Don't Microwave the Coffee Man!

There is a contradiction here. You CANNOT have good coffee if you put foreign stuff like sugar, or creamer, or especially flavoring. It deserves any insult it gets.

I don't know if it helps, but nuking spices like pepper increases the amount of flavor they impart. Probably stirs the essential oils.

_{I have no idea what essential oils are, but it sounds good.}

I know I know... I'm so embarrassed.

American culture has given us many great and wonderful things, however good coffee is not one of them.

Coffee is made by Italians (many of whom, live here in Australia) and may be diluted with milk (from cows) or Grappa and sweetened with sugar.

Notable offences against coffee are often committed by Asians, large hamburger chains and anyone owning a coffee plunger.

I suspect it's due to the wave the waves work. They don't heat the coffee as a uniform whole, but rather heat little bits of it up to extreme temperatures (where the bitterness cones from) - that's why your coffee tastes bad.

So, you suspect, its strictly the heat? Then I would suspect the same would happen if I put the Joe juice in a saucepan and set it on high? I'm not sure if it has the same effect, but I will experiment with it, and see. I've warmed up a lot of coffee on the stove top (I use a French press) and don't recall the loss of tastiness, but I don't seem to recall a lot anymore.

I do know that 30 seconds in the microwave is enough to make the mojo nectar 30 seconds less tasty.

And I'll also see if with or without creamer makes a difference. looks like I'll be sprung on caffeine for a while.

Hi RVZ717,

It's the same thing as leaving the coffee on the heating pad too long. Certain compounds in there don't do heat well for very long. When the heated water is passing through the grounds to do the extraction, it is a fairly quick process. Once the essential oils, tannins, caffeine, and other compounds are extracted into a heated vessel, the "timer" is set, and breakdown of some of them starts occuring. The higher the temp, the faster it will happen.

I believe bhankii's theory is correct; with the non-uniformity of heating in the microwaved cup, there are zones of high temperature in which quick breakdown occurs.

Actually, I will take microwave reheated coffee over some from a pot left too long on the heating pad.

The solution: don't get distracted from your coffee - everything (and everyone) else is secondary!

Mike

There is an apocryphal story about a goat herder in 9th century Ethiopia who supposedly discovered the thing. The earliest credible accounts date to the 15th century in east Africa and the Middle East.

Heating with microwaves is not the same as heating on the stove. Imagine how nasty your coffee would be if you heated a pan very hot, then poured your coffee in to it. The first bit of coffee that hits the pan would be scorched, even though the final temperature of the coffee might just be normally warm. That's what happens in a microwave. The temperature achieved is an average of the coffee that's being heated to very high temps and the coffee that's not heated at all.

There's a simple solution to this - iced coffee.

Essential oils are almost always influenced by microwaving. My boss does the same thing - and i cringe whenever I see it. Of course, the lighter the roast, the more essential oils are present (roasting leeches them off, unless certain precautions are taken during roasting). If there is sugar or cream in the coffee when the nuke is applied, I suspect that the effect is actually less (since the additives actually absorb some of the essential oils into other compounds - and I could be wrong - it might be the case that the absorbed oils are actually more easily transmogrified (yes, that's a word). My chemistry is rather ancient, but I suspect that those who drink black coffee are more likely to taste burnt coffee after nuking...

GA - Lateral thinking at its best.

phhhhhhhhft!

I remember a better solution in an old issue of Popular Mechanics. A lead coffee cup - kept warm perpetually by a little chunk of plutonium.

Second time over cooking may spoil original taste and fragrance. That is why flasks had been developed it seems.

Coffee should always be fresh, preferably Italian Espresso or Americano and NEVER stewed in a microwave or on a ring - "a la filter"

Maybe in reheating it you drive the dissolved air out of the water. If I make instant coffee, I try not to bring the water to a boil. I think it tastes better (for instant).

Would a cup heater help? I have no idea really as I drink tea which will not stand any type of reheating.

