Coffee Math - Getting What You Pay For

We get it. Sometimes the price of coffee is the most important factor in a purchase. Why would anyone spend $20+ on a bag of coffee when you can get it for a third of the price elsewhere? Although we know there are many answers to this question, we decided to break it down mathematically to make more sense of it.

The first thing to do is establish a common unit of measurement. Some coffee brands use "scoops" or "tablespoons" as a measuring unit, but since those can be subject to slight errors, we prefer to use "grams". It is a precise measurement that can be applied to both coffee and water.

Since each person's preference for coffee strength is also different, we decided to simplify the math by establishing an easy-to-work-with standard of 20 grams of coffee per 12 ounce (340 g) cup of coffee. So lets get to it.

MEASURING UP

It should already be assumed that purchasing a cup of regular coffee at a coffee shop will cost more than brewing at home. A 12 oz drip will run about $2 while a pour over might fall in the $4-$5 range. That means for your 12 ounce cup of coffee that's using about 20 grams of coffee grounds, you're paying roughly $45.30 per pound for a drip cup, and between $90.60 to $113.25 per pound for a pour over. 

Ex. 453 g per pound / 20 g per cup = 22.65 cups of coffee per pound

$2 per cup x 22.65 cups in each bag = $45.30/ lb

But we all know that going out to have a cup of coffee is more about the experience. We're going to chalk this up as assumed and accepted premiums. However, if you're going to spend that kind of money per pound of coffee, shouldn't it be fresh? Often times, they are using their aging supply so they can sell their fresh roasted packaged coffee at the fresh roasted rates.

DISCOUNT COFFEE

Believe us when we say you get what you pay for. Folgers sells their coffee for about $5/lb which works out to be about $0.22 per 12 ounce cup of coffee. No disrespect to Folgers (or other super discounted coffee), but we all know that it is not fresh roasted or premium-grade. In fact, if you factor in the cream and sugar that usually accompanies a cup, that price goes up a bit. Still, for many around the world, discounted coffee is an acceptable option. 

*NOTE: If you're buying your coffee at a grocery store, chances are (regardless of the brand) it is several months old. Unless you know what date it was roasted, it's a pretty safe bet it is well beyond it's "fresh" period of 30 days.

OTHER COFFEE

There are far too many companies in our market to name any one specifically. Each of them offer great tasting coffee that is freshly roasted and delivered to your door. The industry standard is to sell fresh roasted coffee in 12 ounce (340 g) bags. These bags sell, on average, for $20 (usually shipping included, but not always). Using the numbers above, this equals 17 cups of coffee, or $1.17 per cup. That's still quite a bargain compared to your coffee shop prices, and definitely worth the price for the quality.

OUR COFFEE

We are not competing with the likes of Folgers, but we know we can compete with other companies offering a similar product, and we certainly can compete with that coffee shop. We currently offer our fresh roasted coffee, delivered to your door for $22.99 per pound. Not 12 ounces. It is amongst the most competitive price offered by any roast-to-order company, and works out to cost about $1 per cup. This is premium and specialty grade coffee beans roasted fresh for the price of fast food coffee! We can't stress enough how much of a bargain this is.

So while we know we can't convert everyone into a high-quality coffee consumer, hopefully we've at least educated you on the difference. Perhaps one day you will treat yourself so you can personally experience the difference =)