Clever Dripper Coffee Brewing Methods and Techniques: Differences Between French Press and Clever Dripper, Pros and Cons of Coffee Clever Dripper

Introduction

Sometimes, you want a cup of black coffee but don't want to go through the "cumbersome" pour-over process (too many accessories). That's when simple immersion-style coffee brewing devices become particularly advantageous, with the Clever Dripper and French Press being the most classic options. So how should you choose between these two coffee brewing devices?

Clever Dripper

The Clever Dripper is an extremely convenient coffee brewing device that can complete the process of steeping and filtering coffee, saving many operational steps. The key to the Clever Dripper's design lies in the piston valve at the bottom of the filter cup. After hot water is poured into the filter cup, water pressure automatically seals the piston valve to stop water flow, allowing the coffee grounds to fully steep. When the steeping is complete, place the filter cup on a mug - the base gets pressed, prompting the piston valve to open, and the coffee slowly flows into the cup.

French Press

The French Press originated in France in 1850. It's a simple brewing device composed of a heat-resistant glass carafe and a metal filter with a plunger. Its working principle involves steeping coffee grounds, then using a metal filter with a plunger to press the coffee grounds down, resulting in a clean cup of coffee.

What's the Difference Between Coffee Made by These Two?

These two coffee brewing devices have both similarities and distinct characteristics. FrontStreet Coffee plans to conduct a brewing comparison. Since both are immersion-type brewers, we'll use the same coffee beans and brewing method.

We've selected FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Assalia coffee beans - a coffee with bright acidity and rich fruity aromas. Especially when extracted with hot water, Assalia not only displays explosive sweet and sour flavors like cherry tomatoes and dark plums but also exhibits prominent caramel notes. The texture is full and clean, much like drinking filtered fresh juice.

Brewing Parameters

Coffee Amount: 15g
Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Medium grind (70% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)
Water temperature: 94°C
Steeping time: 4 minutes

Clever Dripper Brewing Method

Place a filter paper, add 15g of coffee grounds, prepare 225g of hot water and pour generously into the cup, cover with lid, and wait for 4 minutes. Afterward, place the Clever Dripper on a mug, and wait until all coffee liquid has dripped through to complete.

French Press Brewing Method

Add 15g of coffee grounds, prepare 225g of hot water and pour generously into the pot, pull up the plunger, cover with lid, and wait for 4 minutes. Afterward, slowly press down the plunger until the filter reaches halfway down the carafe, then pour the coffee liquid into a mug to complete.

Flavor Comparison

Observing the coffee liquid, the Clever Dripper yields a clearer, more transparent brew, while the French Press appears cloudy with oils floating on the surface. Tasting the coffee, the Clever Dripper offers bright acidity with lemon, cherry tomato, and maple syrup flavors, overall with high cleanliness but slightly lighter intensity. The French Press presents flavors of dark plum, berries, and cherry tomatoes, with intense flavor profile, a round texture but somewhat rough mouthfeel.

The reason for the flavor differences lies in their brewing mechanisms. With the Clever Dripper, there's only movement between coffee grounds and water during the initial pouring phase. The rest of the time, it remains mostly stationary, including when water drips into the mug later - most water flows through the ribs into the cup. Combined with the filtering effect of paper, this results in coffee that is clean, bright, and transparent.

The French Press, however, not only has ground-water movement during initial pouring but also movement when the grounds are pressed down by the plunger later, increasing extraction efficiency. Additionally, the French Press filters coffee grounds through a metal filter, whose pores are larger than typical paper filters, allowing it to retain most coffee oils and some fine particles. Therefore, the liquid surface appears cloudy, and the mouthfeel becomes rounder.

So, How to Choose?

For those who prefer cleanliness and convenience, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the Clever Dripper. Due to the paper filter, the coffee feels cleaner, and subsequent cleaning is also easier. In contrast, with a French Press, you need to clean coffee grounds as well as fine particles and oils that adhere to the filter screen and glass walls during cleaning.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473