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The one-year-old Clover was invented by engineer and self-proclaimed coffee fanatic Zander Nosler, who says his product makes coffee that's similar to French Press, only with a much cleaner taste. The Clover allows water temperature and brew time to be adjusted according to the variety, origin and roast of the particular coffee. "Coffee used to be all about the roast, but it's now highlighting origin like never before," says Nosler.
Nosler says his Clover is the only machine fast enough to brew coffee by the cup in a high-volume retail environment. Being mechanical, it's exacting and reliable enough to attain a level of consistency that, say, a French Press lacks. Depending on the barista, Clover can produce a cup of coffee in about 45 seconds.
Stumptown likes the machines because they allow the Portland coffee roaster to showcase its multitude of varieties that founder Duane Sorenson searches the world over for. The company has used the Clover at its Belmont Annex location for more than a year, and according to the company, will have at least one Clover machine at their new Capitol Hill location in Seattle, which is slated to open in May. By the way, a small coffee at the Ace Hotel location fetches $1.50 ($1.00 at other Stumptown location).
Another Seattle company, Synesso, has been making high-end espresso machines since 2004 and has sold more than 250 of the them worldwide. Portland's Coffeehouse NW uses the Synesso Cyncra, which retails for about $9,000. Owner Adam McGovern sees Synesso's success as part of a greater evolution of American coffee culture whose heartland is the Pacific Northwest. "We're no longer reproducing Italian espresso on Italian machines," says McGovern. "We're making American espresso on American machines."
WWeek 2015