Hybrid immersion brewing is having a resurgent popularity amongst pour-over tinkerers. The Clever Dripper, the one that started it all, is old news at this point and has given way to the Hario Switch, which has been used in multiple World Brewers Cup winning routines. But even the Switch is a modulation on the same theme as the Clever, which is to say, they are both conical brewers. And now there’s a hybrid immersion brewer for the flat bottom crowd. It’s called the Pivotte and it’s live on Kickstarter now.
There are other flat bottom drippers on the market that allow you to control the flow rate, but most of those are set pre-brew. The Pivotte is one of the first that allows you to control the flow rate during the brew cycle, thus allowing it to act as a hybrid immersion brewer. Utilizing a modular design, the brewer consists of a filter basket that sits on top of a plate. They possess a matching two-hole pattern that you can place in an unaligned position to stop the drawdown a la immersion brewing. Then, when you’re ready for the coffee to pass through the filter, you simply twist the top basket until the holes align.
Because of this setup, the Pivotte can also be used as an adjustable flow rate brewer, and per the Kickstarter, according to fluid dynamic tests it has 24 different flow rate options.
Now, what the Pivotte most certainly is not is pocket sized, despite all Kickstarter claims. At its most modularly compact, the brewer is 3.7” wide and 2.6” tall (the carrying case is 5”x3.7”). This is not pocket-sized nor it is particularly suitable for outdoor use because of all the many other coffee-making requirements it does not provide. So if we can all just agree to stop calling every new coffee brewer “portable” that would be great.
Still, that doesn’t diminish the Pivotte’s potential to be a really good brewer that shines in the right context, indoors.
With a little over 2.5 weeks left on the campaign, the Pivotte has already tripled its $3,000 funding goal, but there are still early bird options aplenty. For $59, 45% off MSRP, backers can get a complete Pivotte system in their choice of color: olive green, pure white, and matte black. The system includes the dripper, flow rate control disc, a ceramic cup, coffee filters, a metal tea filter disc, and heat-insulated silicone bands. Rewards are expected to being shipping in February of next year.
Really there is no such thing as too many coffee brewers, and the Pivotte offers a novel take, even if claims of portability are greatly exaggerated. Or maybe your pockets are just significantly larger than mine. For more information or to back the campaign, visit the Pivotte Kickstarter page.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
