Finding a Clover in a Haystack
Prologue: I knew this would happen if I waited too long (which I did), but I forgot the details of finding my first Starbucks Clover location in California. You heard that phrase about finding a needle in a haystack, right? Well, I essentially found a Clover in a haystack! Read on…
It was during a summer trip to Central Valley, California, and we were driving for awhile. Were we driving to San Francisco? Monterey? Santa Rosa? Sadly my memory fails me. But all I remember was I was tired after driving for hours. I needed a caffeinated pick-me-up before continuing to drive for a few more hours. So I asked my wife to use the Starbucks mobile app to locate a nearby store. The app showed a few locations, and I headed to the closest one which so happened to be located in an outdoor shopping outlet area. Seeing the familiar Starbucks sign was truly an oasis.
I got out of the car, walked to the door, and noticed this unfamiliar logo in the window.
Holy Starbucks! We randomly stumbled upon a rare Starbucks Clover location!! I couldn’t believe it. Off all the stores displayed on the Starbucks app, we happened to pick one with a Clover brewing system.
Like I said, I was fatigued from driving and my memory is fading, but I couldn’t quite figure out the Clover menu. A barrista cheerfully guided me through the various options, and I got an iced Kenya. Because it’s freshly brewed, the wait time was a bit longer, but it was fascinating to watch the individual brewing process. I do remember the coffee tasting fresher and not as bitter. The flavor was deeper, but since my drink was iced, the fresh brew quickly became watered down as the ice melted.
Still though, having a Starbucks for the rest of the drive was great and just thinking about the kismet of this happenstance is still incomprehensible.
While there is no official map of all the Starbucks Clover locations, check out Starbucks Melody’s blog as she documents her visits to as many Clover locations as she can.
Update: this location is store number 69034 located in Town Center Corte Madera.
November 3, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
Suffice it to say I guess we don’t have any of these here? This is actually the first I’ve ever heard of these specialized Starbucks. I guess they have special blends/drinks and are more meticulous about the brewing process at these locations?
November 3, 2011 @ 1:41 pm
I haven’t done a ton of research about Clovers but there doesn’t seem to be a straight forward way of figuring out which Starbucks have/will get them. Â I did want to find a Clovers location when I visited CA but didn’t think I’d randomly come across one. Â
I hope Hawaii gets one (I’d guess the Ward Gateway location). Â The coffee is individually made while you wait and I think is coffee straight up. Â Not sure if there are any special drinks made from the Clover-brewed coffee. Â Again, I wasn’t on my game when I stumbled upon my first Clover experience or I would have taken more notes. 🙁