FAQs Simple Smart Coffee Brewer
General
Is this just a Phin or Vietnamese Coffee Filter?
Simply, no.
Even though there is a visual similarity, the Simple Smart Coffee (SSC) Brewer uses a totally different approach. In the SSC Brewer the filter plate fits tightly in the filter body, fully encapsulating the coffee. When hot water is added, the coffee expands to fully fill the space, giving a perfectly uniform and even coffee dense bed. Ideal for getting great pour over coffee.
Phin filters do not fit tightly, so there is a tendency for water to pass more easily through the space between the filter body and the plate. This can lead to localized over extraction and a bitter unbalanced cup of coffee. With typical Vietnamese coffee which uses Robusta beans coffee and sweetened condense milk, this is not a problem. Robusta beans are generally have more bitter compounds than the Arabica beans used to make pour-over in the West.
Occasionally, because of the easier passage of water through the coffee where the Phin Filter doesn’t actually sit on top of the coffee (that is, at the edges) major channeling can occur.
How does the SSC Brewer work?
The simplest explanation is that the coffee expands between the filter plate and filter body to form a uniform and undisturbed coffee bed that is perfect for water filtration. The water flows evenly, and at just the right speed, to get the full flavor of the coffee without the compounds that lead to undesirable astringency or bitterness.
For a more detailed explanation, please check out The Simple Smart Coffee Brewer Science.
Usage
How do I use it?
It is really simply to use. You can see it demonstrated in the video below. The two most important things you should be aware of are:
Make sure you get the coffee bed fairly even by giving the filter a gentle shake (it doesn’t have to be perfectly flat).
Push the filter plate down until you feel it touching the coffee. Don’t try to compress the coffee. To get the right feel, imagine you are booping a cute pups nose!
Why don’t I need to ‘Bloom’ the coffee?
In traditional pour-over methods there are three main potential issues that the ‘bloom’ is intended to mitigate:
To get the coffee grounds evenly wet. Dry spots in the coffee bed can lead to uneven extraction.
To give the coffee a chance to de-gas, allowing the carbon dioxide formed during the roasting process to escape, without causing channeling in the coffee bed.
(The claims that carbon dioxide can cause the coffee to taste sour are not correct. It is practically insoluble in hot water used to make coffee. See our article here.)
To get the coffee bed fairly flat, with no obvious valleys or hills.
With the Simple Smart Coffee Brewer these are not issues.
The design of the brewer ensures that all the coffee is brought into contact with the water at practically the same time. There are never any issues related to dry spots.
As the coffee is expanding in an encapsulated space, any channels opened by carbon dioxide bubbles are immediately closed off by the expanding coffee. You will notice that with very freshly roasted coffee, the coffee bed just gently bubbles like a soda with no ill effects.
Pouring water directly onto an unrestrained coffee bed, as in a traditional pour-over, can open major channels through the coffee bed. There are no issues related to pouring, as the water is poured onto the plate, not the coffee - which is also why you don’t need a fancy pouring technique or pouring kettle.
Why don’t I need to preheat the brewer?
There is also a lot of misunderstanding about the thermodynamics of the initial pour. A lot has been written about the thermal conductivity of the material the brewer is made from. This is relatively unimportant.
Heat is taken from the water in three main ways (heat radiation is insignificant):
By thermal convection from the water and evaporation. This is why the Simple Smart Coffee Brewer has a lid! The lid keeps the water at the end of a brew about 5°F hotter than it would be without the lid.
By the brewer reaching thermal equilibrium with the water. This is the amount of energy required to heat the brewer up, and this relates to the thermal capacity of the material, not its conductivity. With the use of stainless steel and the modest volume of the material, this is not a significant issue for the Simple Smart Coffee Brewer, compared to some other brewers. The specific heat capacity of stainless steel is about half that of glass.
By conduction through the air surrounding the brewer. This mostly is a property of the air - rather than the brewer material or design. This is insignificant compared to heat loss in 1 above.
Bottom-line - you don’t need to heat the brewer!
Do I Need a Temperature Controlled Kettle?
No. The volume of stainless steel (about 195 grams) at room temperature is just sufficient to chill 300 ml off boiled water to the desired range for brewing (200F +/- 5F).
How long does it take?
It will typically take about 3 minutes for the water to filter through the coffee after it’s been poured in, but it can vary between 2 to 5 minutes depending on the type, grind and amount of coffee used..
