Coffee is an absolute necessity in our lives, especially if you’re an office worker getting up at 6 am in the morning or a late-night worker trying to stay awake. But drinking so many cups of coffee and having to throw away the coffee grounds each time might have led you to question, “Can you reuse ground coffee?”.
Throwing away and wasting coffee grounds after a single use doesn’t sit right with most of us and has certainly made us question this! As much as we all love coffee, we also like conserving and recycling, don’t we? Have you asked yourself if you can make another cup of coffee from the same grounds and if not, is there any other way of reusing or recycling them? We have all the answers for you.
Can you reuse coffee grounds?
Yes, you can reuse coffee grounds to make another cup of coffee, but usually, you should not do so if you do not want to compromise on the quality of your coffee. You can only reuse it once, within the same day, within twenty-four hours, or more preferably less. You cannot let it sit for a day or two and then use it to make coffee again.
If you do not want to throw these coffee grounds away, you can reuse or recycle them in countless other ways as we will describe in this article.
What happens if you reuse the coffee grounds to make more coffee?
If you intend to reuse the coffee grounds for making more coffee, you must keep some things in mind. You should only reuse it to make coffee on the same day. Do not let it sit for too long.
Do not make another cup with the same grounds immediately. This makes your coffee taste bitter as it gets over-extracted. You cannot let it sit for too long either as then, your coffee will be too weak and bland. So it is important to make sure that you are reusing them properly. You do not want an overly bitter burnt-out coffee nor do you want a very weak and bland cup of coffee that fails to do its job.
So wait a couple of hours before reusing it but not too long. Ideally, it is advised to not make another cup of coffee with used coffee grounds. But if you must, then follow the examples given below.
How to reuse coffee grounds for making coffee?
Since you cannot immediately reuse coffee grounds for another cup as that results in bitterness, you need to let the grounds cool down first. While they are cooling down, you must remember to cover them. This will preserve the coffee’s flavor. You cannot let it sit for a very long time like a day or two as the moist coffee grounds are an excellent environment for bacteria to develop. It is thus advised that you use them shortly once they cool down and make sure you cover them.
If you are reusing coffee grounds, be prepared that the coffee will have a compromised flavor. However, if you use a lot of sugar, milk, or cream in your coffee, it might not taste so bad and the difference would not be as apparent. You can prepare a cold brew coffee if you are reusing the grounds. To that, you can add ice and milk and it will taste better.
What are other ways to reuse or recycle your coffee grounds?
There are countless other ways to reuse or recycle coffee grounds if you do not want to just throw them away. Use the methods given below:
1. Use as a fertilizer
You can easily make a homemade fertilizer using coffee grounds instead of spending money to buy it from the stores. You can simply add them to the soil or mix them with water and keep the water in your sprinkler bottle. Your soil often lacks all the nutrients for healthy plant growth and coffee grounds can serve to provide those nutrients thus enriching your soil. You can also use coffee grounds to make compost.
2. Use ground coffee as an exfoliator
The coffee grounds can be used as an exfoliator to get rid of dirt and dead skin. Simply mix them with water or oil, such as coconut oil, and there you have it! Your very own homemade exfoliator! It is an excellent scrub and is used to improve complexion as well, according to some researchers.
3. Ground coffee can be used to clean dishes
Use the grounds to clean your dirty dishes that usually take a lot of time to scrub. Those pots and pans that seem too difficult to scrub can be cleaned effectively by using coffee grounds. Their coarse texture makes them an excellent cleaner. You can also use them to clean your kitchen sink.
4. Coffee grounds work as an amazing insect-repellent
Coffee grounds can serve as an insect repellent and also attract certain insects, such as cockroaches if you want to catch them and get rid of them for good.
5. Neutralize odor with ground coffee
You can use the coffee grounds as a deodorizer. Coffee serves as an excellent odor neutralizer. Put a bowl of coffee grounds in your refrigerator or freezer. You can then put them in pantyhose and hang pantyhose in your trash to get rid of the stinking trash odor. You can use them to remove odor from shoes as well. You can also use them not just to remove the bad smell but also as air fresheners. Finally, rubbing the grounds on your hands can help get rid of the smell of garlic.
6. Polish wood using coffee grounds
Use the coffee grounds as a wood polisher. Just soak the used coffee grounds in water for some time. Drain them but do not throw away the water. Add olive oil and a little amount of the drained liquid. And that’s how you’ll get your homemade wood polisher. If your furniture has any scratches, just dip the cloth in the wood polisher that you made from coffee grounds and rub it on the scratch. It works well because coffee grounds stain the wood.
7. Shine your hair with some ground coffee
Use them as a hair shiner to get rid of buildup in your hair. Just rub them on your hair after shampooing and rinse thoroughly.
How long do coffee grounds last once opened?
Coffee grounds go bad faster than coffee beans as the grounds have more surface area and attract moisture. According to one research, the oils in coffee begin to evaporate when it goes bad. An unopened can of ground coffee lasts up to four to six months. However, once it is opened, it can only last for two months after which it will go bad.
Does reusing coffee grounds reduce caffeine?
Yes, reusing coffee grounds will definitely reduce the caffeine content. Your second cup is still drinkable as we have mentioned above but it will have less caffeine. So, if you are planning to reuse coffee grounds to make a cup of coffee that will keep you active and awake, it is best to make a completely new cup of coffee.
How can you tell if your coffee has gone bad?
Visibly, there are often no changes but one key aspect of coffee is it’s string and pleasant smell. If your coffee is stale or has expired, it will not smell the same.
How long can brewed coffee last?
Coffee tastes best when it is freshly made. It is good for the first thirty minutes but after that, the taste starts going bad as it continues to oxidize. It is still drinkable in the next four or five hours but after that, it is best to make a new batch. Also, you should not reheat coffee. Reheating it would alter the chemicals within it, thus completely ruining the flavor.
Bottomline on whether you can reuse ground coffee!
Coming to the conclusion, we would say that while you can reuse coffee grounds to make another cup of coffee, it is best not to do it as the flavor is greatly compromised. A lot of baristas say that while it is still drinkable, they would never advise you to do it.
However, there are ways you can still enjoy a second cup using used coffee grounds as we have described in this article. Whether it is because you want to save time or money or you would like to get the most out of it, just make sure to follow the precautions and steps.
Your coffee experience should always be good and give you the boost you want. We hope you find this article helpful for your coffee needs!
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