If you consume several cups of espresso daily, you will realize that the daily amount of coffee grounds is relatively significant.
What should you do with these leftovers? Will you throw them in trash bins or use them twice for another cup?
Coffee beans and ground coffee may be costly, so it seems wasteful that most consumers just use them once before throwing them away.
Can you reuse espresso grounds? This post will provide a comprehensive explanation if you’re curious about the truth.
Let’s keep reading to discover more!
Can You Reuse Espresso Grounds In Coffee?
The short answer is Yes! It’s possible to use espresso grounds twice. However, you will get a bland and weak cup despite the caffeine presence.
Moreover, the accumulation of bacteria is another factor to take into account. Leftover grounds are the best place for germs to grow since they are damp and exposed to the environment.
If you use the espresso grounds twice, brew them once they’re cool. Also, avoid using the leftovers exposed to external factors all day.
Furthermore, ensure you only reuse leftover grounds the second time because these things almost have little or no benefits afterward.
It’s understandable since coffee brewed using used grounds won’t taste as much as a drink made using fresh grounds. The first-time espresso gets most of the flavors and extracts from your cup.
#1. Look
If you use fresh grounds to brew your first cup, you will get a delicious and robust coffee with a dense crema on the top.
Meanwhile, if you brew the second cup with the used grounds, the same machine, and portafilter, your drink will be much lighter and more watery. Also, the crema is more bubbly.
#2. Taste
The first shot of espresso has a well-balanced flavor, excellent texture, sweetness, and clarity. On the other hand, the second espresso shot is weak, virtually tasteless, and hollow.
Most coffee lovers do not highly appreciate a weak cup because it doesn’t taste anything like an espresso to their palates.
#3. Caffeine
According to research, caffeine concentrations of most ground coffee range between 10 mg/g – 12 mg/g.
Is caffeine sufficient in the leftover coffee grounds to create a tasty drink? Despite the decline, they still contain a moderate quantity of caffeine.
According to the research, these figures decrease to 3.59 mg/g – 8.09 mg/g with old coffee grounds.
Is the caffeine in coffee made using old grounds still effective? Not really! Caffeine dissolves in water. The brewing technique affects how much caffeine is in the leftover coffee grounds.
Besides, other factors like grind size and brew time will influence the caffeine amount in your drink.
If you want to have the same caffeine content as the first shot, you must adjust the brew time, water heat, and water.
#4. Risks
Generally, the outcomes are not satisfactory enough to justify reusing the coffee grounds.
If you try to use these leftovers for brewing, your drink won’t taste nice. It will be weak and watery with low caffeine concentration.
Besides, drinking coffee brings various health benefits, such as reducing the risk of diabetes, stroke, and specific cancers.
Consuming a cup from old coffee grounds seems safe and offers the same benefits, but many medical professionals advise against it.
The chemicals kahweol and cafestol in coffee beans can potentially raise blood cholesterol levels.
When you brew your drink, paper filters typically remove these substances but are still in the espresso grounds.
According to a study, if one consumes about 7 grams of espresso grounds daily, his average blood cholesterol increases by 26 points after three weeks.
For this reason, you should not feel guilty for throwing away used coffee grounds. These things are designed to brew once.
How to Reuse Your Espresso Grounds for Coffee?
Using leftover coffee grounds is generally not a good idea since the resulting coffee won’t be as strong or taste as good as the initial cup. Also, you may get a bitter and over-extracted drink.
However, if you still want to reuse the espresso grounds for your second cup, consider the following tips for the best result.
#1. Cool the Coffee Grounds
Before brewing another cup with old coffee grounds, you must cool them. It will prevent these leftovers from burning.
Besides, it’s a good idea to reuse cold brew coffee grounds. They are made in cold fresh water, so you don’t have to cool them before brew time.
#2. Cover the Coffee Grounds
While the espresso grounds are cooling, storing them in an enclosed area is best to keep the flavor and taste longer.
#3. Avoid Tamping
If you reuse old grounds to brew espresso, you should never tamp them for this second time. Otherwise, you may get a watery cup with little or no extract.
#4. Avoid Reusing More Than Twice
One more reuse will produce a more watery drink that doesn’t feel wonderful like the first shot.
If you regularly add milk or creamer after making a second cup, it may not taste all that horrible.
Interesting Ways to Use Old Espresso Grounds
If you can’t reuse old espresso grounds for brewing another cup, how to use them effectively? Here are nine creative ways to use these leftover things:
#1. Fertilize Your Garden
The majority of soil lacks the vital minerals required for healthy plant development. Also, plants draw soil nutrition when they develop, eventually depleting it.
As a result, fertilizing is usually necessary for gardens to provide plants with the nutrients they require.
Espresso grounds have many vital minerals advantageous for plants, like potassium, nitrogen, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, chromium, and calcium.
Moreover, coffee grounds may aid in absorbing harmful heavy metals from the soil and attracting worms, which is beneficial for gardens.
You only need to sprinkle coffee grounds onto the garden’s soil around your plants to use them as fertilizer.
#2. Repel Insects and Pests
Diterpenes and caffeine are two substances present in coffee that have the potential to be highly poisonous to insects. As a result, coffee grounds work as an insect repellent.
