How Researchers Turned Coffee Grounds Into Alcoholic Drink

You’ve tossed out your coffee grounds after brewing—maybe into the trash, the compost, or the ashtray. But what if those grounds could become something more? Like an actual alcoholic beverage, not just a flavored liqueur? Researchers in Portugal and Galicia asked the same question and came up with a surprising answer.

Yes, you can ferment and distill coffee grounds into a drinkable alcoholic beverage—with an alcohol content around 40% ABV, similar to whiskey or rum. It’s not a flavored liqueur, but a brewed and distilled coffee alcohol, made directly from the grounds.

What Is This New Coffee-Based Alcohol?

Unlike mainstream coffee liqueurs such as Kahlúa or coffee-flavored spirits—which typically just add coffee aroma to a neutral base—this new drink is brewed directly from spent coffee grounds. The process mimics traditional spirit production methods used for whiskey or rum, starting with the raw material itself: coffee waste.

How Researchers Made Alcohol From Coffee Grounds

The production process goes like this:

• Coffee grounds are first roasted and dried.
• They are then mixed with water and heated at 163°C (325°F) for 45 minutes.
• The resulting liquid is separated from the solids.
• Sugar is added to this liquid, and it is left to ferment.
• After fermentation, the liquid is distilled to reach approximately 40% alcohol by volume.

This multi-step method—roasting, boiling, fermenting, and distilling—is much the same as how traditional grain or sugarcane spirits are made.

What Does the Drink Taste Like?

After evaluation by eight professional tasters, the resulting coffee alcohol was certified safe to drink. The distillation and fermentation process removes most of the caffeine. Tasters noted a strong aroma, but also described the flavor as bitter and slightly spicy. However, they also observed that the taste improves with aging, suggesting potential for further refinement and maturation.

Does It Have Any Health Benefits?

According to the researchers, this brewed coffee alcohol may have anti-aging properties—though details were not specified in depth. The key takeaway is that it’s not just a novelty: it’s a functional, drinkable product with a complex profile and potential benefits beyond just being an alcoholic beverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this coffee alcohol the same as Kahlúa or other coffee liqueurs?

No. Kahlúa and similar products are flavored liqueurs made by adding coffee aroma to a neutral alcohol base—they don’t brew or distill actual coffee. This new coffee alcohol is made by fermenting and distilling spent coffee grounds directly, similar to how whiskey or rum is made from grains or sugarcane.

What temperature is used to extract liquid from the coffee grounds?

The coffee grounds are heated with water at 163°C (325°F) for 45 minutes during the extraction phase of the process.

What is the final alcohol content of the coffee drink?

The final product has an alcohol concentration of around 40% ABV, comparable to standard spirits like whiskey or rum.

Does the drink still contain caffeine?

No. The distillation and fermentation process removes most of the caffeine, making the final beverage safer and less likely to cause jitters compared to straight coffee.

How does the taste change over time?

According to professional tasters, the bitter and spicy flavors mellow and improve as the drink ages, indicating potential for improved taste with proper maturation.

Is this drink commercially available?

The article does not specify commercial availability. It was developed as a research project by Portuguese and Galician scientists and has been evaluated by professional tasters, but may not yet be on the market.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Coffee Experiments

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