How to Brew Coffee with a Clever Coffee Dripper

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to last week’s lesson in coffee brewing! I chose to start with the French press because it’s the most well-known of the four manual brew methods. However, the Clever Dripper, which we’ll learn about today, may be the perfect starter method because it’s inexpensive and easy to use.

At first glance, the Clever resembles the plastic coffee dripper I used in college to make single-serving cups of coffee. Here’s the big difference: Instead of letting the coffee drain as soon as you pour water over the grounds in the paper filter, the Clever features a stop-plug that allows the coffee to steep like a French press, making it a pour-over/immersion hybrid.

The Clever is the most popular manual brew at Aromas, revealed Kait Berreckman, the Omaha coffeehouse’s training manager. “It’s easy for our baristas and consistent for our customers,” she said. “The results are a clean, vibrant coffee that our customers have grown to love.”

Want to brew coffee using a Clever Coffee Dripper?
Here’s what you’ll need:

Of course, you’ll also need hot water and coffee. For paper-filter methods like the Clever, Kait recommends bright, sweet, floral-washed Ethiopian coffees. “The clean, thinner body lets some of those more delicate flavors shine through,” she explained.

Step 1: Fold #4 paper filter along ridged edges and fit inside the Clever brewer. Preheat device and mug by filling with hot water and then setting it atop your mug to drain. (This will also rinse any paper flavor from the filter.) Discard preheating water.

Step 2: Weigh out 30 grams of coffee beans and grind on a medium-coarse setting in a burr grinder. Pour grounds evenly into the Clever, place on scale, and tare to zero.

Step 3: Slowly and gently pour 400 grams (which is the same as 400 milliliters) of hot water over the grounds to make a 12-ounce cup. The water temperature should be 205-210 degrees, or about a minute off a boil.

Step 4: Using a spoon or a spatula, fold in the grounds from the edges and slowly stir to relax the bloom. The bloom is the release of gas found in roasted coffee, which happens when coffee is fresh. Cover with lid and let coffee steep for two minutes.

Step 5: Place the Clever on top of your mug or serving vessel to open the stop-plug and let the coffee filter down. Enjoy immediately!

The entire process, from pouring hot water over the grounds to draining the coffee into your mug should take approximately three to three-and-a-half minutes. To clean, simply dispose of used filter and grounds and rinse with hot water.

A big thank you to Ally Wallin, the barista at Aromas who demonstrated the Clever Dripper and was our model in these photos!

Have you ever used a Clever Coffee Dripper? How did you think the coffee compared to other brewing methods?

PS – Don’t forget to review our introduction to manual brew methods and our French press coffee how-to post.