How Long Should You Steep Coffee in a Clever Dripper? What Is a Clever Dripper and Which Coffee Beans Are Best for Flavor and Characteristics

The Clever Coffee Dripper combines the advantages of a French press and pour-over filter, making it simple, convenient, and easy to use. In just two minutes, even if you're a coffee beginner, you can easily make a decent cup of coffee. If you're struggling with mastering a steady water flow and can't accept the "sediment feeling" of French press coffee, then the Clever Coffee Dripper is an excellent choice.

The middle of the Clever Coffee Dripper has a movable circular part that usually stays in a lowered position (supported by four feet that hold it suspended), with the piston firmly blocking water flow. When placed on a cup or sharing pot, the movable part is lifted, allowing water to flow down. The design of the Clever Coffee Dripper gives it the advantage of immersion extraction compared to regular drip filter cups. Water and coffee grounds can continuously contact inside the container until the concentration is sufficient. Immersion is less affected by pouring techniques, making it easier for beginners to replicate the basic flavors of coffee. Flavor substances change the coffee's taste and concentration based on water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and immersion time.

Like brewing coffee with filter cups and paper, when using the Clever Coffee Dripper with the same coffee beans under identical water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and extraction time, if the grind is too coarse, the coffee flavor tends to be under-extracted, resulting in a flat taste lacking layers. If the grind is too fine, the coffee flavor tends to be over-extracted - meaning after the flavor substances are extracted, the coffee grounds continue to contact hot water, releasing woody and other unpleasant flavors, resulting in strong coffee taste but with impurities. Since it's "one cup, two uses," the Clever Coffee Dripper can serve as a regular filter cup for direct drip extraction or be used for immersion-style coffee making. Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses their Red Cherry coffee beans as an example to introduce how to use the Clever Coffee Dripper for "lazy-style" immersion coffee extraction.

Like brewing coffee with filter cups and paper, when using the Clever Coffee Dripper with the same coffee beans under identical water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and extraction time, if the grind is too coarse, the coffee flavor tends to be under-extracted, resulting in a flat taste lacking layers. If the grind is too fine, the coffee flavor tends to be over-extracted - meaning after the flavor substances are extracted, the coffee grounds continue to contact hot water, releasing woody and other unpleasant flavors, resulting in strong coffee taste but with impurities. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a fine sugar grind (75%-80% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve) for medium-light roast coffee beans when using the Clever Coffee Dripper; for medium-dark roast coffee beans, use a medium grind (65%-70% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve).

Water temperature has the same effect in extraction as grind size. The higher the water temperature, the faster the flavor substances from coffee grounds are released, making over-extraction more likely. If the water temperature is too low, the coffee flavor release slows down, making under-extraction more common. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 90°C-91°C for medium-light roast coffee beans with the Clever Coffee Dripper; for medium-dark roast coffee beans, use 88°C-89°C.

Since it's immersion extraction, the duration directly determines the coffee's flavor and concentration. FrontStreet Coffee previously conducted a comparison of Clever Coffee Dripper immersion times, testing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 minutes respectively. Through comparison, the flavors at 2-4 minutes were better, with small tomato and pineapple flavors as the main notes. Within this range, as time increased, the sweetness became more prominent. This experiment shows that when brewing light roast coffee with the Clever Coffee Dripper, about 3-4 minutes of immersion time yields better flavors.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate brewing using the Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Project. Water temperature: 90°C, coffee amount: 15g, coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, grind size: medium-fine grind (75% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve), immersion time: 4 minutes.

① Fold the filter paper and place it inside the Clever Coffee Dripper. Place the Clever Coffee Dripper on a container, and when wetting the filter paper with hot water, you can simultaneously preheat the equipment.

② Move the Clever Coffee Dripper to the electronic scale (the valve will automatically close at this time). Pour the ground coffee into the center of the filter cup, directly inject 225ml of water, ensuring all coffee grounds are fully wet, then cover with the lid and wait for 4 minutes.

After the immersion is complete, move the Clever Coffee Dripper to a container and open the valve to filter the coffee liquid from the filter cup.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473