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| Clover 1S FAQ | CloverNet FAQ |
Where can I try the Clover?
Click here to see our Clover Map.
How does the Clover work?
The simple answer: Combine coffee and water, let them steep together for a set time, filter by vacuum and deliver to the cup. We call this VacuumPress™ coffee making.
The technical answer: After dosing it and grinding it to your specifications, you will add the coffee to the Clover brew chamber. You will choose the cup size and the steep time on the user interface, and then press the brew button. Clover delivers the exact dose of water at the temperature you’ve chosen. Stir and wait while the coffee steeps. At the end of the set time, Clover’s piston rises, creating a vacuum that draws the coffee through the grounds. The piston will then descend and deliver the coffee into your customer’s cup.
What does the coffee taste like?
Clover coffees are filter, or brewed, coffees, not espresso-based beverages. It allows you to tune your coffees to your own filter-coffee profile. Depending on the size of the filter, grind, temperature, time and coffee, you can find profiles similar to pour-over cone filters, or to press pots. Many people tune their coffees to mirror the vacuum pot, where the clarity of cup and honest expression of the bean comes closest to the roaster’s cupping table. Ideally, you will experiment with the parameters and find your own preferred cup.
Will my customers be able to tell the difference?
What we’ve found so far: a resounding yes. There is a big difference between a freshly brewed cup of coffee made individually vs. a stale cup poured from a pot. We have found that coffee drinkers not only appreciate the freshness, but also are better able to enjoy the flavors and expression of each coffee.
Will they pay more for Clover coffee?
We’ve found that every café that has charged more for Clover coffees has been successful doing so. In fact, it’s frequent for people to naturally choose the most expensive cup offered simply to experience the flavor and the quality.
How does the coffee know to give up its essence in only 40 seconds?
The principal factors contributing to Clover’s brew speed are grind size, infusion profile, and vacuum extraction. When you combine a fine grind, with exact temperature control and a stable brewing environment, and then filter the liquid through a 70-micron filter, you are able draw the essence from any of your coffees. It’s good to know, however, that Clover allows you to adjust all of its brew parameters so you can find what’s preferable to you.
Why should I spend so much on a drip brewer?
If quality is your focus, then Clover is for you. In addition, there are many other reasons to use Clover. Where should you look for your return on investment?
- Waste is eliminated when using the Clover; each cup is prepared to order. Pouring coffee - and money - down the drain is a common problem for coffee retailers.
- Vertically integrated pricing allows you to charge appropriately for your different coffees. Retailers often miss the opportunity to charge the right price for coffee when brewed in a batch.
- Increase whole bean sales by giving people an opportunity to taste your coffees at their best. For many retailers, whole bean sales deliver the highest margins.
- Selling more whole beans also means cross-selling your home brewing equipment, mugs, and coffee paraphernalia.
Is a minute too long for serving filter coffee?
Customers have grown accustomed to a short wait for espresso-based beverages - unthinkable in the US thirty years ago. The wait for a Clover coffee is very similar to that of a two-group espresso machine. In fact, many cafés find their cash register to be the gating item for increased flow. As espresso culture has shown, customers are quite willing to wait for their individualized coffee drink.
How much space do I need in my café?
We generally recommend a space 36 inches wide by 22 inches deep as the minimum bar setup. We also recommend installing the Clover at a height of 27 to 30 inches to best show off the machine off and allow easy access.
Will I need to increase my staff?
It’s good to keep in mind that the Clover is a barista-managed machine. Depending on your current environment and bar flow, you may not need to increase staff, though you should prepare your baristi for the change in flow. Of course, this will depend on your store’s volume, your peak throughput, and desired wait times.
What additional hardware/connections will I need?
You will need to have a plumbed water line with a 3/8th compression fitting, as well as a drain for the waste hose. The Clover draws 20 amps of 240VAC and should be wired accordingly. Plus, you will need to maintain power for your dedicated grinder.
How much should I charge for a cup?
This depends on the coffees you are offering. Many cafés have increased cup price by 50¢ for Clover coffees, and some have charged up to US$9.95 for their very best offerings. Still others offer a list of three or more coffees with varying prices depending on availability, quality, etc.
Should I disconnect my batch brewer?
This depends on you and your café. Certain cafés maintain their batch brewers and offer only their premium coffees on the Clover. Others keep their batch brewers for peak hours while also brewing on Clover. Still others have removed their batch brewers entirely, and are serving just Clover coffees.
Does the Clover retain residual flavors from previous cups?
The Clover retains an imperceptible amount of residual coffee internally, just as do other brewers and espresso machines. If you are alternating between extreme differences of roast degree, you may want to rinse between cycles.
Who will service my machine?
