At Home with James Bailey | Brewing with the Clever Dripper
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2020
- Our Head of Quality, James Bailey, introduces the Clever Dripper filter coffee brewer. One of our favourite pieces of brewing equipment, this near-perfect brewer is what we use in our coffeebars to prepare our manual brews.
THE RECIPE:
- 300g of freshly boiled, clean, soft water.
- 19g of coffee, ground to a caster sugar-like consistency
- 3-minute brew time
THE BREWER:
workshopcoffee.com/collection...
THE MUSIC:
'ohmygodiloveyoupleasedontleaveme' by Clever Girl.
![ОРБАН приехал к ПУТИНУ и "отчитался" о поездке в Киев 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0ukDovOWq8/mqdefault.jpg)
James Hoffmann got me here!)
Me too :)
@@SteveSpeirs Same.
@@douglasmclellan6702 Next stop... Amazon
Me too!! Great!
Thanks for joining us.
You got a shout out from James Hoffman, well done!
Wow, the difference is actually amazing. Pouring water first is a game changer for the Clever Dripper. Thank you a lot for that. I use the Clever everyday so this has made my life easier and my coffee brewing more enjoyable. So that alone deserves a like and subscript... I came here because auf James Hoffmann and was not disappointed ;-)
We're very glad to have helped, Johnny. Thanks for the kind feedback.
Must admit when I switched to water first I added the coffee in at the same speed I normally did...and some of it bounced! Messy.
I made a good cup of coffee once. Just threw some pre-ground Illy espresso into a V60. No pre-heating, no measuring, no timing, no ratios... absolute perfection, totally fluked it. Strong, sweet, chocolatey, yet clean and crisp. I've been chasing that brew ever since and the memory of it torments me to this day.
It is the number one most used and revolutionary idea of how to brew with the Clever Dripper that I use every day. Thank you!
Very glad to hear it, Matthew.
Haven't got there yet, still tinkering. I use this more as a way I change this up, use the clever near exclusively.
The water first then coffee second is a good idea
Excellent tips on the Clever! Thank you.
my fav coffee method! thanks
Great video learnt a lot!
wow! amazing! thanks a lot! came over james video and the water approach is a keychanger! always had stalled drips! thank you so much - cheers from The Hague
Clicked for the coffee, wasn't expecting to hear clever girl, great choice
Thanks, Tom - James is actually in the band, so the track was used with his kind permission.
JH recommend your vid, thanks for the info
Did not expect to hear Clever Girl on the workshop coffee UA-cam channel
This recipe has been my go to lately! Delicious! Thanks!!
Very glad to hear it - thank you.
Just got my scales out of the box after Christmas and followed this recipe using a light roast - makes a v nice cup! Thanks for sharing
Wonderful to hear - thanks for letting us know, Scott, and very glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
I cannot recommend the clever dripper enough. Delicious, SIMPLE. Haven't touched my aeropress or chemex in months.
Really? I find the Chemex to produce better quality coffee, maybe because of the bloom and slower pour over.
I really enjoy the Clever, but mostly use it when I am feeling lazy or making a big brekkie and want an easy brew.
I need me one of these !!!!
Right this way: workshopcoffee.com/collections/hardware/products/clever-dripper
Nice technique, also here from James Hoffman. Happy New Year!
Thanks for stopping through, Jeff, and all the best for 2021.
Still not sure this will be my go to method, but having another excellent cup made similarly, but kept at boil in micro on low. Yum.
Thanks for this, glad James Hoffman credited you. Haven't yet dialed this method in. Partially b/c I brew a full 14 oz for my OVERPRICED Ember mug 2 14 oz and drink at 156 F. Today I mimicked your method draw down rime wasn't super speedy....think I'll grind a tad larger tomorrow. Having been convinced hotter is better I stick the whole kit and kaboodle in microwave on LOWEST!!!! setting to keep at near 100 C 212 F whole "steep" and have had great success, better extraction. Mentioning Cuzco where water would boil 200 ish degrees, me curious how a cup would be atop Denali at 160 F boil. Hmmmm
@3:10 - @3:11 shows the bean grind/particles
Got my Clever back out of the cupboard 2 weeks ago now just for fun. Been drinking morning lattes and afternoon americanos for a year now - and what do you know, I much prefer the clever to the americano (Bambino, Baraza ESP). A £25 gadget!!
