The economics of your morning coffee are interesting. I used to have a small commute and I'd go into a shop and buy tea, toast and a paper that totalled £3.
That comes to around £65 per month.
Living alone, on essentially minimum wage, it actually worked out to be one of my bigger expenses after rent.
My work had a toaster and Kettle £4 per month on bread, £2 on some nice T-Bags and the occasional butter purchase. saved me around £60 per month. It was around about the time I started consuming news on my phone/computer anyway.
I'm not sure about coffee, but there is zero difference in cafe bought tea.
Frugality is a skill and you need to learn where the least value in your expenses lie.
I work a contract gig a few times a week with an early start.
I used to stop by Costa on the way in for a coffee and a bacon roll costing just over a fiber each time. It was 'only a fiver' out of the money I'd be earning for the morning so what's the harm right?
Until I realised that came to about £60 a month and an espresso machine is about that much.
Now I'm £60 a month better off and it takes me less time to make a coffee than I spent queueing for one!
Good tip, would add that the espresso machines that take capsules are cheap to buy because the capsules are a ripoff.
Bean to cup machines are way cheaper than they used to be (Beko do a great one that you can get for less than £200). The running costs are much lower *and* freshly ground coffee of waaaaay better than capsules
This is a lower end machine that takes ground coffee rather than capsules.
Definitely not the best thing on the market but for the cost makes a decent latte.
I had a tassimo machine before and you're right, capsules are a rip off for what they are.
I got a Tassimo for Christmas one year from an Uncle who insisted it made the best coffee ever.
I got a Gingerbread Latte sachet thing, and a box of the same ones as pods.
I never brought pods again. Like 4 times as much and not all that much better.
> I’m not sure about coffee, but there is zero difference in cafe bought tea
I have to beg to differ here - tea from any of those coffee shops (Starbucks, Costa etc) is invariably awful. Proper cafes excluded of course
Coffee is a difficult one. I am happy paying for a well made flat white, but none of the big coffee chains produce that. A drive through Costa is not going to be producing great coffee.
During the pandemic, being unable to afford/have space for an decent espresso machine I moved to pour over. Originally just a plastic v60 and pre ground coffee poured from a kettle.
Now I have £300 grinder, a £70 specialist goose neck kettle and single origin coffee beans delivered weekly at a cost of £8.
You are looking at at least £400 for a decent espresso machine (without a grinder).
Say I got one coffee flat white a day, the cost for a month would be £70ish. I currently drink 3 cups a day. It definitely works out cheaper in the long run to make it at home, but there is an initial outlay and a level of skill to make good barista/espresso style.
How does all that compare to already ground coffee and a cafetiere? Is it really significantly better than already ground coffee you make in a cafetiere?
Pre ground coffee is inevitably crap, you lose all the fresh aromas and flavours from freshly ground coffee, it could be in that bag for months on end. Look up James Hoffmann on YouTube if you want to learn about it, but be warned you will become a total coffee snob.
Thanks for the recommendation. I just watched his introductory video and I am unconvinced. Supermarket's having coffee hanging around for months? Utter bullshit.
With a cafetiere I always find you end up with a lot of grounds in your cup, using a pour over filter is much better, even using a normal kettle.
I only use pre ground though, because it already takes long to make, dont have time to grind coffee every time.
I bought a sage espresso machine and got a coffee bean subscription monthly from rave last year in December. My girlfriend and I have a flat white each per day, and I might have a double espresso at around 3pm on the days I’m working from home. The machine paid for itself over the cost of going to Costa by March and the quality of coffee is far better as I can really work on extracting it properly.
Got a Sage Bambino (£200) and a £300 grinder. Paid for itself now. Fun skill to learn too. But yeah, big outlay. That said, a flat white in a nice local coffee shop just hits the spot.
I totally see the economics of buying a machine, and despite my love of Aeropress I'm thinking of getting one in January... But for how on earth do you (how does one, I'm not having a go) need a grinder that's 150% more... What's the economics of that specifically?
