Clever Coffee Dripper – A Full-Immersion Brewing Method
Handsome box
Cone without coffee. Cone takes a #4 or #6 filter.
Dripper with coffee. Notice the super subtle Sweet Maria's logo in silver. We hope to carry a model of the dripper with a cover soon. For now you can use a small plate or or pot lid.
The stopper mechanism for the dripper. Liquid only drains out when the dripper is placed on a cup.
The one problem I have encountered is when I dropped the cone and a foot broke off, rendering the stop-flow valve less functional. You could superglue a foot back on, or prop it up with something. So try not to drop it - at least not on a concrete floor!
The dripper comes with a coaster to catch any excess liquid after brewing. It is not quite large enough to act as a cover. Cover needs to be at least 5.5" across.
The Clever Coffee Dripper combines the best features of French press and filter drip brewing, eliminating the drawbacks of each. With French press brewing, you can control steeping or infusion time, but heat loss and sediment in the cup can be a problem. Brewing with a paper filter is easy and convenient; the problem is lack of control over steeping time (i.e. the coffee begins to drain immediately). By adding a stopper to a filtercone, the Clever Coffee Dripper combines control over steeping time with a sediment-free cup.
Of course the name is a bit ironic, because you do not want it to drip at all - and it doesn't! At least not until you place it on a cup or other vessel and release the flow.
Start with the same grind you would use for a French press or filter drip and add water just off the boil. Cover and with a small plate or saucer, whatever is handy - future models will come with a lid. After 1:30, lift the cover, stir and recover. Let steep for 3 minutes and then place the filter on your cup or carafe; the stopper automatically opens and allows the filtered coffee to flow out. You can balance grind, dose and extraction time to find the right combination that works for you. A finer grind will need less extraction time, a coarser grind, more. The temperature of the water should remain between 195 degrees F - 205 degrees F throughout the brewing process. We recommend covering the brew as it steeps in the filter for this reason.
The dripper will fit on cups and thermoses with tops between 1.5" and 3.75" in diameter. Of course, if you put the dripper on a very narrow thermos, you should make sure the dripper is stable. If you want to place something on top as a lid (which we highly recommend!), it needs to be at least 5.5" in diameter
BPA-free plastic
The filter takes either a #4 or #6 Size Filter. #4 is recommended since #6 extends above the lip.
Wholesale inquiries welcome - just email us.How to Brew Coffee with the Clever Coffee Dripper:
- Step 1: Put the paper filter into the dripper.
- Step 2: Add coffee into the filter (See chart below for ratios we found work well.)
- Step 3: There are two approaches to adding the water: 1) The "blooming method" involves pouring a small amount of water, waiting for the coffee to rise or "bloom" then adding the rest; or, 2) adding all the water at once and covering, waiting 1.5 minutes, then lifting the cover and stirring to fully mix the grounds and water. For either method, re-cover for remaining infusion time. We prefer the second approach.
- Step 4: When infusion time is up, place dripper on top of a mug or other vessel. Coffee will drain for approximately 1.5 minutes. To stop the flow, simply lift the dripper off the mug.
| Amount of Ground Coffee | 2 scoops/22g | 3 scoops/33g | 6 scoops/66g* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water used*** | 12 oz/350 mL | 18 oz/530 mL | 36 oz/1 L |
| Infusion time | ~3:00 min | ~3:00 min | ~3:00 min |
| Amount of Filtered Coffee Made | 10 oz/300 mL | 15 oz/450 mL | 30 oz/900 mL |
*requires refilling the filtercone
** These recommendations are based on using a regular drip grind. If you use a coarser grind, you may need to lengthen extraction time.
*** We have found that for the most accurate brewing, it is best to measure your water by weight. This is easily done by preparing your coffee on a scale. For 22 grams of coffee, you want to use 361 grams of hot water.
Tips
- Adjust the ratio of water and coffee, as well as the grind of the coffee, to suit your own preferences. Too fine a grind will filter too slowly and may be bitter. Too coarse a grind will filter too quickly.
- Some people like to rinse the paper filter before adding coffee to remove any paper taste. If you do not notice any paper taste, this is not necessary.
Cleaning
Cleaning the Clever Coffee Dripper is very easy: just dispose of the used grounds and filter and rinse. Do not allow residue to build up in the filter; lightly scrub the cone with very hot water and a sponge or brush, taking care to clean shut-off mechanism lightly from the top. If necessary, use a detergent-free cleaner designed for carafes and filtercones. That's it!
Experiments and More Tips
We have a separate page featuring some tests we have done with the CCD, trying different pour techniques, timing, filters and such. Tom also posted a video on the Sweet Maria's blog about using the Clever Coffee Dripper and hand-held refractometer to measure the relative strength of the coffee.
You can also read (and participate in!) discussions of the CCD on the SM Coffee Forum here.