When your morning cup no longer gives you enough push to jump-start the day, maybe it's time to try the double brewed coffee.
But wait, what is Double Brewed Coffee? Should I drink 2 cups of brewed coffee? Not really.
A Double Brewed Coffee means having a coffee with twice the strength and more caffeine content.
To make a Double Brewed Coffee, we need to brew the coffee using a coffee, instead of plain water.
While some also consider brewing coffee with twice the amount of coffee grounds as a double brewed coffee.
Both methods will just result in doubling the strength and caffeine content, which defines the main goal of a double brewed coffee.
So, if the answer to what is double brewed coffee still puzzles you, keep reading below.
What is Double Brewed Coffee?
As I mentioned above, there are actually 2 answers to the question of what a Double Brewed Coffee is.
First, a Double Brewed Coffee can mean brewing coffee using coffee, and not plain water. So, how to brew coffee with coffee, and is this really possible?
Just to clarify, double brewing is very much different from simply brewing the same coffee twice, it's unacceptable.
We won't meet the desired double strength and higher caffeine content by brewing the same coffee twice.
Double Brewed Coffee by Brewing Coffee with Coffee
Here's actually how to prepare a Double Brewed Coffee by brewing coffee with coffee:
- 1First, you'll need 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee, and a cup of hot water (6 ounces with a temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit). To have the best possible result, use a freshly ground coffee beans, and a filtered water.
- 2Then mix these two ingredients to start the brewing process, you can use any coffee brewing machine for this step.
- 3After preparing your first coffee, just discard the first batch of coffee beans.
- 4We will then repeat the procedure from step one, using a new batch of coffee beans and substituting the plain water with the coffee we first prepared. Same measurement for the coffee beans, 1-2 tablespoons, and 6 ounces of coffee, instead of filtered water.
- 5By properly brewing the new batch of coffee beans using the coffee we prepared first, we will be able to produce a strong double brewed coffee.
If you want to know which machine or equipment to use when preparing a double brewed coffee, there’s a separate section below.
By the way, the other method is...
Double Brewed Coffee by using Twice the Coffee Beans
If you want to shorten the preparation time by half, you can do so by using twice the amount of ground coffee. By increasing the amount of coffee beans, you get to lessen the preparation time by half.
Here's how to do it:
- 1Prepare 2-4 tablespoons of freshly ground coffee and 6 ounces of hot water (200 degrees Fahrenheit).
- 2Then combine these two ingredients in your coffee maker, and brew for about 4 minutes.
- 3After brewing it, your double brewed coffee is now ready, no need to brew it again.
Both of these preparations will definitely give us a more flavorful and fuller coffee.
When making a double brewed coffee for the first time, try combining a light to medium roast. But if you really prefer the boldest and darkest coffees, go for a dark roast, go ahead and experiment!
Why Would You Want to Brew the Coffee Twice?
The regular coffee alone has its own pros and cons, so how about the double brewed coffee?
There are some questions like...
Will the benefits of the regular coffee double by double brewing it, or is it the other way around?
Or will I be able to cut the drawbacks of a regular coffee by double brewing it?
Which one tastes better: regular coffee or double brewed coffee?
Let's find out below the advantages and disadvantages of a double brewed coffee:
Advantages of Double Brewed Coffee
1. More caffeine content
Has it ever occurred to you that the effects of coffee, when you first tried it, is no longer the same?
It is because by drinking coffee regularly or daily, we already developed caffeine tolerance.
Caffeine tolerance is when the caffeine no longer gives you feelings of euphoria, extreme alertness, positive feelings, increased motivation, and increased energy.
This happens when you drink the same dose or amount of coffee daily.
There's actually a study that showed a caffeine tolerance builds up when you drink coffee for four days. And when you already developed a caffeine tolerance then stopped drinking coffee, your body will actually feel tired and exhausted.
That's why a Double Brewed Coffee comes to rescue those who already have a caffeine tolerance.
Those who drink coffee regularly might somehow felt dependent to its caffeine to not feel tired, but when they really need to be awake for work or a project, a double brewed coffee is what they really need.
