Pour-over brewing is a wonderful thing, but let's be honest, it can feel a bit complicated, especially to unsuspecting specialty coffee newbies. There are so many variables to control, and then there are all these finicky circular pouring motions. Now, don't get us wrong; as certified coffee nerds, we love all of that stuff, and we do believe that great pour-over technique can contribute to great pour-overs, but, we also know that's not for everyone. What if it all could be just a little simpler?

It's time to simplify your pour-over brewer

Japanese inventor Ryo John Ito, founder of Bathtub Coffee clearly was asking himself the same question. Unlike us, he's actually provided an answer in the form of the Simplify Brewer. This new pour-over coffee dripper which recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign is designed to take the complexity out of pour-over brewing and particularly pouring. In fact, Ryo recommends a single, centre pour in his brew method (which you can find below in text and video). No spirals, no pulse pours, not even a bloom! Can you hear manual brewing nerds around the world gasping?

What's different about the Simplify Brewer?

How did Ryo achieve this feat with this fairly unassuming-looking (though admittedly quite pretty) little brewer? It boils down to a handful full of very well thought out design elements.

First and foremost, this dripper is designed to achieve minimal contact with the Kalita 185 filters that it uses. The filter only really makes contact around the base and along an edge, meaning that your coffee and water sit in the filter and make little contact with the brewer itself. That means smooth water flow and great temperature retention. In fact, the air trapped between the filter and the side of the dripper creates extra insulation!

Not only does the Simplify Brewer use a flat-bottomed filter (a style of filter coming into favour over wedges and cones) which leads to an even better flow rate, it also has a whopping 4cm aperture, meaning that it's your grind that determines the flow rate, not the dripper. This allows you to go fine for maximum extraction.

All of these design elements combine to allow you to make a pour-over in almost half the time that you would with the other pour-over drippers out there, without any need for any fancy pouring techniques. That's quite something.

But it doesn't have to be simple

While all this simplicity will be reason enough for most people to buy this dripper, we actually just love the design and want you to realise that it is versatile. Yes, you can brew a very simple, very tasty pour-over, but, you can also use some of your technique and fine-tuned wrist skills, mastered on traditional pour-over brewers, and apply them to the Simplify Brewer with great effect. You basically have a dripper with a flat bottom, better flow, and better heat retention. You can use this tool to experiment to whatever extent you want (or don't want) to.

Suffice it to say, we love the Simplify Brewer, and we think you will too!

Please note that the Simplify Brewer does not come with any filters in the box, nor with a decanter. We recommend using the Kalita Wave Filter 185 filter with your Simplify Brewer. You can use pretty much any cup, decanter or jug you want to!

Bathtub Coffee's recommended recipe

1. Set a paper filter in SIMPLIFY the Brewer, and rinse the filter
2. Pour water at the centre of 15g fine ground coffee (no circular motion!)
3. Pour 230g of water over 30 seconds
4. Wait for 60 to 90 seconds until all the water drains through the brewer
5. Serve and enjoy!

Simplify Brewer features

• Suitable for 1-2 cups
• Minimised contact between brewer and filter for maximum flow rate and temperature retention
• Large throughput for increased flow rate
• Air vent to improve airflow
  
• Filter & brewer create double-wall for temperature retention
• Ultra-strong and ultra-light
  
• Super simple brewing

Simplify Brewer specifications

• Weight: 50g
  
• Made of TROGAMID® CX (BPA-free nylon); FDA-certified food-safe
• 40mm output hole
• Maximum recommended temperature: 100℃
  
• Made in Japan