James Hoffmann's Clever Dripper Recipe

This is James Hoffmann's Clever Dripper technique that produces a well-balanced, clear and sweet cup of coffee.

It involves a small but very important detail, of adding the water to the dripper before the coffee grounds. This results in a drawdown nearly twice as fast, and reduces the clogging effect that occurs when coffee is added first.

James Hoffmann's recipe is inspired by the Clever Dripper recipe at Workshop Coffee, which you can find here.

Notes

• James Hoffmann notes that the lid that comes with the dripper doesn't make any perceivable difference to the brew, so set the lid aside for this method.
• The drawdown should end around 1 minute or more, but may end in 45 seconds if you use a higher-end grinder which can produce more consistent grounds.
• If the coffee tastes hollow/weak grind slightly finer. If too bitter/overwhelming, grind coarser.
• You can increase the steeping process by 30 seconds to 1 minute if you prefer the taste of longer brews.
• The first bit of liquid that pours out the dripper when you place it on the cup will be clearer than the rest of the coffee. This is because there's some space underneath the filter that a small amount of water sits in throughout the brewing process. This is normal, and should be expected for most Clever Dripper brews.

Recipe Preparation

• Rinse and heat the filter and brewer with hot water and throw out the water from your vessel/carafe.
• Do not put the coffee into the brewer!
• Once your water is ready, start the timer.