What a timely topic! Our Krups just passed away and, still in morning, we have not yet gone for replacement. I remembered an antique stored away and decided to give it try. It is a glass Cory vacuum coffee pot. After an internet search on how to operate it, I gave it a try. The kids thought we had become mad scientists and wow!! what fun . the finish was the best - the big sucking swoosh as the last of the vacuum was relieved. That first cup was great! I went back for another and found the remainder had cooled a little and did not taste as good. So like you , off to the micro wave. That was awful and very disappointing. With not much arm twisting, it was back to the "Fringe" type method of making coffee. Drank a lot faster this time . At work I use one of this coffee heater rings, there is no way to control the heat though. It's not as good as the fresh brewed and definitely not as good as the vacuum pot method, but it keeps me busy. I've tried the microwave and realize the same results you reported. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep the caffeine flowing. It makes the good stuff taste even better.

oops, I thought I was logged in when replying.

The guest with the vacuum pot is me.

1. Reduce the size of your cup by half.

2. Charge overtime rates for time taken from coffee break.

3. Never forget: If you are too busy to finish the coffee, you are way too busy.

4. On the eighth day, God showed Adam how to brew coffee.

5. Is there life before coffee?

The SS thermos (post 7) is a great idea because it helps to prevent certain volatile components from evaporating away [this is what happens during reheating]. And those very components are the BEST reason for drinking coffee in the first place: their anti-carcinogenic effects(!)

I recall having heard that years ago on a morning TV show, and have stuck to drinking ONLY freshly-brewed, or held in my (SS) Thermos, ever since.

This article doesn't seem to emphasize the fact that these compounds evaporate-out quickly ... but it names those compounds for you.

And ... as I posted elsewhere on CR4 (post 5) ... according to my doctor's nutritionist: "the most recent studies indicate that coffee can contribute to forestalling the onset of diabetes." Again, we're talking about "fresh-brew", not that oily bottom-of-an-old-pot stuff...

Cheers !

If I missed this answer in one of the responses, apologies. The "reheat" has two serious flaws. (1) The original cup, left to cool, the aroma, flavor and volatile flavoids have evaporated (distilled) from the cup on standing. (2) Reheating removes much of the remainding volatile flavors. That's why a pot of coffee that tastes so good fresh is bitter and flat after an hour. Note that some cafes/coffee shops have a "coffee timer" clock, and after so many minutes/hours, the old coffee is tossed and a fresh pot made. Keeping the hot coffee in a closed, nearly full "vacuum" walled container keeps much of the flavor in.

The coffee flavor change in the microwave is a physics thing (combined with a little home economics). Fats and sugars absorb microwaves more readily than water does (salt is more absorptive still). The oils and hazelnut creamer (sugar rich) absorb the microwaves, becoming the primary "heaters" for your coffee--the water acting as a heat sink. Unfortunately, absorbing all of that energy changes the structure of the fats and sugars. This changes the receptor sites on your tongue that detect them, resulting in a whole different flavor signal interpreted by your brain. Then the mind says, "Why no, that's not good coffee!"

A secondary flavor changing effect in microwaves is malingering essences of the leftovers that were reheated for lunch yesterday (and any residuals from strange engineering experiments conducted with who knows what). Even when the microwave is regularly cleaned, its plastic liner absorbs traces of bygone meals, and releases these when bombarded with radiation. The nasty little molecular brutes mingle with your coffee, adding new and undesired dimensions to the flavor.

I vote for a good insulated PLASTIC mug with lid. I thought the idea absurd, but now love it. I demand really hot coffee, so even with the insulation, I sometimes will microwave the cup for 30 seconds to bring it up to about 180 degrees.

I do a single cup brew with no additives, the immediately give it 30 seconds with the aim of about 200 degrees to start things off. Then I can adjourn to the couch or computer and still have hot coffee to start.

If you get a deluxe stainless cup, you won't be able to microwave.

