Can You Brew Coffee Like Tea? (How To)

The method for brewing coffee certainly differs from how you brew tea. But have you ever wondered if you can brew coffee like tea? Well, if you have, let us find out.

Can you brew coffee like tea?

You can brew coffee like tea. You can prepare your coffee by adding it to a tea bag or an infuser before steeping it in hot water to brew. However, when you do this, the results may not be as good as brewing coffee by the usual methods. The same thing applies when you try to brew tea with a coffee machine.

You probably will not get the ideal brew from making coffee like tea. But if the taste of coffee does not bother you, and you want a quick way to make coffee without espresso machines and the like, you could use this method.

If you are unfamiliar with the process of making coffee like tea, we’ve got you covered. Below, we describe how to brew coffee like tea and answer other related questions.

Can You Brew Coffee Like Tea?

You can brew coffee like tea. Tea is typically brewed in hot water using tea bags or an infuser, and you can brew coffee similarly.

As long as the temperature is appropriate, you will have coffee after steeping the coffee grounds in hot water for a couple of minutes.

You may choose to brew freshly ground coffee beans like tea if you do not have the time or the equipment to brew it according to the usual methods. The steeping method only takes a few minutes – so it is perfect for when you are in a hurry.

While the steeping method is helpful when you do not have time to spare, the taste of the coffee produced is not impressive. So, if you are brewing your coffee like tea, you might want to bring down your taste expectations.

Now, you are probably wondering – why not just opt for instant coffee? Well, not everyone likes the taste of instant coffee. But beyond that, instant coffee is usually not fresh.

But you can make your coffee with freshly ground beans when using the steeping method.

When Steeping Coffee

Temperature and steeping time are vital when making coffee with the steeping method.

If the water is not hot enough, the coffee beans will be under-extracted, and the coffee will taste sour and flat. Also, extraction will take longer when the water is not hot enough.

On the flip side, if the water is too hot, the coffee beans will be over-extracted. In the end, you will have bitter and unpleasant coffee.

So, for the best outcome, bring your water to boil but do not overboil it. Water boils at 212°F – not far from the ideal coffee brewing temperature.

The steeping time determines the strength of the coffee you get; it also depends on what you want. If you want strong coffee, steep the beans longer. But if you are OK with lighter coffee, you can infuse the beans for a short time.

How to Brew Coffee Like Tea

You can brew coffee like tea in two ways: with a tea infuser or coffee-steeping bags.

Steeping Coffee With a Tea Infuser

What you need:

• Tea Infuser
• Fine or coarse coffee grounds (your choice)
• Coffee mug
• Hot water (around 200°F)

The Steps

1. Bring the water to a boil in a coffee kettle (around 200°F to 205°F, but any temperature between 195°F and 205°F will work fine).
2. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the coffee grounds to the tea infuser. Then cover it and place it in the coffee mug.
3. Start slowly pouring the hot water in the kettle onto the infuser in the coffee mug.
4. Keep slowly pouring the water until you fully immerse the infuser.
5. Leave the fully immersed infuser to steep for about 30 seconds. Afterward, you can slowly pour more hot water to get the volume you want to drink.
6. Depending on the coffee taste you desire, this whole process should take 3 to 5 minutes. If you want a light coffee, you should complete the process in around 3 minutes. But if you fancy a strong coffee, let the process extend for 4-5 minutes.
7. When it is all over, remove the infuser and dispose of the coffee beans inside it.
8. You can enjoy your coffee black, or you may add an enhancer like milk, cocoa powder, ginger, or cinnamon.

