What Is A Coffee Bloom?
The coffee bloom is an essential step in unlocking the flavors of your coffee at home. This simple technique, which might seem like something only coffee experts care about, helps enhance the flavor and aroma of your brew.
Freshly roasted coffee contains carbon dioxide, which builds up during the roasting process and continues to release as the beans cool. Once the coffee is ground, the increased surface area allows more carbon dioxide to escape. The coffee bloom occurs when hot water is first poured over the grounds, causing the carbon dioxide to escape rapidly. This results in the grounds rising and bubbling, creating the “bloom.”
Why Is Coffee Bloom Important?
Allowing the coffee bloom is crucial for two reasons:
Shop our Most Popular Picks
- It prevents a sour taste: If carbon dioxide isn’t allowed to escape, it infuses a bitter, sour taste into the coffee.
- It enhances extraction: Carbon dioxide repels water, which prevents the full extraction of the coffee's oils and aromatics. The bloom allows water to better interact with the coffee grounds, leading to a richer, more balanced flavor.
How to Bloom Coffee in a Pour Over
To bloom coffee for a pour over, start by adding a small amount of hot water to the grounds. Let it sit for 30 seconds to allow the carbon dioxide to escape before adding the rest of the water. For precise control, we recommend using a timer and scale.
- Pour 60 grams of water over the coffee in a slow, spiraling motion. This should take around 15 seconds.
- Wait 30 seconds to let the coffee grounds bloom before continuing with the remaining pours.
How to Bloom Coffee in a Bonavita Coffee Brewer
Bonavita coffee brewers feature a Pre-Infusion Mode designed to mimic the blooming process automatically. If you're using freshly roasted coffee and want to activate the pre-infusion mode, simply press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. The light will flash, and you will hear two beeps, indicating the mode is active. Then press the button again to start brewing.
To deactivate the pre-infusion mode, hold the power button for 5 seconds until you hear a single beep, and the light blinks. The brewer will remain in this mode until manually turned off or unplugged.
With this simple process, you’ll be brewing a more complex, full-bodied cup of coffee with ease, allowing you to enjoy all the nuances of your coffee at the push of a button.
Leave a comment