The Clever Cup
A method combining the repeatability of immersion brewing and the clarity of a pour over. In the Clever Dripper a catch prevents water escaping, meaning it can steep with the coffee rather than pass through. When the desired brew time has passed the catch is manually released, allowing the water to pass as in pour over brewing. The paper filter holds back small particles resulting in a cleaner cup.
​
As a result of its design you can tinker and experiment with your brew. You could use a finer grind with a short steep time or do the opposite. I usually brew with a coarser grind.
You'll need...
​
Clever Cup
Clever Filter Papers
Grinder
Kettle
Drip Scales
Timer
Stirrer
Brew time | 2-3 minutes
​
Brew Ratio | 1:15 - 1:18
​
Water Temp | 90-96C
​
Remember these are guidelines, experimentation is encouraged.
1
​
Boil your water & grind your Coffee
​
Weigh out as much coffee as you need (30g - 500ml) for the size of your brew and grind it medium-coarse (slightly larger than granulated sugar). Boil your low mineral content water.
2
​
Prepare your filter
​
Pop your filter paper into the Clever Dripper. Soak it with hot water. This will remove the paper’s taste, stick it to the walls of the cone and heat up your equipment. Release the water and add your ground coffee.
Pour hot water into the vessel you’ll decant into to heat it up.
3
​
Quick Bloom
​
Now add 50-80 ml of hot water to the grounds and watch your coffee expand. This allows for the escape of carbon dioxide before adding more water and putting the lid on. This should all take 30 seconds.
4
​
Add Water
​
Pour the rest of your water over the coffee and give it a stir. Put the lid on to help regulate temperature.
After 2-2.30 minutes place the Dripper onto your emptied vessel.
5
​
The Release
​
When the Clever Dripper is placed onto the vessel it will open automatically. As it drains, stir the coffee gently so that the coffee collects at the bottom and not on the walls. This aids in a more even extraction. The entire brewing process should take no longer than 4 minutes.
6
​
Serve and Clean​
​
Once all the water has passed into the vessel remove the Dripper and clean up. Make sure to rinse the catch properly or it will affect the taste of future brews. If you decant into more than one vessel, be aware that they will vary in extraction levels. For this reason it may be better to decant all the coffee into a large pouring vessel at the release stage.