Here are some tips, and methods to brew based on our Clever Coffee Dripper tests
We have tried a few different methods of brewing in the CCD (Clever coffee dripper) and cupped the results… Here are some tips and comments based on our tests. We invite your own input on this via the SM Forum (RIP!) We still have some brew variations to try out, so this page will grow… So here are some of our Clever Coffee Dripper experiments .
Clever Coffee Dripper; Techniques and a Twist (Video)
This is an older video but the Clever has not changed much, so it holds true 10 years later! There are many approaches to the Clever brewer, but the point of this device is to SIMPLIFY pour-over technique, not add a bunch more rules for brewing “correctly”.
That said, pre-rinsing your paper filter really well before brewing is important, as is covering the brewer while steeping.
Don’t use a Swiss Gold permanent filter …but perhaps another type will work?
In theory using a permanent filter sounds like a very good idea … just somehow the Swissgold brand and the Clever didn’t play well together.
We couldn’t produce a good cup with one. We tried several times to get good results by using the Clever Coffee Dripper with a permanent gold filter. The results were a brew with poor texture (mouthfeelHow a coffee feels in the mouth or its apparent texture, a tactile sensation : A major component in the flavor profile of a coffee, it is a...) and muddy flavors as well. The problem isn’t specific to the Clever, it’s a general Swiss gold issue, that too many fine particles of insoluble solids pass through the filter into the cup.
But the idea of a permanent non-paper filter is very attractive because an issue with the CCD is it can have a stronger “paper taste” than other brew methods. That’s because the coffee steeps with the paper filter in there, rather than just flowing through like regular pour-over brewers. So maybe we just need to find the right non-paper filter to use. In any case, thoroughly rinsing out your paper filter before use (as is good with all pour-over methods) is especially important with the Clever Brewer

So what went wrong with our permanent filter tests? Here’s some ideas:
Soluble solids in coffee are the oils and other compounds dissolved by the hot water, whereas insoluble solids are small particles in the grounds and are comprised of the woodyGenerally a taste defect from age; old green coffee, perhaps yellowing in color. This is due to the drying out of the coffee over time, and as the... celluloseCellulose is the principle fiber of the cell wall of coffee. It is partially ordered (crystalline) and partially disordered (amorphous). The amorphous regions are highly accessible and react... structure of the bean itself. These are normally trapped by paper filters, but make it into the cup with the French PressA simple coffee brewer also called a Press Pot: grounds and hot water are added to a carafe, allowed to sit for several minutes, and then a filter..., espressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... brewing or the Swiss gold type filters.
A little theory: There are 2 general ways of thinking about drip brewing: coffee ground particles suspended in liquid, or coffee particles forming a bed in the bottom of the filter, and the water percolating down through though them into the cup.

You can have good results with a Swissgold brew if, after the brew phase is over, you let the coffee sit for about 4 minutes undisturbed, and carefully pour from the top of you cup or carafe. The turbidity settles out in this time, and you can see some layering in the cup of clean, sediment-free brew at the top, muddy and turbid liquid at the bottom. (This is true with French Press too!)
I think Swissgold works best in brewers where the grounds are not stirred, where it forms a bed and the water percolates through it. But in our brew method with the CCD, we stir the coffee at 1:30 minutes, and this makes for a gritty brew. So you might say, “just don’t stir with the Swissgold!” Well, we found that result cleaner in terms of sediment but lacking in overall cup flavors.
Rinse Rinse Rinse that paper filter!!!
As mentioned above, you really need to rinse your paper filter to get rid of possible “paper taste” in the brew. You want to do this with all pour over methods. With the Clever its important because the water is immersed with the coffee and paper for longer than other manual drip brew methods.
Cover the dripper
We like to cover the dripper during brewing; use a small plate or or pot lid. One of the advantages here over a standard filter cone holder is that you can maintain a thermal mass of hot water steeping the coffee. Covering it helps to reduce heat loss.

Optimal Grind
We tested for cup quality and brew strength using a range of grinds. One of the nice things about the CCD is that grind and brew timing are no longer linked. Consider this: in a standard filter cone, you usually need to grind coffee ridiculously fine in order to extend brew times, to slow the rate at which the coffee drains into the receptacle. The CCD frees up the process from using grind in this way: you can grind to your preference, a French Press type grind if you like that, or a filter grind. To the right is an image of the range of grinds we tested, and the middle was the best.

No surprises here …the best grind was a fairly typical drip grind. We liked the French Press type grind for the clarity and cleanliness of the cup. But we found a little less bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all.... The fine grind tasted slightly acridA general negative flavor term, from defect bean, bad roast, or bad brewing: Unpleasantly sharp, astringent or bitter to the taste or smell, over-infused. I fear that those used to a typical filter cone brew have also ground coffee very fine out of habit, so you might want to err on the side of coarse, then go progressively finer if you think the coffee lacks body.
Keep it Clean
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 you can clean it with very hot water for 5 minutes, scrub with a brush and rinse with very hot water, that is ideal. I would NOT use strong coffeeCan mean a number of things - it can be an earthy or pungent coffee or a coffee brewed in a more concentrated way. : Many people say... brewer cleaners, especially those made for espresso machines. I might use mild ones made for drip brewers, but if I could just use hot water and soap I would opt for that. Some strong coffee cleaners can change the surface porosity of plastics. I want to avoid that!

