Marketing Gimmicks

Intelligentsia Brews Up a New Coffeemaking Formula

Intelligentsia which abandoned drip coffee in favor of brewing individual cups via the high-tech super expensive Clover coffee machine last year, is now brewing via a Hario ceramic filter drip method. Generally, as long as our cup tastes good, we don’t care if they brew their coffee in the gas tank of a super-modified John Deere tractor. But, as Chicagoist writer Kevin Robinson says of the new method, “The three strikes of higher cost, longer wait and a taste I don’t enjoy will most likely leave me searching for a new coffee shop.”

Intelligentsia owner Doug Zell says he switched to the new method because all three of his company’s Clover machines went down at the same time. Maybe, but we also know Starbucks purchased the company that makes the Clover and it’s been rumored they may not sell the machine to rival shops. Zell’s also a really smart guy, and is no doubt tapped in to trends at the upstart local Asado Coffee Company where they also use a ceramic brew method. [Chicagoist]

Intelligentsia Brews Up a New Coffeemaking Formula