# Does left over coffee keep better in the refrigerator? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [June 28, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744 "2010-06-28T03:29:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/1 "2010-06-28T03:29:49Z")
I sometimes make a big pot of fresh coffee in the morning, but don’t get a chance to drink it all before the end of the day. I usually just leave it in the turned off pot, reheat it, and drink it the next day. Should I instead put the left over coffee in the refrigerator? Can coffee go bad within 24 hours if left out at room temperature? Is it a bad idea in general to drink day-old coffee? ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/2 "2010-06-28T03:51:21Z")
It’s what I do. Still tastes pretty fresh the next day if refrigerated. More so than leaving it out all day & night. You could put the extra in a Thermos but even that’s not necessary, at least for me. I don’t think there’s any harm in day-old coffee if no cream had been added to it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/3 "2010-06-28T03:55:32Z")
I drink it iced. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/4 "2010-06-28T06:28:54Z")
I’m addicted to iced coffee. I make it the previous evening and refrigerate it overnight. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/5 "2010-06-28T14:06:15Z")
My grandparents always did it. They re-heated it in a pan on the stove. Myself, I put it in a Thermos. Reheated never tastes as fresh to me. And lately I’ve been making iced coffee too! I can’t believe I scoffed at this stuff for years and then tried it! Of course, sugar makes most things better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/6 "2010-06-28T14:07:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I drink it iced. Good stuff. This. Leftover coffee is great for iced coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/7 "2010-06-28T14:10:16Z")
If you cold-brew your coffee in the first place, you never have to worry about it being undrinkable when heated. Tastes better, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/8 "2010-06-28T14:35:14Z")
How do you cold-brew coffee? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/9 "2010-06-28T15:50:09Z")
Probably we should be having this discussion in Cafe Society. Shall we reconvene there? From IMHO. **Ellen Cherry Absent-Minded Moderator** ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/10 "2010-06-28T16:15:12Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > How do you cold-brew coffee? Details covered in several threads over the past couple of years, but basically you put ground coffee in a container (I just use a glass bowl), dump cold water in with it and let it sit overnight. Strain out the grounds (I use a fine sieve, but others use cheesecloth), and you’ve got some of the best coffee ever, hot or cold. It seems less acidic and less bitter. I used to make enough for several days, storing it in the fridge. It doesn’t turn bitter and tar-like as with boiled coffee. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-left-over-coffee-keep-better-in-the-refrigerator/544744/11 "2010-06-28T23:24:14Z")
Years ago, our minister’s wife saved a bunch of coffee leftover from a funeral on Saturday in the fridge. Sunday morning she poured it back in the big percolators and served it up for coffee hour. People raved about how good it was…asked if she’d changed brands. She didn’t tell them it was reheated…she mentioned it to me, because I didn’t drink the stuff and wouldn’t be “offended”.