Can You Use Coffee Grounds Twice? Money Saving Coffee Hacks!

As a student and during hard times, that question can you use coffee grounds twice is something I used to ask myself many times in an effort to save some pennies!

While you might not save on your morning coffee, pennies can be pinched elsewhere.

Keep reading for the details!

Can You Use Coffee Grounds Twice?

There is no coffee lover that at some time of their life has not asked themselves that question, can you use coffee grounds twice?

I know I have, and on several occasions!

I’ve also tried multiple brewing methods with various pieces of coffee brewing equipment and coffee machines. The simple answer is that reusing coffee grounds to make a second cup of coffee results in a brew with a lot of lost flavor.

This stands true for cold brew coffee just as much as hot coffee drinks.

Thus,

if you are brewing a second cup of coffee and get a decent or good cup of coffee, there is likely to be something wrong with your coffee brewing technique, your coffee machine or both.

You can still use your coffee grounds for a second time, just not for an enjoyable cup of coffee.

The rest of this article will give you some great ideas for reusing coffee grounds and may even help you to save some money in other areas.

Read: What To Do With Coffee Grounds

Can You Reuse Coffee Grounds For Body Scrub?

Yes, you can reuse coffee grounds for making a body scrub. In fact, if you really wanted to, you could and most certainly can make a body scrub that is better and healthier than many of the expensive branded body scrubs.

The best part is you can tailor it to your skin and your own needs and enjoy personalized skin care.

Simply save your old coffee grounds. Let them dry out in an airtight container.

Save half a cup of spent coffee grounds, and add quarter of a cup of extra virgin organic coconut oil and quarter of a cup of brown sugar.

You can add Epsom salt too which is high in magnesium and a variety of herbs and essential oils.

You can also make it super healthy by mixing powdered vitamin C and powdered L citrulline, an amino acid that aids circulation and blood flow. Collagen is also a good idea to mix with your recipe.

Mix your ingredients well. Apply and use on your body as you would with a regular body scrub but let it sit there for half an hour to an hour. If you are adding L citrulline, use it at night, especially if you use it on your face as the L citrulline aids circulation and may cause a prolonged redness.

Can You Use Used Coffee Grounds For Face Scrub

Yes, reusing coffee grounds as a face scrub is a great idea. It’s the kind of scrub that is best to be used at night due to the caffeine alone being able to stimulate blood flow and circulation.

You coffee grounds contain great nutrients like Niacin, riboflavin, and other B complex vitamins and phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and other such minerals.

More interesting are the powerful antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and phenolic compounds which will do your skin a world of good.

Like the body scrub, you can add all kinds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and collagen to truly revitalize your skin.

If you do that, use it as a scrub and a face mask.

Use the same basic formula as the body scrub of using half a cup of used coffee grounds, quarter a cup of coconut oil and quarter cup of brown sugar as the base. Then add what you need to it for an amazing exfoliant and face mask that will rejuvenate your skin.

Read: Can I reuse coffee grounds? 

How To Reuse Coffee Grounds For Plants

Reusing coffee grounds for your garden and houseplants is a common, very common practice.

There are a few ways of using old coffee grounds to jazz up your plants and get them thriving like you simply would not believe!

Compost It

Add your old coffee grounds to your compost pile to add nitrogen, nutrients and help with water retention.

For your plants when your compost is ready, add some of the compost to your soil.

Make A Liquid Fertilizer

Make some brewed coffee with your spent coffee grounds, let it cool down to room temperature and use it to water your plants.

Even though a second cup of coffee is flavorless, the old ground coffee still contains nutrients that are highly beneficial for your plants.

Make A Mini Worm Farm

Worms and their castings, which are basically worm poop, are incredibly fantastic for the quality of your soil and help plants to thrive.

You can feed your worms old coffee grounds; they love them! Use the casting to mix with your soil. Your plants will bloom; you will not believe your eyes.

Add Your Ground Coffee To Your Soil

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

Add your spent coffee grounds every second or third day to avoid over acidification of yoru soil or changing the soil pH too much.

If it is a concern, add a sprinkle of baking soda to help maintain an alkaline balance.

Can You Reuse Coffee Filters

Yes, reusing your coffee grounds is not the only way that you can reduce your environmental impact and household waste.

Most paper coffee filters can be reused from three to five times at least. Just be sure to remove the old coffee grounds, rinse it well and let your paper filter dry naturally before you reuse it.

Read: Can you reuse coffee grounds?

Use Them For Art Projects

Coffee filters can be reused for art projects for yourself or your children’s arts and crafts. Famously they can be cleaned and used to make some amazing coffee filter paper flowers and some pretty amazing lampshades.

Reuse Your Coffee Filters For Your Plant Pots

You can line your plant pots with used coffee filters to prevent your soil from leaking out and still allow your water to flow.

Seed Germination

Fold a clean and used coffee filter paper and pout your seeds inside. Moisten it a little and put your used coffee filter in a container until it sprouts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Can You Use Coffee Grounds Twice

Can You Grind Coffee Twice?

No, if you try to grind coffee twice you will end up with coffee grinds that do not have anywhere near the same consistency of grind size had you ground them when they were whole grounds.

Brewing with them will produce a coffee that has an uneven flavor due to the lack of consistency in grind size. When coffee grinds are of different sizes, they will extract at different rates.

Can You Use Coffee Grounds Twice For Espresso?

No, you cannot use your used coffee puck to brew a second espresso shot. If you were to try it, you will find that your coffee will taste overtly sour. It is the only the first extraction that makes great coffee.

How Long Can You Use Coffee After Grinding?

If you store it well, and it has great conditions, your coffee will stay well for about a week after you grind it. At Latte Love Brew our focus is on helping you to get the best possible tasting cup of coffee, and thus we do not recommend pre-ground coffee or grinding your coffee in advance.

For maximum flavor and enjoyment, grind your coffee immediately prior to brewing.

Can I Use Already Ground Coffee For Espresso?

Yes, you can use preground coffee for making espresso in your espresso machine as long as it is of a fine powder like coffee grind size of 200 microns.

It is best to grind your own coffee beans and enjoy a fresher and better taste.

Do Used Coffee Grounds Have Caffeine?

On average, used coffee grounds still have a caffeine content of between 3.6 to 8.1 mg.

How Do you Know If Coffee Grind Is Bad?

Start by giving your coffee grounds a good visual exam for mold. While you’re giving your coffee a good visual exam, examine it for off-and-rancid moldy smells or simply has a flat smell.

Then brew a test cup and take a sip to taste test it and be on the lookout for off tastes.

How Many Times Can You Use Grounds For Cold Brew?

You can only use your grounds for cold brew once. A second cup will result in a dull, flavorless and slightly sour coffee.

What Happens If You Leave Coffee Grounds In Cold Brew Too Long?

When you leave your coffee grind in your cold brew coffee for too long, you will over extract your coffee and will extract the catechol oligomers, chemicals that are very bitter tasting.

Final Thoughts – Can You Use Coffee Grounds Twice?

If you have read this far you know the answer to that question, can you use coffee grounds twice and know that while you can’t get a great second cup of coffee or even a remotely drinkable second cup, you can make secondary uses and recycle both your grounds and your coffee filters and save money in other areas.

Join our fun and friendly coffee community and tell us all how you get a second use out of your coffee grounds and what you reuse them for. Help us all to reduce our waste and help the environment. Find Us On Facebook/Meta!

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