What in the JOE is coffee bloom? Simply put, it's the beautiful release of carbon dioxide when hot water comes into contact with freshly ground coffee.
Oh that's the bloom @Cowpressocoffeesg on Instagram
After roasting, degassing takes place in coffee beans. Degassing - Its the process where carbon dioxide periodically releases from freshly roasted coffee beans. When whole roasted coffee beans are grounded, the release of CO2 is amplified umpteen times. With the addition of hot water, even more CO2 is encouraged to be released, resulting in a beautiful high-strung explosion of coffee, similar to a height of Bukit Timah Hill. Well.. perhaps not. Maybe the height of your dear hamster would be more realistic. And Oh, in case you've been wondering, where in the JOE does CO2 come into the picture? Well, simply put, CO2 develops and gets trapped inside coffee beans during the roasting process.
After roasting, degassing takes place in coffee beans. Degassing - Its the process where carbon dioxide periodically releases from freshly roasted coffee beans. When whole roasted coffee beans are grounded, the release of CO2 is amplified umpteen times. With the addition of hot water, even more CO2 is encouraged to be released, resulting in a beautiful high-strung explosion of coffee, similar to a height of Bukit Timah Hill. Well.. perhaps not. Maybe the height of your dear hamster would be more realistic. And Oh, in case you've been wondering, where in the JOE does CO2 come into the picture? Well, simply put, CO2 develops and gets trapped inside coffee beans during the roasting process.
What's any good in the bloom?
Perhaps the theatrical bloom doesn't take you away. Don't fret friends, the bloom brings about more than just a captivating sight. Firstly, volatile aromatic flavour compounds are present within the CO2 atmosphere present in the beans. This means more flavour compounds in the form of aroma is released during brewing (Also known as...better tasting coffee). Secondly, it shows a good manifestation of whether your coffee is fresh (Generally speaking, the bigger the bloom, the fresher the coffee).
Perhaps the theatrical bloom doesn't take you away. Don't fret friends, the bloom brings about more than just a captivating sight. Firstly, volatile aromatic flavour compounds are present within the CO2 atmosphere present in the beans. This means more flavour compounds in the form of aroma is released during brewing (Also known as...better tasting coffee). Secondly, it shows a good manifestation of whether your coffee is fresh (Generally speaking, the bigger the bloom, the fresher the coffee).
How to keep the bloom?
Purchasing freshly roasted coffee from your roaster cannot be emphasized ENOUGH. Apart from your purchase decision-making, storage plays an equally crucial factor. Ensure your coffee beans are stored perfectly and in a cool environment. Yes, physics does apply even in your coffee. To put utterly, the higher the temperature, the faster the rate of diffusion of CO2 out of your beans; the faster the degassing rate. To further slow down the diffusion of CO2 out of your beans, keep the atmosphere around your beans filled with CO2 by ensuring it's stored in an airtight jar or Cowpresso kraft one-way valve parcels (Drop us a message, we'll be willing to send you our parcel FREE). Do note that origin of the coffee, density of the beans, humidity levels and roast levels does indeed affect the intensity of the bloom too. Different coffees beans from different origins have distinct out-gassing potential abilities, denser beans makes it more difficult for carbon dioxide to leave the bean, drier humidity levels encourage the diffusion of carbon dioxide and darker roasts have a more porous structure, allowing for a faster carbon dioxide release.
Purchasing freshly roasted coffee from your roaster cannot be emphasized ENOUGH. Apart from your purchase decision-making, storage plays an equally crucial factor. Ensure your coffee beans are stored perfectly and in a cool environment. Yes, physics does apply even in your coffee. To put utterly, the higher the temperature, the faster the rate of diffusion of CO2 out of your beans; the faster the degassing rate. To further slow down the diffusion of CO2 out of your beans, keep the atmosphere around your beans filled with CO2 by ensuring it's stored in an airtight jar or Cowpresso kraft one-way valve parcels (Drop us a message, we'll be willing to send you our parcel FREE). Do note that origin of the coffee, density of the beans, humidity levels and roast levels does indeed affect the intensity of the bloom too. Different coffees beans from different origins have distinct out-gassing potential abilities, denser beans makes it more difficult for carbon dioxide to leave the bean, drier humidity levels encourage the diffusion of carbon dioxide and darker roasts have a more porous structure, allowing for a faster carbon dioxide release.
How to control the bloom?
You mean what!? I CAN control the coffee bloom? Yes. You can, and it does matter whether you do it, or not. Be it your French Press, Filter or Automatic coffee machine. Saturate your grounds for several seconds with minute amounts of hot water FIRST (Benefits of pre-infusion to be discussed on another blog). This allows carbon dioxide found inside the coffee grounds to degas/release, resulting in an even-extraction when the remaining hot water is poured over. In the event where the coffee grounds are not allowed to degas sufficiently first, what happens then? The rapid release of carbon dioxide released from the coffee will form big bubbles as it manages its way up and out into the atmosphere. This pushes hot water away from certain spots in the coffee ground, forcing more water to pour over certain grounds than others, leading to an over-extraction of certain grounds and under-extraction of the latter. INDEED a catastrophe! Unless you wish to drink bitter and sour coffees in your mornings I must emphasize: Get it right! Get it sweet.
You mean what!? I CAN control the coffee bloom? Yes. You can, and it does matter whether you do it, or not. Be it your French Press, Filter or Automatic coffee machine. Saturate your grounds for several seconds with minute amounts of hot water FIRST (Benefits of pre-infusion to be discussed on another blog). This allows carbon dioxide found inside the coffee grounds to degas/release, resulting in an even-extraction when the remaining hot water is poured over. In the event where the coffee grounds are not allowed to degas sufficiently first, what happens then? The rapid release of carbon dioxide released from the coffee will form big bubbles as it manages its way up and out into the atmosphere. This pushes hot water away from certain spots in the coffee ground, forcing more water to pour over certain grounds than others, leading to an over-extraction of certain grounds and under-extraction of the latter. INDEED a catastrophe! Unless you wish to drink bitter and sour coffees in your mornings I must emphasize: Get it right! Get it sweet.
Base line
Now that you've understood what coffee bloom is and the concept of degassing. Keep your coffee fresh. Saturate it right. Brew the God-shot. Why not subscribe to an exclusive subscription plan to fit your needs and budget for your friends and family TODAY? Sounds lovely doesn't it? Besides, It's where your roaster becomes family!