Can Coffee Expire?

In a way, you can say that coffee doesn’t really go “bad” there’s no sort of expiration date when it comes to coffee, but that being said, it doesn’t mean it can’t go stale. Coffee is formed from numerous different elements like carbohydrates, amino acids, etc., and with time, all these compounds eventually undergo changes that end up altering the taste.

Now coming to talking about when these changes start occurring, it’s important to know that the form of the coffee is important, along with how and where it was stored.

• Coffee Grounds

If you’re talking about unopened coffee grounds, storing them in a dry and cool place will allow them to last almost 5 months or so. However, if you’ve opened the package, then use it within a few weeks; otherwise, the taste of it will be affected.

• Instant Coffee

Instant coffees usually already have an expiration date present on them, which makes it easier to know when to stop using them. However, a lot of people believe that if stored in a good cool place, it can be used for a year or two even after the expiration date passes.

• Coffee Beans

If you want to stock up on coffee for a long time without it affecting the flavor over time, then coffee beans are what you should get. These beans will stay fresh for about six to nine months, and after that, their flavor might not remain the same.

It might feel like a long process of grinding the coffee beans and all, but it’ll definitely feel worthwhile when you have fresh-tasting coffee in your hand at all times.

• Brewed Coffee

We’ve talked about raw coffee, but what about the expiration of already made coffee drinks? Have you ever left your brewed coffee cup sitting there for quite some hours and wondered if you still can drink it? Well, the answer to that question is that brewed coffee without extra added ingredients remained fresh for up to five hours. However, if there are things like cream or milk added, then it’s best to drink it within an hour or two.

Can You Drink Expired Coffee?

Taking into consideration all the points, it’s safe to say that it won’t be a huge issue if you drink coffee that’s supposed to be expired. However, you’ll realize the taste of the coffee will be very stale, and you’ll end up throwing it away anyway. So, it’s better that you use up your coffee within the time limit of its remaining freshness; otherwise, you’ll have a dull flavored coffee.

When to Discard Coffee Beans?

Some signs will help you know that it’s time to throw the coffee away, including

• If the coffee has a rotten smell or mold present
• Years after the expiration date
• If the coffee beans/ground have gotten wet hence cannot be reused
• If the coffee drink is tasteless with a weird aroma.

How to Prevent Coffee from Getting Stale?

As mentioned before, one of the things that play a huge role in retaining the coffee flavor and freshness is how the coffee was stored and the type of it. It’ll definitely last much longer if you have coffee beans instead of coffee grounds.

However, regardless of the type of coffee, it’s important to know that to prevent the staleness of the coffee, you will have to store it in an airtight container to prevent oxygen from getting in. Oxygen is essential for humans but for coffee, not so much as it leads to it being oxidizing, thus resulting in bad taste.

Make sure you keep the airtight coffee-containing bag in a dry and dark place with no source of heat near it. You can also freeze your coffee beans, but it really doesn’t change the shelf-life of the coffee.

Does Expired Coffee Still Have Caffeine?

In a nutshell, yes, it still does contain caffeine; however, the scent of the coffee along with the taste will definitely change for the worse if the coffee is expired.