For a long time, we’ve only sold the Technivorm brewer. It was the only high quality brewer we could find that was simple, reliable, and brewed at 200 degrees for 5-6 minutes, two important factors for delicious, flavorful (and not bitter) coffee.

The US market now has access to a European competitor of the Technivorm, called the Bonavita. It is available in both glass and thermal models.

As you would expect, a lot of people are comparing the two brands and asking our opinion of which model to purchase. The Bonavita and the Technivorm have similar claims to brewing time and temperature, so we did a side by side test of each brewer, and here is our opinion of the pros and cons of each:

Price: The most glaring difference between the two brands is the price. The Technivorm is $299 for the thermal models and $279 for hot plate models. The Bonavita is $159 for thermal, $129 for hot plate. I  will explain some of the reasons for this disparity in the following points. Advantage: Bonavita

Build quality: Hands down, the Technivorm is superior. From the thickness of the machined aluminum to the copper heating element, the Technivorm shows why it costs $299. It’s rugged, simple, and reliable. The Bonavita feels well built, but has the look and feel of a more conventional appliance. There’s no accounting for taste, but in our opinion the Technivorm is more attractive and feels more solid. Advantage: Technivorm.

Carafe: The Bonavita carafe is better than the Technivorm for three reasons: It’s lined with glass, so it doesn’t impart any off flavors which some people can detect from stainless; it keeps the coffee hot longer than the Technivorm carafe; and it has a pouring spout that needs no instruction. The Technivorm carafe has a distinctive mid-century inspired look, but the Bonavita held the coffee about 10° hotter than the Technivorm, both at initial brewing and after 1 hour and 4 hours. Advantage: Bonavita.

Showerhead: The Bonavita carafe has a well designed set of holes that evenly saturate the grounds, plus vents that allow the steam to escape (thus preventing condensation from dropping back into the bed). The Technivorm filter basket is an open design with a filter basket that can be easily set to no drip, fast drip, or slow drip, plus a metal spray head that can be rotated from side to side. If you want to “set it and go”, the Bonavita will saturate the bed of coffee more evenly without interference. If you want to see the bloom of fresh coffee as the hot water hits the coffee and have the option of stirring the coffee or rotating the filter basket for even extraction, the Technivorm will suit you better. Advantage: Bonavita for saturating the grounds completely, Advantage: Technivorm for analog, visible brewing.

Warranty: 5 years for Technivorm, 2 for Bonavita. Advantage: Technivorm.

Country of Origin: Technivorm is hand assembled in the Netherlands; Bonavita is made in China of German components. For some people, this will mean advantage: Technivorm. I love my iPhone which is made in China, so to me it’s not necessarily an indication of poor quality.

Brewing parameters: We did a side by side comparison of each brewer, using the same coffee and brewing parameters of 65 grams of coffee, 1.25 liters/42 oz of filtered water.

The results:

The brewing temperature and time figures are so close that we are confident saying the Bonavita heating element is about as powerful as the Technivorm. The 1,000 watt rating is a big factor here. As mentioned, the Bonavita carafe holds the temperature better than the Technivorm carafe. I should mention that the initial coffee temperatures of 185° for the Bonavita and 174° for the Technivorm are PLENTY hot for most people. I have to let the coffee rest and cool to about 165° before I can drink it.

Blind taste test: As always our goal when testing new products is two fold. We want to find out what the unit is capable using best practices AND how the typical person will use it (i.e., without too much futzing with brewing parameters). We tested coffees from several roasters and used all sorts of filters, such as the Melitta unbleached filters that came with the Bonavita (a clue to its heritage), Technivorm/Filtropa filters, gold tone filters, and Swiss Gold filters. We tried it with pre-rinsed paper filters and unrinsed filters.

And?????

Not too surprisingly, the cup quality (”taste”) depended mostly on using the best paper filter (a bleached pre-rinsed filter) and dialing in the correct grind setting (we found the Bonavita prefers a slightly coarser grind than the Technivorm). When we brewed the Technivorm with our recommended parameters (watch the video here), some of our testers preferred it to the Bonavita. When we left the Technivorm alone and did not agitate the bed at all to ensure even extraction, we got a few batches with some unsaturated grounds, and thus the Bonavita won.

At the end of the day, the Technivorm and the Bonavita both offer flavorful, hot coffee out of a drip brewer, but with different value propositions. If you like car analogies, the Technivorm is a rugged, safe, well built Volvo station wagon. It will last almost forever, and it bears a certain aesthetic heritage. It’s distinctively Netherlandic if that’s the word I’m looking for.

