Gourmet Coffee Habit Costing Consumers as Much as $1,500 YearlyWritten by Mike Banks Valentine
Copyright 2005 http://www.TastesofTheWorld.netGourmet coffee consumers rarely consider cost of their daily coffee in terms of expense to brew premium whole bean coffee at home (50 cents to 75 cents) with prices of a pound of gourmet coffee beans versus a two or three cup a day ($4.50 to $6.00) coffee drinking habit when purchased at premium coffee houses. A recent Washington Post article discussed Seattle law students spending money from their student loans for Starbucks coffee across street from Seattle University School of Law. Erika Lim, director of career services at law school has launched a campaign to reduce coffee consumption by students attending university on student loan money. She points out that students are spending education loans on luxuries like latte instead of necessities like a loaf of bread. That borrowed money takes years to repay and many students don't do math to see that study time with 2-3 cups of coffee at Starbucks over 4 years can cost them significant sums - as much as $4500 in principle, interest and fees on their student loan - over course of their education. An online calculator has been posted for those interested in calculating their caffeine expenses at: http://www.hughchou.org/calc/coffee.cgi Gourmet Coffee drinkers have become accustomed to paying $2 or more per cup for fresh brewed coffees at Premium coffee houses – and many sources are predicting those prices may increase to as much as $4 per cup soon due to expected increases in green coffee prices. But smart gourmet coffee consumers have long known that premium coffee brewed at home costs just 12 cents or so per cup, depending on preferences for coffee strength. Many coffee producers recommend starting with 1 tablespoon of fresh ground gourmet coffee beans per standard 6 ounce cup of water. Starbucks recommends double that amount for stronger coffees at 2 tablespoons per 6 ounce cup. A pound of gourmet coffee (that is 16 Ounces or 1 Lb.) divided by 1 1/2 Ounces comes to roughly 10 pots of 10 cups (6 Ounce cups) equaling 100 cups for cost of one pound of gourmet coffee beans. At average of 1.5 tablespoons per 6 ounce cup and average size of 12 ounce coffee mug, you can expect 50 cups of home brewed coffee per pound of gourmet beans! Prices of premium gourmet coffee beans range between $10 and $18 per pound, making a cup of home-brewed gourmet coffee, made fresh to your liking, cost only between .10 cents and .25 cents per cup or between $1.00 and $2.00 per pot of coffee! Even rarest and most expensive coffee sold, exotic Kopi Luwak, at $175 per pound, is still less than $1.75 per 6 ounce cup when brewed at home! So if you have expensive tastes and want a 12 ounce mug of rarest and most expensive coffee on planet, you still need only pay what some premium coffee houses charge for a latte ($3.50) for that rare privilege.
| | History of English CoffeeWritten by Randy Wilson
With English Tea being a very familiar term, English coffee may seem as contrary a term as Arctic bananas; however, England’s impact on coffee trade and world of business is undeniable. The history of English coffee began in 1650 at Oxford University when a Lebanese immigrant opened first coffeehouse on campus.Initially, coffee was seen as novelty and a snake oil, if you will, as proprietor touted many incredible medical claims. His English coffee was said to aid in digestion, cure headaches, coughs, dropsy, gout, scurvy and even prevent miscarriages. About only claim that was accurate was that English coffee prevented drowsiness. By 1700, however, coffee had become a very popular beverage and there were more than two thousand coffeehouses in London. Coffeehouses occupied more retail space and paid more rent than any other trade. They came to be known as Penny Universities, because for price of a cup of coffee, one penny, a person could sit for hours and engage in stimulating conversation with educated people. Each coffeehouse specialized in a different clientele. In one, physicians could be consulted. Other’s catered to lawyers, actors, army officers, or clergy. English coffee became beverage of business and one coffeehouse in particular grew into one of worlds largest and most well known companies. Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse catered primarily to seafarers and merchants and he regularly prepared "ships’ lists" for underwriters who met there to offer insurance to ship captains. And so began Lloyd’s of London, famous insurance company.
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