Coffee grinds?

[paddy1000111]

Whilst passing a local cafe I noticed they were bagging up their coffee grinds and giving them away for free as a natural fertiliser for your garden which made me think... Has anyone ever run a mash from coffee rinds?

I was thinking a coffee/sugar wash?

[NZChris]

I've done a steep and distill. It didn't get much flavor from the grounds.

[Benredbeard]

Why?! If you're hankering for coffee flavor, a cold-extract would be durn near as cost-effective (though technically not free).

[Texas Jim]

I’ve added whole coffee beans to new make. Definitely adds a coffee essence to it. I can’t imagine you’d get too much from spent grounds.

[still_stirrin]

Well, using spent grounds (already used to make coffee) would be useless in either the fermenter or a maceration. The "goodies" in coffee grounds is the caffeine which is water soluble, in addition to some alkaloids which are also water soluble. So, the process of making coffee with the beans/grounds would extract exactly what you intend to add to your spirit.

Pure anhydrous caffeine is a bitter-tasting, white, odorless powder with a melting point of 235–238 °C. Caffeine is moderately soluble in water at room temperature (2 g/100 mL), but very soluble in boiling water (66 g/100 mL). Also, t is moderately soluble in ethanol (1.5 g/100 mL).

So, if you want a coffee flavored spirit (with the effects of caffeine included), macerate fresh beans, or cracked beans in the spirit. It will color and flavor quickly (a week or two). I have done this with success. It makes a tasty "cowboy coffee" which is great served on the rocks.

But, I can't recommend using spent grounds, unless you put them into your garden. They will acidify the soil and add nutrients that the plants love. So, go ahead and pitch them into the garden.
ss

[The Baker]

I’ve added whole coffee beans to new make. Definitely adds a coffee essence to it. I can’t imagine you’d get too much from spent grounds.

You get nothing but a taste of straw. I've tried it.

Grounds are supposed to be good in the garden. Maybe not much nutrient (dunno) but perhaps a good soil conditioner.

Geoff

[paddy1000111]

Maybe not such a good idea then, just racking my brains trying to make something new I guess. Anyone can run a still with someone else' recipe, I want to make my own custom brew!

I have made nice stuff with fresh coffee or coffee made with hot water which then percolates into ice below and then mix in the neutral in post. I was just wondering if anyone had tried taking the used coffee grinds, boiling them up with sugar and then watering down and pitching yeast, using the coffee as a bit of a nutrient/stimulant for the yeast. The coffee machines never remove all the flavours etc, I was thinking 3-5kg of coffee grinds for free might make something new

[NZChris]

Uncle Google and forums don't know everything, so sometimes you've gotta go first. I had a fair idea that my test wouldn't get much flavor, but I still tried it.

[The Baker]

Maybe not such a good idea then, just racking my brains trying to make something new I guess. Anyone can run a still with someone else' recipe, I want to make my own custom brew!

I have made nice stuff with fresh coffee or coffee made with hot water which then percolates into ice below and then mix in the neutral in post. I was just wondering if anyone had tried taking the used coffee grinds, boiling them up with sugar and then watering down and pitching yeast, using the coffee as a bit of a nutrient/stimulant for the yeast. The coffee machines never remove all the flavours etc, I was thinking 3-5kg of coffee grinds for free might make something new

Well I found the (commercial) coffee machines DO remove ALL the flavour.

Geoff

[SaltyStaves]

Worst rum I ever made was with stale coffee grinds.
I read that they were a good source of nitrogen for the yeast and saw it as an opportunity to cut back on the DAP.

It wasn't a light bodied rum, yet it was completely dominated by stale coffee. I put all of it into my rum feints and failed spice rum experiments and it completely ruined those too.

If its smells stale, it will make a stale coffee tasting distillate.