Can You Reheat The Coffee? (The Best Way to Do it)

Iced coffees are delicious and hot coffees are a staple of life as we know it, but chilled hot coffee just isn’t okay. Can you reheat coffee without ruining it? If you are a very critical coffee connoisseur with an expertly refined palate, maybe not.

But for the rest of us, the best way to reheat coffee is slow and steady in a pot on your stove. There is no argument that the fresh is the best, but sometimes you are in the mood for quick and easy.

In this article, we’ll cover several effective ways to reheat your coffee, taking into account the different types of infusions made in different ways and, of course, your busy lifestyle.

The best way to reheat coffee

Before you reheat your coffee, there are a few things you should know about the special bean that is caffeinating your life. The flavor of each coffee bean is largely determined by how it is roasted, as the chemicals inside react to heat.

While the majority of the flavor is set at the moment your personal coffee is brewed, reheating will restart the reaction and cause a flavor change. For some, it’s barely noticeable. For others, it’s not even worth drinking anymore. You will have to make this choice yourself.

You will also notice that the heavenly smell of coffee almost disappears after its initial brewing. You might not realize it, but what we taste is heavily influenced by what we smell. The loss of aroma will also impact the taste and appeal of your coffee the second time around.

One more thing to consider is your health and safety. If your morning cup has just gotten cold, you can reheat it without worrying too much about safety, but bacteria love coffee, so if your pot has been sitting all night, it’s best to just empty it and go again. at nine.

Ideal coffee temperature

The temperature at which you drink your coffee also affects the taste as it determines how slowly or quickly the flavors are extracted from the beans.

Coffee that is too hot can become bitter, while coffee that is too cold or made with not hot enough water will have a flat, less full-bodied flavor.

Most cafes will serve their coffee between 180 and 185F, although the average coffee drinker will wait for it to cool down to 150F more temperate.

If you are brewing coffee at home or pouring it over, the best practice is to boil your water, but let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using it to brew your coffee. A coffee maker should be installed to heat the water appropriately in the first place.

Before we move on to the heating process, there is one more tip we wanted to offer you, in case you want to try it out for yourself.

There is some disagreement on the matter, so we’re down to a personal choice: before heating, add a small pinch of salt to your mug. The theory is that salt will help invigorate caffeine compounds, enhance flavor, and temper bitterness

If your coffee tasted delicious but chilled before you could finish it, let’s go over a few alternatives for getting the job done without ruining your morning cup of tea.

Heat the coffee on your stove

If you are planning on reheating your cup of coffee, the best way to do this in order to maximize flavor protection is to heat it on your stovetop where you can better control the temperature.

By heating it slowly, the chemical reactions that continue to change the flavor are less intense and you will also be less likely to end up with burnt coffee.

Pour your cold coffee into a small saucepan and heat it over low to medium heat until it is steaming, but not boiling. Put it back in your cup and enjoy!

Reheat coffee in the microwave
If you’re really craving caffeine, chances are you don’t want to wait for it to slowly heat up on the stovetop. The next best solution is your trusted friend, the microwave.

If you know how to adjust the heat settings of your microwave, it would be best to put your coffee on medium heat for 1 minute or less. It varies depending on the temperature of your coffee and the temperature at which you like to drink it.

If you are unsure of the temperature, start with 20 seconds and check it. Add another 20 seconds if necessary and continue in this way until your coffee is perfect again.

Before you press Start, don’t forget to pour your brew into a microwave-safe mug if it isn’t already.

Can you heat coffee in a convection oven?

Countertop convection ovens have replaced microwaves in many homes over the past few years, but can you heat your coffee in one? Yes, you can, but it’s not practical.

A convection oven is, after all, an oven. If you put your coffee cup in when you take it out, the cup will be hot.

The workaround here would be to heat your coffee gently and slowly, as we mentioned before, using hand protection, remove the mug, and pour the coffee into a cool mug that can be safely handled.

Otherwise, by the time your cup cools down enough to support your coffee, it will be cold again.

Is reheating coffee in a coffee maker correct?

No, reheating your coffee in the coffeemaker is not ideal. Many coffee makers are designed to keep your coffee hot, which is great, but if you put the coffee back into the canister and turn on the heating element, you risk scorching the bottom of the coffee, potentially ruining your pot and definitely ruining the flavor of the coffee. your coffee.

The hotplate is designed to maintain heat, not create it. It won’t heat enough for heat to transfer throughout the pot, but it will only heat the bottom layer of liquid enough to damage it.

Reheat coffee with milk, cream, sugar, and other additives

If you have added cream and sugar or other flavorings to your coffee, you will need to be extra careful before reheating it again.

Dairy products burn very easily, especially when there is also sugar involved, and it is also at risk of curdling. Reheating it too quickly is a recipe for disaster, so be sure to pay attention to the low or medium heat rule.

You also want to make sure that your coffee hasn’t been left out for too long, as dairy and other dairy products tend to dissipate faster than black coffee.

Can you heat cold brew coffee?

You can! Cold brew coffee is different from iced coffee, so it’s important to distinguish between the two.

Iced coffee is simply any type of traditionally brewed coffee poured over ice to keep it cold.

Cold brew coffee is made by soaking coarsely ground coffee beans in room temperature water for long periods of time, up to 12 hours in most cases. The result is a highly concentrated coffee drink.

There are 2 common and delicious ways to reheat your cold brew coffee:

Heat a mug by pouring a small amount of boiling water into it, swirling it around and then throwing it away. Fill your cup halfway with cold brew, then top it off with boiling water that has been sitting for 5 minutes.
Preheat your cup as above, fill it halfway with cold brew and top with steamed milk.

Your coffee won’t be as hot and won’t stay hot for as long as if you were using boiling water, so drink it immediately for maximum enjoyment.

Can you reheat bulletproof coffee?

Yes, you can reheat bulletproof coffee, and I happened to write an entire article about it! You can read it here.

The stovetop method is ideal here because butter and MCT oil can cause a mess in the microwave due to oil splashing. Take out a small saucepan and a whisk and heat your bulletproof infusion over medium heat, stirring constantly to return the oil to the water.

Heating Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks Coffee Mugs specifically tell you not to heat your mug. This is for two main reasons:

They cannot stand behind the quality of reheated coffee, and therefore advise against it
Their cups have a very thin inner lining which is not suitable for microwaves
If you need to reheat your Starbucks coffee, you should first transfer it to a microwave-safe mug and then reheat it using one of the methods described above. Granted, Starbucks would rather you just buy a cool mug.

An alternative solution to reheating coffee

Drink it cold, but very cold. Add ice to your cup and pour your room temperature infusion over the ice.