Steeping Coffee With Coffee Steeping Bags

What you need:

• Coffee brewing bags
• Fine or coarse coffee grounds (your choice)
• Coffee mug
• Hot water (around 200 F)

The Steps

1. Bring the water to a boil in a coffee kettle (around 200°F to 205°F, but any temperature between 195°F and 205°F will work fine).
2. After the water reaches the desired temperature, take it off the stove, and allow it to cool for around 30 seconds.
3. After the water has cooled for 30 seconds, pour it into the coffee mug.
4. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the coffee grounds to the coffee brewing bag. Seal the bag tightly, then steep it inside the coffee mug.
5. Depending on the coffee taste you desire, you may steep the coffee bags for 3 to 5 minutes. If you want a light coffee, steep for around 3 minutes. But if you fancy a strong coffee, steep for 4-5 minutes.
6. Once the steeping time is over, remove the coffee bag and dispose of it.
7. Enjoy your coffee black or with an additive like milk or cinnamon.

Should You Brew Coffee Like Tea?

If you do not have a coffee machine and would like to try something besides instant coffee, you can brew coffee like tea. Also, if you are in a rush, you can prepare coffee by steeping it.

You may not get the same flavor as the usual brewing methods when steeping coffee. Nonetheless, it should taste great if the coffee grounds are fresh.

Tea and coffee are unique substances, so their dissolution profiles differ. Therefore, tea steeping may bring out all the flavor you want, while coffee steeping doesn’t.

If you want your coffee to taste great, ensure the grounds are fresh. Coffee grounds go stale faster than tea leaves.

So, if you prepare coffee grounds in coffee bags way before you steep them, you may not like the coffee they will produce.

Of course, using tightly sealed coffee bags can slow down the rate at which the grounds go stale. But even so, if these bags stay unused long enough, the coffee grounds within them will also lose most of their flavor.

Differences Between Coffee Steeping and Other Coffee Brewing Methods

As you may already know, there are many ways to brew coffee besides steeping. The following are some ways coffee steeping differs from the other methods.

Materials

Many of the other coffee brewing methods require specific machines. But with coffee steeping, you can work with regular household items.

So, in case your coffee machine becomes faulty, you can always work with coffee steeping as a backup.

Cost

Since the other coffee brewing methods require machines, the initial cost is pretty high. However, many of the items you need for coffee steeping are basic kitchen materials. You may only have to buy tea bags or coffee bags.

Time

You can make coffee with some of the other brewing methods faster than you can make coffee by steeping. At the same time, some of the other coffee brewing methods take way more time than steeping.

For instance, you can brew coffee in 2.5 to 3 minutes with an AeroPress machine. You can even make coffee in just 30 seconds with an espresso machine. This is pretty fast compared to the 6-7 minutes you will spend steeping.

On the flip side, if you try to make cold-brewed coffee, you may spend over 12 hours on the process.

Is It OK to Boil Coffee Beans?

It is not OK to boil coffee beans.

Placing coffee beans directly in water and boiling it will leave you with terrible coffee. Of course, by the time you realize it, you would have wasted the beans.

Instead of boiling coffee beans directly in the water, grind them and put the grounds in coffee bags before placing them in boiling water.

When you do it this way, the steeping will go as it should, and the coffee bag will offer some protection from extreme heat. So, your coffee will not be terrible.

How Long Should I Steep My Coffee Bag?

The general recommendation is to steep your coffee bag for no more than 5 minutes.

While you may think that soaking your coffee bags for more than 5 minutes will make your coffee stronger, things may not work that way. In fact, there is a chance that the coffee will be bitter if you let it steep for more than 5 minutes.

As long as you use water at the appropriate temperature, steeping for 5 minutes should suffice.

Final Thoughts

So you can brew coffee like tea. But if you are to do this, ensure you only work with fresh coffee grounds or coffee grounds in airtight bags.

Besides that, make sure the water is hot enough before steeping the coffee grounds in it. Then, never steep for too long, or the coffee may come out bitter.

Resources

• http://brewedknowledge.com/why-dont-we-steep-coffee-grounds-in-bags-like-we-do-with-tea
• https://coffeecherish.com/can-you-steep-coffee-like-tea/
• https://theoldcoffeepot.com/can-you-steep-your-coffee-like-tea/
• https://www.roastycoffee.com/coffee-brewing-temperature
• https://coffeecherish.com/can-you-make-coffee-in-tea-infuser/
• https://counterculturecoffee.com/learn/brewing-guides/aeropress