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Is the Clever Dripper a Filter Cup? How to Use the Clever Dripper, Its Brewing Method, and What Coffee Grind Size Should Be Used?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Recently, more and more filter cups have been equipped with switchable controllable valves. Many merchants sell them under the name "Clever Dripper." Strictly speaking, their purpose is quite different from that of the Clever Dripper, and in principle, only those sold by the Mr. Clever brand can be called as such

The Rise of "Smart Drippers" in Coffee Brewing

Recently, more and more filter cups have been equipped with controllable valves featuring switch functionality, and many merchants market them as "smart drippers." Strictly speaking, their purpose differs significantly from the Clever Coffee Dripper, and in principle, only those sold by the Mr. Clever brand can be called Clever Coffee Drippers!

Wait, FrontStreet Coffee forgot to first introduce what a Clever Coffee Dripper is! No problem, let's now understand what kind of extraction tool the Clever Coffee Dripper is!

What is a Clever Coffee Dripper?

The "Clever Coffee Dripper" can be described based on its appearance as a fan-shaped filter cup with a valve. It's a brewing device that combines both immersion and drip extraction methods!

Its cleverness lies in its unique valve design! As you can see, the filter cup bottom is equipped with a circular base, which is what FrontStreet Coffee refers to as the valve. However! It doesn't have a switch!

The entire valve section consists of two layers. The outer layer may appear unremarkable, but it actually serves a crucial supporting function! This is because the inner layer contains a pressure-activated valve switch that opens with very light pressure, so the outer layer is needed to isolate it from flat surfaces, preventing the valve from opening during the coffee preparation process.

How to Use the Clever Coffee Dripper

The Clever Coffee Dripper offers versatile brewing methods. Whether used as an independent extraction tool or as a pour-over filter cup, it can produce a delicious pot of coffee. FrontStreet Coffee would like to share two common extraction methods for the Clever Coffee Dripper. By the way, the Clever Coffee Dripper also requires filter paper - after all, nobody wants to drink coffee grounds! So we need to place a fan-shaped filter paper before use.

The first method is the simplest extraction method for the Clever Coffee Dripper. First, place the Clever Coffee Dripper on a flat surface, then add the target amount of coffee grounds and hot water sequentially for immersion!

Coffee grounds and water being added to Clever Coffee Dripper

After the immersion is complete, move the Clever Coffee Dripper from the flat surface to the prepared container. The bottom valve will open due to the pressure from the container, releasing the coffee liquid. Once the dripping is complete, a standard Clever Coffee Dripper coffee is ready!

Clever Coffee Dripper releasing coffee into container

FrontStreet Coffee used Kenya Asalia beans, and the coffee extracted with the Clever Coffee Dripper had a very balanced flavor, with excellent expression of plum, cherry tomato, and snow pear flavors, along with noticeable caramel sweetness. Overall, it was quite impressive! Since it's a full immersion process, we need to adjust the grind to be coarser to increase the error tolerance. Additionally, because no stirring method was used to increase extraction rate, we need to raise the water temperature and extend the immersion time to achieve appropriate coffee concentration. FrontStreet Coffee used the following extraction parameters: Grind setting: 70% pass-through rate on #20 sieve, 10.5 on Ek43, Water temperature: 94°C, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Immersion time: 4 minutes.

Close-up of extracted coffee in container

Alternative Brewing Method with Stirring

Then there's the second method, which involves stirring during the immersion process. Some friends might find 4 minutes too long, or want certain flavors to be more prominent despite the balanced flavor profile. Therefore, we can manually increase the extraction rate to achieve our desired effect: similarly, first place the filter paper, then add the target amount of coffee grounds and hot water sequentially to the Clever Coffee Dripper. When the hot water injection is complete, take out a long spoon and stir the immersing coffee liquid in a cross or straight line pattern, about 10 times!

Stirring coffee in Clever Coffee Dripper

Then immerse for 2 minutes and 30 seconds before moving to the container to collect the coffee!

Coffee being released from stirred Clever Coffee Dripper

Because stirring was added during the initial immersion stage, the flavor compounds in the coffee can be extracted better! Compared to the previous full-immersion Clever Coffee Dripper coffee, this stirred coffee will have richer fruit flavors with slightly higher acidity than the previous cup. It can be said to offer two completely different flavor experiences! Its extraction parameters are as follows: Grind setting: 75% pass-through rate on #20 sieve, 10 on Ek43, Water temperature: 94°C, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Immersion time: 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Give it a try!

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FrontStreet Coffee

10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province