Brewing at Home, Part 6: Clever Dripper

Let talk about brewing with the Clever Dripper! Maybe you were lucky enough to receive one as a holiday present, or maybe you had a cup from the Clever in stores and couldn't resist bringing one home. Either way, making excellent coffee at home can be super easy. You will need: the Clever Dripper, paper filters (size 4), a timer (or clock), a spoon, a small plate to cover the Clever while brewing, freshly ground coffee, and I highly recommend a scale.

Photos by Devorah Freudiger, Gimme! Coffee.

Step one for brewing with a paper filter is to rinse the filter well with hot water. This greatly reduces the paper taste, especially when using unbleached filters.

Weighing your coffee is a the best way to keep the strength of your cup consistent. For this 10 oz cup we are using 18grams of coffee. That's about two rounded tablespoons of most whole beans. Generally, the darker roasted the beans the lighter they are going to be, so dose accordingly.

The stopper design of the Clever Dripper lets us use a courser grind than traditional pour over. Here we are using a grind size just slightly courser than for regular cone drip.

Start by adding just a little water at first and give your coffee time to bloom. After about thirty seconds we gave our coffee a stir to ensure even saturation. This step is optional, some people prefer to slowly pour a small stream of water in a circular motion to get all the grounds spinning and mixing purely by the force of the pour.

Next, add the rest of the water. We are brewing a 10oz cup of coffee (the Clever works great up to 14oz). There is some water left behind after brewing, both in the filter and grounds, so start with about two ounces more then the cup size you want to drink.

Covering the Clever while brewing is an important step. It retains much more heat this way, which is important to prevent a sour incomplete extraction. Then you've got to wait. Three and a half to four min is the ideal time to let your Clever brew sit before you start the extraction.

Once the time is up simply put your Clever on your mug and watch your coffee drain. So simple! It takes about another minute for the Clever to drain compleately.

Remove the filter and toss it in the compost. Then rinse out your Clever with hot water. Use a soft sponge if oils are building up, but don't scrub, you'll scratch the plastic. Don't use soap, as it can leave a film on your brewer. Cleansers are available specifically for removing coffee oils. I do a quick rinse one a week with cleanser and this keeps my Clever nice and clean.

Now enjoy your cup! The Clever Dripper yields a cup that is rich in body like a french press, yet crisp and clean like a pour over because it's free of solids. It's a very simple way to make great coffee. Have fun trying out different coffees, most of them really shine with this method.