5 ms·

> Spending $5 on a blended pseudo coffee drink at Starbucks is not the only option. The price per ounce of coffee on those drinks has got to be astronomical!

by floren 7y ago

> Spending $5 on a blended pseudo coffee drink at Starbucks is not the only option. The price per ounce of coffee on those drinks has got to be astronomical! I didn't drink coffee when I first moved to New Mexico, but after trying to local piñon coffee I'm a convert--luckily, I can get a 5 lb bag of the beans at Costco for about $30!

keiferski 7y ago
Having worked at a few cafes in my day, you’d be amazed at the profit margins on coffee. It costs pennies for the typical cafe to sell a cup of black coffee at ~$2.50.
- 1123581321 7y ago
  I call black coffee my table rental fee.
- Tagbert 7y ago
  The cost in a coffee shop is the labor, not the coffee. It takes a long time to make an espresso-based drink.
  - keiferski 7y ago
    Rent too. Especially in dense urban areas.
- AmericanChopper 7y ago
  The margins are good, but from my experience (which was a long time ago tbf), a lot more profit came from food. A small cafe isn’t doing badly to sell 200-300 coffees a day. Even if you’re selling 300 at $4, that’s only $1200 in revenue. Margins on food aren’t as good, but you’d be hoping to make 3x-4x revenue on food compared to coffee. Keeping in mind that a even a small cafe would likely be running at least a couple grand in expenses per day (with the biggest being rent and payroll).
shadowoflight 7y ago
I managed to get myself hooked on some of our local small-batch roasters. I've specifically been buying Trifecta beans lately, and while the price of $10-15/lb isn't too bad, the need to purchase pastries and one of their unique espresso drinks every time I stop by for a pound of beans certainly isn't doing my wallet any favors. I've been debating picking up some Piñon from Costco sometime soon to save a few bucks, but have a question about that - do you find that whatever they add to the beans can gum up your grinder?
- mcswell 7y ago
  My sister and brother-in-law used to live in Bellingham, and they would get black black beans that positively oozed oil. And the taste... (Although this suggests I'm wrong: https://www.sagebrushcoffee.com/blogs/education/61606981-the-common-fallacy-of-oily-coffee-beans-explained https://www.sagebrushcoffee.com/blogs/education/61606981-the...) Where does one find good dark roast beans? The on-line descriptions of flavor are not very helpful. I guess what I need is a sampler: a few ounces each of a bunch of beans. Alternatively, I'll listen to advice on good dark roast beans.
  - shadowoflight 7y ago
    Not knowing the coffee culture of your particular locale, I’ll just offer some generic suggestions: * Try out a few local coffee shops - and I mean local artisan coffee shops, that sell hipster shit like pour-overs and espresso con pano. They tend to actually care about what they sell, rather than some other coffee shops that just sell diner-style coffee and pastries for people to grab on the way to work. * Get to know the baristas/roaster(s)/owner(s), and try out their different coffee options. I know of several local places that offer (at least) dark and light roast drip coffee options, sometimes with several different pour-over options (my current favorite probably offers about a dozen different bean options, give or take). * See if they sell beans or can point you in the direction of where they buy beans. As far as I know, oily beans are what you want for a good, full-city (very dark) roast. The article you linked is definitely an opinion piece - I’ve never met a roaster who didn’t think a dark roast, or at least a very dark roast, should be roasted to “first crack”, though most are opposed to “second crack” (what Starbucks does, and it’s essentially burning the beans).

by floren 7y ago

keiferski 7y ago

Having worked at a few cafes in my day, you’d be amazed at the profit margins on coffee. It costs pennies for the typical cafe to sell a cup of black coffee at ~$2.50.

1123581321 7y ago
I call black coffee my table rental fee.
Tagbert 7y ago
The cost in a coffee shop is the labor, not the coffee. It takes a long time to make an espresso-based drink.
- keiferski 7y ago
  Rent too. Especially in dense urban areas.
AmericanChopper 7y ago
The margins are good, but from my experience (which was a long time ago tbf), a lot more profit came from food. A small cafe isn’t doing badly to sell 200-300 coffees a day. Even if you’re selling 300 at $4, that’s only $1200 in revenue. Margins on food aren’t as good, but you’d be hoping to make 3x-4x revenue on food compared to coffee. Keeping in mind that a even a small cafe would likely be running at least a couple grand in expenses per day (with the biggest being rent and payroll).

shadowoflight 7y ago

I managed to get myself hooked on some of our local small-batch roasters. I've specifically been buying Trifecta beans lately, and while the price of $10-15/lb isn't too bad, the need to purchase pastries and one of their unique espresso drinks every time I stop by for a pound of beans certainly isn't doing my wallet any favors. I've been debating picking up some Piñon from Costco sometime soon to save a few bucks, but have a question about that - do you find that whatever they add to the beans can gum up your grinder?

mcswell 7y ago
My sister and brother-in-law used to live in Bellingham, and they would get black black beans that positively oozed oil. And the taste... (Although this suggests I'm wrong: https://www.sagebrushcoffee.com/blogs/education/61606981-the-common-fallacy-of-oily-coffee-beans-explained https://www.sagebrushcoffee.com/blogs/education/61606981-the...) Where does one find good dark roast beans? The on-line descriptions of flavor are not very helpful. I guess what I need is a sampler: a few ounces each of a bunch of beans. Alternatively, I'll listen to advice on good dark roast beans.
- shadowoflight 7y ago
  Not knowing the coffee culture of your particular locale, I’ll just offer some generic suggestions: * Try out a few local coffee shops - and I mean local artisan coffee shops, that sell hipster shit like pour-overs and espresso con pano. They tend to actually care about what they sell, rather than some other coffee shops that just sell diner-style coffee and pastries for people to grab on the way to work. * Get to know the baristas/roaster(s)/owner(s), and try out their different coffee options. I know of several local places that offer (at least) dark and light roast drip coffee options, sometimes with several different pour-over options (my current favorite probably offers about a dozen different bean options, give or take). * See if they sell beans or can point you in the direction of where they buy beans. As far as I know, oily beans are what you want for a good, full-city (very dark) roast. The article you linked is definitely an opinion piece - I’ve never met a roaster who didn’t think a dark roast, or at least a very dark roast, should be roasted to “first crack”, though most are opposed to “second crack” (what Starbucks does, and it’s essentially burning the beans).