487012 Wed Feb 06 14:31:06 -0800 2008 6 3 California 0 3371375 Toodie Jane, I was wondering if you'd had a chance to check out the coffee at Joe Mama's in Avila Beach?? Clover says there's a Clover machine there. Wed Feb 06 14:31:06 -0800 2008 26440 tavmark 1 3374115 Good question, tavmark. I had assumed TJ had been there from the post: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/481957 but maybe not, now that I read it. I would love to hear from someone who has had Clover coffee. I haven't tried it yet, and I wonder if there is a discernable difference. Thu Feb 07 11:43:29 -0800 2008 3371375 12410 glazebrookgirl 2 3375861 Well if you, Alan, or TJ tries the coffee, please let me know what you think. If I'm out that way, I'll definitely make a point of stopping - for the food as well as to try the coffee. Thu Feb 07 21:09:41 -0800 2008 3374115 26440 tavmark 1 3376837 no, I was there, but haven't had a Clover coffee yet. We'd just eaten a huge meal at the Custom House and didn't want a coffee. The staff was very engaging when I inquired about the Clover and gave the full rundown. I mean to try it first chance. Thanks for the reminder. Avila is off my normal routes, so I'll have to make an extra effort. Fri Feb 08 08:19:52 -0800 2008 3371375 11234 toodie jane 2 3492645 I haven't tried the coffee at Joe Mama's but the Clover definitely is good coffee. I get it here in San Francisco at Ritual and I've had it at several other cafes as well. Of course, I think the real defining factor is still the coffee, both the quality and your personal tastes. I've had a $1.25 cup of Yirgecheffe from Ritual that beat their own $2.50 cup of Rwandan from the clover. This was simply a matter of personal taste, but I bet if you brewed up some top-ranking Cup of Excellence coffee in a press pot or a simple drip, it's hands down going to beat some bad coffee on a clover. That said, for the same coffee the clover is hard to beat as long as it's brewed correctly. What's exciting about the clover is the ability to really fine tune the various settings like brew-time and temperature to get a really good side-by-side comparisson of how these different settings affect the same type of coffee. There's a great article on Slate Magazine - just do a search for clover on Slate or look for the link on my blog - that really describes some of the intricacies of the machine and the potential for it. I can imagine one day people stepping up to the counter to order a cup of the columbian, micro-lot from Ochar Alvaraz set at 203 degrees for a 37 second brewing time. Fantastic. Fri Mar 14 10:10:29 -0700 2008 3376837 154219 ManSeekingCoffee 1 4190670 I'm not an aficionado, but I have had coffee at Joe Momma's and was very pleased - I don't know what a Clover system accomplishes, but there was no bitterness to their coffee, which is typically a turn-off for me. My daughter lives in the area and her first visit was with me a couple weeks ago - she's now been back several times! Thu Nov 20 19:15:37 -0800 2008 3371375 14910 nancyhudson 1 4247125 Joe Momma's is, hands-down, one of the best coffee shops around. They serve Intelligenstia Coffee and use a Clover Machine. Unfortunately, I forgot what sort of espresso machine they use. - so I can't be of much use there. They seem to have about 10 or so Intelligentisa Single Origin Coffees available at any given time (which is way more than Intelligentisa's rotating 3-4 options in LA, at least) and the workers there are more than adept with the Clover machine. They also always have plenty of fairly fresh roasted beans available (I bought some Intelligentsia Flecha Roja when I was last there and was told it had come in the day before) Instead of driving up the I5 when I go between Los Angeles and the SF Bay, I take the 101 (130 extra miles of driving for me) just so I can stop by. And Avila Beach is an awesome, quaint little beach town. It's a great place to spend all day drinking coffee and enjoying the cool, clean (!) ocean breeze. It definitely worth going out of your way. If you're in the area.. I HIGHLY recommend a visit. My favorite coffee shop, and a great town. I'll be driving up to the SF Bay in about a week.. I'll see if I can post a full review along with some pictures. EDIT: Just found their website. http://www.joemommascoffee.typepad.com/ :) Sun Dec 14 21:36:39 -0800 2008 3371375 165573 krntourist