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.