They successfully ward off mosquitoes, beetles, and fruit flies, and they may also aid in keeping other pests at bay.
Place bowls of espresso grounds or sprinkle espresso grounds surrounding outdoor areas. Besides, scattering the leftover espresso grounds around the plants is an excellent idea to repel snails and slugs.
#3. Neutralize Odors
Coffee grinds can assist in absorbing and getting rid of smells. Nitrogen in these things combines with carbon to remove sulfur gas, which has an unpleasant odor, from the atmosphere.
You may eliminate aromas from rotten or pungent foods by storing a container of espresso grounds in your refrigerator or freezer.
Furthermore, you may create mobile air fresheners by tying off used pantyhose or socks after filling them with old coffee grinds.
Put them somewhere that would benefit from deodorizing, such as your shoes, bedroom drawers, or beneath your vehicle seat.
Additionally, place these things near the kitchen sink to eliminate the garlic or onion smell from your hands after cutting them.
#4. Remove Fleas
It can be time-consuming and expensive to treat flea infestations in pets.
You can find many flea-removal treatments, but they may include harsh chemicals, which cause adverse side effects for your pets.
Fleas don’t like coffee grounds. Therefore, you can use them as a natural flea-removal treatment.
After shampooing, you only need to rub the coffee grounds thoroughly on your pet’s hair. After that, rinse your pets off and dry them as usual.
#5. Clean Surfaces
Sometimes your pans and pots get dirty, which is hard to clean. You can use dried-out old coffee grounds to rub them.
Espresso grounds may efficiently remove dirt off stubborn surfaces since they are acidic and abrasive.
Soak dishes, pans, and pots in warm water for approximately 30 minutes. After that, use coffee grounds to rub on their surfaces to remove stains and residues.
However, avoid using old grounds on a nonstick or glossy surface as force may damage them.
#6. Reduce Cellulite
Cellulite is a problem that causes the skin to seem lumpy and dimpled. Most women experience this condition.
It typically affects the thighs and buttocks and results from fat deposits pushing via the connective tissues under the skin.
Caffeine in espresso grounds may aid in breaking down the fat tissue and improve blood flow through the area.
Combine coffee grounds and coconut oil or water. Scrub onto the cellulite areas for about 10 minutes.
You can apply this beauty tip twice a week, which reduces cellulite on your skin.
#7. Dye Paper And Fabrics
Without a doubt, when you spill coffee on your clothes, it will leave a dark stain. Thus, you can use old espresso grounds as a natural dye to color paper and fabrics.
It’s a simple technique to cover up blemishes on your clothes and linens or give textiles or paper a retro look.
Put some water in a saucepan and soak your fabric items inside it. Add enough old espresso grounds to this container to turn it opaque.
Boil for a few minutes, then take it off the flame and allow it to stand for a minimum of thirty minutes. Before using them, wash them by hand or with a washing machine.
#8. Tenderize Meat
Meat has a rough texture due to the proteins and muscle fibers it contains. Tenderizing it can break it down for a softer consistency.
Some natural meat tenderizers you often use are acids, enzymes, and salt. The truth is that coffee has natural enzymes and acids. So, it can tenderize meat.
Furthermore, coffee’s acidic composition can also improve the taste and flavor of the meat.
Add old espresso grounds to a dry-rub mix you often use. After that, rub the mixture onto the meat and massage it for 2 hours before making your dish.
A brown, crunchy crust will form on the meat while the coffee grounds are heated. Besides, you can marinate the meat overnight using used grounds in the refrigerator before cooking it.
#9. Stimulate Hair Growth
Hair might become dull and heavy from the residue styling products, and shampoos frequently leave behind.
Using espresso grounds to exfoliate your scalp will help eliminate dead skin cells and buildup.
Test-tube experiments have shown that caffeine, like the one present in old coffee grounds, increases the development of human hair.
Research on both people and animals has shown that putting caffeine on the skin speeds up blood flow and encourages the development of hair and fur.
Just take a few handfuls of espresso grounds. Massage your hair and scalp for a couple of minutes before shampooing.
After that, wash your hair and rinse thoroughly as normal. You can apply this tip 1 – 2 times weekly to stimulate your hair growth.
#10. Repair Scratched Furnishings
If you have furniture pieces, you may notice how quickly they get scratched and scuffed.
Several treatments can reduce the visibility of scratches. However, trying coffee grounds is a good idea before going to the shop.
Combine grounds with water to create a dense paste. Use a cotton swab to apply this mix to the scratch.
Let the paste sit on your furniture for 5 to 10 minutes. After that, use a clean cloth to wipe it.
This way, you can buff out these scuffs and scratches and conceal them by painting the visible wood.
Use a cotton swab and dab the paste into the scuffs until you get the desired hue. Wait for a couple of hours after application.
If you want more recommendations, you can watch this video:
In A Nutshell
Can you reuse espresso grounds? While using these leftovers for the second time is not a good idea, you can utilize them for other purposes.
You can use these things to fertilize your garden, repel insects, neutralize odors, remove fleas, reduce cellulite, dye fabrics, tenderize meat, stimulate hair growth, or repair scratched furnishings.
If you have other tips for making these residual coffee grounds usable, share them with us in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!
