If you're like me, you may have wondered at some point—during those agonizing three minutes it takes to brewing your own coffee—what the difference is between:
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"Blooming" your coffee grounds with hot water and letting it sit for 30 seconds before adding more hot water on top to let it brew for several minutes, or:
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Just... pouring all the hot water over the grounds and... letting it brew for several minutes?
Surely, blooming wasn’t just a waste of time—an additional 30 to 45 seconds standing between me and coffee bliss. But seriously. What’s the difference?
I thought long and hard about what the difference could possibly be. I scoured the internet with an iPad, I asked the audience, I even phoned a friend with the help of my pals at AT&T.
And yet? No Dice.
Not even Andrew Dice Clay himself knew the answer.
"Hickory Dickory Dock, the clock struck eight—time to bloom those coffee grounds and make them great! Oh!" he said, cryptically.
So before I gave Sam Kinison a call—I decided to do a little blooming research on my own.
And… it turns out there is a difference. A slight one—but an important one.
But before we can get into how blooming is different from brewing let's make sure we're all on the same page: What does it mean to bloom coffee?
What is Coffee Blooming?
A coffee bloom is a normal part of the brewing process when water hits fresh grounds.
The release of carbon dioxide gas from the coffee grounds during brewing causes a reaction where the grounds will begin to rise and expand or "bloom." This is normal and an indication that your coffee is fresh.
Since coffee blooms are typically only seen in freshly brewed coffee, if you're just not getting much of a bloom out of your coffee, it could be because your grounds are stale (or beginning to become stale). However, weaker blooms can also occur if your grind consistency is too coarse.
The bloom can also be helped along by stirring the coffee grounds and water vigorously.
When you bloom coffee grounds, you're letting them release their flavor and oils. This makes for a richer, more flavorful cup of coffee. If you just immerse them in water, the grounds will still steep and make coffee, but it won't be as flavorful.
Blooming coffee grounds is a process of adding hot water to the dry grounds and allowing them to sit for 30-45 seconds before adding the rest of the water. This allows the grounds to release their flavor and oils, resulting in a richer, more flavorful cup of coffee.
If you just immerse the grounds in water—Yes, they will still steep and make coffee. But it won't taste quite as good.
How is Blooming Any Different from Brewing?
The difference between blooming your coffee and going straight to brewing is the amount of water involved. When you bloom your coffee, you use a smaller amount of water to wet the grounds. This allows the grounds to start to release gases, flavor, and oils—but the amount of water is low enough that the gases trapped in the grounds can escape to the air more easily.
After the bloom, you then add more water to fully saturate the grounds and continue brewing.
If you use too much water in the blooming step (or if you skip it and just pour all the water over the grounds) the gases won't be able to escape as easily and more gas will stay in the grounds.
Blooming Tips
There are just a few important things to keep in mind when blooming your coffee grounds:
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Use hot water (Below boiling, approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit)
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Bloom for 30-45 seconds
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Unless you're using a brewing method that specifically calls for a different ratio, a good general "rule of thumb" brewing ratio is 1:16 (1 part coffee to 16 parts water)
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the difference between blooming and brewing coffee, life is good again.
You can finally order your coffee with confidence, impressing your friends and baristas alike with your keen knowledge. No longer will you have to suffer the ignominy of pretending to know what you're talking about when it comes to coffee—now you can actually hold up your end of the conversation.
So go ahead and order that pour over, because you know exactly what it is and how it's made. Thanks for choosing to educate yourself on the world of coffee. It really makes a difference.
