How Long Does Iced Coffee Last?

It’s difficult to leave a hot cup of coffee for later because it’s just going to get cold.

But the cool thing about iced coffee is that you can leave it for later and come back to enjoy even more of its refreshing coldness.

But how long does iced coffee last, even if it’s been left in the fridge?

As much as we would like all coffee to last forever, but even iced coffee has a best-by date.

And in case you’re confusing regular iced coffee with cold brew, we’ll tell you how long each of them last!

How Long Does Iced Coffee Last?

Regular iced coffee is made by cooling down hot coffee or pouring traditional coffee over ice.

The thing with this method of preparing iced coffee is that you start losing the quality of the flavor only 30 minutes after your coffee grounds start brewing in hot water.

It’ll be still good to last you for up to 3 days in the fridge!

But the earlier you drink it, the better it will taste.

And make sure to put it in the fridge as soon as you decide you want to drink it later.

If left out in the heat for too long, it could go bad and start growing mold and bacteria.

Also, keep in mind if you’ve added anything to your iced coffee.

The 3-day rule applies to plain, black iced coffee. If you have yours with milk, it’s best not to keep it in the fridge for more than 8 hours.

How Long Does Cold Brew Last?

Cold brew is a little different. It lasts longer because it’s brewed differently.

Cold brew is made by soaking coffee in cold or room temperature water for over 12 hours, which helps extract more of the oils, sugars, and caffeine.

Because it never even touches hot water during the brewing process, the method extraction applied for cold brew is said to be less toxic.

That means it could be healthier for you!

And at the same time, it means your drink will have a higher flavor stability because of what we’ve explained above.

Undiluted cold brew (or cold brew concentrate) is good to last you in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Cold brew diluted with water, also stored in the refrigerator, should last you up to 3 days.

And, same as it is with iced coffee, cold brew diluted with milk should not be kept in the fridge for more than 8 hours.

Conclusion

There’s nothing sadder than a beautiful drink of coffee going bad or stale.

But there’s also nothing better than drinking a fresh, chilled cup of iced or cold brew coffee when it’s at peak quality.

And now that you know how long iced coffee and cold brew last, you’ll get to have some coffee to come back to that’ll good to enjoy the next day.