What can I do with bad coffee beans?

Question

I recently was about to have a week before I could get my good coffee, so I went to the grocery store and got some of theirs.

Unfortunately, I pulled the lever and got way more grocery store coffee than I could ever need.

It's also terrible. Short of tossing it, is there anything I can do to make it taste better until I get good coffee again?

What have you tried? What's the nature of the coffee -- dark roast, stale, bland, ...? — hoc_age, May 17 '16 at 00:27
Nothing, I'm new to this and I don't like putting things in my coffee so that's off the table. It's a dark roast and bland. — Azor Ahai -him-, May 17 '16 at 00:32

score 15 · Answer 1 · answered May 14 '16 at 08:32

15

Cold brew it! Make sure you start with very cold water and a coarse grind. Cold-temp chemistry has a better chance of taking what's good and leaving what's bad.

answered May 14 '16 at 08:32

wearashirt

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score 14 · Accepted Answer · answered May 14 '16 at 00:55

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If you're wanting ideas that don't include brewing, I would suggest using the coffee grounds as a steak rub or placing the coffee in a compost pile (if you have one).

Also, there are a number of coffee desserts that are sweet enough to hide the taste of bad coffee. I would suggest giving those a try. Some examples would be a mocha fondue, java pie, or layered mocha cheesecake.

answered May 14 '16 at 00:55

Devon Yarbrough

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Accepted because this is what I ended up doing. – Azor Ahai -him- May 17 '16 at 20:39
A photo of calf steak in coffee sauce. – MTSan Dec 17 '17 at 15:02

score 10 · Answer 3 · edited May 17 '16 at 20:04

10

If you drink alcohol, you could also try making Kahlúa. Soak coffee beans and vanilla beans in vodka for a while (3-4 weeks), then mix with a simple syrup. There are plenty of detailed recipes on the web for it.

edited May 17 '16 at 20:04

MTSan

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answered May 17 '16 at 17:30

B540Glenn

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Welcome to Coffee SE, please feel free to take the tour. – MTSan May 17 '16 at 20:05
That's not how you make Kahlua, as far as I'm aware and I'm somewhat locally infamous for my homemade coffee liqueur. But it is a good suggestion, overall. I just don't want OP to think it's quite that simple. – PoloHoleSet Jun 05 '18 at 20:42
@PoloHoleSet, For us, the recipe above is fine when mixing it with heavy cream and vodka. But if you're willing to share a better recipe, I'm willing to give it a try. :-) – B540Glenn Jun 06 '18 at 18:21
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@B540Glenn - I make a really strong batch of coffee (1.5 "scoops" per 6 oz "cup" on my drip machine), take that coffee and dissolve brown sugar into it. Once that cools, I add an equal volume of vodka to that sweetened coffee mixture, put it into a glass jug and toss in a vanilla bean that I've sliced open and mashed a bit. Let it steep for at least a month (don't cover tightly, the glass will break). I add food-grade glycerin for mouth-feel when that's done. For "Tia Maria" mostly the same but with golden rum (not spiced) instead of vodka. Make it in about 4 L batches. – PoloHoleSet Jun 06 '18 at 18:50
@PoloHoleSet, Thank You for the recipe. We'll give it a go. – B540Glenn Jun 06 '18 at 19:34
I'll post how much brewed coffee and brown sugar later. Have to check my notes. – PoloHoleSet Jun 06 '18 at 22:48

score 8 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 17 '17 at 08:46

Use them for decoration:
Fill a glass vessel with the beans, stick a candle or tea-light in.

Looks neat, costs nothing extra and if you use a tea-light, the heat of the light will help disperse the scent of the coffee. Replace the beans occasionally.

I have done this in various scales, from tiny coffee-cup-sized arrangements (coffee table for two) to 1-quart glass vases with block candles or small pots of grass where the beans hide the plastic pot (table decoration at a wedding).

This image is from pinterest (source is in the image) as I don't have an own one at hand, but shows exactly what I did:

score 7 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 22 '16 at 20:52

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Ground coffee works well as an odor reducer. You can place it in a sachet or, more simply, in a bowl in the back of your refrigerator to help reduce/eliminate unwanted odors.

answered Jun 22 '16 at 20:52

marklmartin

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score 4 · Answer 6 · answered May 17 '16 at 00:36

Try a highly-enriched coffee-drink (with sugar, cream, etc.) like a latte or perhaps Vietnamese-style iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

As you note in your comment, neither of these are usually my style, either. However, it's a fun change every once in a while. These are what I do when I have a batch of beans that I don't like; it covers up some bitterness, over-roasting, and other off-notes... and since I wouldn't usually consider doing this to beans that I actually like, it's merely opportunistic. :)

MTSan · Answer 7 · 2019-04-17T06:28:09.700

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Mocha cheesecake is already mentioned by Devon. Also, desserts as a category. But, I would like to mention tiramisu separately as it is widely known.

edited Apr 17 '19 at 06:28

answered Dec 17 '17 at 14:58

MTSan

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@stephie You're right. I've removed the link to be in line with SA. I assume people could easily Google a recipe, if necessary. – MTSan Apr 17 '19 at 06:29

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Jun 03 '18 at 19:42

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If they are whole beans, place a layer on a cookie sheet and put them under the broiler for 60 to 90 seconds to wake them up. I've sometimes had a good result.

answered Jun 03 '18 at 19:42

Rob

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score 0 · Answer 9 · edited Apr 12 '19 at 07:27

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This won't fix the coffee but it might not taste as bad. Do a normal french press but do a crazy strong ratio like 1:10 1:7 or 1:5! Filter, then pour some in a cup, maybe half a cup and dilute the rest with hot water.

It won't turn it good but will make it slightly more acceptable than before.

edited Apr 12 '19 at 07:27

answered Apr 11 '19 at 02:37

Asimo Galactica

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What can I do with bad coffee beans?

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