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Author:
Melissa Collins
It happens to everyone: you brew a big pot of coffee and realize you made too much. Or, you got several bags of coffee beans for Christmas and you won’t be able to use them all before their expiration date.
So are there ways to save coffee so you don’t have to throw it out? Here’s the scoop: it turns out you can freeze, refrigerate, and microwave your coffee.
The answer is yes! If you like to grind your coffee ahead of time to have one less thing to do in the mornings, or you prefer to buy it already ground, feel free to keep your ground coffee in the freezer. Don’t worry: freezing won’t impact the quality. You’ll still get that freshly ground taste!
The freezer is a perfectly cool and dark place to store your coffee; heat and light can cause damage. Make sure you put your ground coffee in an airtight container. This prevents any moisture from getting in.
What if you’ve already brewed coffee and you won’t drink all of it? Turns out, it’s safe to stick leftovers in the freezer. That’s good news for people who brew a big pot in the morning and want to save some for later. Or, if you host an event and there’s coffee left over, rest assured it won’t go to waste.
However, freezing and then thawing coffee can have consequences. Think about it: your food tastes weird if you cook it, freeze it, and thaw it over and over again. The same goes for your coffee, so try to avoid freezing it in large batches if possible. A great way to store brewed coffee in the freezer is to pour it in an ice cube tray, so you can add coffee ice cubes to your next cup.
It is perfectly safe to keep brewed coffee in your refrigerator. In fact, chefs use this trick when they need to add coffee to a dessert. There are just a few rules of thumb to follow:
It is definitely safe to reheat your brewed coffee in the microwave. To prevent it from burning, adjust the power of your microwave and be mindful of how long you put it in.
Microwave in 30-second intervals to get it back to the perfect temperature! Just keep in mind that, just like reheating food, your coffee may not taste as good as it did when it was freshly brewed.
Bottom line: if you have leftover coffee, it’s completely okay to put it in the fridge or the freezer, then reheat it. Make sure you always store it in an airtight container. Your coffee won’t go to waste!