Consider this my free idea for the day: why hasn't Saeco, or any of the other prominent super-auto coffee machine makers, opened up a concept store a la Nespresso?

These machines routinely get hammered wherever coffee gets discussed, not the least by yours truly, but I can't say I've ever tried one that I knew was properly dialed in. Have you?

I'd be curious to demo a machine that was certified to be properly maintained, stocked with freshly roasted beans, with an accurately set grinder and dose. Maybe I'd be pleasantly surprised.

Whenever I see questions about super-autos or pods, I inevitably default to recommending Nespresso-- not because I like it (I don't really) but because I've experienced it out in the world and that experience was something better than vile. I can't say that for a super-auto because such an experience has eluded me.

Ultimately, I would not recommend any fully automated process, regardless of the form it takes, but the reality is there are tons of people who simply do not wish to invest their time and energy into preparing their beverage. For this vast sea of people, I would love to send them towards an option that featured whole beans, less trash, and better quality, but I can't because, despite that potential, I've never had a super-auto experience that actually delivered it. It's not my office machine. It’s not the odd hotel/motel/cafeteria machine I run into now and again. Where is it?

Nespresso does a tremendous job of marketing and amongst those formidable weapons are their ubiquitous sample stations in retail partners like Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma and their concept cafes.

Inherent in those cafes are a couple of strong messages to existing and potential customers:

• our coffee is authentic and professional: it’s good enough to go head to head with any pro coffee shop;

• people will pay a premium to drink the coffee that you can buy at a big discount by joining our exclusive club;

Of course, these messages only work because a) you can sample the product and b) the product, at some level, stands up to sampling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Green Mountain Keurig Cafe and I’m not at all surprised I haven’t.

There’s no reason, ideally, why Saeco or any other super-auto maker couldn’t do likewise: get ahold of some good beans, dial in some machines, and brew some decent coffee. The bar really isn’t that high: Starbucks, most indie coffee shops, Nespresso— they all are either firmly mediocre or up and down at best. There’s certainly a niche to sell a machine that can consistently do at least as well as that, and all at the touch of a button!

I can't be the first person to think of this, can I? Is this task beyond the super-auto machine, or at least their makers’ faith in it? Either way, it’s a shame because there are things to recommend them, at least in theory, until someone can demo a unit that puts that theory into proper practice. I haven’t seen it yet and I wonder if anyone has really tried. I really wish someone would.