Ideal Brewing: the “1.5 Minute Stir” method.
Here are some more specific recommendations for exactly how I use the brewer
- Step 1: Put the paper filter into the dripper.
- Step 2: Add coffee into the filter
- Step 3: Add all the water at once and cover, wait 1.5 minutes, then lift the cover and stir to fully mix the grounds and water. Re-cover for remaining infusion time and drain.
- 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 or less. To stop the flow, simply lift the dripper off the mug.
Amount of Ground Coffee | 2 scoops/22g |
---|---|
Water used | 12 oz/350 mL/361 grams* |
Infusion time | 3 – 4:00 min |
Amount of Filtered Coffee Made | 10 oz/300 mL |
* 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.
** These recommendations are based on using a regular drip grind. If you use a coarser grind, you may need to lengthen extractionRefers to the process of infusing coffee with hot water. Hot water releases or "extracts" the flavor from the roasted, ground coffee. The term is used mostly with... time.

Other little notations
- The dripper is made from BPA-free plastic. The jury is out on BPA, and most of the concerns have focused on baby bottles, but it’s good to know it has no BPA in the plastic
- The cone is brittle enough that if you drop it, you can break off one of the 4 little “feet”. Breaking of a foot makes the brewer unstable and if it leans it will activate the drainer. You can super glue a foot back onto it – it doesn’t contact the coffee brew. But it’s one fragility on the device that is otherwise fairly bullet-proof.
- I have used one for months and noticed absolutely no drips during brewing, or occasionally one little drip. Twice (out of scores of uses) the stopper seemed stuck after I had cleaned it, and it started to drain when it shouldn’t. A quick tap to the bottom solved that.
- The dripper can be used with any glass, mug or thermos bottle. 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
19 Responses
Hello
I recently bought the Clever Coffee Dripper. The coffee is not full bodied. The flavor
is not there either. It can seem strong, ever a bit bitter. But not the full bodied
flavorful coffee I like. I do not use milk or any other liquid in the coffee. I use a
grind a little bit less than French Press. I use 12 ounces of water and 23 grams
of coffee. It brews for four minutes. Before brewing I pour very hot water over the
filter that is in the coffee dripper. I also cover the coffee dripper while brewing.
I don’t want to scorch the grind so I wait until the boiled water reaches 202 F
and then pour. Any suggestions ? Thankyou
Usually body and intensity are really about the brew ratio of coffee: water. Clever should actually give you better body than other pour-over drip methods because of the longer steep time. But if you are used to something like French Press, it will have less body as the paper filter is taking out particulates that add to mouthfeel. You get more of that in a method without paper filter. Like French Press. Anyway, I think just increasing the about of coffee would help. (Also I think brewing a small amount, like 12 ounces, doesn’t work as well. I used an aeropress for single cups.)
I’m with Denise…. I recently bought a Hario V60, but got frustrated with the learning curve. But I’ve had some VERY good cups of coffee with it. I thought I’d try the Clever Dripper to make things easy. I had hoped I would get the taste of French press, minus the sediment. Not! I’ve brewed different ways with the Clever Dripper, and now I will be returning it. The coffee totally lacks. I guess it’s all about what you’re used to.
Sorry you didn’t get good results with a Clever dripper. It is not like a V60 brew so that’s not a great benchmark. I find the most important thing with a clever is to use a good quality filter like a Melitta white, and rinse it well before using. The water should be at peak temperature because the heat loss with any brewing drops water temp to the recommended 205 f quickly. I like to stir lightly to wet all the grounds and cover, using a range of 3-4 minutes. Whether you add hot water once you are dripping or not depends on your brew ratio / recipe. If I need to add more water I usually prefer to pour it through the filter like other drippers versus add hot water directly to the vessel, bypassing the ground coffee. It’s hard to get the ratio right when “bypassing” like that.
You could just… use a metal filter for the exact same flavor as a French Press, but with much less cleanup? But sure, return it, I guess.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re more used to the taste from the Hario / V60 filters – could be making a big difference to your taste buds – nothing wrong w/ that, but that would make sense.
Yes, we feel for a cleaner, more defined cup, paper filters do a better job and don’t impart a taste if rinsed well. Metal filters create a unique cup similar to that of a French press so folks who enjoy more bodied cups would probably prefer to go that route.
Maybe I’ve gotten lucky, or maybe my palate isn’t sophisticated enough to know better, but I have made about a half dozen brews with my Clever Dripper, and I think it works great! I’ve been using a 15:1 ratio, and steeping for 3 minutes, with a stir at about the 1:00-1:30 mark, before placing it over a cup or jar to drain. It really does combine the stronger brewing and no fuss elements of a French Press, but without any sediment or bitterness. I like it! I probably will be adding a V60 at some point just to have another option, and maybe I’ll have more to compare it with. I have always enjoyed French Press coffee, but aside from cold brew, I am not sure it has any advantages over the Clever.
