The Leftover Coffee Hack To Prevent Diluted Drinks

Iced coffee is a popular drink of choice, especially in the warmer months. One of the nice things about iced coffee, when compared to hot coffee, is that it usually stays at your desired temperature for a longer period of time. With regular ice cubes, though, this comes at a cost. As your ice cubes start to melt, your coffee gets diluted and naturally just doesn't taste as good.

The hack: Use coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes. It requires a little bit of advance preparation, but it's well worth it when your iced coffee tastes delicious all day long. Here's how to do it: At the end of the morning, if you have some coffee still left in the pot, use it to make coffee ice cubes by pouring it into an ice cube tray. The ice cubes should only take about three to four hours to freeze, so if you pop them into the freezer at midday, they'll definitely be ready to go by the time you reach for caffeine the next morning. Note that it may take longer for them to freeze if you're starting the process with hot coffee rather than room-temperature coffee. Then, simply pop the ice cubes into your iced coffee the next morning, and you'll have delicious undiluted coffee all morning. You can use this trick for any type of cold coffee – try it with a cold brew or iced latte, too.

Your coffee ice cubes will last about two weeks in the freezer. After this, they might start to get stale and could start to turn to gas, a process called sublimation. If you want to ensure they last as long as possible, store them in an airtight container after they're frozen. A Ziplock bag or Tupperware container will do the trick. This can also help prevent other flavors from items in your freezer from affecting the flavor of your ice cubes.

When using your leftover coffee, make sure you only use what's left in the pot — not a mug that you've already sipped out of. This way, you can avoid any bacteria or contamination in your cube. Another tip to make your coffee even more delicious is to add your favorite sweetener or coffee creamer to your ice cubes before freezing. If you choose to do this, just know that you'll probably want to use these ice cubes within a few days as the flavor and freshness may not keep as long with these additions. Whether you add extras or not, freezing your leftover coffee is a genius way to reduce waste and make sure you have the perfect iced coffee all morning long.