After a few too many alpine starts and rushed mornings packing up bivy gear (“shove it right in the bottom of the pack” -Steve House circa 2017), it can be nice to have a relaxing day of mulling around the crag sport climbing and eating dates slathered in almond butter—try it sometime! In addition to the newly found space in your pack (now that the bivy gear is gone) is the newly found time in your day… I suggest filling both with coffee. So to help you squander this sudden surplus of time, here’s an Aeropress recipe that calls for a ‘bloom’, an essential step that requires you to do absolutely nothing for a set amount of time… Enjoy!
– Sule (VL’s Resident Coffee & Gear Nerd)
Best for
- Lazy days at the crag
- Using up excess time
You’ll need
- Aeropress and paper filters
- 15-16g of coffee, ground medium-coarse
- 250ml of hot water (slightly off the boil, 90-95C)
- A scale
- A timer
- A surplus of time
STEPS
- Set up your Aeropress and paper filter like usual, and chuck 15g of medium-coarse ground coffee into the chamber (16g if your coffee is a bit darker) and shake it flat.
- Gently pour 45g of hot water into the Aeropress, give it a swirl and let it “bloom” (sit there and do nothing) for 45 seconds.
- Note: You could use these 45s to stare deeply through the clear Aeropress and ponder the laws of fluid dynamics…but that would be doing something, so instead sit there and do nothing!
- Once the bloom is done just pour the rest of the hot water (up to 250g total) and QUICKLY insert the plunger a few cm to create a vacuum and stop dripping. Now give it another swirl and let steep for about 1 minute.
- Note: Using a Flow control cap prevents liquid from dripping through and reduces pre-coffee panic by 99.99%.
- Once your watch hits 2 minutes (45s bloom + 15s of faff + 1min steep) begin gently (GENTLY) plunging the coffee through, stopping just before it makes a hissing sound (donate this leftover liquid to the bushes or a nearby dirtbag)
- Sip away and enjoy your “Bloom day”
BETA
Tastes weak or sour?
- Grind finer
- Steep longer
- Use hotter water
- Swirl more
Tastes bitter/ashy?
- Grind coarser
- Use cooler water
- Lower ratio e.g. use 16g of coffee (or even 17 for dark roasts)
- Plunge slower
This gear review originally featured in Vertical Life # 51. Grab your copy here