For reheating, I swirl the coffee as I put it in the microwave.

steve

I use a simple method to heat coffee in a microwave without burning it. When the coffee is motionless in a cup the water molecules adjacent to the side of the cup absorb all the microwave energy and overheat. This scorches the coffee. When you give the coffee a good stir with a spoon it continues rotating in the cup for about 10-15 seconds. Therefore, simply by stopping the microwave and giving the coffee a good stir every 10 to 15 seconds, the water molecules are kept moving. This prevents the scorching.

By definition, anything that you can smell is an aromatic, of one kind or another. So it follows logically that when you smell that fresh coffee you just poured, what you smell is the aromatics volatilizing out of the coffee. So then, it makes sense that the longer a pot or cup of coffee sits, the more of the good stuff has volatilized away, leaving behind only the caffeine. Kinda explains why Navy coffee was always so bad.

Forgive me if I'm butchering the terminology.

Regarding the terminology, aromatic in a chemical sense is different than aromatic in an olfactory sense. In chemistry, it is a five- or six-membered ring with a non-local pi electron cloud.

In an olfactory sense, the aromatic essences that impact flavor are detectable by the nose in the ppm range. These are uniformly distributed throughout the coffe and don't volatilize so much faster than the water so as to change the flavor. I believe that aged Navy coffee is bad because of what it absorbs over time rather than what it loses. I know that Army cooks, especially in the field, emitted all sorts of wonderful aromas that could taint an already dubious cup of coffee.

When I was in the Navy, the galley made 12 gallons of coffee every morning at 0400. It was pretty strong by the time mid-rats came. After four years of this, reheating my coffee in the microwave is not so bad. Besides, I am not going to brew a fresh cup five or six times a day.

tommm

Thanks for the replies!

I have decided to look at getting rid of the old ceramic heat conducting cup, and am in the market for a good vacuum chambered thermo cup. It's a big move for me, I've been using the same coffee cup for quite some time, and the permanent discoloration on the cup walls is a good indication that it's time for the old guy to retire. No more microwave for my coffee... all the answers are very logical, and on the same wave as I would suspect. I was hoping for some kind of magical response, where the coffee fairy comes and pees in your cup as soon as its placed in the hot box or something along those lines.

Any suggestion on the thermo cup?

Yes. Get one that is all stainless and by a reputable manufacturer. Avoid cups that have plastic liners, they absorb stuff and are not actually vacuum bottles. And lastly, get the best cup you can find. Generally speaking, more expensive is always better, and for very good reason. Let's face it, you always get what you pay for.

"you always get what you pay for."

Ahhh yes, so true. It's amazing how many times I have to remind a customer of that.

"Well, you know Mr. Smith, you can buy this (cheap knock off, from a country to be un-named) part for $, and it will work reasonably well for X amount of time, and I'll be glad to sell you six more for the life of your machine at a cost of $$$$$$, Or you can buy this (finely tuned piece of German engineering) part at a slightly higher initial cost of $$, and you'll never have to call me again for another part for the life of your machine. It's ultimately your decision..."

Gets me every time when they ask for the cheap part, after being warned, and I see them again needing to replace it before too long.

Yes, my suggestion is: Don't buy one made in China.

What?? No china from China?

My word.

That is why I only use the espresso cups to enjoy full flavor of my coffee.

Hi

This is true for any food reheated in microwave.

Try one of these.

1. instead of 100% power reduce, may be you need to increase the time.

2. Instead of microwave, use defrost mode, may be keep a longer.

Try and post your findings! We await the results!

Prakash Magal

The simple method is to purhase a cup warmer that plugs into the wall outlet. I have one at my desk and it works perfectly, keeping my coffee hot. I work in an office where you could hang meat, so it works pretty good. Just remember to turn it off when your cup is empty.

hmm... that gave me an idea... I have a mini Crockpot on my desk for the occasional warm lunch... What if... now follow me here... what if, I get myself a long silly straw, fill my small Crockpot with coffee, run the silly straw through a small hole in the lid, and enjoy?

Alright... alright.... I'll use a full sized Crockpot.

Outstanding idea! Just sip slowly for the sake of your soft tissues. They can be a little sensitive about the temperature in their environment .

