It is late in the morning, and you’ve been hard at work since the sun came up. You have been working so hard that you have entirely lost track of time. You grab your mug off the desk, ready for a quick break, only to realize your once fresh cup of joe is now cold. It’s been quite a few hours since you sat down, coffee in hand, to start your day. Very few people like to drink their once hot coffee after it has gone cold. Instead of drinking it, you set it on the shelf in the fridge for later.
How much later can you safely drink it? You added your typical splash or two of milk to it, so how long does coffee with milk last in the fridge? If you grab it later, will it make you sick? Suddenly you are questioning your coffee handling habits. If you frequently put your unfinished morning cup in the fridge to drink when you need an afternoon pick me up, there is no need to fear. Coffee with milk can last in the fridge for 2-3 days. Now let’s answer some of those questions and set your mind at ease.
Does milk spoil in coffee?
It is a common belief that coffee prevents the milk you put in it from spoiling at all. Coffee is mildly acidic, which can slow down the process. However, coffee is not acidic enough to completely stop the process. So, milk can spoil after you put it in your coffee. There is nothing else about coffee that changes the natural tendency of dairy products to spoil. Even if you keep your coffee in the refrigerator, eventually, the milk (and your entire drink) will “go bad.” This spoilage is mainly due to the milk becoming contaminated with bacteria. It can also spoil as a natural result of the aging process.
Also, milk is not the only reason you should think twice about drinking old coffee. Have you ever forgot about that last cup in your coffee pot and then discovered a day or two later that something was floating in it? If this has ever happened to you, then you have likely seen that coffee can grow mold even when nothing is added to it at all.
How long does coffee with milk last?
How long your coffee with milk can last depends on how it is being stored. Hot coffee with milk should be consumed or refrigerated within 2 hours. When your coffee is still warm, there is no need to worry about the milk spoiling, as the higher temperatures prevent bacteria from collecting/spreading. However, once your coffee is placed in the refrigerator (and is colder than 40 degrees), it is also safe for pretty much the same reason.
The dangerous period is when your cup of joe is left at room temperature. The longer your dairy-laden beverage sits on your desk or the counter, the faster the milk will spoil. Because of this, you should drink your beverage within two hours or place it in the refrigerator.
If you put your drink in the fridge before two hours have passed, then you can safely drink your coffee up to three days later. Safely stored, pasteurized milk in its original container can be kept for up to a week after the date on the bottle. Of course, your cup of coffee isn’t also safe for this whole time. Once you start drinking a milk product, it can spoil much faster, even refrigerated.
Can you drink day-old coffee with milk?
Once again, the answer is going to depend mainly on how you stored your day-old coffee. Did you put your cup in the fridge within that two-hour window? If you did, then yes, your day-old coffee is perfectly safe to drink. Once you bring the temperature of your beverage back below 40 degrees, it is safe to drink later.
Just be aware that taste-wise, it is very likely to miss the mark. Hot coffee that is chilled and then reheated loses many taste qualities that you might expect and get when you drink freshly brewed coffee. Of course, if you are preparing an iced coffee drink, you will be less likely to have this problem. Of course, you won’t be reheating the beverage, and it’s the temperature changes that have the most significant impact on the taste of the drink.
How long can coffee sit out with milk?
Many times, you might set your coffee cup down and then get to work. No doubt you’ve done this and found yourself working so hard that you completely forget about your coffee. Once you are ready for a break and remember your drink, you might be wondering if it is still safe to drink at all.
If it has been less than two hours since you set down your cup, it is perfectly okay to drink. It might be a little cold, but safety-wise there is little reason to be concerned. Most food safety experts agree that nearly all food products are safe to consume for as much as four hours after they reach room temperature. It is generally believed that bacteria only become a health threat after this four-hour window expires.
The longer that your coffee sits out, the risker it is to drink it. Of course, if you leave your coffee out for a day (or more), you are most likely going to know right away that it is not safe to drink. The milk will begin to smell bad or may even curdle. However, even if the coffee hasn’t started to “smell bad,” it can still be contaminated. Drinking contaminated milk products can quickly result in food poisoning symptoms like stomach cramps, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting. For some individuals, food poisoning can even become life-threatening.
Conclusion
There is no need to worry about leaving your coffee cup sitting on the counter for an hour (or even two). But if you find yourself placing your drink in the fridge for later, rest assured there is no reason at all to worry about drinking it two or even three days later.