We understand that there might be some extenuating circumstances that might make you consider drinking coffee that already has 24 hours on it or more. It might be that you have made the coffee for the family before you realize that you are the only home that day, and you, of course, cannot punish yourself by taking a swig at the whole pot. Or, it could be that you walked past the office coffee pot and you can tell that there hasn’t been a fresh brew in the past day. Well, one thing common to all of these scenarios is that It can only breed one question; can I drink a day old coffee? Or the slightly similar one; would I be doing myself a health disservice by pouring myself a cup?
Well, if you are expecting to get a yes or no answer from this article, or from anywhere else, you will most likely be disappointed because the answer is not exactly straightforward, and it may depend on one or two factors. Okay, while we may go out on a limb and say that It might not kill you if you take a cup of old coffee once in a while, we will go on further in this article to examine circumstances where you can take the coffee and when you most certainly want to risk it. Here some of the factors to carefully consider:
Exactly How Old is the coffee?
It is essential to know how many hours precisely have passed on the coffee. This is because a typical pot of coffee has two revolutions of quality. The first occurs just about 30 minutes after the brewing. This is where the coffee cools down and loses its dominant flavor. The other is after 4 hours. This is when the oils lose quality, and the coffee becomes more acidic. The crux of this is that you should expect your pot of coffee to have lost most of its flavor at 24 hours and there is a good chance that it will grow increasingly bitter as the water continue to evaporate. So, it is now up to you if you still want to drink your coffee after this development.
Plain Black Coffee or Dairy Products Inclusive?
By dairy products, we mean milk, sugar or any other fat addictive. If it is the case that any of these is included in your coffee, then you should even be warier. This is because dairy products that have been left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours begin to get contaminated and may become detrimental to the health. So, this brings another twist. A black coffee without any other dairy addictive may be a lesser risk to take compared with one laced with all sorts of milk, cremes or sugar.
Coffee may have some natural antibacterial properties, but you shouldn’t bank on that.
Coffee brewed from roasted beans to have some antibacterial functions as a result of its acidity, but there is credible research that shows that it is just about 50% potent in killing bacteria. Thus, if you are nursing the thought that your coffee is capable of fighting its germs, have a rethink. The coffee filter doesn’t help for much too as it only filters out chemicals and metal, and definitely not microorganisms.
Aged coffee gathers molds and Bacteria:
We assume that you probably know this already. More hours counting on a coffee pot makes it susceptible to molds and bacteria. This is because the chemical composition of a coffee continues to change as there is a breakdown in the delicate compounds that give the drink its beloved taste. Thus, it is very much possible to still go ahead with your day-old coffee if you are confident that you keep a clean pot on a regular basis. How you do this? Juggle a smooth solution of vinegar and water through the machine at least once a month, then run another cycle of pure water for getting rid of any leftover vinegar that may mar your next coffee brew. Doing this regularly will help you get rid of common bacteria problems, and you may not have to worry too much if you drink day old coffee a few times in between,
Now that we have discussed the circumstance under which you may or may not drink a day old coffee, we assume that you are the type that doesn’t like to err on the wrong side of caution, and you don’t want to have anything to do with that pot of coffee that has been made since yesterday. In that case, we are going to suggest to you other uses for the coffee other than tossing it off into the sink.
Bring out more flavor from your favorite cereal:
Do you know that you can add more flavor to the cereal by adding a little coffee instead of ordinary water? Yeah, that’s right. A little coffee can bring out an exciting flavor from your favorite cereal, and we can be sure you will consider this much more beneficial than washing the coffee down the sink.
Helpful for Acid Loving Plants: Some plants thrive when watered with an acid touch. Your leftover coffee will be useful if you keep a garden that contains plants like Azaleas or Orchids. Some cold, diluted coffee can give them a real boost. However, we strongly advise that you limit your coffee watering once in a week or two. And once the plants start turning out yellow or brown leaves, that’s a sign that the soil is getting too acidic.
Eliminate offensive odors: Stored in, dry coffee work almost the same way as using a baking soda to deodorize the home.