Are you a coffee lover looking to expand your brewing horizons? Have you ever heard of the process of âcoffee bloomâ? If so, then this blog post is for you! In this post, we explore what coffee bloom is and why itâs an essential part of making a great cup of coffee.
What is coffee blooming?
Coffee blooming is the rapid release of gas produced upon contact with hot water and coffee grounds, and coffee lovers swear by it! In essence, apply heat to any organic substance and release carbon dioxide.Â
Now donât confuse coffee blooming with degassing. Degassing is the little by the little release of gas after roasting. This is where the roasting timing comes into play.
If you are brewing your cup within ten days after the roasting process, youâd want to bloom it to ensure that carbon dioxide is eliminated. Otherwise, your coffee would likely have a significantly reduced carbon dioxide content.
The blooming process causes the coffee grounds to puff up once they come in contact with hot water. This is out-gassing, where your carbon dioxide is released at a faster rate. By blooming, we make space for water. Thus, it enhances the flavors.Â
Now, what if you donât see any traces of bloom? Thatâs perfectly okay! It only means that your coffee has already degassed. However, this also signals that your coffee is not as fresh anymore.Â
Why Bloom Coffee?
When it comes to creating the perfect cup of coffee, blooming the grounds is an important step. Blooming helps to release the carbon dioxide trapped inside the freshly roasted coffee beans and release other compounds, resulting in a richer, rounder, and a fuller-flavored cup of Joe.
The coffee bloom is an indication of freshness and quality. On the other hand, older roasts will still release some CO2, but to a much lesser extent.
Blooms also help to remove any bitterness from the coffee and provide an improved mouthfeel. Additionally, blooming can help to create a more consistent brew by allowing all of the grounds to be exposed to the water in an even way. All of these benefits make blooming an essential part of creating a delicious cup of coffee.
Not only does blooming result in a more flavorful cup, but it also creates a better extraction of the coffee grounds, resulting in a smoother and more balanced cup. Additionally, blooming helps to reduce the acidity in coffee, resulting in a much more smooth and mellow cup.
Coffee blooming is a beneficial brewing technique that can greatly improve the flavor and aroma of your coffee. The practice allows for degassing, which helps to release the flavorful oils and aromatics from the beans for a more flavorful cup.
Finally, blooming can help reduce sediment in your cup of coffee, resulting in a cleaner-tasting brew.
Therefore, by blooming your coffee before brewing, you can experience all the subtle nuances of flavor that make coffee so enjoyable.
What Causes a Coffee Bloom?
Coffee blooming is an important part of the brewing process, as it allows the gasses from the coffee to be released. It is caused by hot water hitting the grinds, which causes carbon dioxide (CO2) to rush out.
The bloom also helps to fully degas the beans, as it takes a while for most of the CO2 to vacate fully. To ensure that you get a perfect bloom when brewing coffee, it is important to choose the right beans, grind them properly, and use hot water when blooming.
It is also important to stir gently and wait for the bloom before adding more water to finish brewing. Not only does this give you a better-tasting cup of coffee, but it can also help you unlock some of the unique flavors and aromas that are associated with different types of beans.
Factors that affect the bloom
Freshly roasted and ground coffee
It takes around a couple of weeks for the degassing to finish, but most of the gasses will be gone by the first week. These gasses also carry a lot of flavors, which is why it is best to brew them as early as possible without forgetting to bloom to maximize your coffee experience.
Another thing is that itâs best to grind right before you brew because grinding beans results in a faster gas reduction; thus, we want to avoid the loss of flavors!
Coffee bean storage
As a rule of thumb, make sure to store your beans in airtight containers! This is not to allow gases to escape and not to allow gases from the surroundings to enter. Using airtight containers prevents your beans from going state prematurely.
Temperature during storage
A hotter surrounding temperature releases more gas.
Humidity during storage
When it comes to humidity, youâd want to find your safe spot. Storing it in a dry environment allows more gas to escape, while extreme humidity encourages the growth of fungus and molds.
