Clever Coffee Dripper review: A simple and effective pour-over alternative

Brewing good coffee at home has come a long way over the years. Even beyond the wide range of coffee machines on the market, there are many different methods to explore – from the humble cafetiere to the Aeropress, V60 and Chemex. 

Admittedly, some of these methods require more effort and dedication than others (I’m looking at you, Hario Syphon). However, one coffee maker that I’ve found to be consistently effective and easy-to-use is the Clever Dripper. In fact, if you’ve wanted to dabble in pour over coffee but get intimidated by the measuring, timing and precision required compared to other methods, then there’s nothing I can recommend more.

Clever Coffee Dripper review: What you need to know

The Clever Dripper is a lightweight, conical plastic coffee brewer that combines immersion brewing (when the coffee is immersed in the water) and pour over brewing (when the water passes through the coffee). Its price can vary depending on where you buy, but you can usually pick one up between £25 and £30.

It’s very simple to use: first, put your filter paper in (don’t use V60 filters for this. I recommend Filtropa or Melitta filter papers. Or, for a compostable alternative, there are If You Care’s unbleached papers). Then add your ground coffee and water, before allowing to brew. What differentiates the Clever Dripper from the V60 is the fact that the water won’t start dripping through the filter until you put it on top of your mug or coffee server: when the pressure plates on the bottom of the Dripper are depressed, it opens up a channel for the brewed coffee to run through. When all that’s done, you can throw the ground coffee out with the filter.

For more detail on brewing methods, with suggested timings and measurements, check out my other article: Why the Clever Dripper should be your next coffee maker. 

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Clever Coffee Dripper review: What does it do well? 

If I hadn’t already made it obvious, I’m a fan of the Clever Dripper. First of all, it’s extremely easy to use. I’d still recommend using scales to get your coffee-to-water ratio right, but this isn’t nearly as complicated as the lengths that you might need to go to when using a V60 or Chemex. For one, you don’t really need to get yourself a gooseneck kettle and master that perfectly timed, circular pour.

Now, of course, there’s already another very easy-to-use filter coffee maker on the market in the form of the french press. So why should the Clever Dripper be any better? In my experience, you can achieve much better clarity with the Clever Dripper. While cafetiere coffee can sometimes taste a bit “muddied”, the resulting brewed coffee from the Clever Dripper tastes more nuanced and flavourful – much like with other pour over methods. You won’t need to mess around scooping all the used coffee grounds into the bin, either.  

It’s competitively priced too. While £30 might seem like quite a lot for an advanced plastic cone, it’s not much more expensive than some of its close rivals. The Aeropress, for instance, will usually cost you around £30-£35, while some of our favourite cafetieres can fetch much higher prices. Admittedly, you can get a V60 dripper for around £10, but this really is little more than a plastic cone. 

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Clever Coffee Dripper review: What could be improved? 

While I’m on the topic of price, it’s worth noting that the filter papers will be a running cost when using the Clever Dripper. However, considering you can get a box of 80 for as little as £3, it’s easy to view this as a very small extra on top of the cost of your coffee.

There is an argument that these paper filters present a potential environmental concern: they contribute to waste and the bleaching process that goes into their production has its own negative impact. I touched on a potential solution to this earlier: the eco-conscious brand “If You Care” produces unbleached, compostable alternatives – though these will cost you a bit more than the standard white filters. You could also consider reusable filters, though I can’t vouch for how well these work. 

Another difficulty I have with the Clever Dripper is the cleaning. For the most part, this is simple enough, but it can be quite tricky to properly clean at the bottom of the inside and underneath where the plates are. I’ve been using my Clever Dripper for a little over three years now, taking what I believe to be very good care of it, and over time some scale has built up around these parts. Admittedly, this hasn’t affected the taste of the coffee and doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue beyond looking a little grimy.

Clever Coffee Dripper review: Verdict 

The benefits of the Clever Dripper far outweigh any issues I’ve had with it. Of all the coffee gadgets I use, it’s the one that I return to most often for both ease-of-use and quality of coffee. As far as I’m concerned, there’s little else you can ask for from a filter coffee maker.

If you want to check out a wider selection of our favourite machines and kit, take a look at our best coffee machines buying guide and roundup.