So for first time coffee drinkers, having the double brewed coffee as your first cup might not be advisable because if you already developed a caffeine tolerance on it, you might need a triple brewed next time.
Though an average body can manage to consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine safely, it's still advisable to be careful with high caffeine intake.
2. Fuller Flavor - Perfect for Iced Coffee
We prepare Iced Coffee by pouring a brewed coffee, preferably freshly brewed, over a glass of ice.
And when we pour a hot coffee over a glass of ice, the ice will surely melt and your coffee will be diluted.
So if you don't want to drink a weak and tasteless iced coffee, using a double brewed coffee would be a great choice.
Even if the ice melts, your coffee will not taste weak and flavorless because you used a coffee with twice the strength.
You can now enjoy a flavorful cup of iced coffee, without worrying about the melting ice cubes.
Disadvantages of Double Brewed Coffee
1. You Need to Monitor the Temperature
Our goal here is to have a stronger and more flavorful coffee, and not a more bitter kind of coffee.
And since we're either double brewing or using twice the amount of coffee beans, it's important to take not of the temperature.
If we expose our coffee to a high temperature during double brewing, it will only destroy the desirable flavors.
And we don't want to have an undrinkable and bitter cup to ruin our coffee-drinking habit.
For the double brewing process, it's better to let the machine or equipment cool first before brewing your coffee with coffee.
2. Some Coffee Makers are Made to Brew Using Water and Not Coffee
If you will try brewing coffee with coffee, make sure to filter out the coffee you first brewed before putting it in your machine again.
The small coffee grounds might get stuck into your machine, and can possibly damage it.
On the other hand, some machines or equipment are designed to brew with plain water, pouring coffee might not work well with those machines.
Now that we covered what Double Brewed Coffee is, let's go ahead with the how.
How to Make a Double Brewed Coffee?
Before we discuss the best machine or equipment combinations for double brewing, let's first discuss them one by one for a better understanding later.
Machines or Equipment
French Press
Using a French Press or a plunger is one of the most popular equipment used in brewing coffee in coffee shops and at home.
French Press is very easy to use, very easy to clean, and it doesn't eat up much counter space.
To use a French Press, you only need a medium coarse coffee grounds, and a hot water.
Just place the coffee grounds and the hot water into your French Press, and cover it with the lid without pushing the filter yet.
Then, let the coffee brew for about 4 minutes before pushing the filter that will separate the coffee grounds from your coffee.
Lastly, pour the coffee from your French Press to your mug and you now have a regular brewed coffee.
There are actually a variety of French Press available in the market, and I know that it's really hard to pick which one really does the job.
Check out our French Press buyer guide and reviews to help you pick a great one.
Percolator
If you'll search on how to make a double brewed coffee, one of the most mentioned equipment is the coffee percolator.
A coffee percolator can be stove top or electric and requires heat, unlike the French Press.
It has 5 essential parts: a pitcher, a stem, a coffee filter, the top of coffee filter, and the lid.
To start brewing using a percolator, you need to put room temperature water into the pitcher and place medium or coarse coffee grounds into the coffee filter, then cover it with its top.
Then place the coffee filter inside the pitcher, with the stem in the middle of it.
After that, boil the water inside your pitcher using heat from the stove or by plugging it into a power source.
Once the water boils, the water will go up to the stem, and it will overflow reaching the coffee filter.
And the water that passed through the coffee filter will then produce a darker liquid, and it will flow back down to the pitcher.
Just do the process as the equipment instructed, and that's how your coffee percolator works.
This is a great video that explains how to use a coffee percolator
Drip Coffee
Before the fancy Keurig and Nespresso machines came, the drip coffee machine has been a staple to a lot of coffee drinkers at home.
Just like the French Press, using Drip Coffee Machines are very user-friendly.
You just need to prepare freshly ground coffee, place it in your machine, add water to the reservoir then plug it to start the brewing process.
Once the heat boils the water in the reservoir, the water will rise up into an aluminum tube to reach the coffee grounds.
