Whether you’re a seasoned Clever Dripper veteran or just starting out, there are so many ways to customize the brewing process to give you ultimate control. The Clever Dripper is a full immersion brewer that utilizes a stop and release method- so everything including water temperature, grind size, steep duration and more is in your hands (literally). Of course, we have a great Clever Dripper Guide available so you aren’t going in blind, (click here if you haven’t seen it) but we fully encourage experimentation so you can live your best coffee brewing life. So, what is with this new “water first” method?

It was first brought to our attention by coffee guru/powerhouse/extraordinaire James Hoffmann who heard about it from Workshop Coffee in London. We have now seen it blow up around the coffee community. This method is very similar to the original recipe- however, it involves adding the water to the Clever Dripper first and coffee grounds second, as opposed to adding the grounds first and then pouring the water on top. The theory is that the coffee grounds at the bottom of the Dripper can cause the water to stall and/or drip more slowly once the liquid is released, since the grounds are packed tightly. The water first method creates a faster draw down, which means you get your coffee faster!

Water First Clever Dripper Recipe:

1. Insert the provided filter or size 4 cone filter into the Clever Dripper. (Pro tip: fold in the edges of the filter to fit more neatly in the Dripper)
2. Pour 300 mL of just boiling water (between 195°-205°F, or 91°-96°C) into the Clever Dripper.
3. Add your 20g of medium to medium/fine ground coffee to the water. The coffee to water ratio should be around 1:15-1:20. (Hoffmann prefers a ratio of 60-65 grams of coffee per liter)
4. Let the water and coffee steep together in the Dripper for 2-3 minutes. (Pro tip: give the grounds a good stir 30 seconds before you release the coffee to make sure all the coffee grounds are fully incorporate)
5. Place the Dripper on your vessel of choice (mug, carafe, chalice- we don't judge) and let the delicious coffee flow.

Have you tried the water first method? Let us know in the comments below what you prefer!