- Early steep-and-release-style brews were introduced in the eighteenth century. In his book All About Coffee, historian William Ukers refers to a French design from 1710 which featured coffee brewed in a bag. When the beverage was deemed ready, the bag was removed.
- In 1996, Philip P. DiFilippo patented a modern steep-and-release brewer designed for coffee-making.
- In tests, brews steeped in a Clever dripper for 3:00 minutes and 5:00 minutes,