Clever Dripper VS Chemex
In my Coffee Upgrade blog post, I talk about searching out your local coffee roaster to get your hands on the freshest beans possible, and in my pursuit I came across the Clever Dripper. Standing in the tasting room at Dynamite Coffee Roasters, which is a 20 minute drive east of Asheville, I was waiting on a pound of the delicious Organic Mexico Chiapas, when I noticed they had the Clever for sale! Coming off of a 4 week elimination diet that left me, among many other things, coffee free, I was ready to jump right back in and decided to add this to my order and compare it to the Chemex brew method.
The Clever is very popular for it's ability to produce a great cup of coffee, while being extremely forgiving and easy to use. It's an immersion style, which means that all of the water and coffee meet at the same time and brew for a few minutes before separating, think of the more commonly known French Press. What differentiates the Clever from the French Press is the paper filter. This allows the paper filtered Clever to deliver a cleaner, sediment free cup of coffee than the metal screened Press.
This morning I pitted Chemex vs Clever, for a caffeine fueled battle, in which I gladly enlisted.
Method
Clever- Couldn't be easier to use. Pre-soak filter, fill with coffee grounds, add water and wait 3-4 minutes. To release the brewed coffee, you simply place the dripper on top of your coffee mug at which point a mechanism releases the filtered brew.
Chemex- The process is more involved and calls for a blooming of the coffee, adding about 150 grams of water to grounds for 45 seconds. Afterwards, you then begin to slowly and methodically pour over the course of 2 1/2 more minutes, ensuring even and consistent brewing. If all goes right, correct grind size and proper pouring, you should be finished around the 4 minute mark.
Results-
The Clever was so easy to use and allows for multi tasking while in the kitchen. You get big full flavors and mouth feel, slightly more refined than the F.P., but not as much as the Chemex. You can also use any type of kettle to pour the water. It's a hearty cup of Joe without the sludge at the bottom of the mug. The fact that it's hard, BPA free plastic, makes it durable and even travel ready. For those wanting a healthy alternative to plastic, I would suggest the Bonavita Porcelain Immersion Dripper.
With the Chemex you actually know you're brewing coffee. You have to be completely present and focused for those 3-4 minutes, not shuffling between it and breakfast on the stove. If you're late to work this can be a pain, but if time allows, it's a very pleasurable experience There is a learning curve, but with practice you can achieve an amazingly flavorful cup of coffee that's more refined and smoother than the Clever. Added points for the all glass construction.
In the end, I was very impressed with the Clever Dripper and it's brewing style. It seemed to blend the richness of a French Press with the refined flavors of the Chemex. Perfect for easily creating a delicious, single serving cup of coffee time after time, and at $20 it's great for anyone just stepping into manual brewing.