Is coffee-shop coffee too expensive?

[snoopy369]

Kuci I think you don't get the point of money...

The reason to make a lot of money (ie, more than maintenance) is to spend it. When you die you don't get to take it with you...

So you work hard, make good money, then spend it on "frills" to make your life more enjoyable

You'll understand in a few years when you work for a living and don't have daddy's allowance to fall back on

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Kuci I think you don't get the point of money...

1) Not true.
2) You missed the point of the quip - I don't like coffee and I don't drink alcohol.

The reason to make a lot of money (ie, more than maintenance) is to spend it. When you die you don't get to take it with you...

So you work hard, make good money, then spend it on "frills" to make your life more enjoyable

Yes, but it still makes sense to spend the money efficiently on those frills.

You'll understand in a few years when you work for a living and don't have daddy's allowance to fall back on

That actually doesn't make any sense. You'd think I would be more likely to waste money if that were the only determining factor.

I'll give you another shot, though.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Footie Mad
I'm sure you know more about coffee than me, but it's supposed to be bitter isn't it?

First the kind of rounder taste then the bitter after taste, I will agree about the arabica vs robusta (correct name?) beans. Even I can tell the difference there and it's clear which is better. But considering my "addiction" to coffee as a stimulant I would drink even instant coffee if that was all there was, maybe not in as large amounts though.

No, Coffee is not supposed to be bitter. Bitter coffee is either over-roasted or overbrewed (the water sat in the grinds too long, either in a french press type setup or if you have too much grinds in the coffee filter in a drip setup). Coffee beans have a lot of different oils and such in them, and the longer you brew the coffee, you get different oils and chemicals from the beans.

The 'bitter' flavor comes from acids that come out relatively late in the brewing process, unless the beans are roasted too long (breaking down some of the other oils).

That said, coffee is generally at least a little bitter no matter how it's brewed; but like I said, have a cup of french press and a cup of Melitta and you'll taste a huge difference. (Melitta is a special type of cone that, similarly to a french press, allows you to just pour hot water over the grinds and walk away, with no electric component. However, it brews the coffee much more smoothly and evenly than a french press.)

The 'best' way to brew coffee is actually with cold water. Cold brewed coffee, similar to Sun Tea, tastes much better because most of the bittering agents won't dissolve at all in cold water. You grind the beans very coarsely, and then let them sit in the water for 12-18 hours depending on the setup. Then take them out of the water (using a filter of some sort), and you have super concentrated, very good tasting coffee, that can either be drank iced or microwaved for a quite good cup of coffee (you would never microwave formerly hot coffee, as it would be quite oxidized, but cold-brewed microwaves fine).

Not very many coffee places outside of Seattle's Best make their iced coffee that way, though. It's a bit of work

[Footie Mad]

Right, the cone is the standard way of making coffee over here anyway so that's not new. So would making cold brewed coffee decrease it's potency as a laxative?

Sometimes it's good to get the wheels moving in the gut but sometimes it can get annoying.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Originally posted by snoopy369
Kuci I think you don't get the point of money...

1) Not true.
2) You missed the point of the quip - I don't like coffee and I don't drink alcohol.

The reason to make a lot of money (ie, more than maintenance) is to spend it. When you die you don't get to take it with you...

So you work hard, make good money, then spend it on "frills" to make your life more enjoyable

Yes, but it still makes sense to spend the money efficiently on those frills.

You'll understand in a few years when you work for a living and don't have daddy's allowance to fall back on

That actually doesn't make any sense. You'd think I would be more likely to waste money if that were the only determining factor.

I'll give you another shot, though.

Okay, thanks for the another shot

Life is too short to waste any of it drinking bad coffee (or beer). Drink good, whatever you're drinking, and pay for it appropriately. I'm not saying pay $20 for a cup, but it's silly to pay $1.50 for a cup of crap coffee instead of $2.50 for a cup of good coffee. That's the point of money. Spend it efficiently on things that aren't as important - if peanut butter is peanut butter to you, then buy the store brand; but if you care about your milk then buy only the good brand.

When you're working for your money, you not only value it more, you also value what you buy with it more. I'd consider spending $1.50 on a loaf of store crap bread a waste of money, while $2.50 on Roman Meal Honey Wheatberry is a good expenditure

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Footie Mad
Right, the cone is the standard way of making coffee over here anyway so that's not new. So would making cold brewed coffee decrease it's potency as a laxative?

Sometimes it's good to get the wheels moving in the gut but sometimes it can get annoying.

No idea, i've not seen coffee as a laxative. It reduces the caffeine somewhat I think, so if that's what's causing it for you then perhaps.

[Footie Mad]

I can also add that I always buy "dark roasted" or whatever it's called, I don't think the other kinds have enough punch in them. Maybe it's me wanting coffee more for the energizing effect than a flavour experience.

I talked to this girl when attending a course last year, and she seriously was dumbfounded as to why people didn't save their money and drank some real good coffee once a week instead of their daily doses of "crap". That kind of attitude just shows ignorance for the power that coffee holds in keeping the working populace in motion.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by snoopy369
The reason to make a lot of money (ie, more than maintenance) is to spend it. When you die you don't get to take it with you...

In some parts of the world, the cost of accomodation takes up most of your money, so spending it on over-priced frivolities means living in a rathole.

Or South of the River.

[Elok]

I'm sort of halfway between you and Kuci, Snoopy. On the one hand, I can understand paying extra for a superior product. I'll pay five times as much for a good burger at Red Robin rather than shill out like a dollar for a dry, gristly McDonald's patty. It's not worth paying less for something you can't stand, unless you can't afford anything better and have to have something. With a luxury like coffee (if you just need caffeine, you can drink a coke or whatever), that proviso doesn't even apply.

But for me, the extra amount paid for a product had better be in pretty close proportion to the level of said product's superiority. Is Starbucks' coffee *so* superior that it's worth paying twice as much? Or, looking at it another way, does the better product force them to charge so much extra, or are they slapping on a much higher price tag than required by operating costs, calling it "choice blend," and laughing at you behind your back? I have similar suspicions about premium gasoline. I don't drive, but I'd want damned good performance for that price no matter how much money I had.

[Kuciwalker]

Buying premium gasoline is far sillier, actually.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Life is too short to waste any of it drinking bad coffee (or beer).

Or even good coffee or beer

I mostly drink soda, which doesn't really have this divide (cheap crap and expensive premium brands), so maybe Starbucks really is that much better. I've heard sharply divided opinions on that, but most of the people (IRL) who say it is worth it also drink bottled water, so... I'm less inclined to listen to their opinion.

When you're working for your money, you not only value it more, you also value what you buy with it more. I'd consider spending $1.50 on a loaf of store crap bread a waste of money, while $2.50 on Roman Meal Honey Wheatberry is a good expenditure

This bit still misses the mark though, sorry.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
2) You missed the point of the quip - I don't like coffee and I don't drink alcohol.

We'll ask that question again in 10 years time

[Kuciwalker]

I might like coffee then. I doubt it though, I don't really need caffeine in that kind of dosage. A few bottles of Dr. Pepper is enough to carry me through an all-nighter and into the next day.

[Provost Harrison]

Well maybe not so much coffee but definitely alcoholic beverages...I doubt you will go through life without having even a couple of beers now and again...or whatever your preferred tipple is

[Jon Miller]

I no longer use caffiene to work, it kills my productivity although I Stay away

JM