Warning: Letting my coffee bloom too long turned it sour

I've seen more posts lately about the bloom phase in pour-over coffee. Always rushed through it before, thinking it didn't matter much. One morning I got distracted and let it sit for way too long. The coffee tasted weirdly sour and flat, which was a real eye-opener. Now I time it carefully, and my cups have so much more flavor... funny how that works.

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3 Comments

lisa_jones6mo ago

Yeah, that part about letting it sit too long rings true. My friend Sam had a similar thing happen last week. He was making pour-over and got a phone call, so the bloom went on for like five minutes. When he finally poured the rest, the coffee tasted super sour and kind of empty, just like you said. He couldn't figure out why his usual beans tasted off until I mentioned the bloom time. Now he sets a timer on his phone every time, and it's made a HUGE difference.

5

felix676mo ago

Ever notice how the bloom time is the easiest part to mess up? That story about Sam is so familiar. I did almost the exact same thing last month when my doorbell rang mid brew. Got totally sidetracked and came back to a sad, wet coffee bed. The cup was crazy weak and acidic, just a total bummer. It’s wild how just a couple distracted minutes can ruin the whole thing. Now I don’t even walk away from the kettle until I’m done pouring.

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perez.barbara6mo ago

Remember that time I tried to brew while my cat was yelling at a squirrel? Ended up with a bloom that lasted longer than the argument. My coffee tasted like I'd just waved a bean over some warm water.

2