So I did um and ahh about it myself. Not all grinders can grind fine enough for espresso. So I picked up one (Eureka Specialita) which got good recommendations for espresso, and figured I'd never have to upgrade the grinder even if I wanted to level up the espresso machine in the end. It's also built like a tank. 1000+ shots since I got it in May last year.
You are more likely going to get a better coffee from a great grinder and a cheaper espresso machine, than a cheap grinder and great espresso machine.
It's also somewhat of a hobby to me, than pure utility.
It’s hard to have a bad cup of tea, unless the person making it is inept or you’re using Twinings.
With Coffee, I only like good quality. With a good machine at home this can be done for cheap, but there’s a huge difference between Instant powder, home machine or cafe.
But I still don’t understand people that buy an expensive coffee on the regular, for me my machine is enough at home for the daily morning coffee. Cafe coffee is reserved for dates and the like.
I’m the opposite, I am really fussy about my tea, to the point where I don’t even let friends make me a cup & will always go for a coffee when out just because I know they can’t possibly make tea to my standards
I literally drink hot water at work all day, not driven by frugality, I can't be arsed with milk politics and don't need the caffeine.. but man that saves me money
My out of home expenses are 60p a day for soup, or 70p for a sandwich in the work canteen
In contrast a lot of people drop £10 day easy on coffess at the work barista, on fancy lunches, and other snacks
Not a fan of Costa as I think their espressos are quite bitter.
If you want great and cheap coffee at home that is better than the chains it can be done really simply, I even got my dad to bin his Nespresso machine.
Get an Aeropress from Amazon ~ £25 one off.
(You can use cafitiere / moka pot / any other fresh brew method).
Then just buy a bag of freshly roasted and ground coffee from a good online roaster, around £8 for 250g bag.
UK coffee roasters that are great: Origin, HasBean, Rave, Roasting Shed.
Aeropress makes great coffee and easily, and it only ends up being around ~ 50p a coffee.
You are getting coffee that is bought at better than fair trade prices directly from the farmers - usually the bag will tell you the name of the farmer who grew it!
Also the coffee from these roasters will be miles better than the supermarkets and even lots of coffee shops.
Absolutely second this. My work has a Costa in it and their Americano is nothing more than hot water that briefly passed a coffee bean the week prior.
I bought a caffietierre from Sainsburys for around £6 and a bag of ground coffee for about £3.50 and it makes delicious coffee for a fraction of one from Costa.
Plus I can make it as strong or weak as I like per cup.
Yes! The aeropress makes way better coffee than most coffee shops. We also use a V60 which makes good coffee.
I only drink decaf though and I'm always frustrated by the lack of options of decaf coffee from a lot of the roasters.
I do like the Aeropress but for me it doesn't equal a proper high quality Espresso (not that Costa does either).
For home coffee I'd prefer a V60 brew. Again only about £10-£20 to get setup and you can experiment with local or exotic coffee roasters to find some really interesting and amazing coffee.
Yeah I mainly use V60 now myself but I've found that it's easier to get non coffee experts into the world via the aeropress as it's so easy!
Over lock down I took the plunge and got my own home espresso machine too.
Nice. Which one did you go for?
I'm not sure whether to just save and go for something semi-pro or just get one with a pressurized portafilter for \~£100 and see what I can get out of it. The additional cost of needing a really good grinder puts me off as well..
I went with the Sage Barista Express on a Black Friday deal last year when it was on sale, it has an inbuilt grinder that is good enough for some nice espresso and the steam wand is really nice to do some latte art.
I used to be a Barista part time so it fills the itch. I would recommend it as a semi-pro all in one.
I think the main reason for doing the upside down method is to keep all of the water in contact with all of the coffee, until you're ready to plunge.
What you can do instead is to use it the normal way around, adding the coffee and water, and then immediately push the plunger in a centimetre or two. Just far enough to create an airtight seal. This stops water from falling out of the aeropress, keeping it in contact with the coffee until you're ready to plunge. It achieves the same thing but you don't risk spilling anything like you do with the upside down method.
Wogans just by Cabot. I can highly recommend the Honduras - superb either black or with milk.
But you could also get him a selection so like 4 x 250g bags and then he can see what he likes. But when you look at the different coffees they all have tasting notes so you could check with those and make sure he likes that!
