Ever since I posted a mediocre review of the Clever Coffee Brewer I have been criticized by a number of people who love it. When I first posted the review Nick Cho gave me some great pointers and I have been using and loving the Clever ever since.
I thought that it might be time to make this turn of heart public. I have been using the Clever regularly for about six months now and here is basically what I do... although this is always changing.
With the clever I use 360 grams of water through 21 grams of coffee and steep for 2:30 at a grind slightly finer then standard drip.
Pour water in the center slowly letting it bloom. Then stir three times both clockwise and counterclockwise . Cover the top so no heat escapes. Start the timer as soon as the first drop of water hits the coffee.
I also thought it would be a good idea to post the methodology of a good friend of mine, Jonathan Jarrow. Jonathan has done way more tests on this then me so I would actually trust his opinion more. He says:
Ok. First of all, water when near boiling is about 4% less dense than
water at room temperature. This just means that your ratio should be
based on the weight of the water at brew temperature. Approximatey 8.5
ounces of water just off of the boil measures in at 238g. I measured
out 8.5 oz. for a 8 oz. yield due to the fact that the grounds will be
absorbing around an ounce of the water.
So a 1:17 ratio puts you at 14g to 238g.
Here is how I do it on the Clever.
Start by heating your water. Weigh out 14g of coffee. Grind it
slightly finer than "drip". Place a #4 filter into your Clever and wet
it with hot water to remove any excess paper particles. Right before
your water starts to boil, place the Clever with wetted filter on the
scale and add your dry, ground coffee mass ensuring you are still at
your target weight (14g). Tare your scale, and transfer your water
into a pouring vessel after it boils. Start your stopwatch when you
begin pouring. Pour in around 100g of water and then stir the blooming
slurry with 5-7 passes with a spoon. Then fill to your finsh weight of
238g. Try to do this in about 30 seconds. After you hit 238g,
immediately cover the brewer with a small plate or something similar
to retain as much heat as possible. At 50 seconds, uncover the brewer,
and use a spoon to swish/stir the grounds. Place the Clever on the cup
at 55 seconds and stir the grounds once more as the drawdown begins.
Cover the brewer again. I have my grind size set so that it finishes
the drawdown at about 2:30. You may have to give it a couple of tries
to find the proper grind size to match that. The spent coffee should
be in a flat or slightly domed mass at the bottom of the filter. The
idea here is to keep all of the grounds in contact with the water for
the entire brew. The swish/stir frees the coffee from the sides of the
filter to let it fall to the bottom with the falling water. If
neccessary, give the water another quick stir around 1:15 to keep the
grounds from sticking to the sides.
water at room temperature. This just means that your ratio should be
based on the weight of the water at brew temperature. Approximatey 8.5
ounces of water just off of the boil measures in at 238g. I measured
out 8.5 oz. for a 8 oz. yield due to the fact that the grounds will be
absorbing around an ounce of the water.
So a 1:17 ratio puts you at 14g to 238g.
Here is how I do it on the Clever.
Start by heating your water. Weigh out 14g of coffee. Grind it
slightly finer than "drip". Place a #4 filter into your Clever and wet
it with hot water to remove any excess paper particles. Right before
your water starts to boil, place the Clever with wetted filter on the
scale and add your dry, ground coffee mass ensuring you are still at
your target weight (14g). Tare your scale, and transfer your water
into a pouring vessel after it boils. Start your stopwatch when you
begin pouring. Pour in around 100g of water and then stir the blooming
slurry with 5-7 passes with a spoon. Then fill to your finsh weight of
238g. Try to do this in about 30 seconds. After you hit 238g,
immediately cover the brewer with a small plate or something similar
to retain as much heat as possible. At 50 seconds, uncover the brewer,
and use a spoon to swish/stir the grounds. Place the Clever on the cup
at 55 seconds and stir the grounds once more as the drawdown begins.
Cover the brewer again. I have my grind size set so that it finishes
the drawdown at about 2:30. You may have to give it a couple of tries
to find the proper grind size to match that. The spent coffee should
be in a flat or slightly domed mass at the bottom of the filter. The
idea here is to keep all of the grounds in contact with the water for
the entire brew. The swish/stir frees the coffee from the sides of the
filter to let it fall to the bottom with the falling water. If
neccessary, give the water another quick stir around 1:15 to keep the
grounds from sticking to the sides.
Jonathan is the Roaster for Coffee Ambassadors. A great roaster I work with in Chicago.
Buy one, give it a whirl!
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