Looking for a fast cup of iced coffee?
You might be tempted to just put your fresh cup of joe in the fridge and surely your hot coffee will become iced, right?
In this post, I’ll explore if you can put hot coffee in the fridge, fast ways to make iced coffee, and some other iced coffee brewing tips for your next cup. Let’s get started!
Taste of Hot Coffee in Refrigerator
When you put hot coffee in the refrigerator, it will taste sour and can have a hint of something rotten. That can ruin your entire coffee experience – making it less desirable.
This happens because of the high temperature can lead to condensation that can cause bacteria growth, which may result in the sour taste.
When it comes to the taste of your coffee, it’s all about oxidation. Whenever your coffee comes in contact with air, oxidation will take place – resulting in a change of flavor.
The best way to keep your coffee fresh and tasting great is sealing it in an airtight canister or vacuum sealed pouch before placing it in the refrigerator for storage.
As a rule, if you can smell your coffee even after storing it in a closed canister then the taste of the coffee will be affected.
How Long Does it take Coffee to Get Cold in the Fridge?
When putting your hot coffee in a refrigerator, it can take up to 2 hours to get cold. This will depend on numerous factors like the temperature of the coffee when you put it in, how much time has passed since you made your coffee, the temperature setting of the refrigerator, and the shape and size of the cup your coffee is in.
How to Store Coffee in the Fridge
If you do plan to store leftover coffee in the fridge, you’ll want to be sure you store it in an airtight container so that the freshness is preserved. By using other type of container that isn’t airtight, your coffee will start to taste different because of the oxidation that occurs.
Aroma of Cool Coffee in Refrigerator
You can also lose the aroma when you put hot coffee in the fridge. As a result, your senses can’t detect all the great flavors that are inside your cup of joe.
When storing your brewed coffee in the fridge, it will acquire some of the smells that are currently in your fridge.
Do you really want your coffee to taste like yesterdays leftovers? Probably not.
Tips When Cooling Coffee in the Fridge
While you might not get the perfect ice coffee when you refrigerate hot coffee – that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. You can still mask some of the unwanted flavors with sugar, vanilla syrup, or milk.
When you put your drink in the fridge follow these tips:
- Place your coffee away from other items that can spoil from the heat
- Use a glass airtight container
- Place your container towards the rear of the fridge that is coldest
Easy Ways to Make Iced Coffee Fast
Let’s be honest, the reason you might be wondering if you can put hot coffee in the fridge is to make iced coffee. But there are many better methods. Keep reading to learn how to make iced coffee fast.
Use Ice Cubes to Cool Coffee
If you want cold coffee – using ice cubes is one easy way to chill your hot brew in the morning. But you’ll need to be careful when adding ice cubes to your java if you don’t want diluted iced coffee.
You can simply use a glass and let it cool down for a couple minutes before adding the cubes, but that can take some time.
Use Coffee Ice Cubes
This is similar to the method above, except we’re taking it one step further. Instead of using traditional ice cubes to chill your coffee – we’re going to use cubes of frozen coffee. Making coffee ice cubes is simple – just use an ice cube tray and pour brewed coffee into the slots and freeze normally.
By doing this, we won’t have to worry as much about diluting the coffee which will give your coffee a better taste.
Give Your Cup an Ice Bath
Before you brew hot coffee – try putting a metal (or heat conductive material) cup in your freezer to chill the interiors.
By chilling the cup or container before you pour your hot drink in, you can reduce the amount of time it takes for your coffee to cool.
Pre-cool Your Coffee Using a Container
Removing heat from your coffee by pouring it between multiple containers is a great way to expedite the cooling time.
By pouring one cup into another you will increase the surface area and chill your coffee faster.
Use the Metal Spoon Technique
By placing a metal spoon in your freshly brewed cup of hot coffee you can quickly cool it down. The temperature of the spoon will lower the temperature of your hot java quicker than you might think.
Get a HyperChiller Beverage Cooler
If you want to cool a hot cup of coffee – purchasing a HyperChiller cooler can be a great way to go. This product contains a freezer chamber that will chill your coffee in less than a few minutes.
It’s worth noting that it is still recommended to pour your drink over ice to ensure you get the final taste you’re looking for.
Brew Coffee Strong
Making your freshly brewed coffee stronger and adding ice cubes is a great way to cool a cup of hot coffee, plus it can help prevent your iced coffee from tasting watered down.
Some coffee enthusiasts like their pot brewed strong and dark anyways – so this is a no brainer.
Take Advantage of the Weather Outside
If you have a window nearby – go ahead and open it! In addition to getting some fresh air, this can also make the temperature in your kitchen drop temporarily which can make your brewed coffee cool much faster.
Use a Cold Brew Machine
Using a cold brewing technique is the most obvious way to make a chilled coffee drink while maintaining all of the flavor. This will require more planning however.
The brewing process for cold brew coffee requires you let your coffee sit in cold water to slowly extract the flavors from the coffee beans. As the ground coffee sites – the beans slowly release flavors into the pot – no heat required.
Making cold brew in the fridge can take 6-12 hours depending on the strength of the coffee you want.
Related: No Crema on Espresso
Iced Coffee Brewing Tips
Making iced coffee can be pretty simple. However, there are some tips that can help you make the perfect cup of iced coffee!
Use Cold Water
To create the perfect cold coffee try using cold water instead of hot. By changing the temperature of your water, you can lower how much acidity is extracted from the beans which can provide you with a smoother beverage. If you don’t have a water filter at home, you can purchase one for less than $20 for a better cup of coffee.
Use Filtered Water
Filtered water can provide you with a better tasting cup of coffee. Tap water can contain traces of calcium and other elements that can affect the taste of your coffee so by using filtered water can help compensate for this.
Use less Coffee
Believe it or not – making an iced coffee can actually require less coffee than you would need for a hot cup. If you think about it, when we brew hot coffee we usually add more grounds to make up for the fact that the pot is hotter and will ultimately absorb some flavor from the freshly brewed java.
By using less ground beans, we can avoid doing this and end up with a stronger tasting beverage which can be great over ice.
Use Milk and Sugar
To make your iced coffee delicious, consider adding a splash of milk and some sugar to the mix.
Final Thoughts on Can You Put Hot Coffee in the Fridge
Putting hot coffee in the fridge yields poor tasting coffee for anyones standards and it should be avoided if possible.
If you do need to cool your leftover coffee – there are some fast ways that won’t ruin the taste.
