Ellwood Thompson’s, the specialty grocery store in Carytown, scooped up a Clover just before the rights were sold.
The Clover is the most expensive, with a price tag of $11,000. It’s hailed by coffee lovers as producing the most delicious cup of java. This is not satire.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was so impressed by the machine; the coffee chain purchased the company that created it last March. While Starbucks now has exclusive rights to the Clover, the original manufacturer sold 250 to coffeehouses around the country before being bought.
Today, the grocery store opened Ellwood’s Coffee at the corner of Cary and Thompson streets and Richmonders got their first taste of Clover made coffee.
“We’ve had some very good responses,” said Todd Taylor, the assistant store manager. “I think it’s going to be a big success.”
A small cup of Clover coffee costs $3.59 at Ellwood’s. A normal cup is $1.79.
They sold about 15 to 20 cups through the afternoon, an employee said.
The machine brews a single cup of coffee at a time. The controls allow the barista to set the amount of coffee, water temperature and brew time, which are adjusted depending on the type of bean and roast.
Starbucks roll out of the Clover has been limited to a few cities, so for now Ellwood’s is the only place to go to see what all the hype is about.
For more about the Clover story, check out: Wired – The Coffee Fix: Can the $11,000 Clover Machine Save Starbucks?
I found myself close to Ellwood’s Coffee today and decided to give it a shot. I gave the Clover made coffee a try and it was VERY tasty. Were talking the kind of coffee that needs nothing to make it taste good. Even if it doesn’t become your “usual”, give it a try. If you like coffee, you will love the deliciousness that comes from that machine.