How Many Times Can You ‘Roosevelt’ Coffee Grounds?

Who came up with the notion coffee grounds could only be used once? There are many people that reuse coffee grounds time and time again. Some because they are environmentally conscious, and others like me, because they are cheap sons-of-guns. So, how many times can you Roosevelt coffee grounds?

The practice of "Roosevelting" something, which for our purposes implies the act of reusing and conserving supplies per President Roosevelt's Depression Era policies, comes in very handy for those on a budget and with limited recourses. Based on my own research, simply adding an additional scoop of coffee to the previous batch of grounds works just fine. The entire process can then be repeated again. While the result after the third time does not necessarily qualify as a gourmet cup of heaven, it certainly satisfies one's fix and helps the drinker to face the day. Even Keuring "K Cups" can be reused.

According to a post by a fellow coffee lover, brianteats, on Beginner Triathelete.com, he states:

I realized, by simply adding half  the amount of grounds I use for a regular pot to the already used grounds in the coffee maker- tastes the same! I only do this once, then refresh the grounds. This allows me to get 150% usage of my coffee!

The National Coffee Association warns never to reuse coffee grounds. According to the NCA, once grounds have been used, "the desirable coffee flavors have been extracted and only the bitter undesirable ones are left."

I say "phooey!" My independent, not-so-emperical research indicates if you add a small amount of fresh grounds to the already used grounds, and then brew a new pot, the result is coffee that is barely distinguishable from the original.

Some true connoisseurs remain steadfast, though. According to ColumbusHere on Yahoo Answers, it simply shouldn't be done. "I don't because all the essential oils would be removed, the best part of the coffee as far as I'm concerned," he says.

Considering price of coffee has outpaced gas price increases over the last year, it seems only reasonable one should conserve coffee in much the same manner as one conserves gas. Coffee prices have increased nearly 40% from the previous year. Unlike many things in a tight economy, though, coffee sales have not decreased. As a matter of fact, according to economists, coffee sales emerge relatively unaffected during tough financial times. If anything, consumers simply switch to purchasing cheaper brands.

Based on our own independent study, it seems three times is the charm. Even in the world of radio station coffee drinkers, where the consensus is almost unanimously quantity over quality, three times is the charm.