean coffee experience. This may also be due to the small batch coffees I tried which were the 100% Kona and Guatemalan peaberry. They were the best cups of coffee I ever had.

Now, I don’t consider myself a connoisseur but I do like my coffee and I can’t wait until my local Starbucks gets the Clover system!!

I always have misgivings when my commentary comes off elitist or snobbish. That’s not my intention, but regrettably, this post about the Clover surely does sound a bit pretentious. Thanks for the response, I do appreciate the feedback.

I spent some time this last weekend at a few coffee houses brewing with the clover. I do believe the more precise brewing system helps bring out the subtle tones, flavors and unique characteristics of the different single origins that I sampled.

And, for me, adding milk and sweetening with sugar would mask and overshadow these characteristics that I’m after.

That being said, if a Clover is capable of brewing a better cup of coffee, than why wouldn’t that simply enhance the cup after adding milk/sugar if that’s your preference? Reasonable question.

And, as you suggest, “with all the variable settings on the Clover”, would there be a brewing optimization for those that prefer the milk/sugar?

Here’s my understanding.

There’s an optimal extraction that you’re after to bring out the full qualities of the coffee in the cup. Under extracted, and you have a weaker cup, that doesn’t reach the full potential of flavor, body, and aroma, including the more subtle characteristics that may be present. Over extracted, and you start to introduce flavor defects including the bitters that tend to eclipse the best and most pleasing aspects of the flavor profile.

As mentioned, the variables to hit the optimum extraction window are water temperature, fineness/coarseness of the grind, ratio of ground coffee to water, and brewing or steep time. The complexity may rise exponentially when you consider all the combinations and permutations of these four variables. And the parameters will vary for each different coffee.

The Clover doesn’t arrive at the optimal settings automatically. Lot’s of testing and trial and error are in order to arrive the preferred settings that deliver the results you’re after. It’s a fair amount of work to line up a full set of parameters for the 10 or 12 coffees that a store may want to brew.

In practice, from what I’ve seen, baristas are reducing the complexity somewhat, by holding one or more of the variables constant, and limiting the adjustments to a more manageable range. For example, stick to the same volume of ground coffee (grinds to water ratio), the same water temperature, and just adjust the brew or steep time.

The real benefit and leverage of the Clover is consistency. Once you do find the right settings and parameters for a particular brew, the precision of the system makes it possible to reliably repeat the same results over and over again. And, the Clover can typically deliver these results faster than a coffee press.

Interestingly, I sampled a demonstration where the brew time was taken a mere 4 seconds past the determined optimal extraction threshold, and the cup was detectably bitter. So there is merit to the system. It does seem to work.

Bottom line, the Clover is more about hitting the optimal extraction window which does vary for different coffees. And then being able to repeat reliably and consistently each and every time. This capability allows the coffee house to reliably offer a custom, hand-brewed cup, with a fast enough brewing cycle.

As far as tweaking for a better cup that favors adding milk/sugar, it may be possible, but I haven’t seen anyone heading in this direction.

The feedback I do hear is that the Clover is still new, and with all of the variables and possible permutations and combinations of the settings, most are still learning and experimenting. It seems to be a work in progress.

Mark

This brew, while smartly prepared, is marked by subtle notes of elitism and snobbery. But I agree, in my experience Clover coffee doesn’t hold up well to milk/cream/sugar.

I’m wondering though, with all the variable settings on the Clover, if one could adjust to make a cup more suitable to milk/sugar, when the customer (if they are a shameful dilletante like myself) noted they prefer it that way?