The Bonavita is perhaps analogous to a Toyota Camry. It’s simple, reliable, and affordable. It’s purpose is not to win design awards, but to offer great coffee and a quality appliance at a fantastic price.

It’s up to you to decide which one is a better fit for your lifestyle. See the full Bonavita lineup, or check out the Technivorm options.

*NOTE: We will be doing more testing over the coming weeks with logged data points and will gladly share our results upon request. We are also working on a video of both brewers in action. Stay tuned!

Ellanie and Ethan give it a go in the Clive Coffee showroom, using the Izzo Duetto.

If they can, you can too.

Clive at Five is back! We’ve got some excellent cocktails in the works. Sneak away from the relatives for a minute and enjoy some good music and company. In the mood for shopping? We’ll have some showroom-only discounts available during the party. Whether you’ve got $20 or $6k to spend, you’ll get a little extra boost to your buck.

Jenn Lawrence of Letterpress PDX will have a mobile letterpress on hand. See it in action and take home a pre-holiday momento.

Bring a friend!

RSVP here

Clive Coffee deals exclusively with a carefully curated selection of the highest quality coffee making equipment available today.  Our passion for the best gear is born from a passion for the best of what coffee has to offer. We’re in it for the craft, the ritual, the pause for reflection inspired by good coffee, the first sip on a freshly roasted, carefully brewed cup that causes your world to break for a sublime moment of gustatory relish. But once in a great while, something challenges your paradigm.

You may notice a marked lack of convenience equipment on our line.  The home coffee world is full of single-cup and super-automatic machines that compromise quality and craft for the sake of speed, convenience and ease of use. This style of machine is typically made in China, cheaply constructed of plastic parts and notorious for producing awful coffee.

This is why we are feeling a little out of character in our excitement over a particular model of super-automatic espresso machine.  Could a machine like this really perform up to Clive Coffee’s standards of excellence? Though featuring push-button automation and built-in grinding, this is where the similarities between this unit and all other super-autos we’ve seen comes to an abrupt halt.

The Monza Deluxe Super-automatic Espresso Machine is manufactured in Italy by Quick Mill, the same company that produces many of the beautiful and durable semi-automatic machines we are already proud to offer.  It features a level of build quality and features heretofore unseen in espresso machines of its kind.  The Monza Deluxe has an attractive stainless steel exterior, heated metal brew group, 3 liter water reservoir, manually adjustable grind setting, easy-to-use digital touchpad and LCD display, powerful 1600w heating element in a 1.5 liter boiler, easily removable bean hopper, a powerful, fully articulating steam wand with a 4-hole tip as well as an internal automatic milk frother.  Among many other easy-to-use settings, the user can program the brew temperature, shot size as well as quantity of ground coffee.  With all the settings in place, one touch of a button will yield a shot of espresso pulled to your own specifications. One more push and the Monza will dispense nicely steamed milk for a luscious, velvety cappuccino.

The Monza Deluxe is at home in any residential kitchen where great coffee on-the-go is a priority, though we especially recommend it for busy offices where many people can use the machine without worrying about different shot-pulling techniques, tamp pressures or grind settings.

For the first time ever, Clive Coffee is happy to announce that we will be carrying a machine that accommodates the discriminating coffee drinker who demands the usability of a super-automatic, but isn’t willing to compromise on taste.

The La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II has had a place in our showroom for almost a year now. We’ve admired its gush of powerful dry steam for microfoam and consistent shot temperature for nice, sweet pulls. However, the black plastic side panels just weren’t quite up to the finish level of the other machines on our bench, such as the Andreja Premium and the Izzo Duetto. We decided to build some side panels out of the same Oregon black walnut that we use for the Clive Stand. The walnut plays nicely with the shape of the Vivaldi, lending it a mid-century aesthetic. Pricing available upon request.

]]> http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/09/introducing-custom-wood-panels-for-the-mini-vivaldi/feed/ 2 http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/09/introducing-custom-wood-panels-for-the-mini-vivaldi/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CliveCoffee/~3/lvEjjX89jbM/ http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/09/new-video-tutorial-the-french-press/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:03:34 +0000 Mark http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/?p=1101

The classic French press is renowned for its simplicity and rich, full flavor. Follow the steps shown in this video for delicious french pressed coffee! 