Roast level
Dark and oily Italian roasts out-gasses a lot less than the same coffee roasted at the âFull Cityâ level.
Bean hardness
The harder the beans, the denser they will allow more gas.
How to bloom coffee
Blooming coffee is quite simple. The basic way to do it is to pour hot water into the coffee grounds and leave them damp for one to two minutes before extracting. But, through the years, there are now other techniques based on the brewing method.
How to bloom coffee with the pour-over method
Add 40-80g of very hot, but not boiling, water over the grounds so that you pour them strategically in a circular motion. Start from the outer wall inward. The goal is to have the grounds uniformly and evenly soaked without dripping wet. Let this sit for a minute.
How to bloom coffee with the french press method
Ensure that you have a coarse grind. Slowly pour a small amount of hot water over the grounds and watch them foam on top of the water in the press pot. This is the blooming process. Let it bloom for about 15-20 seconds before stirring.Â
Blooming a French press coffee remains to be controversial. Some coffee lovers find it worth doing, while others question the need to do it. But as always, it depends on preference! We suggest you try to do it both ways and see which method you like better. Whether itâs a bloomed French press or not, itâs totally up to you!
How to bloom coffee with an automatic drip coffee machine
Place your filter in the basket. A great tip is to utilize high-quality filters to ensure that badly flavored oils donât make it to your brew. We recommend Melitta or Filtropa filters.Â
Next, put in freshly roasted and ground beans and add hot water. Make sure you pour in just enough to soak the grounds without pouring through. Let the grinds settle for about 45-90 seconds. After that, operate your automatic coffee and brew.Â
How to bloom coffee for cold brew
For cold brews, add coarsely ground coffee into the vessel and hot water like you normally would. Let that sit for 30-45 seconds, then pour in cold water and brew as usual.Â
Manual espresso brewing
With espresso machines, blooming isnât the ideal phrase to use. Rather, we refer to it as âpre-infusion.â The idea is to moisten the grounds in order to facilitate better extraction completely. This procedure also helps coffee swell, which increases resistance to forcing hot water through the filter. Richer tastes emerge as a result of this simple technique.
To with pre-infuse a lever espresso machine, pull the lever into place and wait 15 seconds for the filter basket to fill with hot water. Pull the lever halfway for 15 seconds to release a little amount of espresso. Then, raise the lever for another 30 seconds.
Which brewing method benefits more from blooming?
First and foremost, blooming with any brewing method does not have any negative effects on your coffee. But immersion brewing methods such as espressos and percolators only have limited benefits from the process.Â
How to count the grams of water in the bloom?
You have to count it as part of the total weight simply. Thus, following the SCAAâs âGolden Ratioâ of 55g liter, pour 66g of water for the bloom in a 33g coffee brewed using the 600ml Hario V60 brew.
Thatâs double the weight of the coffee.
If you would follow the Hario recommendation of adding 200g of water per 30 seconds, ensure to stop at 600g of total weight. Again, try to do it both ways to identify which method works best for you!
Troubleshooting Common Issues
When troubleshooting common issues related to coffee blooms, itâs important to look at the grind size and the quality of the coffee beans.
If the grind size is too coarse, water will drain through the coffee grounds too quickly and not extract enough flavor. On the other hand, if the beans are stale or old, they wonât bloom properly.
Additionally, be sure to use hot water when blooming your coffee for the best results. If youâre still having trouble getting your coffee to bloom properly, try stirring it gently and waiting a few minutes before adding more water.
To identify coffee bloom, look for a bubbly foam that forms on top of the water shortly after adding it to the grounds. This foam should be light and airy, and may dissipate after a few seconds. If it doesnât, then you may need to adjust your grind size or use less coffee so that the bloom can be fully appreciated.
With practice and a bit of trial and error, youâll soon be able to brew a perfect cup of blooming coffee every time!
And thatâs about it!
Blooming can make a huge difference in your cup of Joe only if you do it correctly and ensure it works well with your preferred brewing method. Have fun blooming!
Editorial Staff
The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.
