Here’s something from NPR on the Clover and Intelligentsia’s LA store, and how they are raising expectations in the coffee industry.
Our shop in the Strip also features the Clover, and our prices for a 12oz cup range from right around $2 up to, well… $22. We price our coffees much like wine by the glass at a restaurant- the more the coffee costs us, the more we charge the customer. The funny thing is that most restaurants charge at least $3 or more for a cup of “coffee” that really bears more resemblance to hot brown water than it does to the beverage we serve.
The clip also talks about kopi-luwak (aka civet eats and then defecates the coffee cherries yada yada)- so just try to ignore that part as it’s more hype than quality. I don’t want to get into a lengthy post about my feelings on this subject, but I’ll try to explain briefly. Some coffees are expensive because they taste great in the cup, and some coffees are expensive because they have very exotic processing defects that people will pay an exorbitant amount just to say that they’ve tried it (poop coffee).
Nice piece. There were a bunch of Clovers at CoffeeFest - pretty much the only morning coffee while waiting for the show to open. David said they’re up to 250 units sold now.
We’re as sick of seeing stuff on kopi luwak as the next guy, but recently heard from someone we respect that it’s actually good, although neither as good as the expense would indicate.
If you can put aside how it’s “made”, that is.
Sometime this summer we might pony up for a little bit… maybe we can make it a single origin and call it “crap on tap”?
Hope you enjoyed the Clover-ed coffees. I’m sure that there are defects in many coffees due to improper handling that alter the flavor of what is in the cup. Some folks may find these coffees rustic and romanticize them. If the coffee is truly of good quality, it would probably stand up to tasting on it’s own before needing to be passed through a small mammal’s GI tract.
No thanks and yuck.