Is it acceptable to microwave coffee?

Only way to know for sure is try.

Never!!

That's what I do using my rather snobby, large volume Bialetti Mokka. It doesn't seem to affect anything apart from the understanding that I'll always be at an inferior status to my coffee pot.

Tea: Yes.

Coffee: Never.

You should be banned from the forum for asking such a thing!

Tea: NEVEREVER.

Coffee: ONLY WHEN DESPERATE.

FTFY

Depends on the coffee. Old beans roasted to within an inch of their life and tasting like burnt ashes (i.e. Lavazza) - probably won't be able to tell. Fancypants third wave artisanal single origin light roast rainforest friendly organic - will be very disappointing.

Depends on the coffee

Supermarket own brand "dark roast" arabica though I am contemplating getting some expensive artisan coffee just to try...

once you've brewed and extracted using an approved method (cafetiere, YMMV if you're a single estate £1500 grinder tart 😉 ) then reheating the second cup isn't IMHO going to make a huge difference. You'll only be taking it from room temp to say 75-80C and I doubt that'll degrade the drink compared to having already been extracted by nearly boiling water.

Does the activity of microwaves create some kind of degradation of the flavour oils.....there's an analytical chemistry PhD in that.

Make sure you don't boil it and it is fine. What you mustn't do though, ever, is use your microwave to cook a haggis, forget it is on, and burn the haggis leaving a stench forever more in the microwave. That does not make for nice coffee. 

I'm struggling to see what the difference is between microwaving half a large cafetière or a whole small cafetière.

Anyway, if it tastes OK to you, do it. If not don't.

I've just begun travelling down the rabbit hole that is grinding your own beans, etc. for the first time in donkey's years. Hand grinder, Bialetti, Aeropress or filter. So I think you're an animal to mistreat your coffee this way.

I do it everyday at work. Tastes fine.

Put it in your thermos, ideally a tartan one with a glass liner and plastic cup

When I do my flat white and they are pretty good but to keep the milk silky it's never hot enough for me so it then gets 15 seconds in the microwave. This means I get the texture I want but slightly hotter .

My gripe with the £3.95 barista pour is that it often arrives lukewarm as they never heat the cup

I use the microwave to warm the milk as well. Never the coffee though. Always warm the cup first. Always.

Flask.

Why use electricity to heat it twice?

But - just the coffee. If you take milk don't put milky coffee (or tea) in a flask - thats just rank

If there’s milk involved then there’s a decent chance you’ll cook it a bit and it’ll taste a bit vomity (unless you’re careful as the posters above seem to be).

Black coffee is fine but the flavour does go a bit stale if it’s left out in the open. Best option to avoid making 2 pots or reheating is indeed a thermos or similar. That’s what I do and I’m a fancy-grinder-artisan-beans kind of guy

I use the microwave to warm the milk as well. Never the coffee though. Always warm the cup first. Always.

I zap the cup with my milk for about 30 seconds (before adding the coffee!) to take the chill off both.

The thermos is a good suggestion

Depends what the alternative is.

Nuked good coffee is better than no coffee. Unless it’s Mellow Birds, that is.

Put it in your thermos, ideally a tartan one with a glass liner and plastic cup

Just had to bin mine, it rusted through the bottom. My grandfather bought it in the 60s for his fishing trips.

I’d warm up a brew i’d forgotten about but in your case you’re just being ridiculously lazy....plus time spent making brew = time spent skiving work

should be ok if you use an artisan microwave

Hand wound in a Faraday cage by authentic Victorian children

I like coffee that tastes roughly like charcoal. Lavazza is near perfect. Although it could always be just a bit more roasted.

Couldn't care less if i have to microwave it if it has gone cold.

Makes not a blind bit of difference. I often microwave the last mug from the filter jar just don't nuke it to beyond an inch of its life. I also use oat milk. 

I often  reheat, it's fine. I quite like reheating coffee after it's been in a thermos for a day, it has a flavour that's different but a pleasant change.

It might make a difference, it might not, you might not notice even if it does, you might imagine a difference even if it doesn't, and you might think the difference is either better or worse...

Reheating is fine just don’t overdo it.

If it’s sat in its grounds for 6h in the cafetière it might not taste the best but the reheating won’t be the problem.

Also, better cooled down and reheated than kept hot all day long.

It might make a difference, it might not, you might not notice even if it does, you might imagine a difference even if it doesn’t, and you might think the difference is either better or worse…

you are David Byrne and I claim my £5

I reheat mine in the pizza oven using hickory chips beats throwing it down the sink 😕

You're reheating a brewed liquid, it's not going to change anything unless you're boiling milk.

Also, I'm surprised STW hasn't pulled you up on this yet but,

This is a cafetière:

This is a cafeteria:

Also, I’m surprised STW hasn’t pulled you up on this yet but,

<Edinburgh defence> That was a test. Glad you're the first pedant person to notice...</Edinburgh defence>

You’re reheating a brewed liquid, it’s not going to change anything unless you’re boiling milk.

Just go and warm up a black coffee in the microwave and enjoy just how shit it tastes. You’ll only do it once. Unless you’re really stubborn. Best wait ‘till the morning now though.

Just go and warm up a black coffee in the microwave and enjoy just how shit it tastes. You’ll only do it once. Unless you’re really stubborn. Best wait ‘till the morning now though.

I'll cheerfully set you up with a blind taste-test on that.

I reheated the end of the stove top coffee top brew I did on Sunday. Tasted fine to me. Not as good as fresh but better than instant by a long way.

Its going to make zero difference to the taste. Nuke away, as many times as needed.

(I’m new to this coffee snobbery).

I wouldnt be impressed if i wandered into a coffee shop and they stuck it in the microwave but leaving that aside.
Being really lazy I use a machine and if I didnt would probably go the thermos approach instead but wouldnt be opposed to trying a microwaved one.
My guess is it wouldnt make much difference but one way to find out. To really remove doubt get someone to set up a blind test of it so you dont risk making your mind up first.

But – just the coffee. If you take milk don’t put milky coffee (or tea) in a flask – thats just rank

Truth! I seldom drink coffee, unless I have a mocha in a coffee shop, otherwise I make green tea to go in a flask, or tea with milk at home. I’m basically a zero-faff hot drink person.

Are the chemicals in your coffee (acids, sugars, etc) all inert once the coffee has been brewed or do they react over time, altering the flavour? Do any reactions go faster if you warm it up?

I guess it could improve the flavour of course. Who knows? Try it, if you like it, drink it.

Properly brewed coffee will change in flavour as it cools, so I can't see how reheating after cooling won't further change it. Unless the flavours are relative to the temperature? I'm a coffee snob, not an expert, so I'd agree that the taste test and some sort of chemical analysis is required.

It's coffee for goodness sake.  A  drink that may need rewarming. Yet another trivial thing  turned into a bloody religion.

No! Make some fresh. And never use instant ‘coffee’ - 🤮

If it's for yourself, who cares. For somebody else, probably not unless they've asked you to.

Edit, agree about instant, just nope.