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I like coffee. I’ve never been obsessed with it the way some people are, but I enjoy a morning cup (or three). It’s good hot or ice cold, I like the flavor, and it makes me more productive, I guess due to the whole drug thing.
If I buy a cup of coffee, I’ll spend a buck or two on a small, black coffee as opposed to a frothy, spiced, sweetened, dessert-type monstrosity with a straw the size of a telescope. Obviously, keeping it simple is cheaper, but I honestly prefer the taste of black coffee to what is essentially liquid cake (no offense to cake).
Of course, it’s even cheaper to make your own coffee at home. Which is what this post is all about!
I am not saying you should never buy a cup of coffee. If you want to treat yourself, please treat yourself. Especially if you can afford it and want to support your local coffeeshop. But one of the things I want to do on this little blog is show you how much you can save by making things yourself.
HOW MANY OUNCES IS A CUP OF COFFEE?
This can get confusing.
In the United States, one cup is 8 fluid ounces. But this is not always the case in other parts of the world.
To make things more complicated, different coffee makers have different ideas as to what a “cup” is, indicated by the number of servings along the side. Depending on the maker, each serving can be anywhere from 4 to 6 oz.
My coffee maker, a Farberware 12-Cup Percolator purchased in 2016 and still going strong, requires 5 oz. of water for each serving. In other words, to fill the percolator to the number 6, I need 30 oz. of water.
There may be differing opinions on this, but I think of this as three cups of coffee, as I usually fill three coffee mugs with the content of my percolator each morning.
So when it comes to a “cup” of coffee, just remember this doesn’t necessarily refer to a typical U.S. measuring cup and will differ depending on the coffee maker.
For the record, the main reason I use a percolator instead of a standard drip coffee maker is that I associate percolators with family gatherings at my cousins’ house where I always thought the coffee tasted great. There is also something appealing about a shiny metallic container.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAKE YOUR OWN COFFEE?
This depends, but here’s a general idea.
When I started keeping track of my spending, I noticed how much the little things added up. Although I’ve purchased cups of coffee over the years, especially when I had a full-time job and wanted a hot beverage at my desk every morning, I’ve tried to keep my coffee buying to a minimum.
Since moving to my current neighborhood, I’ve been buying whole bean coffee from my local supermarket for $6.99/lb. This seems to be on the lower end for whole bean coffee. (My store is Westside Market, which packages its own coffee beans. Most stores might not do this, but it’s worth checking to see if yours does because it’s bound to be cheaper than brand name beans.)
This is what I grind at home to make my coffee. I am partial to their flavored beans, particularly hazelnut or French vanilla, but I also like a plain, dark roasted bean.
Two years ago, well before this blog existed, I was already obsessed with tracking what I spent on various food items. I excitedly sent a text to my dad and sisters about this:
There you go, proof I am a giant nerd.
Let’s break down how much this costs a day:
- A 1 lb. bag of beans costs $6.99 and produces 92 tablespoons of grounds.
- I fill the line to 6 (using 30 oz. of water) and use 6 tablespoons of ground coffee (or 3 x 1/8-cup scoops).
- At this rate, it takes me 15 days to consume each bag of beans.
- With each bag costing $6.99, this works out to about $0.47 a day for coffee.
I can think of this as being about 7.7 cents per “cup” as indicated by the serving markers on my percolator, or about 15 cents per each of my daily three coffee mugs – either way, I spend about 47 cents a day for the amount of coffee I make.
This is much cheaper than buying one cup of coffee anywhere, let alone three.
WHOLE BEAN VS. GROUND
I like saving time, saving money, and having nice things.
Sometimes this requires compromise.
It would save me a lot of time if I bought pre-ground coffee. Think of all the time I’d save not grinding it myself!
But grinding it myself results, I think, in better coffee. So I’m willing to make that time sacrifice.
Here are some reasons why grinding your own beans is better.
- Most pre-ground coffee is stale. According to Java Presse, pre-ground coffee has been roasted weeks or even months ago. By the time it hits shelves, it’s likely lost much of its aroma and flavor.
- Whole beans allow you to control the flavor. Java Presse also writes about how grinding your own beans can give you control over how bitter or sour your coffee tastes. In other words, you can have it taste better each time you make it.
- Pre-ground coffee loses oxygen (and flavor). If you’re really into chemistry, check out Handground for why oxidation is bad for coffee.
- Some pre-ground coffee can also have pre-ground bugs. Yes, bugs.
I feel like ending a list on bugs doesn’t really require another bullet point.
TYPES OF COFFEE GRINDERS
I’m getting into some nitty gritty coffee stuff here; you only need to keep reading if this might interest you.
My grinder is good. I like it. It’s a standard Krups Coffee Grinder and I got it from my mom after she passed away, much like many items in my kitchen. It has worked for years.
This is a blade grinder, which has pro and cons:
Pros of a Blade Grinder
- they’re relatively inexpensive
- they’re easy to use
- they grind beans quickly
Cons of a Blade Grinder
- they grind beans unevenly, which can lead to inconsistent flavor
- they can get hot, which may heat the beans and affect flavor
The other, and some might say more superior, type of grinder is the burr grinder. There are two main kinds of burr grinder: conical and flat. I won’t get into details here, but if you’re interested, you can read more about this on The Roasterie.
Pros of a Burr Grinder
- they produce more evenly ground beans
- they are more energy-efficient and heat resistant
Cons of a Burr Grinder
- they are more expensive
- they seem to take up more space
Honestly, unless you are a true coffee connoisseur, you are probably fine with whichever coffee grinder you can afford. I mean, I have a food blog and I didn’t even know about any of this until I started researching this post.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU GRIND COFFEE BEANS?
I grind each little batch of coffee beans for 30 seconds. I time this with my watch because I like being exact. Why 30 seconds? I dunno, it seemed like a good amount of time.
After a short internet search, I’ve found that most coffee websites (and there are many!) suggest grinding beans for 8-10 seconds for a coarse grind, 10-15 seconds for a medium grind, and about 30 seconds for a fine grind.
I might be grinding mine for too long, but I like the taste of my coffee so I’ll stick with it. I think this is one of those things you can experiment with and see what works for you.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GRIND COFFEE BEANS?
Again, this is up to you, but there is a general consensus that, for the best quality cup of coffee, beans should be ground immediately before brewing.
I do not do this.
Remember earlier how I wrote about making compromises? This is one of those things. Yes, I want to grind my own beans for quality and cost savings, but I am also willing to save a little time doing this every several days as opposed to every single morning.
So I grind enough beans for a few days’ worth of coffee. I store these in a glass container in my fridge. This is also probably unnecessary – the grounds would likely be fine stored in an airtight container in my cupboard. I just like putting things in my fridge.
STORAGE
According to the National Coffee Association (did you know there was one?), whole coffee beans should be stored in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature, and in a dark and cool location.
Real Simple agrees, and includes ground coffee in this suggestion.
Since I use my grounds within a few days, I don’t think I’m doing anything too terrible by storing them in the fridge until I brew. If I were storing for a few weeks, I might do things differently.
***
I hope this post was helpful. I actually learned quite a bit in writing it, and while I’m sure there is much more to know about the art of coffee making, I’ll leave it here for now.
I might return to this post to list some per-pound prices I find for whole beans. Right now, I can safely say that about $7 a pound seems to be on the cheaper side, and even at 6 servings a day, this will cost you less than 50 cents a day.
Of course, if you add anything to the coffee, this cost will go up. Lately, I love oat milk in coffee. This is my favorite of all the plant-based milks, and something that is probably worthy of its own post soon.
Until then, grind away and enjoy your morning cup (or three).
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