How long does coffee last in the fridge?

[Teaching3bears]

I added instant coffee to boiled water in a mason jar and put it in the fridge.  It was about 3-4 weeks ago and I opened it a couple of times.  Is it still good to make ice coffee or might it contain mold or bacteria?

[Lanny]

You need to drink coffee after making it. It is not something you can store.  Worse yet, you did this with Instant Coffee and not with real Coffee.  We live in  a Coffee producing country (Colombia) and my wife grew up in a Coffee producing region.  We doubt that it would have Mold or Bacteria, but the taste/flavor would be missing. Make it and drink it, but don't store it. (They sell Instant Coffee here too...)

[PeterPan]

Ew yuck, toss!!! Instant coffee is stupid cheap.

But I was thinking, for next time, like if you're only needing a dab for a recipe, maybe boil it down and freeze in cubes? Or buy the little coffee powder sticks so it's just one recipe worth?

[Tap]

I make cold-brew coffee from Cafe Bustelo espresso style ground coffee every 3 days and use the concentrate for a few days. We add sweeteners to it and cream so it isn't used straight. It works great for this purpose......And I should make sure to point out, this is for a few days....not weeks.

I wouldn't do this with instant coffee tho. I would use or toss, not store it for future use.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Tap

[Arcadia]

Instant coffee I would risk a few hours if I put in the fridge during daytime or overnight if I put in the fridge before bed. 

For cold brew coffee, I don’t mind a few days old in the fridge but I won’t be comfortable if I open the container a couple of times a day to pour some out. 

The smell and taste isn’t great even if it’s still safe to drink. For iced coffee using instant coffee, I just add ice cubes and milk right after I made the instant coffee drink.

[Tanaqui]

Good coffee can maybe last a day or two in the fridge, I'm told. I would definitely not trust month-old fridge coffee. Just make new stuff.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Tanaqui

[mathnerd]

I dilute old coffee with water and feed my potted plants. They are a high source of nitrogen. That way, it is not wasted. I would definitely not trust 3 week old coffee, but, it seems that nowadays, they sell bottled coffee and canned coffee which makes me suspect that there is less chance of mold or other yucky stuff growing in it if it was sitting inside the fridge.

[J-rap]

I'd trust it to be safe to drink for a week in the fridge...  After that, I'd toss it or feed it to my plants.

My brother is a scientist with a lab, and for one year, he watered his two identical plants with either leftover coffee or leftover tea.  (One plant always got coffee, one plant always got tea.)  Wow, the plant watered with leftover coffee thrived, and then some!  It was at least twice as big as the one watered with leftover tea.

 

[Tanaqui]

Bottled and canned coffee has been, well, bottled. It's not the same as pouring coffee into a cup or jar, it's been deliberately stored in an anaerobic environment. It's the difference between a bowl of chopped tomatoes (shelf life - a few days) and a can of chopped tomatoes (shelf life- quite a while if unopened, then only a few days).

[Lady Florida.]

I don't know about instant coffee but brewed coffee should be okay for a few days, a week at the most. 

[ScoutTN]

In my house? A couple of hours!  Just until someone spots it and makes it into cold cafe au lait or mocha or puts it into brownies or..... 
No instant here, though.  euw, yuck!

[EKS]

I absolutely would not drink that 🤮