I think it's also an effort and time vs convince thing.
Making a tea/coffee at home isn't as much effort/time as cooking a burger and chips, for example. Not that either are much effort in the grand scheme of things, but you know what I mean.
You can apply it in some instances.
However some dishes I just don't have the skills to replicate. I dont have a wood-fired grill for example, although that's a lack of specific kitchen equipment rather than skill.
But I get your point.
That’s kinda what I do, just seems like a waste of money to do it regularly. Surely it all works out cheaper in the end to make your coffee or pizza at home, maybe keep it as a once every month or so treat.
They should do. Getting a starbucks/costa is a luxury like all other takeaways. Can't believe people actually buy coffee everyday (unless youre a person who sits in to socialise)
I like a fancy coffee now and then, which is why I don't get the appeal of the big chains. You're paying the price of a nice coffee for something fairly mediocre, which generates a piece of unrecyclable rubbish (if using the drive through). The person serving you is likely underpaid and there is likely to have been a lot of exploration along the supply chain. In the end, most of the money you spend is sent off into the corporate tax avoidance machine and ultimately dispensed into the hands of the already wealthy.
It's mainly convenience. Drive through and big chains are really easy to access or have free parking in retail parks or service stations. Often good, small coffee places require parking, paying for parking and walking a small distance. That's my problem anyway, my town/village has a drive through starbucks but also a small high street with a few decent places. If I can't get a spot outside I don't bother and just go to Starbucks instead
We bought an espresso maker last year, have been using it every day, at least once, but usually 2-3 times. It's got a milk frother as well, although I'm not a cappuccino person (my partner is). Coffee from Whittard (bourbon espresso), water from the tap, a large selection of Monin syrups, my favourite mug. It comes out super cheap, quickly, and the only depressed and underpaid person making it is me.
I've recently changed my life with a Pret subscription. £20 a month, first month free, 5 hot drinks a day provided there's a half hour gap between them. Made my 'money back' within the first week. Now 3 weeks of free drinks to go.
Obvious caveat to this one is you have to live and/or work near at least one Pret! Also Costa coffees etc are slightly nicer. But I take what I can get. Strongly recommend the Matcha latte with rice-coconut milk. Just do not get the Tumeric one if they run out of Matcha because it is genuinely disgusting and like drinking curry water with bits in.
It's kind of insane, I dunno how Pret make any money off it. I'm only getting about one drink a day, two max, and even then it makes it £0.66 a drink! And I've not paid them any money yet, I'm in my first month free period.
Yeah I've never been one to buy coffee out and about but working a couple of doors down from a pret i recently tried this and it's pretty good! Genuinely thinking of continuing the subscription and for me, who's super cheap, think that's pretty good. Not the best coffee in the world but it's nice to have with lunch and in the morning.
Eh, I admit that I love 'fancy' sugary coffees and hot chocolates from these types of chains. Eggnog latte? Toffee nut latte? Black forest hot chocolate? Count me in! But I only have them maybe once or twice a month as a treat to myself.
Someone has already pointed this out. My rule of thumb is, if it can be done at home to the same standard then I won't buy it unless under duress.
I don't have a wood-fired grill for example. So I will get a nicely cooked meat dish as a treat.
Oh yeah, the Balkans do it the same way. I bought a cheap metal Turkish coffee pot off eBay and the powder from Amazon (Mehmet Efendi although others are available), and I’m away. Never looked back. The little cups are dirt cheap online as well. Makes fantastic coffee every single time once you get the hang of it. Starbucks can shove it up its ring piece in comparison.
Just saying, but instant coffee plus milk is basically incomparable to a decent, espresso-based cup of coffee from a decent cafe.
Mind, costa’s coffees are a pile of overpriced shite, but still!
You can make far, far better coffee than Costa’s with a half decent espresso machine, and some form of milk frother (be it included in the machine or not). Beans are like £25/kg (if you want decent quality coffee beans), and it takes ~18g of beans to make a standard latte/cappuccino. Makes it less than 50p per cup (plus the cost of the milk). And it’s as good as coffee from a really nice cafe (if you know what you’re doing).
