Can I Reuse Coffee Grounds? The Ultimate Coffee Tricks!

The question Can I reuse coffee grounds? has been on my mind lately, and yes, you can absolutely reuse your coffee grounds.

Sadly though, no matter what brewing methods you use you can’t get a second cup of coffee. You can still save money in other ways.

The ladies reading this will save a fortune on beauty treatments and make their own, and much better. The keen gardener will find some tips for making their flowers and plants bloom brighter and better.

Keep reading for the details.

Can I Reuse Coffee Grounds?

Absolutely, and I strongly encourage you to use your old coffee grounds and reduce household waste and your impact on the environment.

Let’s make one thing clear: no matter what your brewing methods are or how hard you try or what anyone else has told you, reusing coffee grounds to make a second cup of coffee is a huge no!

Your second cup will be weak, watery and pretty flavorless, devoid of flavor.

You can thankfully reuse your coffee grounds and coffee pods and reduce your waste, help the environment and save yourself a pretty penny on expensive beauty products or garden fertilizers and more.

Let’s get talking about what you can do with leftover coffee grounds.

Read: Can you use coffee grounds twice?

Can I Reuse Coffee Grounds For Cold Brew?

Reusing Cold brew coffee is worth a special mention here as I have seen on various other coffee blogs and websites that you can use leftover coffee grounds from cold brew coffee to make two or three more cups of coffee.

This is simply not true.

In fact, if it was possible for you to get a second or third cup of coffee from your coffee grounds no matter what the brewing method is, hot coffee or cold coffee brewing, there is something wrong with your brewing technique or your equipment or coffee machine.

You should get all the flavor in your first cup.

I even heard stories of first using your used cold brew coffee grounds with the second cup being brewed with hot water to get the second cup of coffee. This is simply not true.

Reusing Coffee Grounds For Second Cup

I am guilty of reusing coffee grounds for a second cup of coffee from time to time.

Why?

It’s not to drink, it is to test and spot check my brewing technique and ensure that I’m getting all the flavor into the first cup. It also helps me to spot check my coffee maker.

The resulting coffee?

Waste not want not! I let it cool down and use it as a liquid fertilizer for my plants.

I’ll talk more about this later.

Read: What to do with old coffee grounds

How To Reuse Coffee Grounds For Cleaning Pots And Pans

You can use your old coffee grounds for cleaning dirty pots and pans. Coffee grounds are acidic and abrasive, which gives them their cleaning power for removing burnt-on dirt and gunk.

Simply soak your dirty pots, dish and what you need to clean in hot water for 45 mins and then run your used coffee grounds on the surface.

You will grind off the stains and have them shining like new!

Don’t go around using this technique on non-stick cookware or glossy surfaces. Use this method in a similar way as you would steel wool.

How To Reuse Coffee Grounds For Skin Care

Reusing coffee grounds as an exfoliating face scrub and face mask is a fantastic idea as you can fully customize it with herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids to customize it for your needs, goals and betterment of your skin.

This scrub is best used at night as caffeine stimulates blood flow and may leave your face reddish in color, which may last for a while.

Coffee contains magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, B complex vitamins like riboflavin and niacin and more.

It’s also full of potent antioxidants and particularly chlorogenic acid that is found only in coffee.

Making your scrub and face mask is easy. Use one cup of used coffee grounds. Half a cup of extra virgin coconut oil, half a cup of Epsom salts and brown sugar.

That is your base ingredients.

You can add any additional ingredients like collagen, vitamin C and L – Citrulline to revitalize your skin.

Rosemary and valerian are great options for herbs to add. Focus on what your skin needs to rejuvenate it and keep it sparkling.

For my Cambodian girlfriend I like to add pine pollen powder and shilajit powder as both are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fully nourish her skin. Collagen, vitamin A and vitamin C and vitamin D and a vitamin E in high amount to ensure her skin is kept in great health.

L citrulline, an amino acid which improves circulation.

Use the scrub as you would a regular facial scrub and leave it on for an hour and then remove.

Her face remains red for a couple of hours afterward due to the L citrulline, but this is a sign that it is working.

She has great skin, and glows, and absolutely radiates her beauty!

Applying at night is best as this is when your body goes to work, repair all cells and damage while you are sleeping.

Using Your Used Coffee Grounds For An Exfoliating Body Scrub

You can also use your used coffee grounds to make an exfoliant body scrub, or better still a fat burning, cellulite busting body scrub.

As per the recipe for a face mask and scrub, use the same base ingredients. Have a good thought of what it is your skin from this part of your body needs.

I add ginger, Cayenne Pepper to raise my girl’s body heat and add vitamin C, L Citrulline, collagen, iron, and the whole array of the vitamin B vitamins as these stimulate the production of L Carnitine and aid fat burning and helps with cellulite and burns body fat.

Use it as a scrub and leave it on for an hour before washing it off.

Read: Can you reuse coffee grounds?

Make A Stimulating Hair Mask

Use your coffee grounds to make a stimulating hair mask which is great for removing the hair products from your hair from gels, to hair spray and renourish your hair from the chemical assault that is has gone under.

It’s also good for removing dead skin cells and exfoliating your scalp.

Make the base using 50% coffee grounds and 25% coconut oil and 25% brown sugar.

Add vitamins and minerals as well as herbs and amino acids that your hair needs. L Citrulline is a great one to add as it aids circulation and thus stimulating your scalp and hair.

Leave it on your hair and scalp for an hour to aid circulation and get nutrients to your hair.

Take A Coffee Ground Bath

This is best achieved by making a bath bomb out of your coffee grounds.

Use a cup or two of coffee grounds and put them in a cheesecloth and make a pouch. Tie or wrap it or use a rubber band.

