Well, brewed coffee changes its flavor and quality at room temperature over time. So, it will be best if you drink brewed coffee within 30 minutes. But it is safe to drink for about 2 hours. After this time it starts to grow bacteria and the aroma and flavor get affected (if not stored in the refrigerator). If you can ensure proper storage in the refrigerator, your brewed coffee will be safe to drink for 24 hours.

Suppose you have brewed fresh coffee but in your workload, you have forgotten to drink it. Some of us may leave the leftover coffee at room temperature. In such cases, can you drink it later? How long can brewed coffee sit out? It is necessary to know as it might affect your health. 

In this article, we have recommended safe-to-drink and store time for different brewed coffee along with concentrated coffee of famous brands. We have also discussed what will happen if brewed coffee is stored at room temperature and in the refrigerator. Moreover, you can find some ways to store your leftover coffee and repurposing options too. This article includes the problems you may face drinking coffee that exceeds the safe-to-drink period which can help you to be cautious. 

Recommended Time For Brewed Coffee To Drink And Store

Usually, we like to drink different types and flavors of coffee. But we don’t know the safe time within which we should drink the brewed coffee. How long can brewed coffee sit out at room temperature? Let’s find out the safe timings of drinking and storing brewed coffee in the following table. 

Types of Coffee	Safe to Drink or Store (At Room Temperature)	Safe to Store (In the Refrigerator)	Important Aspects
Black Coffee	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	After 30 minutes of brewing, the quality starts to decline.
Iced Coffee	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	Ice starts to melt and the coffee becomes diluted.
Espresso	Within 30 minutes	Not suitable for storage	Drink immediately after brewing.
Cold Brew	Up to 24 hours	Up to 2 weeks	It is brewed for longer storage.
Latte	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	Bacterial growth can be seen after 2 hours.
Cappuccino	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	Similar to Lattes.
Turkish Coffee	Immediate consumption (within 30 minutes)	Not suitable for storage	Drink immediately after brewing.
Americano	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	Diluted Espresso.
Mocha	Within 2 hours	Up to 24 hours	Bacterial growth can be seen after 2 hours.
Macchiato	Within 30 minutes	Not suitable for storage	Drink immediately after brewing.

What Happens When Brewed Coffee Is Stored In Room-temperature (Exceeding the Safe-to-drink Period)

You already know “How long can brewed coffee sit out at room temperature”. For most types of coffee, the safe time is 2 hours. But what if you exceed this time? Let’s check out what happens when you keep your coffee at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Oxidation: Oxidation indicates the situation when something comes into contact with air and reacts with oxygen. This reaction changes that thing. When you keep brewed coffee at room temperature for a long time, the air comes into contact with the coffee. This oxidation process can affect the taste of your coffee. The flavor and aroma of your coffee can be ruined.

Change in Temperature: Keeping the coffee at room temperature changes the ultimate temperature of the coffee. If you make hot coffee, it will turn cooler after a few hours. On the other hand, your cold coffee can also get to room temperature. Thus, you will not get the proper taste and aroma.

Bacterial Growth: After the safe-to-drink period, bacteria start to grow. This makes the coffee rotten and obviously unhealthy. If you drink this coffee later on, you will fall sick. Your stomach may get upset.

Loss of Aroma and Taste: Freshly brewed coffee has a nice aroma and is tasty too. But over time, at room temperature, the aroma and taste decreases. So, if you leave your coffee in the open air for so long, you will not get the real coffee vibe from it.

Sourness: When exposed to air for a long time, coffee tends to get sour. The reason is bacteria grow in the coffee. So, drinking this sour coffee would be unhealthy. You may fall sick and feel nauseous too.

Overall Quality Decline: Ultimately, the overall quality of the coffee is affected over time. At one point, the coffee will get so rotten that it will turn dangerous for your health.

What Happens When You Store Brewed Coffee In The Refrigerator

As we have mentioned earlier, you can store the brewed coffee in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Keeping it in the refrigerator can extend the time of the freshness of your coffee. It has both positive and negative effects on brewed coffee.

Positive Effects 

• Keeping it in the refrigerator slows down bacterial growth. It also slows the oxidation process. Altogether you can get the freshness of coffee for an extended period of 24 hours.
• For cold brew coffee, the extended period is about 2 weeks. It means you can keep your cold brew fresh in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. This is the longest time you can preserve your brewed coffee.
• Extending the time of storing can be convenient for many of us. Those who drink coffee frequently can keep it in the refrigerator and drink it the whole day. So, it is a convenient process.

Negative Effects 

• Suppose you have kept your coffee in the refrigerator. It might absorb the odor of your refrigerator. So, the aroma of your coffee can be ruined.
• Generally, refrigerating is good for cold-brew coffee. But for hot coffee refrigeration is a bit difficult. The temperature of your hot coffee will change. Afterwards, you have to reheat the coffee. This reheating can be challenging and a waste of time.
• The actual texture of your coffee will be distorted. In the refrigerator, your brewed coffee will start to separate its particles. It means you may find two layers of coffee extracts; thick and thin.

Keeping these positive and negative effects in mind, decide how long can brewed coffee sit out.

4 Ways To Store Leftover Coffee To Keep It Fresh

Now you know “How long can brewed coffee sit out?”. As the time is quite short (2 hours mostly), we should learn how to keep it fresh. There are some ways to store the leftover brewed coffee to keep it fresh. Let’s find the way out.