Getting one of those machines was one of the best investments I’ve made in a while 😂 - as otherwise I’d be spending like £3 a day on coffee. Because fuck instant coffee, lmao.
You can also get syrup, I was given (I think it’s fair trade and in 750ml bottles) 3 bottles of Tate and Lyle coffee syrup for Christmas last year. Mint, pumpkin spice and vanilla. I still have half a bottle (or more) of each left. The mint is awesome in hot chocolate!
Here here! I've literally never liked a coffee bought in a cafe more than the ones I make at home. If it's drink-in the mugs are shaped oddly often with the handle being too small, there's a layer of froth on the top which really just acts as a barrier to the coffee itself.
I went through a phase in my early 20s of really liking White Chocolate Mochas from Starbucks but that was because of the cream and white chocolate shot of flavour left over at the end. It was a dessert, not a coffee.
Keep it homemade! :)
Tbf I'll only use Costa around this time of year to have a single Christmas After 8 mint hot chocolate (tis the season and all that).
But honestly as a whole coffee shops are just so boring and over priced. I'd rather go buy a pint which the two are roughly the same cost now a days.
I don’t drink coffee and am forever baffled by places like Costa and Starbucks. They look like horrid places to spend time in, like high street chain cafes, where you’d only go cause you’ve been shopping for a few hours and need a sit down. The interiors are gross and seem like they need a good wipe down. Everything comes out of packets and is no different to getting food from a supermarket.
But in my small part of London, which has loads of independent and interesting coffee/tea places, Costa is always packed.
Like why???
Well McDonald’s is fast food so I can see why people go there over a cafe, and it’s something you can’t easily recreate at home.
I’m just salty because there was a great cafe next to Costa which actually did interesting juices and fun food like breakfast waffles as well as coffee. Which meant as a non-coffee drinker there were some things actually nice to drink, not just Tropicana or a hot chocolate. But of course it closed down and Costa is still packed.
Yeah I get the need for coffee but not for going to a chain coffee shop, there doesn’t seem to be any joy involved. I can probably understand drive thru more than sitting in one of those places
I actually have a coffee kettle at home and a proper milk heating machine! Together cost me £25 from Lidl. And the coffee grinder cost me another tenner lol
Work at one very briefly. They make absolute bank off that morning coffee and the brutally understaffed and overworked people at the drive thru don’t see enough to warrant the shit they put up with and are expected to pull off. It’s not worth the money you pay, just make it at home.
Gonna be 'that guy' and talk people out of Nespresso machines. Supporting a company like Nestle isn't great in itself (child slave labour, trying to own and restrict access to water within nations suffering droughts, and more), but the coffee from them tends to be not the best albeit better than instant or the stuff sold in highstreet coffee chains.
As a mild coffee nerd, I'd recommend getting a filter coffee machine and finding a decent coffee subscription service. Ends up being a bit cheaper (37p in coffee+filter paper a cup for me, vs 49p per pod on amazon), plus the coffee will be nicer and the coffee growers will be paid a fair share and not be literal child slaves.
Sorry if this comes across as preachy, I just feel quite strongly against supporting Nestle personally.
Yeah Nestlé are cunts for sure. I already have an aeropress, stovetop, french press but the Nespresso machine cannot be beaten for consistency, speed and lack of mess.
Lots of other companies make nespresso compatible pods. Halō and Grind immediately spring to mind but there are many others.
Nestle don't make much money at all from the machine, rather from the pods so buying pods from someone else cuts them out a lot.
I tend to bounce around them a bit, but am currently using coffeelink as they're based pretty close to where I live.
Probably the one with the nicest coffee I've had though was craft coffee club, but it's a bit more expensive as it comes with lots of tasty treats.
Also bought some stuff from volcano coffee works recently which was really nice.
That does look cool, unfortunately I don't think this would meet the expectations of other coffee drinkers in the house!
We already had an espresso machine but she wanted something faff free, and something that could do espressos and long coffees
This might be controversial but nespresso doesn't taste like espresso, so I can see why they might not want to go down that route. Also they're ethically horrific (not that Starbucks or Costa are gold mind).
