Getting that energy boost of a morning coffee through each refreshing sip is something that any coffee lover looks forward to. But one thing that people don’t look forward to is hardened coffee powder.
If you’ve gone to make your coffee and discovered that the coffee powder is hard, you’re probably wondering what to do.
Luckily, there are a few tricks you can try. You could simply take the hardened clumps out of your coffee powder to preserve the parts that are still good. Another option is to put a small amount of warm water into your coffee powder and shake it up to break the clumps. You could also put the coffee powder into a blender with some water to break up the clumps.
As you can see, there are multiple methods when it comes to fixing your coffee powder issues.
In this article, I will go through all of these more in-depth and teach you how to avoid this problem in the future.
How To Soften Coffee Powder That’s Hardened
Water
For this method, all you do is put a few drops of warm water into your jar of coffee powder and then put on the lid. Then you just shake the jar around and try to break up the clumps.
This works because the water softens the hard clumps, and they can break easier when shaken around.
Make sure you store the coffee in the fridge after using this method because the moisture from the water can make bacteria grow faster. Keeping your coffee in the fridge will slow this bacteria growth so that your coffee stays good for longer.
The main reason why coffee powder becomes hard is that it was exposed to moisture. Using this method may help for a short period of time, but it’s won’t fix the problem.
Blender
If you don’t want to do all the work of shaking the coffee, you can try putting it in a blender. Just add a few drops of water to it and blend on the lowest setting.
This works the same way as the water method, but since it doesn’t involve shaking, you won’t have to put in as much work. You should still store it in the fridge after adding water.
You can also use this method without adding any amount of water to reduce moisture exposure.
Separate
If none of these methods seem to be working, or if you just don’t want to try them, you can always opt to separate the clumps from the coffee that’s still good. This way, you will be able to salvage a good amount and you can just toss out the hardened clumps.
Is It Bad To Consume Hardened Coffee Powder?
Usually, it’s fine to consume hardened coffee powder. It might not taste as good and could be less flavorful, but these aren’t super big problems. As long as it looked okay before you started using it, the hardened coffee powder should be fine.
It becomes an issue when there is mold growing on the coffee powder. Hardening is a sign that the coffee has been exposed to too much moisture, and this makes it a very good place for mold to grow. If you notice any mold on your coffee powder, definitely throw it out immediately.
Consuming moldy coffee powder could lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and overall just be a very uncomfortable experience. If you’re unsure whether your hardened coffee powder is growing mold or not, it might be good to just throw it out for peace of mind.
How Do I Keep My Coffee Powder From Hardening?
Coffee powder hardens when it’s exposed to moisture. This moisture will initially create wet clumps of coffee, but over time they dry out into a hardened form. So if you want to keep your coffee powder from hardening, your best bet is going to be to store it correctly and away from moisture.
Always make sure that your coffee powder is kept in a secure, airtight container, or a high-quality mason jar.
Being sure that this container is completely sealed every time you use your coffee will help keep any contaminants out. This means that moisture won’t be able to get in as easily.
The best place to keep your coffee powder is somewhere cool and dry. A cabinet is a great option because it’s sheltered from steam or other moisture that may collect in the kitchen.
When you are getting coffee out of the container, be sure that the utensil you’re using to do so isn’t wet. It’s very common for people to use wet spoons to make their coffee, and this can transfer moisture to the inside of your jar and cause the coffee to harden.
Final Thoughts
The coffee powder can harden when it isn’t stored properly, but this doesn’t mean that you have to throw it out.
As long as there are no signs of mold or weird smell, you can try to break up the hardened clumps in order to preserve your coffee for longer.
Hopefully, you now know how to fix the problem of hardened coffee powder so that you can make it last a lot longer.