What Happens If You Brew Coffee With Coffee In Place Of Water?

Occasionally, we see an internet food video so ridiculous that it circles back around to genius. Such was the case with a YouTube short from a pair of Italian content creators entitled "We made coffee with coffee." The pair first made a pot of coffee in a moka pot, which is not quite the same as a coffee percolator, and used the resulting coffee as the liquid used to brew a second pot. The content creators called this "coffee for the student," implying that its bulletproof strength would be great for a full night of studying. However, tasting the brew led the two content creators to grimace; the coffee was apparently exceedingly bitter.

It turns out that "making coffee with coffee" sounds wacky, but it's actually a thing. Double-brewed coffee is legitimate, and this strong, concentrated coffee is often described as being perfect for use in iced coffee drinks. However, that statement comes with some caveats.

Double-brewed coffee will, in fact, taste very strong. That's why it's not your best bet for straight sipping. Where coffee-brewed coffee shines is as a concentrate for use in iced coffee drinks. Have you ever been bummed out because your drink is being watered down by melting ice? Well, that's less of a problem if your coffee is very strong. You are definitely sacrificing taste a bit here, so you don't want to use your gourmet beans when making double-brewed coffee — maybe even brew up some instant coffee (using this excellent method) and use that as your base instead.

Thoughtfully adding ingredients is vital when making a good cup of coffee. Be that as it may, make sure it's only plain, black coffee that you rebrew, as anything else could seriously damage your coffee pot. Speaking of that, consider the fact that bacteria love a moist, warm environment like coffee that is sitting in a brewer. You will want to flush your machine or pot thoroughly with clean water after double brewing to make sure that the leftover coffee doesn't start to stagnate in the machinery.

It's worth mentioning that you can achieve the same, concentrated results by simply brewing your coffee with double the amount of grounds. Most double brewing aficionados prefer this method, probably as it saves time and ensures that you avoid the (admittedly small) risks inherent to double brewing.