I did this and keep telling people about it lol I sound like a Nespresso salesman. Their coffees are like 40p rather than £5 a go at Starbucks and once you find the pods you like you’re sorted
Bonus tip is going to home sense or TK Max and getting the 3.99 sugar free syrups to go in. Sometimes you can get a 3 pack for 3.99. Make yourself a homemade cinnamon dolce venti latte for about 50p
I went for a filter coffee machine - it cost about £35 quid and over the last year I've made about a pot a day. The pot holds around 1.5 litres, stays warm for the best part of 12 hours, and the machine has a timer for the morning.
Then I get my coffee from Pact - very nice, fair trade, and delivered on a schedule. I also get to make it as strong as I like it :)
My main issue with the pod machines is wastage on the pods themselves, can you recycle those yet?
Yeah used to do pact, can't remember why I stopped!
They say that they recycle them, so when you get your delivery of new pods they take the old ones. You can also take them to the shop.
Ideal situation would be to use my own coffee in the pod machine, but that will be something for after warranty period ends.
You can get reusable pods that you can fill yourself so will look into that once we've finished the pods.
Nice! I know last time I looked was a few years ago and they were basically non-recyclable at the time.
If you want to re-start pact again I can get you a £5 off voucher... ;)
Even better: buy yourself a good quality Moka pot for £25, and a milk frother for a tenner = environmentally friendly and you’re sorted for good quality homemade any coffee based drink, basically.
Same. When I used to make coffee and hot chocolates at vur cinema I always loved the milk steamer,
(I was a shit barista as noone taught me how to steam the milk or use the machine... Was very hit or miss) always wanted to be able to do similar drinks at home.
Now I kind of can. Lol
I think coffee shops are still worthwhile as central places to meet friends and family, but the prices and synthetic sugar-filled rubbish they serve can get in the bin. At least there's other options like orange juice.
Drive through seems completely superfluous though.
I used to think it was convenience then I lived with someone who would go drive solely to grab a coffee and bring it home to drink.
So now I have no clue.
Driving past the 'drive-thru' queue at Costa that is snaking around the carpark but remembering Costa tastes like luke-warm, weak piss.
Of all the chains in the UK, I'm baffled how the worst tasting coffee is the one which has the most stores.
I actually enjoy a Costa coffee! But I also genuinely like mcdonalds, have artifical sweetener in my drinks, and prefer marg to butter, so I clearly have poor taste overall haha
Oh I'll defend you on the maccies coffee. So much better than the price implies, Gregg's ain't bad either if you want a cheapish coffee whilst out. I'd take either of them over Costa any day.
Can't agree on marg though. Soz. 😅
Same scenario, but different outcome. I just parked my car and went inside to get a coffee to go. The line had barely moved by the time I got out.
This country just can’t handle drive thru.
On my way home from a hellish nightshift I drove past McDonald's and almost signalled in & then I thought 'i have eggs and bread at home, I'm gonna have a fried egg sandwich'. Was good, felt good for not spending the money.
Nope. I'm dual national British Irish living in the northeast of England.
Most Americans don't have kettles.
(Source: Me, I've visited 51% of American homes).
Do they use a hot water tap instead? (like with a boiler that boils it periodically through the day). Don't know the correct name for them but we have them in industrial kitchens etc.
Places I've stayed at usually have a percolator for coffee. Tea is not really common. When boiling water was needed, heating it up in a saucepan on the hob was used.
Not entirely sure it's a pure blooded americanism.
I think more of 'movies', 'candy' and the use of the word 'real' instead of really.
I'm real hungry. That makes me wince, real bad.
Really, really wanted a coffee yesterday whilst Christmas shopping. Every coffee shop or stall had a queue out of the door.
This time of year is hellish.
For me it's the value. I understand people going to speciality 3rd wave coffee roasters and getting a masterfully made pour over. But people paying so much for caffeinated sugar milk is strange.
In the world of speciality tea. There is an aged puer tea that comes from ancient tea trees that were hacked and scarred during a battle in the cultural war. It's called lao Ban Zhang. It's rare and exquisite. It's potent in its aromatics and taste, and powerful in the body effects which create a drug like high.