Lastly, the hot water will flow to the coffee grounds, and the brewed coffee will then drip into the coffee pot.
Check out our Drip Coffee Makers buyer guide and reviews to help you pick a great one.
Now that we're done discussing about the French Press, the Coffee Percolator, and the Drip Coffee let's see which combinations will produce the best double brewed coffee.
How to Double Brew: All Possible Methods
If you want to experiment with the double brewing, here are the possible options:
1. Percolator and Percolator
When using percolator twice, you'll have a smooth-tasting but very acidic coffee.
To do this, you need to follow first my instructions above, on how to brew using a coffee percolator.
Then you will remove the coffee filter, discard the first batch of coffee grounds, and let it cool down. Just leave the brewed coffee on the pitcher, ready for the second brewing.
After it has cooled down, put a new batch of coffee grounds and start brewing again.
The double brewed coffee made from using a coffee percolator twice is good for iced coffee.
2. Percolator and French Press
One of the best options when you want to try a decent cup of double brewed coffee.
By using a Coffee Percolator, then French Press, you cut the risk of over-boiling your coffee.
Because you only exposed your coffee to heat once, and that same heat will brew your second batch of beans using a French Press.
Start by brewing coffee in a coffee percolator, just as I stated above.
Then prepare a new batch of coffee grounds into your French Press, and pour over the coffee from your percolator.
Let it brew for the second time for about 4 minutes, before pushing down the plunger.
After 4 minutes, you'll now have a flavorful, bold, and strong double brewed coffee.
3. Percolator and Drip Coffee Maker
Using a brewed coffee from the percolator to your drip coffee machine might not be a very good idea.
Again, Drip Coffee Machines are not designed to brew using coffee, but you can always experiment risking your drip coffee machine.
4. Drip Coffee Maker and Percolator
If the Percolator then Drip Coffee isn't worth trying, doing it the other way around is acceptable.
To do this, you have to brew using the drip coffee machine machine first.
Once you have the drip coffee, place it into the percolator's pitcher, put the coffee grounds into the coffee filter, and start brewing it.
The final product using Drip Coffee Maker and Percolator is a very strong coffee, almost similar to an espresso.
5. Drip Coffee Maker and Drip Coffee Maker
Again, using the Drip Coffee Maker for the second brewing is very risky for your machine. Plus, the coffee produced using this preparation is not very impressive.
6. Drip Coffee Maker and French Press
This method is similar to Coffee Percolator and French Press, it's highly recommended.
To do this, you need to brew a regular coffee first using your drip coffee machine.
Then, pour the brewed coffee into the French Press, with coffee grounds, and let it steep for 1- 4 minutes.
The final product tastes great for Iced coffee, very strong yet highly acidic, too.
7. French Press and Coffee Percolator
If the Coffee Percolator the French Press tastes great, doing it in reverse results in an undesirable cup.
If you'll use the brewed coffee from your French Press to double brew using a coffee percolator, you'll have a coffee that tastes burnt.
So if you have these two equipment, use the coffee percolator first, and you'll be fine.
8. French Press and Drip Coffee Maker
For the third time, Drip Coffee Maker is not designed to brew coffee using coffee. Doing it, or should I say brewing it, the other way around will save you from disappointments.
9. French Press and French Press
If you only have a French press at home, you can definitely try this.
Since using a French Press doesn't involve boiling your coffee, you don't have to worry about getting burnt taste.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, a Double Brewed Coffee is a stronger version of a regular one made by either brewing a coffee with coffee, or by using twice the amount of coffee beans.
Coffee drinkers prefer a double brewed coffee because they get more caffeine from it, and it's perfect to use for an iced coffee.
To make a decent cup of double brewed coffee, you'll need either a French Press, as Coffee Percolator, or a Drip Coffee Maker.
And the best method to get the best-tasting double brewed coffee are:
I hope this article helped you understand every aspects of a Double Brewed Coffee. If you have your own recipe or method to double brew, I'd appreciate seeing it in the comments section below.
