So, you’ve come here to find an answer to that age old question: can you reheat coffee? After all, you’ve spent all this time choosing the right green coffee beans, dialing in the best roast settings, and brewing a great cup of coffee. But now it’s gone cold. How do you reheat your coffee without ruining all the work you’ve put into so far?
First of all, there are a couple techniques that you can use to stop your coffee from getting cold at all. This helps because, when coffee cools, the chemistry shifts, and it becomes slightly more acidic. We recommend using items like a mug warmer, insulated thermos, cup sleeve, or covered mug if you know you’ll be working on a cup for a while.
Can You Reheat Coffee?
Simply put, if you want it to have the same flavor, you should just make a freshly brewed cup of joe. But if you’re short on time or enjoy the taste of reheated coffee, there are several options for you. In short, the answer is yes.
First, you need to make sure that you follow a couple guidelines. Recently brewed black coffee or refrigerated coffee is best for reheating.
If you added dairy, then the coffee might spoil. In this case, you definitely do not want to reheat it. This can happen after only an hour or two. Dairy products are also more likely to curdle during the reheating process.
Last, reheating black coffee that has been sitting for more than four hours does not work. At this point, the oils in the coffee start to go bad, making it unfit for consumption.
Both of these countdowns can be put off by storing your black coffee in the refrigerator. But we still don’t recommend keeping it longer than the next day.
The Best Way to Reheat Coffee: The Stovetop Method
The stovetop method proceeds generally as the name implies. You reheat your coffee by heating it in a pot on the stove. The reason this is the best method comes down to control.
On the stovetop you can slowly and evenly heat the coffee. This helps prevent it from burning, which would increase the bitterness.
The steps are:
- Pour your cold coffee into an appropriately sized pot
- Place the pot on the stove at low to medium heat
- Check temperature and remove when ready. We recommend a temperature of 180*F. While you can let the coffee cool before drinking it, this is a common temperature for cafes to serve their coffee.
After that, all you need to do is enjoy your reheated cup of coffee. By reheating it evenly, you increase your chances of having the flavor be as close as possible to the original brew.
How to Reheat Coffee in the Microwave
Microwaves add a lot of convenience to reheating coffee, and sometimes that’s just what you need. Microwaves can also remove the aroma of your coffee, and that’s never what anyone needs.
The trick to reheating coffee in the microwave is to make the process as similar to the stovetop method as possible. The easiest way to do this is to set your microwave at low heat. Then, heat it up in 30 second bursts. If the coffee heats up too quickly, it may cause additional bitterness.
Other Ways to Reheat Coffee
If you’re looking for another way to reheat coffee, you have a couple options. For those of you who own an espresso machine, you can use the steam wand. A warming milk frother could work as well.
You could also add hot water or milk to the coffee. This works best if the coffee has not gotten completely cold yet, as the addition will dilute the taste.
But your best bet is to use either the stovetop or microwave. Getting fancy won’t necessarily improve the flavor, although sugar and creamer might.
How to Make Iced Coffee Out of Your Hot Coffee
This one is pretty complicated, so stick with me here. In order to turn cold coffee into iced coffee, you need to pour your cold coffee over ice. That’s it. Enjoy!
Remember, coffee should only sit for up to four hours before being refrigerated or tossed.
Conclusion
To sum it up: you can reheat coffee. As long as you don’t throw it in the microwave for a long time, you have a pretty good chance of enjoying it again. If your reheated coffee tastes bad, then just brew more coffee. Hopefully this blog helped you to salvage a good brew.