Use an airtight container: Pour your brewed leftover coffee into a clean and good-quality container which is airtight. This will help you to keep the coffee fresh. The reason for this is that the airtight container will protect the coffee from keeping contact with air.

Keep it in the Refrigerator: If you do not want to drink your coffee within 2 hours, then keep it in the refrigerator. Well, you have to keep the coffee in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Don’t get confused because an airtight container is a must.

Reheat carefully: If you need to reheat the coffee, be careful. Reheating can be tough and ruin the taste of your coffee. You have to put it on low flame. Just heat it, don’t bring it to a boil.

Use within 24 hours: Use the stored coffee within 24 hours. Within this period you can get the freshness and taste of your coffee. Try not to exceed the time or not drink the coffee after 24 hours.

How Long Can You Store Concentrated Bottled Coffee (From Renowned Brands)?

You may know, many famous brands are offering concentrated coffee. They sell it in bottled packaging so that you can buy and drink it on the go. It is quite simple and convenient for working people. You can check our website “Coffee Mart Blog” to learn how to drink these concentrates.

So, if you buy concentrated coffee, how long can you store it? You know how long can brewed coffee sit out, but what about concentrates?

Here, we have to consider two scenarios:

• Unopened concentrated coffee 
• Opened concentrated coffee. 

Let’s check out the following table to know the safe storing and drinking period of renowned coffee brands.

Brand	Concentrated Coffee	Storage Time (Unopened)	Drinking Time (Opened)
Starbucks	Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 12 months	Within 7 days (Refrigerated)
Chameleon Cold Brew	Chameleon Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 9 months	Within 10 days (Refrigerated)
SToK	SToK Un-Sweet Black Coffee Shots	Up to 12 months	Within 14 days (Refrigerated)
La Colombe	La Colombe Draft Latte Concentrate	Up to 10 months	Within 14 days (Refrigerated)
Joe’s Brew	Joe’s Brew Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 10 months	Within 7 days (Refrigerated)
RISE Brewing Co.	RISE Nitro Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 9 months	Within 10 days (Refrigerated)
Wandering Bear	Wandering Bear Cold Brew On-the-Go	Up to 12 months	Within 14 days (Refrigerated)
Califia Farms	Califia Farms Concentrated Cold Brew	Up to 10 months	Within 7 days (Refrigerated)
Kohana Coffee	Kohana Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 12 months	Within 14 days (Refrigerated)
High Brew Coffee	High Brew Cold Brew Concentrate	Up to 10 months	Within 7 days (Refrigerated)

Problems You May Face By Drinking Leftover Coffee (Exceeding the Safe-to-drink Period)

How long can brewed coffee sit out? In most cases, it is 2 hours. If you keep it in the refrigerator, it can be 24 hours. You can keep different brands’ concentrated coffee fresh for 7 to 14 days after opening. Unopened bottles can be kept for approximately 9 to 12 months (varies). But if you exceed the mentioned time, some problems may occur. Let’s talk about those problems so that you can be cautious. 

Food poisoning: This is the illness that occurs when you eat or drink something that is contaminated. As bacteria grows after the safe-to-drink period, the coffee becomes unhealthy. You might experience stomach pain, nausea, vomiting or even diarrhea by drinking it.

Unpleasant Taste: As you know, coffee will get sour after the safe-to-drink period. So, you will not get the real essence of coffee. The unpleasant taste will bother you.

Discomfort in the Stomach: This rotten coffee will make your stomach upset. You may go through pain and discomfort. Ultimately, the whole body will suffer.

Decreased benefits of Antioxidant: You might know that antioxidants are one kind of compound that is found in various foods and fruits we eat. These can help to minimize the cellular damage to our body and also support overall health. Some antioxidants are found in coffee too. But the rotten coffee will not provide the health benefits.

Tips And Tricks To Use Brewed Leftover Coffee (Ways of Repurposing)

If you don’t want to drink the leftover coffee but don’t want to waste it either, you are in the right spot. Here, we are suggesting some tips and tricks to repurpose your leftover coffee. 

• You can pour your leftover hot coffee over ice cubes and add additives. This way you can get tasty iced coffee. 
• You can try blending leftover coffee with any fruits you like. Add yogurt and ice and get your coffee smoothie ready. This is really yummy and a must-try trick.
• Try making delicious desserts with your leftover coffee. Coffee-flavored cakes, truffles or tiramisu are some of the yummiest options.
• If you like skin care, try making facial scrubs with leftover coffee. It is a fun way to repurpose the leftover coffee.

Conclusion 

To sum up we can say that brewing fresh coffee whenever you drink is the best thing. But if you have some leftover coffee try to drink it within the safe-to-drink period. As you know “How long can brewed coffee sit out?”, it will be easier for you to drink while the coffee is fresh. Try our tips and tricks to store the leftover coffee. For any information, you can check the website “Coffee Mart Blog” and keep enjoying your fresh coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Can brewed coffee be stored at room temperature?

Well, it can be stored at room temperature for 2 hours. Not more than 2 hours, as it will get rotten after that time.

How long can black coffee sit out at room temperature?

Black Coffee can sit out at room temperature for 2 hours and in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Remember that after 30 minutes of brewing, the quality starts to decline.

How to store the coffee beans?

You can store the coffee beans in any airtight container you have. Try to keep it in a cool and dark place for better results.