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.

Massachusetts Starbucks Closing List

Well, it looks like seven Massachusetts Starbucks locations are getting axed:

Seven Massachusetts Starbucks stores are are among the 600 stores nationwide slated to close. Those stores are located on the Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington, the Dartmouth Mall in Dartmouth, 70 Union St. in Newton Centre; Emerald Square Mall in North Attleborough; Five Post Office Square in Sharon; 425 Washington St. in Stoughton; and Shrewsbury Market Place in Worcester.

This is really sad, the Starbucks on Union Street in Newton Centre was the first Starbucks I ever went to. It is inside an historic train station on the Green Line. This is a tragedy, especially when there’s a Starbucks down the road on Centre Street (which used to be a Seattle’s Best Coffee) which could have gotten the axe instead. The Union Street Starbucks is a gorgeous location, and most certainly benefits by being right off the T. What are those numbskulls in Seattle thinking??

Tragic.

They’re Still Unhealthy Doughnuts

I still get my coffee at Starbucks.

Dunkin’ Donuts, the food-on-the-go chain whose name celebrates a treat that’s symbolic of unhealthy eating, is trying to refresh its image by largely eliminating trans fat across its menu — doughnuts included.

Dunkin’ planned to announce today that it’s developed an alternative cooking oil and reformulated more than 50 menu items. The Canton-based chain says its menu will be “zero grams trans fat” by Oct. 15 at its 5,400 US restaurants in 34 states.

About 400 locations nationwide that took part in a four-month test already have made the switch to a new blend of palm, soybean, and cottonseed oils. That includes all restaurants in New York City and Philadelphia, where municipal leaders are forcing restaurants to phase out their use of artery-clogging trans fat.

The thing about this story is that Dunkin’ Donuts (which is based in Canton) will certainly promote the fact they’ve reduced/eliminated trans fat. But like all other chains/products/etc. that make the same transition, the very promotion gives off the false impression that their products are now healthy, or at least significantly healthier. You see it on products now all the time “0g Trans Fat.” True as it may be, some people are lead to believe this means the food is now healthy.

The story does point out, however, that this is not the case:

Dunkin’ isn’t positioning its namesake product as health food. “The goal was not to make a healthy doughnut, it was really to create a doughnut that was better,” said Joe Scafido, Dunkin’s chief creative and innovation officer.

Still, just like fad diets, the craze over “0g Trans Fat” will eventually fade out and people will understand that while trans fats are certainly bad for you, their absence from junk food doesn’t make them healthy food.

Gabrieli At South Station

Chris Gabrieli is outside of South Station right now. Volunteers are out front holding signs and he’s back and forth shaking hands.

It’s quite a visible entourage, and I would have taken the opportunity to speak to him and ask him questions like “Just how much of your millions do you think you’ll end up spending on your campaign?” or “Just how many politicians have you borrowed phrases and slogans from?” but like most of us coming out of South Station, I had to go to work.

It’s also worth mentioning, while I am standing in line at Starbucks, that Gabrieli is not very impressive in person. Most people I saw were walking by without a care. The only excited-looking people were the ones who had volunteered to hold signs.

UPDATE: Video. Can you feel the excitement?

Local Coffee War: Starbucks ‘New England Blend’ Targets Dunkin’ Donuts

As someone who really enjoys a good cup coffee, I go to Starbucks. Never anything else. Ever. Those who know me well will call me a “coffee snob.” They’re right. I love my Starbucks coffee.

Surprised? It is true that Starbucks is a very “blue” company–but I don’t care. Their coffee is excellent, their espresso drinks are great, and their pastries look divine. (Plus, you don’t need to be multilingual to order anything; or have some illegal immigrant put 5 gallons of cream and 17 tablespoons of sugar in your coffee.)

This week, Starbucks unveiled a new blend of coffee specific to New England, aptly named, “New England Blend.” The Boston Herald reports on the new addition to their coffee lineup.

Watch out Dunkin’ Donuts: New England now has its own flavor at Starbucks.

The chain yesterday unveiled “New England Blend” – Starbucks’ first coffee designed for one specific U.S. region.

“New Englanders really love their coffee, so they’re discerning about making sure they get a really good cup,” said Starbucks’ marketing executive Jennifer Guebert, the brains behind the new brand. “This is the only market in the entire country where we’re doing this.”

Starbucks developed the blend this spring by having 7,500 New Englanders taste-test three types of coffee: mild, medium and bold.

“This was a great opportunity to get direct feedback from our customers,” said Guebert, adding that the medium coffee won out.

Starbucks plans to sell the brand exclusively in New England, charging what the chain’s other blends fetch: $12.95 a pound or about $1.50 for a 12-ounce cup.

Having consumed a 20-oz. cup of New England Blend every morning for the past few days, I give it high marks. A very nice cup of coffee indeed.

The Boston Herald article notes some differences between Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Miles Small, editor-in-chief of trade magazine Coffee Talk, said Starbucks is particularly aiming the blend at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Small said Canton-based Dunkin’ “owns the New England market,” with more than 1,000 stores in the region vs. 250 for Starbucks.

The editor said that, over the decades, Dunkin’ taught New Englanders to think of java as what the Canton chain serves: high-grade joe brewed in drip coffee makers.

By contrast, Starbucks drinks mostly consist of strong coffee made in espresso machines, then cut with milk or other ingredients.

“If Starbucks is going to compete in the New England market, they have to understand that most New Englanders buy brewed coffee because that’s what Dunkin’ trained everyone in New England to like,” Small said.

Starbucks may offer the more refined espresso drinks, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know drip coffee–they absolutely do, and it’s outstanding, infinitely better than that black water Dunkin’ Donuts markets as “coffee.” I can’t say I like all the blends and single origins that Starbucks offers, but overall, they offer a far superior product than the competition.

This mischaracterization that Starbucks doesn’t know drop coffee because of their espresso line-up is absurd. They sell a variety of coffee products, and those customers who want drip coffee get drip coffee and those who want espresso drinks order their lattes and cappuccinos as they wish. If no one wanted espresso drinks, they wouldn’t sell. But guess what, they sell. And guess which coffee company who thinks of java as “high-grade joe brewed in drip coffee makers” also serves espresso drinks? Yup…Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s true, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Let the coffee war continue. I doubt either chain is going anywhere anytime soon.

This post will be an open thread to discuss your fancy for coffee. Where do you go, where won’t you go. Do you care if your coffee comapny is “blue” or “red”? Drip coffee or espresso…