The time it takes for the water to pass through the brewer depends on several factors, most importantly the amount and type of coffee used, how finely it is ground, and how firmly you push the filter plate down onto the coffee (you should only push it down until you just feel the coffee - don’t try to compress the coffee).
If you are experiencing times longer than 4 minutes, you are probably pushing down too hard on the filter plate or using coffee that is ground too finely.
How much coffee does it make?
The Simple Smart Brewer is designed to make up to a 10 US fl oz (300 ml) cup of coffee. Of course, it depends how much water you want to pour into the brewer. You can use less.
Typical coffee mugs in the USA hold between 8 to 12 US fl oz, but most are in the 10 to 12 range.
How much coffee should I use?
The Simple Smart Coffee Brewer is a ‘zero by-pass’ brewer which will mean you’ll typicallly use less coffee to make a mug of coffee than with traditional pour-over methods.
The exact amount depends of the type of coffee you are using, the roast level and the grind size. You will find what works best for you by testing it out, but our recommendation is that, for a 10 US fl oz coffee, you use 0.4 oz (approximately 11 grams or 2 level tablespoons) to start with, and then adjust this amount to get the coffee ideal for you.
What coffee should I use?
You can use whatever ground coffee you want. We recommend that it is medium to medium-course ground, but you can experiment with other grind sizes to get the coffee to taste the way you want. We suggest that you do not grind finer than medium.
Of course, fresh, recently ground coffee is the best, but there are also life’s practicalities to deal with, so pre-ground is a good and viable option.
What paper filters should I use?
You don’t need to use any paper filter if that’s your preference. You can use it with the metal 200 micron disc filter, or no filter at all … with just the coffee acting as a filter. If you do want to use a paper filter, we recommend using the Simple Smart Coffee Paper Filters.
The Simple Smart Paper Coffee Filters are simply discs of the same paper as you’d find in a standard drip coffee machine. They are 2 1/2” diameter (63mm); you can cut or stamp your own if you want to.
We do not recommend that you use Aeropress filters, even though they are the same size. They have a lower flowrate - designed to have the water pressed through the filter, rather than simply letting gravity do its thing - so excess water can build up on top of them, causing either spillage or over-extraction if the water backs-up into the filter body.
If you coffee has a lot of ‘fines’ in it, or if you want an exceptionally clean cup of coffee, you should use a second paper filter and adaptor, as per the image below.
How do I clean it?
Our recommendation is that you simply rinse it out and hand wash it.
You can empty the used coffee grounds into a trash can, or rise them out in a sink (but be careful about causing sink blockages if you regularly dispose of grease or other fats in your sink).
All parts are dishwasher safe (top shelf for the silicon lid and adaptor is recommended).
Other Uses
Can I travel with it?
Yes. It’s a great travel brewer. The materials it is made from are very robust and you can reuse the packaging in comes in for a travel case. Make sure to have the silicone adaptor and lid at either end, which provide extra protection.
Can I make tea with it?
No. The encapsulated method only works because the coffee grinds try to expand. This is not the case for tea.
Commercial Issues
Where and when can I get the best price?
Our company is dedicated to simplicity, so we keep our pricing simple. We will never have discounted sales campaigns, so you can be sure the price you see at anytime is the best price offered.
We deviate from this approach in one instance - when we are launching new products through crowd funding platforms. This is currently the case for the Simple Smart Coffee Brewer - please check our Indiegogo campaign for details.
We are dedicated to direct to consumer, online retail, so the Simple Smart Coffee brewer is not offered through traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
In 2024 we intended to make the brewer available through Amazon, affiliates and by direct purchase from this website.
How long will it last?
A design principle for our company is to build products that ‘strive to be immortal’.
The materials we have selected have an indefinite lifespan. We have designed the product to ensure there are no pressure seals that would need to replaced over time. We work to eliminate as many ‘potential points of failure’ during the design process. This, along with aesthetic considerations, is the reason there is no handle on the filter body.
Without stating a definitive timescale, we expect the brewer to last a lifetime, with normal use.
Is there a warranty?
We honor the return policy of any online retail partner we use.
As we are always pursuing simplicity in our business (as well as our products) and given the care that has gone into the design, manufacture and distribution of the brewer, we do not manage a warranty program.
There is no warranty on the Simple Smart Coffee Brewer.
There is really only one area that has a potential failure. This is where the handle is welded to the filter plate. In the very unlikely event that this weld fails, if you mail us the handle and filter plate, we will send you a new one free of charge (while we have stock).