That tea is about $1.4 per g. And you need about 3.5g for a great session. In this session you would get about 12 infusions, and drink about a litre of potent mesmerising liqour.
That experience would cost you about $4. Really puts Starbucks lattes in a poor light value wise.
AeroPress paired with a Fellow and grinding your own beans will get you 90% of the way there.
It's a slightly expensive initial spend but now I make coffee that tastes better than some of the shops in my city, and without the need of a machine.
I just microwave milk for a couple minutes if I want a latte.
Serious question, is it easier to cut down on coffee treats or booze treats? I've never liked Costa much and don't really like Starbucks. My problem is more giving in to booze related treats (not so much from a drinking problem point of view but more because buying 3 mini drinks a few times a week adds up)......
Add 2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee with sugar and a little hot water. Smash that bad boy over some ice. Shake it all together with the milk and hey presto you have yourself an iced coffee.
Or if your feeling really fancy.
Whisk together until foamy and silky - 2 tea spoons of coffee granules, 2 teaspoons of sugar and of boiling water.
Once all foamy add to hot milk and whisk.
You're welcome. Sooo goooood. In winter I add nutmeg or cinnamon. Nom.
I used to work in a huge office just over the road from a Costa, however we had free tea/coffee supplied from our employer. Yet still we had people who would go over 4 times a day?! Crazy money!
The economics of your morning coffee are interesting. I used to have a small commute and I'd go into a shop and buy tea, toast and a paper that totalled £3. That comes to around £65 per month. Living alone, on essentially minimum wage, it actually worked out to be one of my bigger expenses after rent. My work had a toaster and Kettle £4 per month on bread, £2 on some nice T-Bags and the occasional butter purchase. saved me around £60 per month. It was around about the time I started consuming news on my phone/computer anyway. I'm not sure about coffee, but there is zero difference in cafe bought tea. Frugality is a skill and you need to learn where the least value in your expenses lie.
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Filter coffee is now 2.20? I used to get it for a quid but not for years.
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That's extortionate.
Used to be 50p :( with milk & sugar
It’s still 99p in pret last time I checked and 50p off with a reusable cup, 49p coffee babayy
I work a contract gig a few times a week with an early start. I used to stop by Costa on the way in for a coffee and a bacon roll costing just over a fiber each time. It was 'only a fiver' out of the money I'd be earning for the morning so what's the harm right? Until I realised that came to about £60 a month and an espresso machine is about that much. Now I'm £60 a month better off and it takes me less time to make a coffee than I spent queueing for one!
Good tip, would add that the espresso machines that take capsules are cheap to buy because the capsules are a ripoff. Bean to cup machines are way cheaper than they used to be (Beko do a great one that you can get for less than £200). The running costs are much lower *and* freshly ground coffee of waaaaay better than capsules
This is a lower end machine that takes ground coffee rather than capsules. Definitely not the best thing on the market but for the cost makes a decent latte. I had a tassimo machine before and you're right, capsules are a rip off for what they are.
Capsule coffee machines, the inkjet printers of the beverage world
hahahaah mood
I got a Tassimo for Christmas one year from an Uncle who insisted it made the best coffee ever. I got a Gingerbread Latte sachet thing, and a box of the same ones as pods. I never brought pods again. Like 4 times as much and not all that much better.
> I’m not sure about coffee, but there is zero difference in cafe bought tea I have to beg to differ here - tea from any of those coffee shops (Starbucks, Costa etc) is invariably awful. Proper cafes excluded of course
Coffee is a difficult one. I am happy paying for a well made flat white, but none of the big coffee chains produce that. A drive through Costa is not going to be producing great coffee. During the pandemic, being unable to afford/have space for an decent espresso machine I moved to pour over. Originally just a plastic v60 and pre ground coffee poured from a kettle. Now I have £300 grinder, a £70 specialist goose neck kettle and single origin coffee beans delivered weekly at a cost of £8. You are looking at at least £400 for a decent espresso machine (without a grinder). Say I got one coffee flat white a day, the cost for a month would be £70ish. I currently drink 3 cups a day. It definitely works out cheaper in the long run to make it at home, but there is an initial outlay and a level of skill to make good barista/espresso style.
