There are two ways for coffee grounds to get old. They either sit ignored and unused for a few weeks before they are “discovered,” or they are technically fresh but are used once. In both cases, reusing the grounds results in bad-tasting coffee, which might not be as potent. Adding fresh grounds on top can be a potential solution.
You can put new coffee grounds on top of old ones in a coffee maker and still get decent coffee if the fresh grounds make up 80% of the scoop. If you’re adding new grounds in a coffee jar with old grounds, make sure to actually mix them, so the old ones don’t go unused at the bottom of the jar.
In this article, you will learn more about mixing old and new coffee grounds in both cases. Whether your grounds are old because they were used or because they have been sitting unused long enough, you need to know about the potential health risks, the acceptable mixing ratios, and the pros and cons of adding new grounds on top.
Things To Know Before Using Old Coffee Grounds
If you’ve never mixed old coffee grounds with new ones, then you’re about to experiment with food. And such experiments should be preceded by a health safety confirmation. Using old coffee grounds is safe for the most part in the sense that you’re not likely to get sick from consuming coffee made from stale grounds. That said, you might get nauseous if the grounds have been sitting out in the open for an extended period.
Coffee takes a long time to go bad but becomes “old” pretty quick. Coffee grounds sitting in an airtight container for two weeks are as old as a coffee connoisseur might be able to stomach. That’s a matter of taste, though, and such grounds don’t even lose their potency. If you have coffee as a “wake me up” beverage, then using such grounds is perfectly fine, which means it shouldn’t be an issue to mix the old grounds with new ones.
However, the same “old grounds” might be sitting in a half-empty container. The thing about empty containers is that their “empty” portion contains air. Air isn’t coffee’s best friend. Coffee grounds sitting in a semi-filled container for about two weeks will lose some potency. If that’s the case, then it is wiser to mix them with old grounds to maintain your coffee’s “kick.”
Again, this is only if you have coffee for alertness. Please note that when the grounds go old without use, they must actually be mixed, so they have a shot at getting used as soon as possible. Putting new ones on top will ensure that only the new ones get scooped, and the old ones go stale by the time you reach the container’s end. However, the coffee grounds don’t all go old in a jar.
The grounds don’t actually need to be old to be considered old. If you’ve already used fresh grounds once, then they are “old.” If you use “old” and “used” interchangeably, the above still applies.
The watery coffee that comes from using old grounds might make you a little nauseous, and if you squeeze the last bit out of the grounds, the acidic oils might seep into your drink and lead to heartburn. But by managing ratios, you can put fresh grounds over old ones and get away with it.
Mixing one part old grounds with nine parts fresh coffee grounds ensures that your coffee has the right potency and acceptable taste. If you use 20% old grounds with 80% fresh ones, the taste will be a little “off,” but your coffee will still be pretty potent.
Coffee made with 50% or more old grounds will not be as effective at stimulating the senses, though, so using multiple jars to mix old grounds with batches of new coffee grounds can help maintain the ratios even if you have a larger quantity of old coffee grounds.
You can also reuse old coffee grounds in the following ways.
- Make compost or fertilizer out of old coffee grounds.
- Use old grounds as a body scrub.
- Sprinkle coffee grounds to keep pests away from certain areas.
Pros of Putting New Coffee Grounds Over Old Ones
Putting new coffee grounds over old ones is safe, not common, but doing so can have certain benefits, including the following:
It Improves Potency
As covered above, mixing new grounds with old coffee grounds can result in more potent coffee compared to running water through the old grounds. This is applicable whether the old grounds are sitting in a jar or have become old because they were used in a brew before. If the grounds aren’t fine and are brewed cold, reusing the cold brew grounds without even adding new grounds can still result in a pretty potent beverage.
It Makes the Coffee Taste Acceptable
This is the case only if we compare the mixed coffee with coffee made from old grounds. With old, unused grounds, the coffee will taste a little “off,” whereas, with used coffee grounds, the resulting beverage will be too watery. When you put new coffee grounds on top, you will have a cup that tastes relatively better. Of course, a cup made entirely with fresh coffee grounds will taste better.
It Saves Money
Finally, the greatest advantage of putting new grounds on top of old ones is that you save money. Getting the most out of the coffee grounds you’ve already purchased obviously entails the best value for money. But if you assign value to “taste,” then you’re not getting the best for your dollar by reusing used grounds or mixing old ones with fresh coffee.
Cons of Putting New Coffee Grounds Over Old Ones
Reusing old grounds even when mixed with fresh ones has its drawbacks. Here are the two key cons of mixing new and old grounds.
Lowers the Coffee Quality
Whether it is in taste or in potency, when you compare a cup of coffee made from fresh grounds entirely and coffee that has a hint of old grounds, the mixed coffee loses.
It Can Be Awkward if You Have Guests Over
This is a very specific drawback that only applies if you have added new grounds to old ones in your coffee container. This mixture might be acceptable for you, but if you have guests over, it can be pretty embarrassing to serve coffee made from these grounds.
Final Thoughts
Adding new coffee grounds to old ones will lower their potency in direct proportion to the mixing ratio. It can also make the coffee taste different. You can go ahead with putting new grounds atop old ones if you can barely tell the difference. It is advisable, though, to do this in a small enough quantity so you can taste-test before going all-in on the idea.