One of the great moments while brewing coffee happens as you add a small amount of hot water to the coffee grounds and an intense aroma rises towards you. Together with the sight of the bubbles of carbon dioxide escaping the just-ground coffee and the sounds as the grind expands, cracks and the bubbles pop, it is a multi-sensory experience.
It is also a very good point to stop what we are doing, and think for 30 seconds, or a minute. Which means also that it’s a perfect time to experiment with your coffee. Istobiii is inviting us all to an experiment to try what he is calling “cold bloom”. You can watch his invitation to the experiment here.
Does blooming your coffee with cold (or tepid) water produce better coffee? What would be the difference between blooming with colder water compared with just boiled? And why do we bloom anyway?
Given that Istobiii is suggesting extending the bloom time with the colder water to 1.5-2.5 minutes, we have plenty of time to think. Do give it a try, and have fun experimenting.