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The price of coffee

post #1 of 28
1/13/06 at 6:32am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone else think that the price charged for a cup of tea or a coffee in a place like Starbucks is becoming extortionate?

When you buy a cup of tea, your paying for a teabag, hot water and a splash or milk, so how come you end up paying the equivilant of half an hours minimum wage?

Its ridiculous!

I dont see how the price can vary so much from what you make at home, to a small cafe, to a large chain store. They must have a very high profit margain is all I can say.
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post #2 of 28
1/13/06 at 6:42am
Starbucks main thing is coffee. 7-11 has coffee there so that when you come in you'll buy something else that they can make a profit on.
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post #3 of 28
1/13/06 at 6:45am
Thread Starter 
But I cant see how they can justify charging so much for something that must be so cheap for them to make.

But I guess thats why they are rich and i'm not! Curse their coffee goodness..
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post #4 of 28
1/13/06 at 7:17am
It annoys me! Not so much the price, but the difference in prices.

There are three main coffee shops where I live, for a tea and a decaf coffee it will be $2.64, $3.33 or $4.27... and what annoys me is the difference between a small/large tea etc - umm its still only 1 teabag!
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post #5 of 28
1/13/06 at 7:18am
Most of those kinds of coffeehouses are in a mall or plaza where the rent is high. I rarely drink coffee there, but went to a fun place called "Cool Beanz" that was a hippie style coffeehouse. I really didn't mind paying the extra because I knew that they had to make a profit on something. All they were selling was coffee and a few snacks. What else could they make a profit on? They ended up going out of business anyway - right after I found it too.
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post #6 of 28
1/13/06 at 10:31am
What bothers me most is that while coffee prices (actual wholesale bean prices) have reached all-time highs in recent years while the producers (poor farmers in 3rd world countries) have been paid less than ever for their crops.

I'd urge people to spend their "latte dollars" on fair trade coffee instead. Bet you'd end up spending less in the long run and still have great coffee!
Mind you, you'd have to make it yourself...
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post #7 of 28
1/13/06 at 10:34am
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.
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post #8 of 28
1/13/06 at 10:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.
Now THAT is a reason to be alarmed.
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post #9 of 28
1/13/06 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.
how in the world am i supposed to wake up in the mornings? Oh no!
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post #10 of 28
1/13/06 at 12:25pm
I wonder how much the price of a cup has to do with the expensive equipment? Fancy home espresso/cappuccino machines are all the rage here, and most seem to be priced between $300 and $1,000!!!! Okay, they grind the beans, prepare a fresh cup at the touch of a button, etc., but that seems rather exorbitant, and I question how many people actually buy such machines for home use, rather than a simple drip coffeemaker or perculator.
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post #11 of 28
1/13/06 at 3:55pm
The last coffee machine we got we spent $10 on .

I was reading about coffee recently, just curious and wanting to find out how it was cultivated and processed. One of the big things I discovered is that most of the big coffee growers grow the stuff in plantations totally contrary to the plants' natural habitat. They grow them in rows in the sun, which stresses the plants so that they fall prey to pests and disease which means that they have to spend money on pesticides and fungicides or lose the plants. It's like trying to grow hostas in the sun.

Shade grown coffee is much healthier and as a result will need little or no chemicals. However as you can imagine, growing amongst the trees is not compatible with huge plantation farming methods (i.e. "not profitable" ) although it is imminently practible for the small farmers.

I keep meaning to look for some at the local upscale market, but so far we just get the Maxwell House from Sam's .
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post #12 of 28
1/13/06 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pushylady
What bothers me most is that while coffee prices (actual wholesale bean prices) have reached all-time highs in recent years while the producers (poor farmers in 3rd world countries) have been paid less than ever for their crops.

I'd urge people to spend their "latte dollars" on fair trade coffee instead. Bet you'd end up spending less in the long run and still have great coffee!
Mind you, you'd have to make it yourself...
I agree . If I actually drank coffee, I would go fair trade!
There are many coffee shops now that offer fair trade coffee. Just ask them... if they don't, tell them they should!
I know at the University we have a coffee shop that only serves fair trade
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post #13 of 28
1/13/06 at 7:15pm
I have an espresso machine, got it for christmas and absolutely love it. The cats scatter though when the cream is steaming- they can't handle the noise.
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post #14 of 28
1/13/06 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
I have an espresso machine, got it for christmas and absolutely love it. The cats scatter though when the cream is steaming- they can't handle the noise.
"#&#^&#&#&#^&#& humans! always SOME new NOISE "
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post #15 of 28
1/14/06 at 3:59pm
I am the only coffee drinker in the house. I MUST have the perfect cup every day and make it exactly the same. I buy whole beans which I have a burr grinder for-my fav is Sumatra which will be in short supply due to the weather.
I try to buy either organic or fair trade coffee. Mom gave me a gift card to starbuck for christmas which I gave to my sister. Even though I spend $$ I cannot justify $4-5 for a large cafe mocha-once or twice a yr as a treat. If I go to a coffee shop I usually get the plain jane coffee of the day.
I never drank the stuff at work that they tried to pass off as "coffee" I have used a french press instead at work but have to adjust the amount of coffee as it can get a bit strong tasting otherwise.
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post #16 of 28
1/14/06 at 4:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat
I wonder how much the price of a cup has to do with the expensive equipment? Fancy home espresso/cappuccino machines are all the rage here, and most seem to be priced between $300 and $1,000!!!! Okay, they grind the beans, prepare a fresh cup at the touch of a button, etc., but that seems rather exorbitant, and I question how many people actually buy such machines for home use, rather than a simple drip coffeemaker or perculator.
Holy Cow! All I have is a $12 coffee/tea press!

