How long does coffee last when it is already brewed?
Let 's be honest. It has happened to all of us that we brewed an insane amount of coffee and we don't know what to do with the leftovers. The remaining cups sit in the kitchen counter for several hours and then we heat it in the microwave and drink it, or even worse we throw it into the pipeline.
I was fed up with this happening to me, so I did a deep research on how long does brewed coffee last. I got some good information about times, tricks to storage and creative ideas of using old coffee.
In this article I want to share all this information with you, so the next time you have coffee leftovers you know how to handle them properly.
Article index
How much does brewed coffee last (with different brewing systems)
Brewed hot coffee and espresso
Cold brew
Signs of bad coffee
Oxidation after brewing. What is that and why can it ruin my coffee?
Optimal ways to store brewed coffee
Sum up
How much does brewed coffee last (with different brewing systems)
Brewed hot coffee and espresso
We have to establish some differences when we talk about how long a coffee has already been brewed last. It is not the same if we are talking about how much it lasts at its optimal point of drinking or how much it lasts before it can hurt us if we drink it.
Many people ensure that around 10 and 20 minutes is the maximum time your coffee will be in its perfect point to be enjoyed in its best form. On the other hand, we can probably drink a cup of coffee that has been in the refrigerator for several hours and we won't have any problem, but for sure it will not taste as good as a fresh cup of coffee.
If you already add milk to your coffee it would last less and you will always need to store it in the refrigerator.
Cold brew
In Coffee Devotion we have an entire article where we talk about cold brew coffee and its benefits. One of them hits directly to this conversation: cold brew is excellent for storage.
When you finish your brewing process, you can transfer your coffee to a sealed container and keep it in the fridge for up to a whole week. Cold brew is a great alternative to always having a nice and high quality coffee ready in your fridge for those moments when you don't have much time.
Signs of bad coffee
If you smell a brewed coffee and you don't find any aroma, probably that coffee had been brewed for a long time. Also we can discover that with the taste, old coffee loses a lot of flavor in comparison to just brewed coffee.
There are some brewing systems that give us other hints. For example, if you ask for an espresso and there is no presence of crema or its way to break there are two options: a pretty bad barista or your espresso have been waiting for you before you even asked for it.
Oxidation after brewing. What is that and why can it ruin my coffee?
At the precise moment you brew your coffee, oxidation starts. This is a process where oxygen and the organic matters of coffee get in contact, changing the molecular system of the beverage. It is the same process that happens when you cut an avocado or an apple and a few minutes later they are brown. In coffee this results in the losness of aroma, freshness and flavor.
By far, the best way of avoiding this is drinking your coffee just after you brewed it. Another good option is to store it in a thermos where it is protected from oxygen and keeps it hot.
Optimal ways to store brewed coffee
If you brewed a big amount of coffee and you don't want any more at that moment you don't have to throw it away, just be smart in the way you store it.
If you are going to drink it in the next few hours the best option would be to keep it in a thermos, so it doesn't get cold and you don't have to microwave it. Microwaves are big enemies of coffee aroma and flavor.
If you are going to drink it the next day then you will have no other option than to store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and the next day, if you want it hot, heat it up.
If you don't have idea when will you consume that remaining coffee, we share you three here creative ideas to take advantage of them:
- Coffee ice. Grab a clean ice cube tray and fill it with the coffee. Take it to the freezer and then you will have coffee ice ready to use. This would be useful if you want to prepare some ice coffee. If you are interested in these beverages, we have an article where we explain what it is and share two recipes.
- Try new combinations: you can try some new and risky combinations with coffee when you have some leftovers. Without a doubt failing is part of creating, but it is less painful when you fail over a coffee that is about to get bad rather than a freshly high quality coffee.
- Use it in the kitchen: many food recipes have coffee in their ingredient list. If you have some leftovers you can go ahead and prepare a great tiramisu or a delicious mousse.
Sum up
Certainly, the best way of avoiding coffee getting bad is to brew the amount we are sure we will drink at that moment. However, we are not perfect and leftovers can happen.
With the information of this article, now you know for how long you can preserve your cup of coffee, the tricks to store it, and some creative ways to use old brew coffee without wasting it.