How to fit coffee into your budget

How to fit coffee into your budget

Torr Launches the Hive Cafe Countertop Coffee Concentrate System

Commercial cold coffee equipment company Torr Industries recently rolled out a countertop-friendly version of its signature Hive Brew cold coffee system, called the Hive Cafe. The northern California coffee company…


Know Your Sweeteners: Honey: Part One

Not all sweeteners are made equal! In this series, we’ll take a closer look at different types of sweeteners and syrups—starting with honey. BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo via Unsplash Though you can’t go wrong with simple syrup or the tried-and-true vanilla, there are many options when it […]


Understanding the Process: Double Fermentation

Continuing our series on coffee processing, we learn about double fermentation, a term that can refer to several different processes. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Cafe Imports Editor’s note: Check out other entries in our “Understanding the Process“ series here. When exploring the wonderful world of high-quality coffee, you’ll discover that no […]


Ukraine’s Soloway Coffee Opens First US Shop in Chicago

A specialty coffee roasting company based in western Ukraine called Soloway Coffee (Instagram link) this week opened its first location in the United States. Beans roasted in Ternopil, Ukraine, using…

How to fit coffee into your budget

Coffee News Recap, 26 Jan: Researchers create new genetic map to “future proof” arabica production, UAE & Italian Coffee Champions crowned at WoC Dubai and SIGEP & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s coffee news stories. The word of the week is: competitions. Mon, 22 Jan Timemore launches crowdfunding campaign for upcoming Millab E01 portable electric coffee grinder. The wireless electric coffee grinder features a 5,000 mAh lithium battery […]


Lvl Up Coffee Hits High Scores In Normal, Illinois

Specialty coffee in the central Illinois town of Normal has reached a new stage of quality with the opening of Lvl Up Coffee Bar. Brought to life by coffee roaster…


The First Women-Only Coffee Championships Held in Costa Rica

Feria del Café Frailes seeks to increase the gender diversity of coffee competitions. BY SUNGHEE TARKSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Cover photo by Sunghee Tark The coffee industry has come a long way in the past 20 years, with innovations happening in many parts of the world and in different links of the supply chain. […]


Understanding the Process: Anaerobic Processing

We continue our series on fermentation with a look at the anaerobic process, which has quickly become a favorite in cafés worldwide. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Bram de Hoog for Ally Coffee A simple cup of well-brewed coffee can have endless variations of flavors and aromas. These are closely linked to […]

How to fit coffee into your budget

Test Drive: Update Your Grinding With More Comandante Grinder Accessories

The popular hand grinder has more to offer with a new line of tools and accessories now available. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo by Tanya Nanetti To brew the perfect cup of coffee, it’s important to choose the right coffee equipment. One essential is a reliable coffee grinder. Most coffee lovers start with a […]


Out Now: The February + March 2023 Issue

The February + March 2023 issue of Barista Magazine features New Zealand coffee & chef champion Sam Low on the cover. Also inside: a special section on branding, understanding trademark law, an interview with Laura Sommers, field reports from Kansas City, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, and much more. BY KENNETH R. OLSONBARISTA MAGAZINE We’re excited […]


Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part One

The impacts of climate change are starting to be felt in Sicily, but while they’re causing problems, the rising temperatures are also bringing new opportunities. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Featured image courtesy of Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash The Sicilian love affair with coffee is known the world over. Sicily, the largest of […]


Brewing at Home and on the Road with Justin Pierce

In this series, we ask coffee professionals how they like to drink their coffee while at home and when traveling. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo courtesy of Justin Pierce Coffee professionals tend to spend most of their days brewing coffee. Baristas brew coffee behind the bar for their customers. Roasters brew it to […]

How to fit coffee into your budget

How to fit coffee into your budget

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

How to fit coffee into your budget

Is Making Coffee at Home Cheaper? 

Let’s just get it out there: Most office coffee is weak and terrible. How are you supposed to actually survive a day with your coworkers when your coffee is watered down, burnt—or even worse—decaf? You can’t. So what do you do instead? Wake up, get dressed, drive-thru, repeat. 

Throwing a few bucks at your drive-thru barista might not seem like a big deal at the time, but that habit is a costly one. With a cup of coffee averaging anywhere from $2 to $5, you could be spending at least $20 on coffee alone per week—and that’s not even including specialty drinks. In fact, more than one in three Americans spent more on coffee last year than they invested. Think about it: If you’re spending $20 a week on coffee, that’s more than $1,000 a year. 

So how can you supplement your caffeine addiction without dipping into your savings? Make it at home. You might be thinking “But I can never make good coffee at home!” WRONG. 

All you have to do is wake up a few minutes earlier to prep your coffee. Trust me, that extra five minutes in the morning makes a huge difference to your bank account. Here’s how you’ll save money by making coffee at home and why you should do it. 

1.  Investing in a coffee maker will save you in the long run

Okay, so my first step is telling you to spend money — but bear with me. If you invest in a coffee maker now, it’ll likely last you for years. You can find a basic coffee pot for as low as $20 — AKA, skip the drive-thru line for a WEEK and you’ll have enough for your basic coffee maker. 

There are tons of different brewing methods you could choose from — including Keurig brewers, french press, aero press, and the pour-over method. Each come with their own tastes and price points, but are sill cheaper than buying coffee every day. And remember — clean equipment is crucial to delicious coffee.

2. A pound of coffee goes a long way 

A pound of your average coffee can give you anywhere from 34 to 48 8-ounce cups of coffee. If you use K-Cups, you’re spending, on average, about 66 cents per cup. That’s hella cheap.

At Death Wish, one pound of coffee goes even further. According to our brewing recommendations using a high coffee to water ratio, one pound of Death Wish Coffee gives you about 72 servings of coffee per pound — meaning, our $19.99 bag of coffee yielding 72 servings means you’ll spend about 25 cents a cup. And, depending on how much coffee you drink, that bag can last you up to two weeks. 

3. Your brewing ratio is everything

Messing up your brewing ratio will essentially mean you’re dumping gross coffee — and money — down the drain. Most at-home brewing mistakes are made here because we don’t use enough coffee relative to the amount of water (this is why your office coffee sucks). Mike Brown, our owner, uses almost twice the “recommended” amount that is printed on most bags. For Death Wish Coffee, use 2.5 TBL for ever 6 ounces of water you use. 

4. Filtered water makes your coffee taste better

Filtered or bottled water should honestly be a requirement for brewing coffee at home. It makes your coffee tastes better and leaves out the chlorine and other minerals found in tap water, which affects the taste of your coffee and could cause build-up on your coffee maker, too — add it to the list of reasons why you should make sure you clean your coffee maker. It’ll keep you from having to replace it. 

5. Save those specialty drinks for special occasions

Your large caramel macchiato with an additional shot of espresso and extra whipped cream could cost you over $5 — save that for an occasional treat. It’ll save you money and calories — one of these bad boys has more than 300 calories. Black coffee has two.

So instead of putting your money toward coffee every single day, put it toward investments or a savings account instead. 

Related: 5 Tips for Strong Coffee

How to fit coffee into your budget

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

How to fit coffee into your budget

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