_{(This warning is based on the available research and data at the time of its posting. The consumer is responsible for his/her own safety and evaluation of the applicability of the statement(s) to his/her own crockpot and heated beverage/liquid/plasma/et al. Liability of the poster is limited to the price paid by consumer for the information contained herein.)}

I hope you aren't using any sugar substitute like Equal. They may break down under microwave heating. That may be the reason you are getting back the original bitter test of coffee.

No sugar substitute shall ever enter my body as long as I know about it!

It really depends on the coffee... sometimes I enjoy it black, If its good coffee.

Sometimes i need to put something in it to smooth it out, maybe a bit of half and half for example.

Sometimes, I'll put a bit of cane sugar in there if its extra bitter.

Sometimes, I'll but both cream and sugar, if the coffee is just no good to begin with.

Sometime if the coffee is just rank, and four times stronger than any human should be exposed to (such is the case at work) I'll add some outside flavor/sweetener/smoother such as hazelnut coffee-mate.

I sometimes reheat my coffee at home (I'm the only one who drinks it now my son is away at college) using my microwave. The microwave is old and seems to have lost a lot of its power, so it takes 1-1/2 to 2 minutes to reheat it. It's not as good as fresh brewed, but still better than the stuff they serve at work! Maybe setting the microwave on a low setting for longer will help.

Just a thought.

Tim Hortens has it right; a cup exposed to the air and older then 12-15 min tasts bad. It becomes over oxidized. It is not the heating the cup, but the fact that it is old. To test this reheat it on the stove and see if stove reheating is better then microwave. The vacuum jars that many coffee places use is sealed to the atmosphere which reduces the amount of oxidation so the coffee tasts fresh for well over an hour.

Stop drinking coffee under those time wasting situations... Just put a pinch between cheek and gum.

I doubt the microwave ( by the way using the term 'nuking' for microwaving is wrong, there is NO nuclear energy involved, just radio waves , affects the coffee, what may be happening if you over heat it, is you concentrate it. Same thing would happen if you left a pot of coffee on the warming stove too long. (more then likely it is your imagination if you just heat it up enough to warm it up and not to boiling temp. Just don't over heat it next time and enjoy a great cup of coffee .

"by the way using the term 'nuking' for microwaving is wrong, there is NO nuclear energy involved"

aww man, I really wanted to start WWIII with my whirlpool...

LOL.

To quote Colonel O'neil from Stargate SG1 " Its just a saying . Isn't It?"

==============================================

nuke - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

Main Entry: nuke

Function: transitive verb

Inflected Form(s): nuked; nuk·ing

Date: 1967

1 : to attack or destroy with or as if with nuclear bombs

2 : microwave

==============================================

Oh Yeah! what does a cup of home brewed coffee cost?

I once measured out a can of maxwell house and found it costs $0.15 per 10 cup pot

When it gets cold, throw out the unused portion of the penny and half cup of coffee and get a new cup

It is most likely cheaper than "nuking" it and it will taste better.

:>)

Now thats some sound reasoning... And just so happens to be exactly what I've been doing for a while now... (still don't have the thermo cup).

Also... I just realized the accounting Dept has their own coffee pot, and their own special coffee grounds, which just so happen to be tasty enough to not need to muddy it with creamers and such... Now I just need to be stealthy like a Ninja to sneak in and steal a cup now and then.

Just re-Read your post... I decided to nitpick you back...

Microwave radiation is between common radio and infrared frequencies... So I'm not sure if you can actually call it radio waves... considering they are Microwaves.. not radio waves.

A microwave oven works by passing non-ionizing microwave radiation, usually at a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz... Are there any radio transmitters/receiver which run at this frequency? I think this is closer to radar frequencies, although I'm not a communications guy.

OK so I simplified things, don't knitpick. :>) But you are right, they are closer to radar but then the RA in radar is from the word RAdio

Hi RVZ717,

The optimum temperature for making the perfect coffee is 97 degrees.

The flavour may not be spoiled if you heat at a lower temp or at a high temp for a shorter time?