The $11k coffee maker

10Sep08

It has been called: “majestic,” “ingenious,” and “sleek.” Those are only a few of the words that have said, describing this commercial coffee machine – the Clover, an $11,000 device that brews regular coffee one cup at a time.

The machine works using an extremely fine filter on top of a piston that sinks into the machine. Over time, the piston will rise, creating a vacuum that forces water through the grounds. Finally, the coffee flows into a single cup.

Now for some more facts:

you have the ability to determine the brew time and temperature (which changed by just a couple degrees or seconds, can make a completely different cup of coffee)
an average cup goes for about $22, and can make it’s way up to $100 (in one coffee shop in London)
it’s made of stainless steel and copper
costs $11,000
usually takes several hours to assemble by hand
80 of these machines will be installed in Starbucks stores, by the end of 2008

CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz says: “In my 25 years at Starbucks, the Clover machine unquestionably delivers the best brewed coffee I have ever tasted”.

That pretty much says it all…

From Wired:

the steps: 1. A barista selects dose, water temperature, and steep time. 2. A piston pulls down the filter platform while freshly ground coffee is poured into the chamber. 3. Hot water flows into the chamber. 4. The barista briskly stirs the grounds with a whisk, and the water and beans steep for several seconds. 5.The piston rises, creating a vacuum that separates the brew from the grounds, then lowers, forcing the joe out of a nozzle below. 6. The piston rises to the surface again, pushing up a disc of grounds, which are squeegeed away.

More pics: