This is what made me realize I really don’t need to bloom, when using a zero bypass brewer with a fine grind and temps around 190F to 192F. I started focusing on making three quick 50g pours at 0, 15, and 30-40 seconds to try to get the coffee submerged as quickly as possible. I don’t know if it’s true, but logically, getting the floating grounds submerged quickly will prevent some of the volatile compounds from being released to the air.

I also stopped aging my coffee 10-14 days, I’m brewing or freezing immediately once I receive it.

I push for a full bodied cup, with a pourover technique that borders on immersion, and I’m getting a lot more vibrance shining through now. I’m finally getting the results I was hoping for when going this direction, now that I’ve let go of some relics from other very different techniques. You just don’t need to worry so much about uneven extractions with fine grinds and brew times in the 4-5 minute range, and you can further minimize channeling with pour techniques.

I love my Mugen, and it took me a bit to figure out consistency with the filters. But it’s pretty easy to fold an Abaca filter consistently, to fit well. You can see the sort of angle you need in the photo from the article. I just make that fold, and then smooth out the crease on the opposite side. I wouldn’t go through too much trouble for a negotiator for this brewer.

Btw, the Mugen’s strength in my eyes isn’t as a single pour brewer. Rather, it’s being able to grind fine, and with precise pours, minimize agitation to prevent channeling. I brew cool, at about 192F, with a bloomless technique. Once I get the coffee to sink with the first 3 pours (50g each on a 285 to 17g recipe), I’ll do one last large 50g pour around the edge on the paper. Then for the last 85g I’ll rinse the edges down as it drains, with a couple quick and gentle center pours to break any channels.

Zero bypass brewers can be easy for beginners, but don’t be fooled into thinking that they’re boring. You can take them very far with some more advanced techniques.

The one thing is, I wish the Mugen had a larger hole for faster draining. I’m hoping the Orea v4 is what I’m dreaming of.

Can’t wait to get mine in a couple of days! It also put Sibarist filters on my radar, and after struggling with stalling in my Mugen for months, they’re really a game changer. I chase fine grinds just at the verge of stalling, reducing brew temperature accordingly. But Cafec Abaca filters were so inconsistent in the Mugen, I had to go back to the v60. Sibarist in the Mugen is a game changer, and I’m really eager to compare to the Orea that seems like it will accomplish similar results with less expensive filters.

Yeah, I use DDG for moral reasons, and it’s definitely a compromise. I think I’ll try Kagi, one of these days.