Agreed! If I had to choose one for my daily method, I’d personally go with a Clever as well. I enjoy the clarity that comes with using a paper filter when brewing in a Clever, and it retains more sediment than a French Press screen. That said, immersion brewing in a French Press highlights a coffee’s body, and works quite well with the more balanced and bodied coffees. Different strokes for different folks.
Comparing different brew methods with a single coffee can be a lot of fun. Glad you’re enjoying taking the deeper dive yourself!
-Dan
The C.C.D. i ordered from you was delivered on July 1. So today being August 4 i’d estimate i’ve used it roughly 40 times.
The 2 silicone parts began to accumulate stain after just a few uses though i rinsed the dripper thoroughly after with hot water.
Now, although i’ve cleaned the silicone parts with Dawn “free & clear” liquid and have them back in place properly the C.C.D. is leaking significantly with each use and i’m having to request replacement silicone parts from you.
Would be very helpful if Sweet Maria’s would work to find or arrange creation of some parts made of a more resilient material to replace the 2 silicone pieces that come with the C.C.D.
This dripper is a great concept and i hope improvements can be made so i won’t have to replace the silicone parts once a month.
Thanks for this feedback Brad … this is definitely concerning as it sounds like you have taken care, and done exactly what I would have done. So I am a bit stumped. My experience with unwanted dripping from Clever has always cleared up when I cleaned it, usually finding some residue or stuck coffee grinds. I am going to take a couple we use for demos and check the silicone. I dont think it could be shrinking, but it sounds like something like that. I’ll check with Lana too if she has sent off the parts to you.
If the silicone parts are leaking after you have removed them for cleaning, it is because you didn’t seat them properly when reinstalling them (it is not easy to do so- getting a finger in there to seat the ring is hard after putting the stopper through, and the stopper itself, if you remove it for cleaning, is deceptively hard to put all the way back on.
Good point. I have had issues getting the gasket to seat right, as well as getting a small bit of ground coffee in there and then it leaks. Need to be seated on their completely… and clean too!
Sumatra – Just brewed my best cup yet !
16oz water 30 seconds off boil – 5 tablespoons fine ish grind – total immersion / steeping time 60 seconds. I found that longer immersion / steeping time made coffee bitter…………
Oh that’s interesting. A very short immersion time but i can see how that would work especially well with Sumatra…
I have yet to order, but is there anything different about the glass version of the Clever? I haven’t seen any comparisons. Thank you!
Hey Bob! I find the glass version easier to clean, in that the plastic Clever will stain over time. I also personally find the 70’s retro look of the glass version more appealing on my counter-top :-).
But they both brew up to 18oz, and have the same brew mechanism.
I hope this helps!
-Dan
I recently started using the Clever Dripper (V60 was brew method of choice for a long time) and I like the simplicity of the CD. I like my coffee intense so I usually go with a 1:13-14 ratio of coffee to water. I also like my water heated to 190-195 F. I have *heard* that lower water temps preserve more of the flavorful volatiles in coffee, but maybe that is just overthinking things. I usually add my ground coffee, add half my water and gently agitate to “bloom” and then immediately add the remaining water. After 1 minute I gently agitate again. After 2 minutes I place on my vessel and it takes about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes to drain. I’ve been pretty happy with the results. I used this method this morning on my Rwanda Ngogrorero and got a nice rounded pleasant citrusy coffee with some creamy mirtazapan and chocolatey almost Nutella-like flavors. A very enjoyable cup on my drive to work.
Hi Todd, we’re big fans of the Clever Dripper too. It’s one of the brewers that isn’t hip nor on the cutting edge, but we continue stock it and advocate for it because it’s easy to use and makes delicious coffee. Any method you use to make coffee that you like is “right” so thanks for sharing your recipe. With regard to water temperature, I’ve definitely experimented with different temperatures over the years. I believe the original Aeropress box advocated for a water temperature around 180F, which is quite low from a coffee brewing perspective. And you know what? It tasted great, even though it flew in the face of standard advice!
That being said, these days I pretty much recommend water that’s right off boil, so probably around 210F. First, this makes it easy to communicate as a standard to people without a variable temperature kettle. Second, especially for lighter roasts, a primary issue when brewing is under-extraction. Under-extraction is one of the primary reasons many describe lighter roasted coffee as “sour”. If my water is already essentially the “max temp” and the coffee is still tasting a bit under extracted, I can work on my grind setting rather than wondering what variable to adjust first. And the same is true if the coffee is tasting over-extracted. Since I always use the same temperature water, I can focus on the grind setting first.
Happy brewing,
Jarrett