New Products

We were thoroughly excited when we received Bonavita’s Electric Gooseneck Kettle last year. Finally, there was a stainless steel electric kettle that was suitable for manual pour-over. When we heard that Bonavita was coming out with a kettle with a variable temperature control, we were anxious to get our hands on one.

At its heart, the variable kettle is essentially the same as Bonavita’s standard electric gooseneck kettle. It can heat 1 liter of water in 5 minutes, which is slower than other variable kettles in the market, but you are gaining the gooseneck spout, which is essential for maintaining a constant water flow with manual pour over styles. The kettle pours smoothly, though the handle is not as ergonomic and comfortable in the hand as the stovetop model.

The brains of this kettle which gives you variable temperature control is well designed. You can continuously monitor the temperature via the digital display and adjust your target temp on the fly in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. In our tests, we found the reading to be accurate to within .5 of a degree. The kettle will also maintain the hold temperature for up to 20 minutes, making it especially appealing for café use.

A nice addition is the ability to save 6 user pre-set temperatures. This is perfect for those wishing to brew both coffee and tea, or for those wishing to experiment with coffee varietals and temperature profiling. The kettle uses solid state memory to record your presets, so unplugging the kettle won’t mean dialing everything in again the next time you use it.

Every product has its drawbacks, and my main complaint is the relatively low build quality of the heating base. I would expect it to break down eventually if used in the bustle of a high volume environment. For a variable kettle under $100, however, this does not come as much of a surprise. Another issue for some will be the short power cord of 24 inches. A retractable and longer power cord would be a welcome addition. Unless the kettle is sitting directly next an outlet, it might be a struggle to reach an outlet on a cluttered counter.

In the end, the Bonavita Variable Kettle is both well thought out and intuitive to use, and, being commercially UL certified, I would recommend it for both home and professional applications.

Check out the Bonavita Variable Temperature Kettle.

UPDATE: Bonavita sent a note that the unit I tested was a pre-production sample, so the unit shipping in July will have some tweaks and upgrades to the fit/finish. I may have to rescind my comment about heavy duty use. We’ll post an update once we receive the production units in July.

UPDATE 2: I only tested the kettle for 20 minutes, as the manual said it would hold temp for 20 minutes. I was recently advised that it actually will stay on for 60 minutes. I retested and can vouch for this!

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:

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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.

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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.

After months of developing concepts, designing, scrapping and redesigning our idea of what the perfect pour-over stand could offer, we were thrilled a few weeks ago to finally launch the exclusive Clive Stand and Dripper set to the world.  Since then, the response has indicated that our work paid off.  The Clive Stand has been called “Gorgeous,” Stunning,” “The prettiest coffee maker I’ve ever seen,” “Elegant” and “Amazing.” It has been featured on the very popular blog Design*Sponge and will appear in the next issue of the magazine House Beautiful.

At Clive Coffee, we always seek the perfect intersection of design and function. We insist that all of our products look great, feel durable, last a long time and, of course, brew great coffee. The Clive Stand has earned its share of aesthetic accolades, but the quality of the coffee that it brews is equally important. As with any brand new brewing mechanism introduced to the market, a new set of standards needs to be developed regarding the grind setting, proportions of coffee to water, pouring technique, etc.  The Clive Stand best accommodates two particular types of dripper cone – the Hario V60-02 glass dripper, and our locally hand-thrown porcelain Clive Dripper. Both of these fit snugly and look excellent in the handcrafted black walnut frame of the stand. Here, we’ll walk through what it takes to produce a fine cup of coffee from our Clive Dripper in the stand.

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We set up the Izzo Duetto in our showroom back in December, and it’s been one of the most popular machines on the floor. The ability to precisely dial in the brewing temperature with the PID takes the guesswork out of pulling delicious straight shots. The separate boiler for steam means meringue-like micro foam for cappuccinos. This machine is built to last for decades, and we can service this machine here in Portland. When you’re ready to invest in the craft of high quality espresso at home, be sure to take a look at the Duetto.

Delaney Kelly of Carthagh Craft & Design just dropped of the first edition of the Clive Stand Triple. I couldn’t wait for our real photographer to take her sweet time with it, so I took a quick shot. It’s a beauty. Water Avenue Coffee will be the first shop in town to put this to good use. Read more about the stand, then get ready because the Triple will be available for purchase in early January.

The "drip tray" on the Stand is sealed with 4 coats of oil based polyurethane, than coated in food-safe wax. The Hario V60 cone and decanter fits perfectly.

Baratza has once again upgraded its excellent Virtuoso Preciso Grinder. In addition to providing micro-adjustment capability, they’ve added a superior set of conical burrs. These new burrs provide the precision to grind for great espresso, as well as great uniformity for French Presss with minimal fines. These new burrs grind coffee 2.4 times faster than other conical burr grinders.

We still have a few Precisos in stock, with the upgraded burrs. More will arrive in mid November, so if you don’t want to wait, place your order now.

Get yours today!

Heading to the beach for camping and surfing? Maybe suffering through pitiful coffee at the office? Or perhaps you just like hand-operated tools that don’t require electricity. We’ve got the tools for you to make great espresso or coffee wherever you go.