Thanks for the guide and the handy tip. I used the CCD for a couple of years right around the time it came out. It was excellent but then one of the plastic legs broke off and that was followed by valve starting to leak. One too many cleanups later, I called it quits and moved to a french press and now my daily driver is a stainless steel Kalita Wave . But guess what showed up this morning thanks to your video? The CCD but this time made with glass instead of plastic. Really looking forward to applying your technique to it. I am not a coffee snob but thanks to folks like yourself and James Hoffman, I am now able to appreciate good coffee.
That's super interesting - we weren't aware that there was a glass version of the Clever Dripper out there, but have seen other brands selling glass and ceramic versions of a steep and release brewer.
Happy brewing and thanks for the kind words.
Hello, what brand is your glass Clever Dripper? Cheers
I have used your video for my new clever dripper and to also say thanks for making it so accessible. I do have one question-I have a Baratza Encore as my grinder. Do you have a suggested setting as I do not know what size is caster?
instant like and subscribe for the clever girl song haha cheers and thanks for the great vid
James actually plays guitar in the band - it was marriage too perfect to resist.
@@workshopcoffee9001 what grind size on the wilfa uniform was James using?
@@workshopcoffee9001 for real?! that's amazing! I actually found out Clever Girl in the pandemic times, really great music...and now also great coffee
@@erthaldop So glad you like it! Clever Girl band practices are always fuelled by good coffee (and maybe a few beers later on)
@@joelraivid5581 Hi Joel - as a starting point, try 24.
James, if you revisit this method, which is now part of my quiver, but not goto. "blind" this method, also more standard clever bloom, then pour over, plus pour over in a decanter in similar methods, then pour through open valve.all 4 into a clear vessel. shoot for same total brew times, grinds water temp etc. I have found that a traditional clever pourover streams out much darker in color, than the pur on top method. I'm not saying better or worse, but though I dont have my refractometer on hand, it is clearly more extracted......On some other blog the author wrote, the reason for faster draw down times in grings atop, is the filter is far less clogged at the bottom because dry fines have infiltrated. Also grinds on top is kinda a presoak and the coffee particles have expanded I surmise. If this is the case, stirring up a brew in a vessel before filtering should have a similar or faster "drop" Hmm since i've been convinced Higher brew temps are better, may have to try an old school boil the grinds a couple of minutes then filter. Maybe add the boiled coffee for 5 tests.grinds on top in a separate vessel seems redundant to just doing so in the clever? Might reveal something? My clever is not opaque.......nor is my filter. hmmmmmm any clear filters out there,,,,,rice paper? Vellum? Posting same on the other James YT.
Another Clever user helped by this here, thank you! Draining works much better now. The only thing I've added is that i start with a quick bop on the mug (about 20g of water gets out) that I discard. That way you don’t dilute the coffee with the water that has been sitting below the filter.
That makes sense as the initial part of the brew is much more watery, but an interesting experiment is to keep it to one side and taste your coffee without it, then reintroduce it to the drink. We wouldn’t be surprised if you preferred the cup with this initial portion in there. Whilst it might not be as strong, those flavours that first dissolve from your coffee grounds do play an important role in overall cup profile and flavour balance. We run a similar experiment training our baristas to make espresso, catching the first few drops in a cup before running the rest of the shot into a second vessel. Whilst they taste terrible by themselves they round out the cup profile dramatically.
@@workshopcoffee9001 Interesting! Tried it out and it did seem to taste better, but I think I’ll need to do some blind testing. Seems counter intuitive, since for an espresso the first water has at least gone through the grounds, but this water has been on the other side of a filter.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time do give me such a thoughtful answer, much appreciated!
I have just tried combining a slow immersion (8 minutes like James Hoffman recommends for a French press) on the Clever Dripper and got a nice full flavoured clear brew.
interesting, so you add coffee 1st then pour water aggressively, wait 4mins, break the crust, wait 4 mins then decant?
@@yeid44 yes it’s worth trying
i might try that, the coffee is super hot anyways when you decant after 2 mins only so can't even sip it, waiting more shouldn't hurt
I have recently acquired a clever dripper and really like it. I have a question regarding the drawdown time. The drawdown takes longer than a minute and more likely longer than a minute and a half. Any suggestions? Change the grind perhaps? Not sure what to do.
