Coffee Show and Tell: Brewing Up Savings

Coffee drinkers place distinct values on their morning cups of joe. "Customers tell me they get up even on Saturday and Sunday and come to the store for coffee, rather than brew Wawa (http://www.wawa.com/) brand coffee at home," said Howard Stoeckel, CEO of the nation's top-ranked convenience store. "Why?" I asked him during a recent interview. Stoeckel explained, "Wawa is considered the 'Cheers' of convenience stores, where everybody knows your name." Wawa coffee lovers pay for connection.


Americans pay all kinds of coffee prices for convenience and taste at their favorite coffee shops, fast food chains and convenience stores. Daily costs may seem insignificant, but yearly totals for those cups of joe are surprising, especially when compared to brewing the same brand at home.


COFFEE SHOW AND TELL


"This is really good coffee. What kind is it?" my friend Jeff asked, when I served coffee with dessert. "Dunkin' Donuts (http://www.dunkindonuts.com/) decaf," I said. "Really? I stop at Dunkin' Donuts every morning," Jeff said. This was 16 years ago, before specialty coffees landed on grocery store shelves. Jeff pressed me, "How do you make coffee at home taste so good?" It was time for coffee show and tell. I got our coffee grinder, one-pound bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee from their store, and explained the process. Following step-by-step brewing instructions is easy. (http://www.consumersavvytips.org/save_money_and_brew_tasty_coffee_at_home.html). "I love freshly brewed coffee every morning, and I save money making my own. Those pennies add up," I explained. Jeff turned to Lori, "Hon, we gotta get some of that coffee!"


I'M A BELIEVER


Jeff was sold. He and Lori got Dunkin' Donuts coffee beans and started brewing Jeff's favorite java at home. The next time I saw Jeff he told me, "It's great. Lori and I have coffee before I leave in the morning, and she fills up my travel mug for the road. It saves me time from stopping, too." They have been sipping and saving big for years. Real big.

POUR ON THE SAVINGS

Reuters News Service reported skipping one large latte a day and brewing premium coffee at home can save more than $1,200 a year. (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS140145+14-Jan-2009+PRN20090114). NY Magazine (http://nymag.com/guides/cheap-living/caffeinate ) reports brewing Starbucks at home rather than picking up a cup daily at the store saves $1,222 a year. Bigger savings were reported by switching from a daily cup at Starbucks to brewing Dunkin' Donuts coffee and home. Total savings: $1,280 a year!

TIPPING POINTS

If saving money is the goal, quality coffee does not have to be sacrificed. Consumer Reports March 2009 issue (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/food/coffee/java-jargon/coffee-java-jargon.htm) states taste testers sipped 19 brands of coffee. They chose your Grandma's favorite, Eight O' Clock 100 per cent Colombian over the rock stars of branded coffee. They said Eight O' Clock is fruity, floral and slightly bitter. They said it did not taste "woody, papery or burnt." Faithful Eight O' Clock drinkers can scoop up rewards (http://www.eightoclock.com/). Eight O' Clock is a bargain at $6.28 a pound, half the cost of its expensive taste test competitors, Gloria Jean's and Peets.

EDUCATED BUYING

Learn coffee lingo to know what beans suit you, including eco- and fair trade jargon. (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/food/coffee/java-jargon/coffee-java-jargon.htm). Today it seems coffee beans are available about anywhere except outer space. Makegoodcoffee.com lists the pros and cons of buying beans at grocery stores, coffee shops or online. (http://www.makegoodcoffee.com/howtobuygoodcoffee.html) Pick your price, get a sample and perform your own taste tests.

COUNT THE COST

What coffee drinkers regularly pay for their cups of joe breaks down to: convenience, connection, savings and of course, the taste of the coffee. In Jeff's case, he wanted to save money and still drink his beloved Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Jeff and Lori have saved a bundle brewing coffee at home. For comparison's sake according to the NY Magazine article, if Jeff started brewing Dunkin' Donuts coffee today, he'd save $1,047 in one year. Multiply those savings by the 16 years since our coffee show and tell, and he's enjoyed sipping his favorite coffee daily, and watching $16,752 add up!