Is Day Old Coffee Safe To Drink? The Coffee Lovers Answer!

If you are asking yourself, “is day old coffee safe to drink” or looking for what to do with that day old brew other than drinking it. After all, waste not, want not right?…

This article is dedicated to the health and safety topic of drinking coffee that might not be as fresh as it once was…day old brew!

Under normal circumstances I’d tell you a straight up no and not to drink that cuppa Joe that you brewed yesterday, but there are exceptions.

Keep reading to find out if it is a wise choice or not!

Is Drinking Day-Old Coffee Bad For You?

If your day-old coffee has milk in it, then, regardless, it is not a good idea to drink it. The milk will start to go off, if it has not already, and cause an upset stomach even if it has passed your sniff and sip test. The only two exceptions to this are if you put your coffee in the fridge straight away and store it there.

The other exception is if your coffee is a cold-brewed coffee, and has been stored in your fridge. A cold brew, especially if it has been made from a cold brew concentrate, which tends to stay fresh for longer.

Brewed coffee unfortunately accumulates mold and has the potential for mold to grow when you keep it at ambient room temperature, so if you keep your coffee at a regular room temperature – under no circumstances would I recommend that you drink it – even if it has not yet gone rancid or does not have an unpleasant taste or smell.

You shouldn’t still run to quickly discard it and throw it down your sink though. I’ll tell you why in a moment.

Read: How to make whole bean coffee!

Is It Safe To Drink Day-Old Coffee With Cream?

Stale coffee, made with cream or coffee creamer or any dairy products, or non-dairy milk, you should follow the protocol above for day old coffee.

I advise that you take a safety first approach and use the sniff and sip test. If it has been stored in your fridge, proceed if it tastes fine. If it does not taste okay, then ditch it. If you have not stored your day-old coffee with cream in your fridge then ditch it – regardless of whether it passes the sniff and sip test or not!

How Long Is Brewed Coffee Good For In Your Fridge?

Very well-respected health sites like Healthline, Mayo Clinic and WebMD clearly state that it is okay for you to store your brewed coffee with milk or without milk for up to 3 to 4 days in your fridge when you keep it stored in an airtight container.

Personally, and for safety reasons, I cut that short by a day to 2 to 3 days. It is better to be safe than sorry. When you take it out of the fridge, drink it within an hour.

What To Do With Day Old Coffee?

There are plenty of things that you can do with day old coffee, other than drinking it. Here are some ideas:

• 1. Make coffee-flavored ice cream.
• 2. Use it to marinate meats.
• 3. Make coffee ice cubes.
• 4. Kick up your oatmeal by using your coffee instead of milk.
• 5. Use your day-old coffee to make a mocha.
• 6. Make a Tiramisu.
• 7. Use it to water your plants – it has great nutrients.
• 8. Use it to make a fruit + coffee smoothie – something that is huge in Vietnam!
• 9. Make a Frappé!

The last thing you should do is to throw it down the drain! That would be such a waste!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can Coffee Sit Out And Be Safe To Drink?

Brewed coffee, with or without milk, has about a 30-min window where it is at its peak taste, then at the 4-hour mark the coffee oils start to go off, and the taste starts to go off. At about this time, the 30 mins to 3 hour mark, you need to either drink your coffee or put it in the fridge.

Will Day Old Coffee Make Me Sick?

It is entirely feasible that day old coffee with and without milk or creamer can make you sick if it has not been stored in your fridge. It is not likely to kill you or make you too sick. An upset stomach and feeling a little queezy down there is the most likely.

If you have stored it well in an airtight container and in your fridge, then it will be fine – it will be only your taste buds that suffer from not having the full flavored coffee when it was fresh.

Is It Safe To Drink Expired Coffee?

Coffee does not go bad and go off in the same way that fruit, veg and other food products do. Drinking coffee from expired beans is not something that is likely to make you terribly sick. They will have lost their freshness factor and fresh flavor for sure, but it won’t make you sick at all.

There are a lot of things that you can do to keep your beans fresh for longer. I love to keep my beans in a vacuum coffee canister that is airtight and has a one-way valve. I then store this container in the freezer for maximum freshness.

You can also keep your beans fresher by only grinding them when you are about to brew your coffee, keeping your hopper empty.

Can You Save Coffee For The Next Day?

This is something that is entirely up to you. Most certainly, you can save your coffee for the next day as long as you refrigerate it. If you are fussy about the flavor and drinking your coffee at peak flavor, then it will not be in your best interest to save your leftover coffee.

Is Coffee Still Good The Next Day?

Yes, but it depends on the type of coffee drink and how you have stored it. If your leftover coffee has milk in it, it is best not to save that cup of coffee as milk can go off pretty quickly. The only exception to this is if you have stored your coffee well in an airtight container and kept it in the fridge.

Black coffee will stay overnight if it is stored at room temperature or in the fridge.

In either case, yoru coffee will have lost a large degree of its flavor.

Can You Drink Coffee That’s Been Sitting Out All Day?

Coffee that has been sitting out for more than 2 hours will have lost a large part of its aroma and flavor. Coffee starts to lose flavor after 25 to 30 minutes. You can most certainly still drink it with no consequences of getting ill, but understand that it will not taste as good as it was when it was freshly brewed.

 Frappé-Ing It All Up – Is Day Old Coffee Safe To Drink?

Yes, day old coffee is safe to drink just as long as you have saved it in the fridge before the 4-hour period in which the coffee oils go rancid. Personally, I am not a fan of saving old coffee at all. You are better brewing a fresh cup.

If any of your coffee-loving friends are wondering is day old coffee safe to drink, send them a link to this article.

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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