$11,000 or $20, you decide

Starbucks has purchased the manufacturer of the Clover coffee maker, an $11,000 contraption that reputably makes the best cup of joe in the World. The idea is that these will appear in "selected" Starbucks outlets & the New York Times sent out a reporter accompanied by a coffee aficionado to sample the product. Reviews were neutral at best although most of the criticism was aimed at Starbucks roasting techniques rather than the Clover. However, towards the end of the article, this little nugget slipped out "Finally, the French presses arrived. The coffee was comparable to that from the Clover, but between assembling and steeping, a cup of coffee in a French press takes close to 10 minutes to make."

So it seems that at least according to this specialist, the only difference between the coffee from an $11,000 machine & a $20 press was the preparation & clean up time. I've been extolling the virtues of my French Press for years, they're really easy to use and can now save you $10,980 which seems like a great deal!