How To Save $700 Brewing Coffee

BREWING COFFEE AT HOME 

Did you know that learning how to brew coffee can put an extra $700 in your pocket? If you like money and love coffee… continue reading.

It’s true, learning how to brew coffee can and will put an extra $700 in your pocket annually. How is this possible? It’s simple and my goal for this newsletter is to show you the way.

First let’s begin with some caffeinated math. Due to mainly rising inflation and supply chain issues, the average price for a cup of coffee has risen to approximately $4.90 per a Business Insider article from August 2022. Although coffee prices have dropped slightly in some areas since that article published, coffee costs are still high in comparison to a few years ago.

If you frequently purchase coffee from cafes, visiting 5 days a week, its probably a safe bet that you spend a minimum of $5 per day on coffee. Sticking with this number, your yearly total would be $1,300 spent of cafe coffee. This is a decent amount of money to spend on coffee, keeping in mind that its based on 5 drinks a week at $5. Your actual numbers could be below or significantly higher. 

Now lets say you’ve perfected your preferred brewing method for coffee, and drink one cup of coffee daily. Brewing coffee at home would allow you to make approximately 15 quality cups of coffee from each pound you purchase. Sticking to 1 cup a day, 5 days a week, you would utilize approximately 1.25 pounds of coffee per month. Given that a pound of specialty coffee can range between $20-$28, we’ll use $24 as the middle ground. 

Brewing coffee is all about proper measurements and finding the right coffee to water ratio. This balancing act has parameters to vary based upon the brew method of choice. For this example, we will reference measurements for using a French Press. 

One cup brewed via French Press will require approximately 30 grams of coffee. Sticking with the example above,  if you drank one cup of coffee five days a week, your monthly consumption would be  20 cups. This would require 1.25 pounds of coffee.  If you spent  $24 per pound of coffee, your monthly consumption of 20 cups would cost you approximately $30 or $7.50 per week. 

This equates to $390 a year. This is an approximate $910 savings before purchasing any brewing equipment, which if using a French Press, would be a one time cost. You could spend $200 on a high quality French Press, coffee grinder and kettle, while still saving over $700 annually. I’d take that any day.

Aside from having additional investing money, spending money, etc., there are other great benefits of brewing coffee at home and enjoying your creations. But first, let’s address your concerns.

What people generally use as excuses not to brew at home are as follows (do any ring a bell?):

1. - Brewing coffee is complicated and time consuming
2. - Baristas make coffee better than I can
3. - Stoping by the cafe is part of my routine
4. - I don’t have time to make coffee

Let’s start with objection number 1, “Brewing coffee is complicated and time consuming”. Making coffee uncomplicated is an easy fix. You simply need to learn more about coffee and how to brew your preferred method. With proper guidelines (a Google search or our blog can help) and practice, you can brew excellent coffee in your own kitchen. The amount of time and skill it takes to brew coffee is dependent upon the brew method itself. A pour over coffee is more hands on and requires more precision as opposed to a French Press method. More on that shortly. 

Number 2, “Baristas make coffee better than I can”. As with all things, practice makes perfect. The more you brew at home, the better you’ll get. Making coffee for yourself, family or friends is fun and rewarding. Plus, once you learn how to make coffee just right for you, you wont have to worry about the “new barista”, not making your drink just the way you like it. As you perfect one method, the door opens to other methods and more challenging drinks. 

So you rushed out the house, to your favorite / most convenient cafe, only to be met with a line out the door. Now what? Wait in line for who knows how long, or go somewhere else? We understand that many people enjoy the routine of “stopping by the cafe” (Number 3), however you can always tweak or completely replace routines that don’t serve you as well as others. Believe me, adding brewing coffee to your morning routine, of heck even afternoon routine, adds a level of smoothness and calm to your day. Don’t believe me… then try it out for yourself.

Lastly, Number 4 “I don’t have time”. Have no fear, the French Press is here. Unlike other brewing methods, the French Press is perfect for the “busy” individual. Once your water is ready, simple add the recommended coffee to water ratio, and let steep while you do what you need to for 4-5 minutes. Plunge the French Press to strain the grinds from the wonderful beverage you created and enjoy your coffee. Simple, quick, easy and fairly hands off. Be on the look out for our French Press Guide. 

Now back on track to your remaining benefits of brewing at home. 

Learning something new is fun when it’s interesting.  

Learning new and interesting skills is an enjoyable process. Perfecting your inner barista will provide you with the confidence you need to serve family and friends that awesome coffee you make. Also, as with any DIY task, it’s a very rewarding filling brewing a great cup of coffee. There are numerous ways to make coffee, and a plethora of coffee equipment and accessories to keep you occupied. The biggest joy about brewing coffee is the realization that it’s both an art and a science.  

I have personally been vested in learning and perfecting my coffee brewing for the past 5 years. Being served subpar coffee from various cafes lead me to explore coffee for myself. After study and experimentation, I realized that many cafes just didn’t provide the attention to detail when brewing specific coffees. Once I learned how to brew coffee to my taste buds preference, there was no turning back. 

I added coffee brewing to my morning routine, taking pride in making each cup. Wether making a pour over, espresso or French Press, I appreciated the time invested. It became my ritual and aided me in starting my days with intention and ease. 

If you made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read this. If you have been brewing coffee at home prior to reading this, keep up the good work. If you are still early in the coffee journey, welcome. I hope this writing impacted you enough to nudge you to start brewing. Coffee, like life, is about discovery and exploration. Continue to learn about coffee and practice perfecting your brewing. Stay on the look out for more caffeinated blogs. Brew Strong and Sip Slow.