Thank you for the video. Did I understand correctly that in 2 minutes you mix it once again, breaking the crust, and one minute later drain it? I understand that in 3 minutes you put the funnel on the server. Is that correct?
I usually brew Clever with 400ml, and do not like adding the dose of coffee so close to the top of Clever & stirring. Clever suggested, and I tried, half the water (200ml) first, then adding the ground coffee, then pouring the remaining half (200ml), this method seems to produce the same result of faster drawdown and no stalling. Also "official" Clever paper (Japan) seems to drawdown significantly faster than, eg, Filtropa.
Would you ever do this with lower water temperature than boiling? Just wondering why boiling is recommended? Thanks so much!
Idk if your shop has gotten a hold of the Hario Switch, but would your water first then coffee grounds method work to speed up the draw down? I ordered one on eBay, so I'll edit this when I get a chance to test later.
What grind setting on an Encore would you recommend for this method?
Thanks so much for your video and recipe! Just a little question, as I'm already afraid by all the coffee equipment I have in my kitchen, I was wondering : do you think that this clever dripper could also be used as a typical V60 Dripper if engaged on the support from the beginning of the brew in order to let the water flows at the start of the brew ? A way to Kill 2 birds with one stone with one single equipment and having one accessory fitting 2 brew methods (Classical percolation dripper AND clever dripper with immersion + percolation? This way I could make classical V60 recipes on this one or the opening is just too big ? Thanks in advance
Great question, Mathias. We haven’t done a whole lot of testing using the Clever Dripper as a standard pourover brewer, but it should perform very well - other pourovers with similar shape and dimensions like the Melitta and Bee House dripper work great for pourover.
We would advise removing the stopper plug entirely for this approach and ensuring your grind is suited to allow a nice flow through the coffee. You might be best off using a pouring kettle for pourover coffee and a regular kettle for our Clever Dripper technique, but if you’re already filling up on coffee equipment this isn’t exactly necessary - see our video on brewing without scales or a pourover kettle for a little more on that: ua-cam.com/video/KBhZS_8enQ4/v-deo.html
@@workshopcoffee9001 Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question : I'll definitely take the time to investigate on this ! All the best for your channel and thanks again :)
How does one make 2 mugs (ceramic, not see-through) of coffee with a Clever dripper and minimal other stuff? All videos conveniently show one mug/cup only.
Valuable video. One question: when you pre-pour the water and drain it, a little plain water remains above the ball stopper, between the stopper and the bottom of the filter paper. Do you find this has any impact on the result? What about briefly releasing that water first and discarding it, then continuing with the draw down? Thanks!
We’ve never found this phenomenon to have a noticeably negative effect on the resulting cup. You could absolutely try draining it off and then getting two cups, adding half of the diluted brew you drained off into one, and then pouring half of the strong brewed coffee into the two cups, muddle them up and see if you can taste the difference. It would likely make more of a difference if you were brewing very small doses, say 12g coffee to 200g water.
@@workshopcoffee9001 Thanks for your thoughtful reply, James. Your videos are really engaging, informative and downright delightful. I do find the Clever makes a really tasty cup and it's one of my favorite methods. In terms of water first or last, for myself I've found that if I wet the filter and drain quickly before I add the coffee grounds (medium-fine), and then add the grounds right away, the filter doesn't clog at all and it drains through at a good clip. But if I wet the filter too early, and it sits wet for a minute or two, it tends to clog. Perhaps the paper swells a bit and clogs the pores if it sits wet too long. The water-first method you advise certainly works well, though I find that the coffee-first method seems to retain heat a bit better, which I appreciate. Thanks again for your response, and for sharing your experience and wisdom.
This is a great method. Thanks. The post-decant stir is completely unnecessary.
activated water....Activated coffee!
What was the coffee used in this video?
Would anyone know the clicks on accommodate for this kind of technique?
Nice video! 😊
Just as a reference ; How many clicks did you use on the commandant that brew?
Hi Glenn - thanks for watching. For Clever Dripper, using 19g coffee to 300g water brewed for 2 minutes, we'd suggest trying 24 clicks as a jumping off point.
@@workshopcoffee9001 thanks a bunch! 😊
Every time i get really watery coffee!! What am I doing wrong
What is D W T?
