Starbucks To Test New Coffee Brewing Machines in Boston

Coming to a Starbucks near you (about 30 in the Boston area) are new high-tech machines that will brew “customized cups of coffee.”

Starbucks Corp.’s luck could change with the help of a clover, but not the four-leaf kind. Instead, the Seattle coffee giant is seeking a boost from the Clover brewing system, a sophisticated machine that turns out customized cups of coffee at a premium price.

The system is being tested in Boston and Seattle, but the company is expected to say today that it is rolling out more Clovers in the two cities and will introduce them in San Francisco.

About 30 Starbucks shops in the Boston area will get the machines, compared with 10 in Seattle and an undisclosed number in San Francisco. They will debut Sept. 9 in Boston and today in Seattle. The San Francisco date has not been finalized.

The Boston market is of special importance because it allows Starbucks to test Clover against its major competitor, Canton-based Dunkin’ Donuts, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic Inc., a Chicago consulting firm. Starbucks has about 200 stores in Massachusetts, while Dunkin’ Donuts has about 1,100.

Dunkin’ Donuts declined to comment.

How does a cup of coffee from Clover machine compare in cost to the regular Starbucks brew?

The price can vary from store to store, but the Starbucks at 1 Charles St. – one of the Boston pilot stores – charges $1.65 for a regular “tall” coffee and $2.25 for a Clover brew of the same size. In general, Clover coffee ranges in price from $2 to $4, the company said.

I’m intrigued…but in time where consumers get excited that gas is getting down to $3.55/gallon from the over $4/gallon we were used to earlier this summer, will others be willing test this special brew at such a premium?

“We are making bold moves toward transforming our business for the long term and at the same time making the tough decisions to ride out this extremely challenging economic environment,” said Joe Dallacqua, Starbucks’ vice president of regional operations. “The Clover delivers a one-of-a-kind brewed coffee experience that fits with Starbucks’ long history of coffee expertise.”

Clover customers will be able to choose from a new collection of small-batch coffees, some of which may be rare and available for a limited time. It takes about a minute to brew a cup, depending on the type of coffee and customer preferences.

Perhaps it’s all the brewing method that will make the taste of the coffee speak for itself.

With a Clover machine, brewers can set the time and temperature of the selected coffee to accommodate the characteristics of the bean selected. Vacuum-press technology pulls the coffee through a 70-micron filter in which “every hole is like a hair’s breadth,” said David Latourell, formerly of Coffee Equipment Co. and now a Starbucks employee. The Clover “really brings coffee back into focus” for Starbucks, Latourell said.

The Clover’s “unique sort of extraction” allows flavors to come out of the coffee, said Anthony Carroll, who selects coffees for Starbucks.

“The flavor is already there. Clover really helps just accentuate them,” Carroll said. “You’re going to discover a whole bunch of different flavors in their coffees that you didn’t know would or should be there.”

As an everyday Starbucks customer, I’m ready to try it. If it is as good as people are suggesting it is, I will be more than happy to pay the premium for a customized cup of coffee.

Aaron Margolis is a life long resident of the Bay State, and works at an architectural firm north of Boston. Aaron has a Master of Architecture Degree from Boston Architectural College and is currently in the process of becoming of a Registered Architect.