Can You Bloom Instant Coffee?

To properly extract all the hidden flavor from coffee beans and end up with a perfect cup, you need to start blooming your grounds. If you don't know what blooming is, it's pretty simple. Freshly ground coffee has tons of excess carbon dioxide, which can create extra bitterness in coffee if left alone. While carbon dioxide works well in keeping coffee beans fresh, it blocks essential flavors when it's time to brew. To get rid of that unneeded air, just pour warm water over the grounds in a slow, circular motion until they're just barely saturated. Wait 30 seconds as bubbles appear, which is a sign that the carbon dioxide is releasing. This process allows the water to come into full contact with the beans. 

Even if you ultimately give your coffee a flavor boost with a little cinnamon or lemon, blooming your coffee naturally amplifies your usual brew. This is a great step to add while brewing freshly ground coffee, but is the process any different for instant coffee? We asked Andrea Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab for some insight. 

Andrea Allen is the co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab, the 2020 U.S. Barista Champ, and the 2021 World Barista Runner-Up. Suffice it to say she knows a lot more than most about caffeinated brews. To learn more about how instant coffee blooms, we sat down with her for an exclusive chat. 

While freshly ground coffee can benefit from blooming, instant coffee is more of a coffee extract, so the preparation process is slightly different. According to Allen, there really isn't much to know about instant coffee and blooming, as those instant granules don't bloom like freshly ground coffee does. She explains, "Instant coffee doesn't usually bloom — it's older just by nature of the process and also is usually freeze dried, which takes the aromatic qualities and also carbon dioxide out of the coffee."

When instant coffee meets water, the granules begin to melt almost instantly. (Don't forget that subbing in filtered water makes instant coffee taste café-made.) Fans love instant coffee for its convenience, long shelf life, simple brewing process, and affordability — but it's not really known for its fresh qualities. So, if you want to dig deeper into blooming your coffee, go with fresh grounds instead of the instant stuff. Once you have the blooming method mastered, you can turn your attention to the correct order to add sugar and cream to your coffee.