The Clever Coffee Dripper is ultimately an immersion brewer, but has many elements of a pour over cone. Unlike a french press and more similar to a cone, a paper filter is used and the coffee drains from the bottom. The unique feature of the Clever is the stopper at the bottom which holds all the water until pressed upward when the dripper is set on top of a mug or server, releasing the finished product. The Clever Coffee Dripper is praised in the specialty coffee community as being a brew method that is simple to use, quick to clean, and easy to get a consistently good cup.
Thorough:
- Measurements: 20g coffee, 300g water ( 10.5 oz)
- Grind: Medium – Coarse
- Filter: Melitta #4
1. Bring enough water to just below a boil (~200° F / ~93° C ) in order to brew the coffee and pre-heat the Clever.
2. Weight out 20 grams of coffee and grind it coarsely.
3. Pour some hot water into the Clever to heat it up and rinse the filter, then drain it out.
4. Place the grounds into the Clever and pour 300 grams of water in evenly, saturating all of the grounds.
5. Start timer immediately for a 2:30 minute steep
6. After one minute, submerge grounds floating at the top into the water and stir well.
7. At 2:30, begin draining by placing the Clever Dripper on top of a mug or server. The stopper will open and the coffee will drain into the container.
8. Sip, enjoy.
Minimal:
- 20g coffee, 300g water
- Grind: Medium – Coarse
- Filter: Melitta #4
1. 300g pour, finish by 0:30
2. Stir at 1:00
3. Drain at 2:30, finish by 4:00
Variations:
1. Some brewers would rather use a course grind than a fine grind. As always, use your taste buds in determining your preferred method.
2. The Clever Dripper could also be used to brew loose-leaf tea!
Common Problems:
1. If the water pools instead of draining, your grind is too fine. However if it takes less than thirty seconds to drain, it may be too coarse.
2. If the coffee tastes way over extracted, try a shorter steeping time and coarsen the grind a bit.