Have you noticed that your rince water doesn't actually pour out fully unless you tip the clever and pour it out of the top? That rince water goes into your final cup every time. Only a spoonfull of course, but still...
Hi Peter - we most definitely have. Some water will likely be retained around the valve. Tipping the brewer upside down is the easiest way to ensure you won't have any taint from the rinse water, as marginal as this might be.
If you're looking to go a few steps further, you could always try both ways and taste them blind in a triangulation taste test to see if it genuinely makes a difference.
What setting are you using on the wilfa uniform grinder for this brew please?
Would love recs for this too. Did you find a good number on the uniform?
@@ringtangting Same here, if the Wilfa was at the setting in the video it looks like 30 to me, perhaps surprisingly coarse?
Hi! Would you use this to make cold brew? 😊
Good question. Most filter methods can be adapted to make a version of cold coffee. We would recommend creating a concentrated hot brew and strain it over ice to dilute down and flash cool, which is way faster and won’t carry any oxidised taste.
But if you specifically wanted cold brew style coffee you could definitely steep in this overnight with cold water and strain the next day. We’d advise a medium-coarse grind (don’t go super flaky coarse like most cold brew guides recommend) and use an 80g per litre ratio, and then cover the surface with cling film to reduce the contact with air whilst it sits and steeps.
I have used this method and tried different grind sizes. My coffee still tastes sour. I have ground very fine too but can’t get rid of the sour taste. My coffee is Edido light roast.
Sorry to hear that. If you want to reduce sourness and you're experiencing it with all variations of grind and temperature with this coffee then it probably isn't to your tastes.
We'd recommend trying something at a medium roast level or from a different origin. A light roast Ethiopian coffee will be far more prone to tasting high in acidity, which is ideal for some drinkers but others prefer less acidity.
@@workshopcoffee9001 I should taste some sweetness though. I managed to get another light roast and trying to dial that in. I have managed to reduce the sourness but now unable to get rid of the bitterness. I think its down to my grinder producing too many fines. I have a Sage Smart Grinder Pro.
@@workshopcoffee9001 My draw down time is now 35 seconds. Still there is some bitterness and no sweetness. The acidity is ok.
Try a coarse grind and steeping for 4 minutes with light stirring every 30-45 seconds. That's what works for me.
Imwhat is the main difference between a clever dripper and a v60 ?
Hi Shiraz - thanks for asking and great question. The main difference is the type of brewing, Clever Dripper being an immersion brewer and a V60 being a drip brewer.
The Clever Dripper houses the coffee and water together to steep and extract in one go, before filtering out when you drain it.
The V60 houses the grounds and once water is added the brew slurry drains out as you go, meaning you can add fresh water all the while.
TLDR: Clever Dripper gives coffee a bath, V60 gives it a shower!
Generally I use water around 200 degrees. So with using 220 degree, that doesn’t burn it?
Hi Jason - you can use boiling water and not worry about burning the coffee.
By the time the boiling water hits the Clever, and the Clever thieves some of the heat, and by the time you've slid your coffee in, you can bet that water will more of less be at the perfect temperature.
Any tip on grind size for comandante for this method?
Hi Joel - we'd suggest starting at 26 clicks.
What grind setting would you use on the wilfa svart aroma for 300mil and 500mil water please
Is that the small or large Clever Dripper?
That's the large one, max 500ml with #4 filters
Thanks, Adam - that's correct Ulrich.
How many clicks on the Comandante?
@@OleksandrManzyuk thank you! I'll try that.
How many clicks on a timemore c2 grinder?
20 clicks
@@armityu thanks!
Thanks, both.
Ali-G?
aww man it's sold out :(
We're working on getting more stock with us, Onix, so be sure to keep an eye out.
James, if you pop that radiator on behind you, you won't have to wear that woolly hat indoors 😛
Thanks for the tip, Ben!
@@workshopcoffee9001 😂
Great technique, though. Thanks for sharing.
I see this technique has annoyingly become known as 'The James Hoffman Method' despite you being the inventor. I know he gave you a shout-out in his video, but it really annoys me when I see people raving about the James Hoffman Clever Dripper method. So much so whenever I see someone call it that on forums etc, I politely correct them and link them to your video 😂.
Best wishes.
19g, not 20g lol.
Always tasted like plastic.