How to use a Clever Dripper

The Clever Dripper is a quick, easy-to-use device that combines immersion brewing with paper filtration. This means that the Clever Dripper brews balanced, flavorful coffee with a rich body similar to a french press, with the clarity and sediment-free quality of a pour-over cone. Brewing coffee with a Clever Dripper is simple, just follow the steps below and enjoy!

The ratio of coffee to water should be 1:16. In this case, we’re using 21g of coffee, so we’ll use 336g of water.

At this point - we want to reiterate that the beans are the most important part of any brew. You can learn everything about using the Clever dripper properly - but if you're using sub-par beans, your brews won't improve by much.

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Just before brewing, grind your coffee beans. You’ll want them to be just a bit coarser than medium grounds for pour-over. If you’re using a Baratza Encore like our example, we recommend starting around a 20.

Get your water up to temperature (195-205F) and place a filter into the Clever Dripper. Pour some hot water over the filter to rinse out any papery taste - but don’t forget to drain this water before carrying on with the brew!

With your Clever Dripper on a scale, add your ground coffee and then add the corresponding amount of water. No special pour or bloom is required, the goal here is to fully immerse all the coffee grounds. Start a timer to track your brew, and place the lid on your Clever Dripper to help keep the temperature up.

At around a minute after your pour, It’s a good idea to stir your brew to ensure all the grounds are fully immersed. No need to stir vigorously - just agitate the brew enough to break any “crust” of grounds floating at the top of the coffee.

Just after two and a half minutes, it’s time to draw down your coffee. Take your Clever Dripper off the scale and place it over a carafe. The coffee will “draw down” through the dripper - leaving the grounds up top in the filter. This process should take 30-45 seconds. Make sure your carafe is big enough to accommodate the amount of coffee you’re brewing - you don’t want your fresh brew to overflow onto your kitchen counter!

Final Notes

Adjusting to taste: if your draw down is happening very quickly, make your grind a bit finer to avoid a weak brew. If your coffee is taking too long to draw down, make your grind a bit coarser to avoid over-extraction. Once your draw down is in the 30-45 second range, you can also tweak your total brew time get the flavor just right.

The Clever Dripper is great because it’s so simple - after a few brews you’ll have a feel for the timing and process that works best for you. Happy Brewing!