The caffeine content, nutrients and antioxidants will help to repair cellular damage.

You can, should you want to add some aromatherapy oils too. It’s not a bad idea to fill your bath with water from a vitamin C shower head and help get the benefits from that.

In fact, a vitamin C shower is something all home should have, they are inexpensive and even though they need replaced the health benefits of absorbing vitamin C via the skin and enjoy the benefits for your skin.

Take every advantage you can get and don’t forget to add Epsom salts for an enjoyable relaxing bath and enjoy the benefits of magnesium.

How To Reuse Coffee Grounds For Plants

Reusing your coffee grounds for brightly and sprightly plants. There are multiple ways of achieving that goal.

Let’s get to the details!

Make A Liquid Fertilizer

This is the easiest and most convenient way of using your old coffee grounds to help your plants.

Simply brew your old grounds, let them cool down and then water your plants and garden with the coffee.

Add Your Coffee Grounds To Your Soil

Adding your coffee grounds to your soil can be done in two different ways. Both ways will result in improving the quality of your soil.

When your used coffee grounds are still wet, add them to the top of your soil. Do this no more than 8 or 9 times to avoid the acidification of your soil. I like to spread this out, adding the coffee grounds only every 2nd or 3rd day.

The second method involves removing your plants from their pot and mixing your used coffee grounds and replanting.

Make A Worm Farm

You can easily make a worm farm and add your old coffee grounds to it alongside other food scraps.

Worms of all kinds love coffee and will poop them out, creating what is commonly known as worm castings. These castings are rich in nutrients and great for your plants, flowers and all parts of your garden.

Make Compost

This is essentially the same as the worm farm method without the worms. Save your food scraps of all types and kinds. Add no more than 20% coffee grounds. It will slowly decay to a nutrient dense compost which is brilliant for your plants.

Repel Slugs, Insects, Rabbits And Cats

You can use your old coffee grounds to protect your garden plants from slugs, insects, cats and rabbits.

Simply sprinkle your coffee grounds liberally in your garden. Notably, fresh coffee grounds from an Italian roast work much better.

Frequently Asked Questions About Can I Reuse Coffee Grounds?

Can You Use The Same Coffee Grounds Twice For Espresso?

No, reusing coffee grounds to pull a second shot of espresso will result in a weak, flavorless and slightly sour shot.

If you are pulling a second shot with your old coffee grounds, and you get a reasonably good espresso shot, you will need to make some adjustments to your technique, your machine or both as you are not getting all the flavor into your first shot.

From time to time for various brewing methods I intentionally brew a second shot with the same grounds to check my technique and my machine to find if any adjustments are needed.

How Many Times Can You Reuse Coffee Grounds?

You can use your old coffee grounds once. Regardless of the coffee brewing methods, technique, grind size, brewing temperature or roast you should only get one great cup of coffee from your coffee grounds.

Getting a second cup of coffee when reusing coffee grounds is a signal of poor brewing technique or your machine needs to be adjusted.

A second cup of coffee should taste weak and sour.

Should I Save Used Coffee Grounds?

Absolutely! Waste not want not! There is no reason to simply throw out your old coffee grounds.

You can’t use them to brew a second cup of coffee, but you can use it to absorb unpleasant odors, to add nitrogen to your compost pile or garden soil. They can be used to help grow mushrooms, a facial and hair exfoliation.

If you scratched furniture you can, use your spent grounds.

Coffee is also a great insect repellant, but in my experience fresh coffee grounds work better.

Can You Leave Ground Coffee Out Overnight?

Yes, you can leave your ground coffee out overnight. I advise that you only grind your coffee immediately before you brew it as you will get a much better tasting cup of coffee.

I also advise that you store your whole beans in a professional opaque coffee canister with an airtight lid with a one-way valve.

Can You Put Wet Coffee Grounds On Plants?

Yes, both wet and dry coffee grounds added to your soil will act as a fertilizer that will slowly release nitrogen and nutrients into your soil.

Your old coffee grounds contain phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and more.

Is It Better To Keep Ground Coffee In The Fridge?

Yes, it’s much better that you keep your whole bean and ground coffee in your fridge. Your fridge helps to protect your coffee against heat and strong lights.

It is best that you use an opaque professional coffee canister with an airtight lid and a one-way valve. This will protect your coffee against the scents of food in your fridge which can alter how your coffee tastes.

The best storage technique is to use two coffee canisters. Use one to store a week’s worth of coffee and keep in your fridge, the other to store your coffee in your freezer. Refill when needed. Keeping your coffee in your freezer is even better as it slows down the oxidation process to almost zero.

Should Ground Coffee Be Frozen?

If you are buying large batches of whole coffee beans, it is advantageous and advised to freeze them. You must freeze in a series of professional coffee canisters to help protect against freezer burn and the funky scents from your freezer.

The low sub-zero temperatures reduce the oxidation process that leads to the degradation of your coffee to almost zero.

For daily use, I advise storing your coffee in your fridge as the constant opening and closing of your frozen coffee beans is not good.

Can You Store Ground Coffee In A Glass Jar?

No! Storing your ground coffee or whole bean coffee in an ordinary glass jar offers you no protection against the main enemies of coffee, which are:

• Heat.
• Light.
• Air.

This is why I insist on a proper coffee canister as they are airtight, opaque and insulated to protect against heat.

Final Thoughts – Can I Reuse Coffee Grounds?

Having read this far you have the answer to the question, can I reuse coffee grounds? And found some great ways of using your coffee grounds that will save you a fair bit of money and have the additional bonus of reducing household waste.

Tell us all about how you reuse coffee grounds and do your part to reduce household waste?

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location