How Long Freshly Brewed Coffee Lasts And The Best Way To Store It

There's nothing quite like a freshly brewed cup of coffee. But as soon as you pour that first cup, there's a timer ticking as its peak flavor starts to dissipate. We spoke to expert Rod Johnson, co-founder of BLK & Bold, about how to keep that roasty taste in your hot pot of coffee for as long as possible. As Johnson explains, "Freshly brewed coffee tastes best within the first 30 minutes. After that, it starts to lose its natural flavor as air interacts with it. To keep it tasting great, pour it into a thermal carafe or an airtight thermos instead of leaving it open in a cup."

So if you're looking for maximal flavor, enjoy your freshly brewed coffee while it's steaming. Johnson says exposure to oxygen is to blame for the deterioration in flavor, because air breaks down the oils and aromatics over time. However, that doesn't mean you have to toss out any leftover coffee. All you have to do is chill what you have, and repurpose it later as iced coffee or the base liquid for a smoothie.

Leftover coffee should be cooled to room temperature, transferred to an airtight container (ideally glass, as plastic is porous and can absorb flavors), and stored in your fridge. Black coffee can last you for a few days this way, up to four, but the best flavor will diminish over time. If you've already added dairy or some form of creamer, you've got a much smaller window — one to two days — because you've introduced an ingredient with the potential for quick spoilage.

One way to utilize leftover coffee is in a batch of no-cook overnight oats, where you replace some of the liquid with the dark brew. You can play around with additional flavors, but a sweetener does cushion the bitterness in the coffee. And speaking of sweetness, you can also reduce that extra coffee with some sugar to create a coffee syrup. After that, you can use that syrup later for things like an ice cream topping, or stir it into a glass of milk for a cold treat. 

Sure, you might be tempted to reheat that old coffee, but we can guarantee that it won't taste nearly as good as it first did. So drink your fresh cup while it's hot, and if you want to hang onto it for longer, seal it up in something airtight and insulated. Just be sure to do it within that 30-minute window.