You can brew coffee with whole beans, but the resulting cup of joe is probably not something you'd enjoy. The problem is extraction time: brewed this way, extraction takes so long that the water will cool down, which extends the extraction time even further. True, you could simmer the beans on the stovetop, if you have time for an interesting science experiment, but believe me, it's much better just to mash the beans in a mortar and pestle or in a blender and brew them normally. Or you can just grab of a bag or two of these pre-ground coffee beans instead.