Brewed coffee is a delicious way to start the day, but how long can it sit out before it becomes unsafe to drink? The answer may surprise you!
In this article, we will discuss the safe storage and consumption of brewed coffee.
We’ll also dispel some myths about coffee and offer tips on how to make the most of your morning cup. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to enjoy your morning cup of joe with peace of mind!
So, how long is brewed coffee good for?
Freshly brewed coffee is best enjoyed within 30 minutes otherwise the flavor will begin to degrade. After a couple of hours, the brewed coffee will have an unpleasant bitter taste and will lose a significant amount of aromatic compounds.
So it’s best to consume coffee as soon as possible after brewing to enjoy the best coffee flavor and aromas. However, make sure to allow the coffee to first cool down to an enjoyable drinking temperature.
How Long Can Freshly Brewed Coffee Sit Out For?
As mentioned earlier, freshly brewed coffee starts to degrade in flavor when left out for more than 30 minutes.
If, on the other hand, you’re trying to find out how long it takes before your brewed coffee becomes unsafe to drink, that’s a whole different question.
So how long can freshly brewed coffee sit out for?
Plain black coffee can last for up to 24 hours before it becomes unsafe to drink. In contrast, coffee with creamer or milk will only be safe to drink after being left out at room temperature for not more than 2 hours. Keep in mind that this timeframe also applies to almond milk coffee.
What Causes Coffee to Taste Stale When Left Out?
There are a couple of reasons why the coffee’s flavor will begin to degrade when left out for some time:
1. Air Exposure
The longer your coffee is exposed to oxygen, the more its aromatic compounds will oxidize.
The oxidation process is what will cause the aroma and flavor of brewed coffee to diminish. Oxidation is typically the main reason behind the faded taste in coffee that has been left out.
2. Heat Exposure
Heat exposure speeds up the degradation of organic compounds found in freshly brewed coffee, particularly aromatic ones. If you leave coffee in a hot environment, the higher temperature will cause these compounds to break down and change in flavor.
So keeping coffee cool after it has been brewed will help preserve the organic compounds in freshly brewed coffee.
If you want your coffee to last longer, avoiding these coffee enemies should help.
How To Store Coffee in the Refrigerator
Ideally, you should store your coffee in an airtight container at room temperature.
However, if you want to refrigerate it, make sure to transfer it into a sealed container first. That way, you will not only protect the coffee from exposure to oxygen but you will also keep it from absorbing the flavors from the other foods that you’ll have stored in the fridge.
Placing freshly brewed black coffee in the fridge will help preserve its freshness for more than 24 hours. According to some coffee aficionados, black coffee can stay up to a week in the fridge without a significant loss in taste.
However, it’s not recommended that you brew more coffee than you would need in a day unless it’s cold-brewed.
Cold-brewed coffee is basically a cold brew concentrate that you place in the fridge and add water or milk whenever you want to take a cup or two of coffee. Cold-brew should be able to last for up to two weeks in the fridge as long as you place it in an airtight container.
On the other hand, if you have to store dairy-based coffee drinks in the fridge, don’t let the dairy-based coffee drink sit out for more than 12 hours. In truth, it’s best if you brew just enough dairy-based coffee so that you don’t have any excess to store.
Does the Caffeine Content Go Down if You Let Coffee Stay Out?
One of the most interesting facts that you should know about coffee is that its caffeine content remains the same throughout the period that the coffee is left to sit out.
Caffein is amazingly stable which is why the caffeine content does not go down over time.
So if you’re wondering whether leaving your cold brew for up to two weeks in the fridge will result in lower caffeine content – the answer is no.
Drinking Coffee Left Out Overnight
If you have been wondering whether you can drink that coffee that you left on your counter overnight after getting a little bit distracted, it’s good to know that you can. Just make sure that it’s black coffee and that the coffee doesn’t have any dairy in it.
For black coffee, drinking it either cold or hot the next morning should work just fine.
If it’s coffee with milk or creamer, be sure to leave it refrigerated overnight if you plan to take it the next morning. Once you get it out of the fridge, you will want to heat it before drinking it.
While drinking your Starbucks black coffee the next morning after leaving the coffee overnight won’t make you sick, the coffee will not taste as good as when the barista made it. The good news is that it should taste just fine enough for you to enjoy it as morning coffee.
Will Microwaving Coffee Kill Bacteria?
One of the most common questions that people have regarding coffee left out is whether microwaving it will kill all germs and bacteria present in it. Generally, there will be cool pockets when microwaving coffee where the bacteria can still survive.
While a majority of coffee snobs will freak out at the slightest thought of microwaving their coffee, there is nothing wrong with doing that.
Just be sure to give your coffee enough time to heat and occasionally stir so that you are not left with pockets of unheated portions with surviving bacteria.
A good tip to stick with when microwaving coffee is allowing it to heat for intervals of 15 seconds after which you stir it to make sure that it heats evenly.
You can also reheat your coffee on the stovetop. Just place it on low heat and give it a gentle stir every now and then until it reaches the desired drinking temperature.
One Last Word
So if you accidentally left your coffee out overnight or throughout the day then the freshly brewed black coffee will be safe to drink within 24 hours. However, any coffee with dairy will not be safe to consume if left out at room temperatures for more than 2 hours.
If you want to extend the lifespan of your coffee then place the coffee in the fridge. Black coffee can last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge whereas coffee drinks with dairy should be consumed within 24 hours when stored in the fridge.
So grab that cup of leftover coffee and reheat it and get your day going again!
