Can You Brew Coffee With a Tea Bag?

Coffee is one of the drinks that powers the American workforce. Over 400 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the United States, making it a major part of many people’s mornings. 

But, with the time it takes to make a cup of coffee, it can be hard to fit the drink into your morning routine. While many forms of making coffee can take quite a lot of time, you might be surprised to find that placing coffee in bags like tea could be the fast and easy answer. So… can you brew coffee with a tea bag?

What Goes Into Coffee Brewing?

The basics of coffee brewing have you pass hot water over coffee grounds in order to draw the flavors and organics from the coffee. The many organic compounds in coffee, along with the acid made during brewing, are what give coffee its robust flavor. 

But, what sets coffee apart from other artisanal drinks like beer or wine is that the brewer plays a huge role in how good the coffee is. 

While beer and wine can improve over time, coffee has a much shorter lifespan. Coffee requires knowledge of temperature, different kinds of coffee beans, and preparation techniques to bring the most out of the coffee beans. In other words, coffee is a tougher drink to master than most others. 

So, this is why most brewing methods for coffee take time and thought to do well. Cold brewing, pour-over, and even drip coffee take effort to create a good cup of coffee. 

But, what if you need coffee fast, such as during a hectic morning or midafternoon pick-me-up? That’s where the process of steeping coffee can help out.

Steeping vs. Brewing Coffee

Most of the brewing methods that we use now to make coffee involve pouring or dripping coffee on top of the grounds over time. The benefit of these methods is that you can separate the brewed coffee from the grounds, keeping the drink free of coffee grounds. 

However, steeping coffee involves letting the coffee sit in the hot water, drawing out the organics and acids that create coffee’s complex flavor. Steeping coffee is an easier process than brewing, but the grounds have to stay submerged in the water to make coffee. 

So, how do you keep the grounds submerged and make removing the coffee easier? Use a teabag, of course!

Teabags have been around for millennia, allowing folks to brew tea without having to fish out the tea leaves from the drink. Coffee bags like tea bags also work well for steeping coffee.

Why Would You Steep Coffee?

The main draw of steeping your coffee comes down to the convenience and control that you have over the cup that you brew.

In normal coffee brewing, you pass hot water over the coffee, creating the same strength of coffee every time. While the consistency this creates can be good for those that like the strength their coffee brewer makes, it’s not as good for guests that prefer weaker coffee. 

When you brew a cup of coffee in a tea bag, you can control the strength of your coffee by changing how long the coffee is in the hot water. A shorter time submerged in the coffee produces a weaker coffee and vice versa. 

Also, when you steep coffee, you can create the serving size you prefer. Whether it’s just one mug or enough for your guests in the morning, steeping coffee just comes down to the proportion of coffee to water. 

Can You Put Coffee in Tea Bags?

So, we come to the question of: can you brew coffee with a tea bag?

Even though brewing coffee in coffee bags like tea is rare in the United States, steeping coffee is actually one of the oldest ways to make coffee. Before the drip coffee, pour overs, or cold brewing methods we have now, people would steep coffee grounds in hot water to make coffee. 

With this method of brewing coffee, you would instead pour the hot water on top of the ground and allow the coffee to steep over a few minutes. When done, you would have to sort or remove the coffee grounds before enjoying the drink. 

Instead, using coffee tea bags would make removing the coffee grounds from the coffee much easier!

Also, coffee brewed in a tea bag can have a better impact on the environment than other brewing options. With pour-over or disposable pod brewing, you go through filters and plastic cups every time you make coffee. 

By using coffee in a tea bag that is reusable, you instead prevent extra waste from going into the landfill. Even if you use a disposable bag, many coffees in tea bags are naturally biodegradable. So, even if you have to throw out the tea bag style coffee, the waste will return back to the earth over time. 

CULT Coffee Singles

At CULT we are taking specialty grade organic coffee to the next level with Coffee singles.

On the go? No problem, now you can simply add hot water and enjoy specialty grade coffee wherever you are. With amazing flavors including Mexico Honey Process, Decaf Andes Mountain Water and Organic Honduras Comucap making coffee has never been easier.

So, now that we know that we can steep coffee with a teabag, how is it done? 

The good news is that steeping tea bag coffee is similar to making tea or hot cocoa from a packet. To make coffee singles simply follow these three steps:

• Submerge
  • Place filter in the cup and gradually pour over 8oz hot water per Steeped Bag
• Saturate
  • Dunk the bag for 15 seconds or longer for added strength
• Steep
  • Leave Steeped Bag in the cup or until preferred taste. Drink after 5+ minutes

Overall, the process of steeping CULT Coffee Singles isn’t difficult. Most of your time will be spent getting the water to the right temperature. 

Once your coffee has finished steeping, make sure to handle the coffee with care. The drink will still be hot, so don’t burn yourself because you were impatient!

Summary

Can you brew coffee with a tea bag? How do you make coffee while traveling? How to make tea bags without coffee filters? The answer to all of these questions is to steep the coffee using coffee like tea bags.

If you have never tried coffee in tea bags or CULT Coffee Singles, give the steps outlined earlier a try! With practice, you can refine the steps to match your tastes and give you a chance to make your coffee without the hassle of filters, drips, or other common coffee equipment.