Blooming Coffee

[MntnMan62]

I've been playing around with my work flow for making french press coffee and came to a realization today. Yesterday's coffee was brewed by just pouring the full amount of water into the carafe and letting it brew for the prescribed amount of time, in this case 4 minutes. Today I decided to bloom the grounds by adding just enough water to the grinds to soak them and let it sit for 30 seconds before pouring the rest of the water into the carafe. The total brew time is still 4 minutes. I found that by making this simple change the taste of the coffee in the cup is smoother and doesn't have any of the bitterness that I tasted yesterday. I'm now sold on the concept of blooming the coffee before brewing the entire pot. I should add that I drink my french press coffee as a cafe au lait.

 

[Duffyjr]

You wouldn't think it would matter with immersion brewing but I do it with my Clever and can tell the difference, I love the rich full body flavor of immersion brewing but can't stand the grit that goes along with a French Press, Clever to the rescue.

When using my Chemex i actually let it bloom by letting all the water I pour in for the bloom run thru, about 40ish grams of water, takes about a minute and find the longer bloom gets a little more flavor out of the thicker Chemex filters. but still has that clean taste, I guess the opposite of the Clever.

Right in the middle of these two is my Technivorm one cup, it doesn't have a dedicate bloom cycle but when you watch it it seems to put out just enough to soak the coffee fairly quick and then comes out slower the rest of the brewing cycle giving it some what of a bloom, takes a little less than 4 minutes to brew 10 ounces.

So I agree blooming is right up there with a good grinder and of course a scale.

 

[MntnMan62]

You wouldn't think it would matter with immersion brewing but I do it with my Clever and can tell the difference, I love the rich full body flavor of immersion brewing but can't stand the grit that goes along with a French Press, Clever to the rescue.

When using my Chemex i actually let it bloom by letting all the water I pour in for the bloom run thru, about 40ish grams of water, takes about a minute and find the longer bloom gets a little more flavor out of the thicker Chemex filters. but still has that clean taste, I guess the opposite of the Clever.



Right in the middle of these two is my Technivorm one cup, it doesn't have a dedicate bloom cycle but when you watch it it seems to put out just enough to soak the coffee fairly quick and then comes out slower the rest of the brewing cycle giving it some what of a bloom, takes a little less than 4 minutes to brew 10 ounces.

So I agree blooming is right up there with a good grinder and of course a scale.

I have benefited greatly from watching a few Youtube videos specifically on French Press brewing technique and have essentially eliminated any grit or fines from my cup. The key is not stirring up the grinds that have settled and scooping off the ones that are still floating as a "crust" on top. And I don't push the plunger down which only serves to stir up the fines and put them in your cup. I merely use the plunger and screen as a filter and it sits just above the level of the liquid in the carafe. And a gentle pour ensures no fines while still allowing those flavorful oils to make it into your cup. Mr. Hoffman's video was one of the more helpful ones. And a good quality french press is essential. I've been using a Bodum Bistro (vintage) with excellent results. There really is no reason to have fines in the bottom of your cup with a quality french press and good technique. And it's not difficult at all.

 

[MntnMan62]

Here you go BIC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st571DYYTR8

 

[MntnMan62]

I agree blooming is right up there with a good grinder and of course a scale.

It depends on your method of brewing. Blooming makes sense when doing pour over but is unnecessary for french press. I used to think that I was missing out by not blooming when using my french press. So I tried blooming and found no difference whatsoever. I realized that since all of the grounds are in complete contact with the water for the entire brew time, blooming serves no purpose for french press made coffee.