Can I Drink Leftover Moka Pot Coffee? And How To Do It Safely!

Whenever you make Moka Pot coffee, there’s a good chance you’ll have some leftovers. After all, it’s strong, robust, and difficult to drink all at once. But after storing it for several days you may be wondering if it’s ok to drink your leftover coffee.

In general, it’s perfectly fine to drink leftover Moka Pot coffee. Provided the coffee shows no signs of mold or mildew, there should be no problem consuming days-old coffee. Issues related to drinking leftover coffee are typically related to deteriorated flavors and aromas due to oxidation.

While the quality of your coffee won’t last forever, there are several things you can do to prolong it.

If you’d like to know what these things are and the best way to use your leftover Moka Pot coffee then keep reading!

Can I Drink Leftover Coffee From A Moka Pot?

Leftover Moka Pot coffee is generally fine to drink.

However, there are two reasons people avoid drinking old coffee.

as coffee ages, its quality decreases
old coffee is prone to growing mold

Let’s quickly go through each of these scenarios.

Old Coffee Loses Flavor And Aroma

As a general rule, coffee should be drunk within 30 minutes after brewing.

The reason for this is that after brewing, the coffee’s oils, sugars, and acids are exposed to oxygen. (oxygen in the air as well as the water). This exposure begins to oxidize the coffee and deteriorate its flavors and aromas.

Within the first 30 minutes, your coffee will still be relatively flavorful and aromatic. But if you leave your coffee for a day or more, its quality will only worsen.

Coffee Is Prone To Growing Mold

Mold requires moisture and warmth to grow, which makes brewed coffee a perfect candidate for mold. And the fact that coffee is an organic material means that it’s a food source for mold.

Right after brewing, the coffee is too hot to allow any mold to grow, but the longer you let the coffee sit, the more likely it is for mold to develop.

So, is there any way to prevent mold from growing in your old coffee?

There’s no real way to completely prevent coffee from molding. Since coffee beans grow in warm and humid climates, many beans have small amounts of mold. These molds can even survive roasting and even brewing.

To prevent mold from growing, your best option is to refrigerate leftover coffee and drink it within a few days.

How Should I Store Leftover Moka Pot Coffee?

The best way to prevent mold growth and oxidation in your leftover coffee is by storing it in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Any sealed container you have should work fine. However, we prefer to use Mason Jars (you can get Mason Jars on Amazon or in a local store).

Jars like these have lids that prevent additional air from interacting with, and oxidizing, your leftover coffee.

Mason Jars are also great for storing coffee because they’re made of glass. Unlike plastic, which can absorb odors, glass is non-porous so it won’t pass any old aromas to your coffee.

(If you want to know more about storing leftover coffee, check out our article “Can You Put Hot Coffee In The Fridge“.)

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How Long Does Leftover Moka Pot Coffee Last?

If left out at room temperature, your leftover Moka Pot coffee should last for 12-24 hours. After a day at room temperature, your coffee’s flavor will have deteriorated. Besides that, there’s a good chance mold will have started to grow in your coffee.

If sealed and stored in the fridge, you can expect your Moka Pot coffee’s flavor to last up to 3 days. And refrigerated coffee should be fine for 6 days before mold becomes an issue.

Will My Leftover Coffee’s Flavor Change?

Since coffee quickly oxidizes immediately after brewing, its flavor will change the longer it sits.

Your coffee’s flavor comes from the oils, acids, and sugars that are pulled from the coffee beans into the water. As the oxidation process continues, the oils will become rancid and the acids and sugars will break down as well.

The flavor changes won’t be too noticeable within 30 minutes of brewing. And if you keep it stored in the fridge, the flavors should be fine for between 2-3 days.

Does The Caffeine Content Change In Leftover Coffee?

Caffeine is a relatively stable compound, which means the caffeine content in old coffee is about the same as in fresh coffee.

So even if your coffee is stale and flavorless, it should still be able to give you the same boost of energy.

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The Best Way To Reheat Leftover Moka Pot Coffee

It’s generally not recommended to reheat leftover coffee. Reheating changes the chemical makeup and completely alters the flavor profile.

The result will be a bitter cup of coffee.

But if you’re sure you want to reheat your old coffee, the best way to do it is on the stove on low heat. This method will minimize the flavor changes and may prevent it from becoming too strong and bitter.

What Can I Do With Leftovers Coffee From A Moka Pot?

There are several things you can do with your leftover coffee besides reheating it.

Here are a few ideas to try out.

Americano Coffee

Americano coffee is espresso with hot water added to reduce the strength. And since Moka Pot coffee is strong, you can make an Americano out of Moka Pot coffee as well.

However, instead of reheating your leftover coffee, simply heat up plain water and add it to your cold coffee.

With this method, you can drink your old coffee without altering the flavor by reheating it.

Iced Coffee Or Frappes

Often, iced coffee is made with hot coffee poured over ice. This process makes a diluted iced coffee that’s not as flavorful as the originally brewed coffee. However, the benefit of using leftover coffee that’s already cool is that your iced coffee keeps its strength and full flavor.

By comparison, a frappe is a coffee smoothie made out of coffee, milk, ice, and sugar. Leftover Moka Pot coffee can also be used to make frappes without worrying about melting the ice or heating the milk.

Make Coffee Ice Cubes

Another option is to freeze your leftover Moka Pot coffee. When frozen, your coffee will last as long as you need.

Frozen coffee can be used to make coffee-flavored shakes and frappes. Or they can be used to cool down hot coffee.

(Check out our article “Can You Put Hot Coffee In The Fridge” to see how we used frozen coffee to cool down freshly brewed coffee.)

How To Tell If My Moka Pot Coffee Has Gone Bad?

The best way to tell if old coffee has gone bad is by smell. If it has a rancid or moldy smell, it’s not good and you should throw it out.

However, if your coffee simply smells flat or stale, you shouldn’t have any problems drinking it but it will have lost most of its flavor.

Key Takeaways:

Coffee will last for 24 hours at room temperature and for a few days in the refrigerator
If you store coffee in the fridge, it’s best to keep it in a sealed, glass container
Reheated coffee tastes worse, so it’s best to prepare cold coffee drinks
Drinking stale coffee is fine, but moldy coffee should be thrown out
Smelling is the best way to tell if your coffee is good or bad

Cheers Coffee Lovers!

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Oliver Holmes

Oliver is co-owner of Coffee Break Lovers. The only thing he loves more than the process of brewing coffee is drinking it.