I was spending some time in the ‘nati with some friends of mine and the topic of conversation turned to coffee. I remembered a story that I had recently read in Wired Magazine about the Clover Coffee Machine. The Clover is an $11,000.00 coffee maker that was on sale before Starbucks bought out the company. I believe the CEO of Starbucks declared it to make the best brewed coffee that he had ever tasted. Of course, he’d been drinking Starbucks for most of his life. My friend indicated that Stauf’s in Grandview also had a Clover.

Since we were in Cincinnati at the time, we googled to see if we could find a Clover in the ‘Nati. Sure enough, two blocks from where we were a Clover was to be had at Rohs Street Cafe.


The Clover – at last we meet – Rohs got one before Starbucks locked up the market

So we made a pilgrimage to Roh’s to see how good the $11 grand Clover could crank out fresh brew. As I was already pretty high and shaky on coffee, I opted for the 6 ounce taste tester at $1.75. I believe I had some Brazilian Blue beans in my java. You may be asking – besides the price, what makes this Clover so good. Well apparently you can control the exact brewing temperature, brewing time, amount of water, amount of beans and perhaps a few other factors to create the “perfect” cup of coffee. You can also save your favorite recipes and brew them up later with a touch of a button. As customers, we didn’t have any say-so in the various factors and left it to the good judgment of Rohs.

Rohs interior – a cool place to hang

So was it worth the googling, hike, dollarage, etc.? I felt it was a fine cup of brew – very flavorful and expressive. I would only consider myself a mild coffee aficionado however. If you’re game you can visit the Clover at Stauf’s locally or if you are in the ‘Nati visit

Rohs Street Cafe
245 W. McMillan Street
Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-381-7647