Can a loose leaf tea basket be used for steeping/brewing coffee?

I have brewed coffee with my tea steeper in a pinch. If you are not grinding your coffee you should either buy a percolator grind, or if using a drip grind, you will want to use a filter. I have a used a melitta #2 coffee filters in my steeper. They require a little finagling, but I can get it in there.

A side note, after doing this you either need to treat the steeper with vinegar (or other acid) or wash it really well. Otherwise all of your delicious (and expensive) loose tea will be tainted with coffee flavor.

Both comments above provided good information and confirmation.

Brewing Suggestions

I use a reusable coffee filter with that exact mesh, so it'd certainly work (for best results, don't grind your beans too fine). I'd probably start with the usual french press brewing time, and adjust based on taste. People don't think of "steeping" coffee, but, just as with tea, your goal is to get out the most flavour, without crossing that line where the brew starts to get bitter. – Satanicpuppy Nov 27 at 14:00

Technique Used by Others

If you search the Amazon reviews for coffee, you'll find plenty of people... amazon.com/gp/community-content-search/results/… – derobert Nov 28 at 0:26

I did this before posting the question, but I was looking for most definitive/authoritative results.

My Findings

This technique does indeed work but I found it not as flavorful as other methods (specifically, french press which is my usual method). I used four minutes of brewing time as I do with the french press.

One odd issue I did encounter was that the aroma was not as pleasant like it would be for other methods. Not sure what would cause this to occur. Anyway, this appears to be another method to brewing coffee. Although, if other options are available, I wouldn't bother with the tea basket.

Not mentioned here, but tea steepers are excellent for making cold brew coffee. Simply fill the tea container with medium to coarse grind beans, immerse with water, and leave overnight; in the morning you have a nice smooth cup of coffee. Typically the mixture is rather rich (almost espresso-like), so you can actually dilute it like americano and store the rest in a jar for later (it will actually "mature" in storage in taste even better, bringing out a fruit-like quality over a few days.)

There's a whole group of people who are ONLY willing to make coffee using a mesh filter basket (a.k.a. "gold tone" filter basket). As long as the mesh is fine enough, you'll be fine.

That said, you will likely notice more sediment (or actual grounds, if your mesh is too porous) in the bottom of your cup. Again, some people actually prefer that.

I’m continually on the road and even when good coffee is hard to find, hot water is available. I make my coffee with one of these every day & love it! If the coffee is too finely ground, it will leave sediment in the bottom of the cup but I prefer a little “sludge” in my last sip. In a pinch, add a little more hot water to the last sludgy swallow and...you have a little more coffee! ?

Yes...we do this all the time. I use a steel tea filter with a fine mesh. There is a small amount of ground at the bottom of the cup but the flavour is good. I leave it to steep in the cup for 3-4 mins. I prefer this to the french press which I am forever breaking and is a hassle to clean properly. This is cheap and easy to clean up. I have a separate filter for tea!