I'm not a coffee drinker...just tea. So I have nothing interesting to bring to this thread.
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post #17 of 28
1/14/06 at 4:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been working on a coffee web site for the past year and I've discovered so much that I never realised about coffee.
1) It only costs about $2 per pound of coffee beans - right now. So anyone that's charging that much PER CUP is making a ton of money.
2) IMO, Starbucks coffee tastes like crap for the price. I have yet to have a cup that hasn't made me sick to my stomach. I learned why. There's two types: Manufacturing roasts and Artisian Roasts. Starbucks manufactures their roasts. I.e. they roast their coffees THAN flavor them. An artisian roast will roast their coffees WITH the flavor. That's why I'm more the fan of Cariboo Coffee compared to Starbucks. Cariboo is an artisian roaster.

That's just what I've learned and IMO
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post #18 of 28
1/14/06 at 4:34pm
They say cigarette companies are bad, but Starbucks is just as bad, IMO. They did a study last year and found that Starbucks coffee has at least twice the amount of caffeine as just about any other cup of coffee you can get (for a similar product). So once you get "hooked" on Starbucks, other coffee just won't have the same kick.
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post #19 of 28
1/15/06 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb
They say cigarette companies are bad, but Starbucks is just as bad, IMO. They did a study last year and found that Starbucks coffee has at least twice the amount of caffeine as just about any other cup of coffee you can get (for a similar product). So once you get "hooked" on Starbucks, other coffee just won't have the same kick.
I believe that...nothing else seems to have quite the "kick" of Starbucks. If I need a serious caffeine fix, I go there. But regular old coffee at home does the trick for my routine caffeine needs, and really most of the time when I get Starbucks it's because I want a treat, not because I want the caffeine so much.

Once when I was in undergrad, I ordered my soy latte with 8 shots of espresso and told the barista that if it didn't keep me awake through class I was coming back to get my money back. It worked...but holy cow, I was soooooo sick. I learned my lesson there. 3 shots is my limit!
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post #20 of 28
1/15/06 at 5:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.
\t

That just might be the scariest thing I have heard in a while. Forget oil shortages. First things first, people! I'll give up my car and walk everywhere before I'll give up my java!

Hissy, it makes sense that your cats don't like the espresso maker. It sounds just like a hissing cat!
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post #21 of 28
1/15/06 at 5:50pm
Well, Starbucks is in the business of making cappuccinos and lattes. Traditionally, these start with espresso, which has more caffeine than your regular cup of coffee.

As for the price, blame whoever made it trendy to drink Starbucks.
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post #22 of 28
1/15/06 at 5:51pm
It's how they control the market and justify jacking up the prices. I had to stop my craving for a special brew because at the first of the year, the price went up and $5.00 a day adds up, that's why I like my individual serving espresso machine. A multi-server was way over my reach financially.

I read somewhere that Nicholas Cage has his own Starbucks in his home, equipped with a serving staff and everything-
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post #23 of 28
1/15/06 at 6:19pm
Ahhh, right now I have plenty of coupons for 99 cent lattes and "large" coffees for Dunkin Donuts, so I won't be complaining about the price of coffee for a while! So, I won't need to be going to Starbucks for coffee for a while, I do think they are a bit over priced though.
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post #24 of 28
1/16/06 at 12:10am
Yeah, coffee here in Perth is a joke - you can pay anywhere between $3.10 - $4.50, over East it is much cheaper. I don't get why cafes think they should charge so much, seriously, it's just a cup of coffee!!

And I would definitely go fair trade. My brother's girlfriend is the Australian distributor for fair trade products, and I always try to use them wherever possible.
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post #25 of 28
1/16/06 at 6:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hissy
Hang on to your coffee cups folks. I have a friend in the coffee industry. They are predicting a coffee shortage in two years.
I suppose that's a good excuse for putting the prices up again!
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post #26 of 28
1/17/06 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deb25
Well, Starbucks is in the business of making cappuccinos and lattes. Traditionally, these start with espresso, which has more caffeine than your regular cup of coffee.

As for the price, blame whoever made it trendy to drink Starbucks.
that would be the reverse... a double shot has the same caffeinne that a 6 ounce drip has..I will find the stats...lol.. I havent had my tea yet...
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post #27 of 28
1/17/06 at 9:38am
I don't drink coffee so I don't really notice
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post #28 of 28
1/17/06 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisalee
Ahhh, right now I have plenty of coupons for 99 cent lattes and "large" coffees for Dunkin Donuts, so I won't be complaining about the price of coffee for a while! So, I won't need to be going to Starbucks for coffee for a while, I do think they are a bit over priced though.
Good deal. Dunkin' Donuts has excellent coffee IMO.
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