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How much does coffee cost these days? Well, the national average is $1.38 a cup, and a small brew from Starbucks is going to set you back $1.75 plus tax. That means, at around ten percent tax, buying a small coffee Monday through Friday, you are spending $36.60 every month on coffee. And To Insure Proper Service, don't forget to throw your friendly, hard-working barista a little cash as well, so they can afford the price of a cup of coffee on their day off.
No wonder that current trends are shifting towards home-brewed coffee. People are making a pot at home - there is about a five percent rise in at-home brewers, and a six percent decline in people purchasing their coffee outside of the home according to the National Coffee Association. There are several advantages to the do-it-yourself coffee model. First, you can drink more than the equivalent of a small coffee seven days a week instead of five. In fact one pound of coffee beans (average of seven to twelve dollars) can last anywhere from two to four weeks, giving you leeway to drink anywhere from a cup to half a pot each day. That means, the most expensive scenario for drinking all the coffee you want is $24 dollars a month, although you are likely spending less than that. At $36 plus tipping, you are saving about twenty dollars a month by brewing on your own - which means in one month you could afford a nice press pot to make your own French press coffee.
The other benefit of brewing coffee at home is the lack of trash. No one uses paper cups to serve their coffee at home. So, you get to drink out of your favorite coffee mug and live green.
Still, coffeehouses play an important role in our lives. They are ideal places for conversation, peace of mind, or as a spot to plug in your computer and work. You can't make a vanilla late at home, at least not one made from an industrial grade espresso machine (i.e. ten to twenty thousand dollars worth of steam and pressure power), and you can't pull out your percolator when your walking downtown and feel like grabbing a coffee. Coffeehouses have their grand place in society, and should be appreciated, DIYing your coffee once in awhile has its perks as well.
Comments
The #1 cost that goes into a cup of retail coffee isn't coffee beans, isn't the rent, isn't the equipment, and it isn't profits. It's labor costs.
We go to restaurants (fast food and otherwise) not to blow money because we're stupid. We do it because we're lazy and prefer to pay other people to make our meals for us. Coffee is no different.
Any financial analysis of the coffee expense must take this into account. Otherwise you're just blowing smoke.
The #1 cost that goes into a cup of retail coffee isn't coffee beans, isn't the rent, isn't the equipment, and it isn't profits. It's labor costs.
We go to restaurants (fast food and otherwise) not to blow money because we're stupid. We do it because we're lazy and prefer to pay other people to make our meals for us. Coffee is no different.
Any financial analysis of the coffee expense must take this into account. Otherwise you're just blowing smoke.
The other benefit of brewing coffee at home is the lack of trash. No one uses paper cups to serve their coffee at home. So, you get to drink out of your favorite coffee mug and live green.
Still, coffeehouses play an important role in our lives. They are ideal places for conversation, peace of mind, or as a spot to plug in your computer and work. You can't make a vanilla late at home, at least not one made from an industrial grade espresso machine (i.e. ten to twenty thousand dollars worth of steam and pressure power), and you can't pull out your percolator when your walking downtown and feel like grabbing a coffee. Coffeehouses have their grand place in society, and should be appreciated, DIYing your coffee once in awhile has its perks as well.
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