Earlier this year journalists began filing reports from new coffeehouses in LA that included monetary values more akin to auto critics than food critics: $20,000; $12,000.
These stories seemed to represent the tipping point (or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days) for Clover-brewed coffee. Clover, if you must ask, is the sleek little machine that brews coffee one serving at a time, allowing complete customization that can cater to a specific bean or roast with a touch of the button. They start at a little over $10,000 but that matters little to places like Intelligensia and LA Mill who happily threw down for several at their new establishments. Clover, quite simply, has buzz.
At LA Mill today, I had my first-ever cuppa Clover served out of a cherry red machine that was every bit the souped-up hot rod. But I was surprised to see that the Clover wasn’t alone in its industrial glory. With a counter that looks like an organic chemistry lab, LA Mill also has caffeine-delivery devices named Eva Solo, Chemex and Siphon. (I mean, seriously? I’ll take my coffee in the Mos Eisley Cantina.) As I twirled the last of my silken brew, my heart beating so fast I could feel it in the balls of my feet, I wondered what the coffee from those other machines tasted like, or if I would ever sleep again.
On my way to LA Mill today, I had walked past Hollywood & Highland, where the tourists seemed extra giddy to me for some reason. On the way home, brain tweaking from the caramel notes of some off-menu Salvadorian shade-grown organic bean laced with mescaline, I finally put it all together. I had remembered seeing something on Eater LA that promised something “like, Venti big” taking place at the Starbucks there between the hours of 9 and 2:30. Indeed, they were giving away samples of their new Pike Place Roast, a new “less-burnt” flavor. But there was another big announcement tied to that one…wasn’t there?
Oh. Right. Last month, Clover did what any smart independent company with a vested coffee interest would do. They sold to Starbucks.
