Curious what everyone here does with the inevitable “end of bag” leftovers. I always seem to end up with like 5–10g of beans—not enough for a full dose—and it feels wrong to just toss them.
Lately I’ve been experimenting with what I’m calling “Frankenshots”:
- Mixing the last bit of one bag with the first bit of the next
- Usually something like 5–10g old + topping up to a full dose with new beans
- Give it a quick shake before grinding and pull as normal
Honestly… some of these have been surprisingly great. Sometimes you get a little extra complexity you wouldn’t get otherwise.
Also been using leftovers for:
- Dial-in / experimental shots (takes the pressure off)
- Smaller “mini doses” when I’m close to a full shot
- The occasional iced coffee or coffee ice cubes
But I’m curious—what’s everyone else doing here?
- Do you mix beans or keep everything “pure”?
- Any tricks for making Frankenshots more consistent?
- Or do you just accept the loss and move on?
Feels like there has to be some creative (or controversial) approaches out there.
by Choss_Man
37 Comments
They all go in a container to become cold brew later.
I divide up my beans into 18g tubes… so I know exactly whats left, it usually gets mixed with the leftovers from the next bag or else I just pour a short shot…
Party shots! When I smoked herbs I’d always mix the ends of bags in a party bowl, so I’ve continued that but now with beans haha! Sometimes they make some pretty good shots, other times it’s still better than your normal chain shots.
I just add beans from the next bag to make 18 g. Nothing goes to waste here.
Am I the only one besides OP who just… has one shot of mixed espresso beans at the end of a bag and the beginning of another? Just make a milk drink. As OP said, You get some pretty decent flavored pulls, actually.
I’ve always been doing what you call “Frankenshots” and never thought anything of it. The coffee tastes exactly like the previous or the next shot after it.
I often am buying same stuff, so it just goes in with the fresher new beans. That said, use it a lot for baking too (eg in chocolate chip espresso cookies), and will put it to the side for that use.
I add them to another jar I use for filter coffee which is always just a random mix of beans. lol
Collect all the leftovers to one bag in the freezer, mix well and have your house blend.
Eat them like candy.
Save them to purge my grinder when changing grind sizes
Absolutely a Frankenshot.
I leave the grinder at the same setting then use the results to slightly dial in the grinder for the new bag. Adjust accordingly for the second shot of the new bag if needed. I usually don’t have to mess with it after that.
I keep them in a little container which I then grind up and use for baking chocolate goods. I’ll turn on my breville just for the grinder and throw in a few grams of the mixed beans. Then put the grounds in the recipe for my chocolate cookies, cake, muffins, etc. I highly recommend!
toss em in with my morning drip
Y’all are crazy. Grind it and shoot it.
Frankenstein aeropress
I add them to a vacuum locked bag that I keep in the freezer. I use them for a “house blend” when I’m desperate and the beans I’ve ordered haven’t arrived (or most likely… I ordered late, lol). I also use them for baking, espresso martinis or whatever else is needed around the house.
i keep mine in an air tight jar. i usually store 3 or 4 at a time and then maybe once a month maybe more maybe less i make cold brew with a custom blend. 5 grams from that bag of fire espresso 10 grams from that pour over that tasted like chocolate and 25 grams for that supper fruity single origin and boom you have a cold brew that may or may not taste good but no wasted beans. blending is an art the more you do it the better you get.
Frankenshots. This is the way.
I usually do Frankenshots like you, but I’ve also use them for cold brew completing the needed amount with the new coffee beans, which has also good results usually!
Put them in a sealed container for garnish in espresso martinis if it’s a lot I will mix it in with the next bag
Mix them with the start of the new bag for a DIY “house blend”
i have a shotglass on my window sill that i fill with beans. no particular reason, just looks neat when the sun catches it.
Add to the next shot.
But I make 17g shots out of a 340g bag.. so theoretically there should be none left over, but there always is
I mean, yes. Of course you mix the last beans of the old bag with the first beans of the new.
Why would that be A Thing? What else would you do?
I add them to my next batch of cold brew
I only regular one coffee. I empty my airscape of the last few grams, pour new bag in, put old beans on top. If you cycle through a bunch of coffees, save them until you find a coffee you think would taste good blended with the old beans and make a mystery shot
Yes, just Frankenshot it. Why not? You’re gonna have a couple of variable shots as you risk in the next bag, what difference does it make?
I keep a jar called “The Pit” where I toss the last few grams of every bag, then I dip into it when I’m out of beans and frankenshot a latte or pourover.
It’s rarely that good. Usually turns into what you’d expect of a typical dark roast and the smoky notes overpower any of the lighter or medium beans that happen to be in the mix.
I use the AeroPress to make a smaller cup of coffee, following a 1:16 ratio. So if I have 7g of leftover coffee, I make a 112g AeroPress. The AeroPress is really great for small cups.
Frankenshotter here too. I usually make a milk-based drink with it.
I have a “house blend” container that I pour them into. I mix them up and use them when I run out of normal batches.
I guess, we finally find the perfect grinder adjustment after having used up almost all of the beans for dialing-in.
Put them in a jar called “custom blend” and take it to the work office for the perc.
I’ve been collecting them in a clamp jar for quite some time now for when I run out of my daily driver beans, it’s a mix of god knows how many beans by now and is actually quite tasty. I use it to make overnight cold brew and sometimes pull regular shots from it too. Def unique
Keep it in a separate bin and serve it to people who visit who think nespresso and Starbucks is acceptable!
What I like to refer to as a bastard shot. Whatever’s left in the bag + beans from the new bag to = 18 grams. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, always interesting.