The press shown here is the Frieling French press.

Our beautiful porcelain cappuccino mugs by Pigeon Toe Ceramics are now available in two new glazes. We kept the classic design: the “C” stamped in the bottom, the pleasant shape, the comfortable handle and updated with a natural glossy glaze and accents of dove grey and spruce green colors on the rims.  They’re perfect for your morning cuppa and coordinate well with contemporary and classic serve ware.

La Candelilla estate in Terrazu, Costa Rica. We bought a micro lot of coffee from this producer in 2010.

Coffee prices have risen considerably over the last year, and this trend has not escaped the attention of many coffee drinkers. Many roasters/retailers have been raising prices across the board and it may feel a little like an attempt to squeeze the consumer. However, there are very real cost issues that are directly related to the product at the heart of these businesses: green Arabic coffee. The explanation is almost disappointingly simple: basic green, specialty grade coffee costs almost twice as much today as it did a year ago. This increase in price is a direct result of the nature of coffee as an agricultural product and how it is traded globally.

Green coffee prices, like other products such as gold, oil and pork bellies, are based on the Commodities Market which fluctuates on a daily, even hourly basis depending on a variety of factors. Lately, this has created a “perfect storm” of sorts to drive up the prices of many commodities. Recently, gold has attracted the most attention with prices at record highs in over 30 years. And while largely outside the media spotlight, coffee prices have also increased sharply over the last year.  The main factors involved here are: 1. a weak U.S. Dollar 2. speculation on the part of investors 3. internal factors within coffee producing nations.

While investor speculation has born the brunt of the blame for price increases it is worthwhile to consider the two other factors as well. A shaky and weakened US dollar has chased investors to other markets that seem more “stable,” and a weak dollar means that each physical product brought to the US from another country requires more dollars. Thus the severe uptick in gold and oil prices.

Circumstances within coffee producing nations themselves also have a profound effect on coffee prices. Most recently a frost in the Minas Gerias region of Brazil along with reports of unseasonable rains in Colombia and Indonesia all negatively affect  the physical amount of coffee available to the market within the next crop year.

While this might all sound like bad news for both producers and consumers, it is helpful to remember that markets are dynamic and price swings will eventually moderate (and sometimes “bubbles will burst” by their very nature). Historically, coffee is a boom and bust crop. Arabica coffee plants (the coffee species most likely used to brew your morning cup) take roughly 5 years to produce a crop after being planted. In times of high coffee prices it is likely more trees will be planted in hopes of “cashing in,” and sometimes coffee producers overshoot demand, leading to a few years of lower prices in the future.

Our approach to ensuring value and quality for our customers is to look for smaller, more traceable lots of coffee that are not a generic commodity. There is not much we can do about the macro-economic forces at work, but we can find high quality coffee and roast it carefully in small batches. Many of our coffees come from small, family owned farms that are growing coffee the way they have for generations; picking the coffee cherries by hand instead of with a machine to ensure that only ripe fruit is picked, then painstakingly sorting each coffee cherry by hand to separate the good fruit from the bad.

Our wholesale prices have more than doubled in many cases, but we’ve kept our prices as low as possible and thus have largely absorbed the cost increases. Our typical price for a 12 ounce bag of coffee in 2008 (before the commodity price spike) was $10.95. Most of our coffees are now priced at $12 for a 12 ounce bag, so that’s a 9% increase. Our loyal customers have continued to purchase coffee from us (many on a recurring basis), and for that we are very grateful.

]]> http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/08/coffee-prices-why-the-increase/feed/ 0 http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/08/coffee-prices-why-the-increase/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CliveCoffee/~3/a8oQN4_SAy8/ http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2011/08/introducing-the-coava-kone-gen-2/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:45:44 +0000 Jennie http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/?p=1038 Check out the Kone in action at Clive Coffee :: Demo Saturday 9/3 at 1pm

The newly redesigned Kone by Coava has hit the ground at a running pace.  By addressing issues brought forth by customers, the Kone is making steps in bridging the gap between a religious coffeehouse experience and your everyday homebrew.

Easy clean up, and better-suited steel really allow for an incredibly practical home brewing setup.  While still being reusable, their new steel choice results in a different formation of holes that can help in compensating for variation in particle size of less than commercial grinders.

All in all, Kone: Gen Two gives way for a cleaner, more approachable cup of coffee everyday.

See the Kone in action at Clive Coffee on Saturday 9/3 at 1pm.