How Researchers Made Alcohol from Coffee Grounds

You’ve tossed out your coffee grounds after brewing—maybe used them for compost or scrubbed a pot with them. But what if those leftover grounds could be transformed into something entirely new? Researchers in Portugal and Galicia didn’t see waste—they saw potential. Their work has resulted in an entirely new category: a distilled alcoholic beverage made directly from coffee grounds, not just flavored with them.

Yes, coffee grounds can be fermented and distilled into an alcoholic drink. By roasting and processing the spent grounds, researchers produced a coffee-based liquor with 40% alcohol by volume (ABV)—similar to whiskey or rum. This isn’t a flavored liqueur like Kahlúa. It’s brewed, not infused.

What Is This New Coffee-Based Alcohol?

The new beverage is a distilled spirit made from actual coffee grounds—spent coffee that remains after brewing espresso or filter coffee. Unlike commercial coffee liqueurs such as Kahlúa or Tia Maria, which typically use neutral spirits with added coffee flavor and aroma, this new drink is brewed directly from the grounds themselves. That makes it more akin to how whiskey is made from grain or rum from sugarcane.

How Researchers Brewed Liquor from Spent Coffee

The production process mimics traditional grain or cane alcohol methods:

• The coffee grounds are first roasted and dried again.
• 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 the liquid, which is then fermented.
• Finally, the fermented mixture is distilled to achieve approximately 40% ABV.

This multi-step method—roasting, extracting, fermenting, and distilling—is similar to how whisky or rum is produced from their base materials. The outcome is a clear, distilled coffee spirit.

What Does the Coffee Liquor Taste Like?

According to evaluations by eight professional tasters, the resulting beverage is safe for consumption and has a rich, aromatic profile. Notably, the process removes almost all caffeine through fermentation and distillation. Tasters described the flavor as intense and aromatic but also bitter and slightly spicy. However, they noted that the taste improves with aging, suggesting potential for further refinement and maturation, much like aged spirits.

The researchers also claimed the drink may have anti-aging benefits, though details on that aspect were not specified in the source.

Why This Matters for Coffee Lovers

This experiment opens new possibilities for coffee byproducts. Instead of discarding spent grounds, there’s now proof they can be upcycled into a high-ABV, flavorful, and potentially health-beneficial drink. While not yet available commercially, this method offers a blueprint for future innovations in coffee liqueurs and spirits—moving beyond mere flavoring to true coffee brewing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this coffee alcohol different from Kahlúa or other coffee liqueurs?

Kahlúa and similar liqueurs are typically made by infusing a neutral distilled spirit (like vodka) with coffee flavor and aroma, often using coffee extracts or beans—but not through fermentation. This new coffee alcohol is brewed directly from spent coffee grounds, fermented, and distilled, producing a true distilled spirit akin to whiskey or rum, with around 40% ABV.

What temperature and time are used to extract flavor 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.

Does the final coffee liquor contain caffeine?

No. According to the researchers, the fermentation and distillation processes remove nearly all caffeine from the final product, making it caffeine-free.

What does the brewed coffee alcohol taste like?

Professional tasters described it as aromatic and rich, but with a bitter and slightly spicy flavor. The taste is expected to improve as the spirit ages, similar to how whiskey or rum matures over time.

Is this coffee alcohol available to buy?

Not yet. The product was developed as part of a research experiment by scientists in Portugal and Galicia. There is no commercial release mentioned, but the method demonstrates potential for future products.

Can I make this at home?

Theoretically, yes—but the process involves specialized equipment for high-temperature extraction, fermentation, and distillation. It also requires precise control over safety and legal regulations around alcohol distillation, which vary by country.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee for Coffee Experiments

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