Have you ever wondered what's actually happening in your pour-over coffee? You pour a little hot water over the freshly ground coffee, and suddenly the coffee-water mixture starts to expand and form bubbles. This process is somewhat reminiscent of yeast fermenting in bread – only faster and much more visually appealing to us coffee lovers. This process is called blooming – the coffee literally begins to blossom in the filter. So this week, we'll answer the question: What is blooming, and what exactly happens during it? Have fun finding out!
The science behind Blooming
Blooming is an important part of the brewing process and significantly contributes to the full development of your coffee's aromas! It originates from the release of carbon dioxide from freshly ground coffee as soon as it comes into contact with hot water. Lipids in the coffee beans oxidize in combination with oxygen – gas is released, which in turn releases CO2 when it comes into contact with water. These lipids are only formed during the roasting process. In short, blooming essentially cleanses the coffee grounds of the gases produced during brewing, leading to optimal extraction and aroma release.
Blooming as a quality characteristic
To achieve the perfect blooming effect, it's essential to use fresh coffee and grind it fresh just before brewing. This allows you to reach the so-called "sweet spot," which can only be achieved with optimally fresh coffee. Coffee that's too fresh is just as unsuitable as coffee that's too old. Freshly roasted coffee needs time to degas; otherwise, the blooming will be too pronounced. With coffee that's too old, too few bubbles form because it has already been releasing gases into the air for a longer period. It's also true that dark-roasted coffee contains more lipids due to the longer roasting process, resulting in more bubbles forming during blooming than light-roasted coffee.
TIP: Ideally, use coffee that was roasted at least two weeks ago. This ensures that the coffee isn't too fresh and doesn't develop too many bubbles.
Here's how you too can achieve blooming:
To create the optimal blooming effect at home, it's important to follow a precise brewing plan. Otherwise, the water will flow through the coffee grounds too quickly, and the aromas of your coffee won't fully develop. Therefore, here's a simple recipe:
Ingredients:
-
Freshly ground coffee powder in a ratio of 1:16 (i.e., approximately 32g to 500g water)
- Hot water
- Hand filter with filter paper
- coffee pot
- Alternatively: Chemex, Hario V60
Directions:
- Grind your coffee powder to a medium grind.
- Heat your water to about 92° - 96° Celsius
- Place your filter paper in your pour-over coffee maker and pour hot water over it. This ensures your coffee doesn't taste like paper. It also preheats your carafe. Discard the water.
- Now add your coffee powder to the moistened filter paper.
- Pour about twice as much water as coffee grounds into your pour-over filter. Pour very evenly in a circular motion to ensure all the grounds are thoroughly coated. Now watch as the bloom unfolds its full beauty for about 30 seconds.
- Now, pour the remaining water slowly and evenly over the coffee grounds in stages. You can stir with a spoon every now and then. This ensures even extraction.
Pro tip: Place your coffee pot on a scale throughout the entire brewing process. This way, you can work with precise proportions and use exact gram measurements. Nothing can go wrong!
Blooming is therefore absolutely essential for achieving the perfect pour-over coffee. This brewing method is particularly popular among specialty coffee enthusiasts, as the recipes can be incredibly fine-tuned, allowing the coffee to constantly reinvent itself. Because blooming is simply fun – a feast for all the senses!
Do you pay attention to a long blooming time for your coffee? Let us know!
Your SIMON&BEARN Team
What is Blooming?
Have you ever wondered what's actually happening in your pour-over coffee? You pour a little hot water over the freshly ground coffee, and suddenly the coffee-water mixture starts to expand and form bubbles. This process is somewhat reminiscent of yeast fermenting in bread – only faster and much more visually appealing to us coffee lovers. This process is called blooming – the coffee literally begins to blossom in the filter. So this week, we'll answer the question: What is blooming, and what exactly happens during it? Have fun finding out!
The science behind Blooming
Blooming is an important part of the brewing process and significantly contributes to the full development of your coffee's aromas! It originates from the release of carbon dioxide from freshly ground coffee as soon as it comes into contact with hot water. Lipids in the coffee beans oxidize in combination with oxygen – gas is released, which in turn releases CO2 when it comes into contact with water. These lipids are only formed during the roasting process. In short, blooming essentially cleanses the coffee grounds of the gases produced during brewing, leading to optimal extraction and aroma release.
Blooming as a quality characteristic
To achieve the perfect blooming effect, it's essential to use fresh coffee and grind it fresh just before brewing. This allows you to reach the so-called "sweet spot," which can only be achieved with optimally fresh coffee. Coffee that's too fresh is just as unsuitable as coffee that's too old. Freshly roasted coffee needs time to degas; otherwise, the blooming will be too pronounced. With coffee that's too old, too few bubbles form because it has already been releasing gases into the air for a longer period. It's also true that dark-roasted coffee contains more lipids due to the longer roasting process, resulting in more bubbles forming during blooming than light-roasted coffee.
TIP: Ideally, use coffee that was roasted at least two weeks ago. This ensures that the coffee isn't too fresh and doesn't develop too many bubbles.
Here's how you too can achieve blooming:
To create the optimal blooming effect at home, it's important to follow a precise brewing plan. Otherwise, the water will flow through the coffee grounds too quickly, and the aromas of your coffee won't fully develop. Therefore, here's a simple recipe:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Pro tip: Place your coffee pot on a scale throughout the entire brewing process. This way, you can work with precise proportions and use exact gram measurements. Nothing can go wrong!
Blooming is therefore absolutely essential for achieving the perfect pour-over coffee. This brewing method is particularly popular among specialty coffee enthusiasts, as the recipes can be incredibly fine-tuned, allowing the coffee to constantly reinvent itself. Because blooming is simply fun – a feast for all the senses!
Do you pay attention to a long blooming time for your coffee? Let us know!
Your SIMON&BEARN Team