Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid?

Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid? - White Ceramic Bowl on Brown Carton Box

Coffee in an electric drip brewer (a model like this) goes all murky brown and opaque very fast, when the pot is left without a lid. With lid, it stays translucent and bright dark brown for quite a bit longer.

What is the process that happens without lid? Reference link to wikipedia or something would be great.

I need the information to educate certain co-workers who just take off the filter part and leave the pot open, when they take coffee...



Best Answer

Whether solid or liquid, when covering anything you are inhibiting water from evaporating. In this case this is because the air in the coffeepot shares some of the moisture of the coffee, removing the lid allows this moist air to escape and be replaced by dry air, in turn this dry air extracts more moisture from the coffee. Now, knowing that coffee mainly consist of minerals and water, you can conclude that on the surface of the coffee these minerals start to clutter, because less water is present in between them. This explains the visual aspect. Also you could argue that when the lid is off the top layer of the coffee cools down more rapidly, due to this warm (moist) air escaping. And while the coffee may be hot, it is the outer layer that is cooler and has the typical opaque visuals of a cold coffee. I am speculating here, but Im pretty sure this is whats happening. I couldnt find anything to reference my ideas but hope its a help anyway.




Pictures about "Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid?"

Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid? - From above of geyser coffee maker pouring freshly brewed beverage into ceramic cup placed on white table
Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid? - Kitchen interior in modern cafe
Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid? - Chemex pot on rock in mountains



Quick Answer about "Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid?"

In this case this is because the air in the coffeepot shares some of the moisture of the coffee, removing the lid allows this moist air to escape and be replaced by dry air, in turn this dry air extracts more moisture from the coffee.

Why do coffee pots have a lid?

The Travel Lid is for keeping coffee hot for longer than an hour or when traveling with your carafe. The Travel Lid may also be poured through, but you will need to loosen it by \xbc to \xbd turn to expose the pour spout within the lid. After pouring, retighten the lid to keep the coffee warm to make the carafe spill-proof.

Why do coffee pots overflow?

Circumstances that may cause the filter basket to overflow or the coffee maker to brew slowly include excessive amounts of ground coffee or a grind that's too fine. Or the appliance might need cleaning. \u201cUse slightly less grounds when brewing decaffeinated, flavored, or finely ground coffee,\u201d she says.

Why is pour over coffee superior?

Many coffee lovers, especially black coffee lovers, prefer the pour over method because many believe it creates a more flavorful cup of brew. Since it's a longer brewing process, there's a more intricate flavor extraction. The slower the water filters through the grounds, the more flavor is extracted.

Can you make coffee without a filter?

Place a kitchen towel or a piece of double-layered cheesecloth on top of your cup. Pour the mixture of coffee and water in your cup. The towel/cloth will filter the grounds and your cup will be filled with delicious coffee.



Make a great cup of stovetop coffee




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Cesan Escuadro, Elle Hughes, Maria Orlova, Dziana Hasanbekava