We have a service network of Clover Certified Technicians, or we can certify one of your own technicians.
Can I visit the factory?
Visitors are always welcome here in Seattle. Just give us a call and let us know you’re coming. We’ll do our best to make time for you, and answer any of your questions.
How do you clean the Clover?
The Clover has a semi-automated cleaning process that is intended to run nightly. Clover cleaning tablets also keep your machine at top performance. And keep in mind that you can always use the rinse cycle to flush the machine. (See the Clover User’s Manual for instructions.)
What parts will require regular service/replacement?
We have a periodic maintenance program for the Clover that covers all of the regular service components. Contact our service department for details.
What warranty do you offer?
Clover typically comes with a one-year parts, 90-day labor warranty.
What is the total cost of ownership?
Costs that can contribute to the cost of a Clover include water, electricity, bar setup, barista flow and barista shifts, a dedicated high-quality grinder, extra bar rags, and, if you choose, a broader range of coffees. On the return side, waste will be reduced, and you are likely to increase your revenue from beverage, whole-bean, and home-brewing sales. Each factor will vary depending on your specific situation.
CLOVERNET
What is CloverNet?
CloverNet is a service that lets you monitor and control your Clovers via the web. With CloverNet, now you can view Clover coffee business trends real-time. Centrally manage and update brew parameters for all of your coffees. Keep your Clovers in peak operation through system monitoring and error alerts.
What can CloverNet do for me?
CloverNet will help your business by doing three things:
- Enabling you to create and store recipes to easily brew each of your coffees at their best
- Displaying your brewing activity with real-time charting
- Watching for problems to ensure maximum uptime for your machines
One of the best things about the Clover is that it allows you to adjust the brewing parameters for each coffee to bring out the coffee’s special characteristics. The set of ideal brew parameters is the coffee’s Clover recipe.
How is a recipe stored in CloverNet?
CloverNet stores three brew parameters: 1) a recipe name (up to 18 characters), 2) a brew time, and 3) a dose size (grams of coffee grounds to make a 12 fluid ounce coffee). The dose size will scale from 12 fl oz to whatever size you want to brew. The barista would needs to separately track a coffee’s temperature and grind setting, adjusting manually where necessary.
How are recipes easier to manage with CloverNet?
Without CloverNet, baristas need to manually enter the brew parameters for each cup they brew. With CloverNet, a barista simply selects the recipe name and size. The Clover lets the barista know the amount of coffee to dose, and it’s ready to brew with the push of a button.
What information is available on the CloverNet website?
CloverNet presents not only logs, but graphs of your brewing data. Select the parameters you care about, over a certain time period. This makes it very easy to spot and track trends, like you’re your most popular coffees and sizes, and the days and times you sell the most Clover coffee.
Why would I want to know this kind of stuff?
Getting a better understanding of sales trends helps with ordering, staffing, tracking the success of promotions, identifying the most successful sales people, etc.
How much does CloverNet cost?
CloverNet activation lists for $399 and the service costs $19.99/month (per machine). Talk to your reseller/service provider about adding CloverNet to new or existing Clovers.
Is this cost worth it to me as a retailer?
CloverNet, like the Clover, is designed to pay for itself. Having a better pulse on what your customers are drinking enables you to better target their needs. You only need to sell one additional cup of coffee per day for CloverNet to pay for itself (assumes at least $0.75 profit per cup of Clover coffee).
What happens if my CloverNet enabled Clover encounters a technical issue?
CloverNet will log and email the error. This way, your Clover-certified technician will know about the issue immediately.
How secure is my data on CloverNet?
The Web interface is all encrypted (SSL), just like eTrade or Paypal, which means that it is both secure from eavesdropping and secure from modification by a middleman. Clover-to-server communication is as secure as any other Web traffic on a shop's wired network (which is generally more secure than the wireless network).CloverNet's server infrastructure lives in a high-security datacenter and is heavily firewalled.
Will I need to modify my café’s network to run CloverNet?
The CloverNet server never connects directly to your Clover, and the connection is outbound from the Clover. This means no firewall holes or DSL/cable router changes are needed. The only modification required is to run a network cable to your Clover(s).
Will I lose data if my Clover goes offline?
If your Clover goes offline, it will buffer hundreds of activity records (coffees brewed, rinse and clean cycles, etc). When your internet connection is restored, your Clover will send all this data to CloverNet giving you a complete record of your shop's activity. You will only lose data if your Clover goes offline for several weeks.
Can I run CloverNet over wi-fi?
You have our blessing to run CloverNet over wi-fi, though we ourselves have never attempted it. CloverNet is currently designed to run over a wired Ethernet connection. If your network administrator is able to get it running on wi-fi, power to you!