What Should I do with that Last Half Cup of Coffee in My Coffee Pot Every Day?

[Ed Mills]

I've been meaning to ask the thought-provoking question for the longest time.  Should I add it to the pepper-pot-coffee-pitcher in the fridge and reheated as needed?  My wife says no way, but after adding some full-fat cream, it was good to my unsophisticated palate.  Let me hear your suggestions.  Ed 

[thedayisbrave]

I don't typically re-heat, but I'm a coffee snob.  If you like iced coffee, I've heard of people pouring the leftovers into an ice tray and sticking in the freezer - put the coffee/ice cubes in your coffee the next day and you'll have iced coffee that won't get watered down :)

[Eric]

Drink it

[TreeTired]

I'm a coffee snob.  If you like iced coffee, I've heard of people pouring the leftovers into an ice tray and sticking in the freezer - put the coffee/ice cubes in your coffee the next day and you'll have iced coffee that won't get watered down :)

This is what I do in the summer.   Wasn't my idea.   I was in a small coffee shop one day and they made their iced coffee that way to prevent their regular brew from getting diluted from the ice.   I think Starbucks brews triple strength coffee to use with regular ice for their iced coffee.

Otherwise I just drink the coffee until its all gone, which is not always the best thing to do.  I have like a 7pm coffee curfew, so as much as it pains me I will spill out the remainder after that hour.

[Primm]

Freeze it.

[Glenstache]

Make less coffee next time?

[Hotstreak]

I leave mine in a cup in the microwave.  The next morning, I turn it on for a minute and it's ready to go.

[windypig]

I save it in a cup in the fridge to pour it over my ice cream that night, or I just drink it.

[sheepstache]

Some alcoholics have the practice of leaving just enough in the bottle to give them stamina to get out of the house the next morning to buy the next bottle. I practice something similar with leaving a half cup in my mug on my desk to give me strength to brew the first pot of the morning. It's fine, just leave it black, it's like leaving water out.

[OptimizerPrime]

A) Rinse it out w/ water and water your herb garden/ tomatoes with it. You do have an herb garden by the window right?

B) Pour it on the compost pile.

C) Use it to cool the first glass of piping hot coffee after brewing the next day. 

[Dr. Doom]

Make a coffee chocolate cake.  Really -- they're good, hit google up for a recipe. 

[lakemom]

I've been meaning to ask the thought-provoking question for the longest time.  Should I add it to the pepper-pot-coffee-pitcher in the fridge and reheated as needed?  My wife says no way, but after adding some full-fat cream, it was good to my unsophisticated palate.  Let me hear your suggestions.  Ed

If this is truly a DAILY occurrence I would just put a few ounces less (4-6) of water in each day and perhaps a smidge less grounds as well.  Why would you continue brewing the extra each day?

[GuitarStv]

B) Pour it on the compost pile.

Caffeine is a pretty good insecticide.  You might not want to pour it on your compost pile, but pour it in your flower/garden beds.

[Joggernot]

I make one pot every other day.  Unless visitors want coffee, I always have about half remaining.  The remainder is poured into an empty peanuts jar (plastic) and put in the frig.  The next day I can either have cold coffee or 2 minutes in the microwave for hot coffee.  I'm not a coffee snob; I survived on "Navy" coffee for five years as a civilian.

[tracylayton]

I don't know about the coffee, but a friend of mine takes the used coffee grounds and spreads them around the base of her roses...she has the most beautiful roses ever and she swears it's the coffee grounds.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

If you cold-brew your coffee, you will never have this problem because cold-brewed coffee keeps in the fridge for two weeks! Excellent for iced coffee, or add boiling water to make hot (I actually usually just microwave it if I want hot. This is how I do it: http://frugalparagon.com/2014/08/24/cold-brewed-coffee-no-equipment-needed/comment-page-1/)

[GardenFun]

Make less coffee next time?

+1.  I went to a French press.  It enables you to control how much coffee you want with minimum waste. 

[stripey]

Home-made Irish Cream. It's slightly-too-wonderful:

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/12/homemade-baileys-irish-cream-youll.html

However filter coffee really isn't my thing. I think French press or a Bialetti Brikka do a better job (yes, I can consistently get something approximating a 'crema' off the Brikka)

[frugaliknowit]

Save it in the fridge for when you need a jolt.  Make iced coffee.

[PabloHoney]

I've always thought that someone could invent an alarm clock that when the alarm time hits, it starts a mainline IV injection of coffee into your vein...enough to wake you up and get you over to the coffee maker for your next hit. 

I think the day's leftovers would be great for putting in the IV bag for the next day.

[Gone Fishing]

It's fine, just leave it black, it's like leaving water out.

I agree you will be fine overnight, but have you ever seen how fast mold will grow on a pot of coffee left over the weekend?  The stuff is practically a petri dish!

[sheepstache]

It's fine, just leave it black, it's like leaving water out.

I agree you will be fine overnight, but have you ever seen how fast mold will grow on a pot of coffee left over the weekend?  The stuff is practically a petri dish!

See, my theory (which I'm basing on George Carlin's theory on cancer) is that you should get as much weird bacteria and shit into your system as possible. Then the different bacterias fight each other in your guts rather than attacking you. So far in life I have observed that I suffer from food poisoning and other food-related stomach upsets much less than more fastidious eaters.

[Trede]

If you are a carnivore, save the weekday coffee extras in a container in the fridge for weekend grilling marinades.  Here are some to get started:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/coffee_balsamic_marinade.html
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/red-wine-coffee-marinade.aspx
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/molasses-coffee-marinated-pork-chops-recipe.html
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coffee-Marinated-Skirt-Steak-51178610

[RunHappy]

Drink it, save it, or make less.

I only make what I can drink (about 2 cups a day).  I don't like iced coffee but I know some people save it for later.  One person I knows, pours it into an ice cube tray and saves it for when they make coffee ice cream.  You can mix it in a smoothie later too.

[NoraLenderbee]

I've been meaning to ask the thought-provoking question for the longest time.  Should I add it to the pepper-pot-coffee-pitcher in the fridge and reheated as needed?  My wife says no way, but after adding some full-fat cream, it was good to my unsophisticated palate.  Let me hear your suggestions.  Ed

If it tastes good to you, then do it.

If I have a whole cup left over, I keep it and reheat it the next morning. If it's half a cup, I don't save it. But we did spend some time adjusting the amount we brew so that there isn't a lot left over usually. The recipes that use leftover coffee sound good, but the old coffee will accumulate faster than you can use it unless you bake a lot.

It's very good for plants (for potted plants, dilute with water first) and compost.

[Rural]

Use it instead of water or milk in the frozen-banana-and-cocoa smoothie I know you want for dessert after supper. Mocha smoothie.


...at least, that's what I did with it tonight.

[Jellyfish]

For me, there is Mustachianism and then there is over-the-top frugalness (I want to use the ch*#p) word but am not going to.  This is over that line for me.  Throw it out.  Use a french press and make less next time.  Life's too short to drink stale coffee.

[iamadummy]

save it