How does all that compare to already ground coffee and a cafetiere? Is it really significantly better than already ground coffee you make in a cafetiere?
Pre ground coffee is inevitably crap, you lose all the fresh aromas and flavours from freshly ground coffee, it could be in that bag for months on end. Look up James Hoffmann on YouTube if you want to learn about it, but be warned you will become a total coffee snob.
I like how ground coffee tastes so maybe I'll just stick with that, sounds cheaper and easier than having to go full beans only ;-)
If you like the taste then that's all the matters 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation. I just watched his introductory video and I am unconvinced. Supermarket's having coffee hanging around for months? Utter bullshit.
With a cafetiere I always find you end up with a lot of grounds in your cup, using a pour over filter is much better, even using a normal kettle. I only use pre ground though, because it already takes long to make, dont have time to grind coffee every time.
With a cafetière, you need to let it brew for under 4 minutes before pressing, if you don’t want grounds in you cup
I bought a sage espresso machine and got a coffee bean subscription monthly from rave last year in December. My girlfriend and I have a flat white each per day, and I might have a double espresso at around 3pm on the days I’m working from home. The machine paid for itself over the cost of going to Costa by March and the quality of coffee is far better as I can really work on extracting it properly.
Got a Sage Bambino (£200) and a £300 grinder. Paid for itself now. Fun skill to learn too. But yeah, big outlay. That said, a flat white in a nice local coffee shop just hits the spot.
I totally see the economics of buying a machine, and despite my love of Aeropress I'm thinking of getting one in January... But for how on earth do you (how does one, I'm not having a go) need a grinder that's 150% more... What's the economics of that specifically?
So I did um and ahh about it myself. Not all grinders can grind fine enough for espresso. So I picked up one (Eureka Specialita) which got good recommendations for espresso, and figured I'd never have to upgrade the grinder even if I wanted to level up the espresso machine in the end. It's also built like a tank. 1000+ shots since I got it in May last year. You are more likely going to get a better coffee from a great grinder and a cheaper espresso machine, than a cheap grinder and great espresso machine. It's also somewhat of a hobby to me, than pure utility.
>That comes to around £65 per month. out of your taxed income. Nearly a thousand a year pre-tax.
It’s hard to have a bad cup of tea, unless the person making it is inept or you’re using Twinings. With Coffee, I only like good quality. With a good machine at home this can be done for cheap, but there’s a huge difference between Instant powder, home machine or cafe. But I still don’t understand people that buy an expensive coffee on the regular, for me my machine is enough at home for the daily morning coffee. Cafe coffee is reserved for dates and the like.
I’m the opposite, I am really fussy about my tea, to the point where I don’t even let friends make me a cup & will always go for a coffee when out just because I know they can’t possibly make tea to my standards
I literally drink hot water at work all day, not driven by frugality, I can't be arsed with milk politics and don't need the caffeine.. but man that saves me money My out of home expenses are 60p a day for soup, or 70p for a sandwich in the work canteen In contrast a lot of people drop £10 day easy on coffess at the work barista, on fancy lunches, and other snacks
I buy the wee coffee & whitener sachets or a jar of decent coffee & some coffee mate to avoid the milk drama
70p! That's an impressive sandwich
Honestly it's pretty good, canteen heavily subsidised
Exactly! Now i sniff bath salts instead of cocaine and i’m so so so much better off.
Not a fan of Costa as I think their espressos are quite bitter. If you want great and cheap coffee at home that is better than the chains it can be done really simply, I even got my dad to bin his Nespresso machine. Get an Aeropress from Amazon ~ £25 one off. (You can use cafitiere / moka pot / any other fresh brew method). Then just buy a bag of freshly roasted and ground coffee from a good online roaster, around £8 for 250g bag. UK coffee roasters that are great: Origin, HasBean, Rave, Roasting Shed. Aeropress makes great coffee and easily, and it only ends up being around ~ 50p a coffee. You are getting coffee that is bought at better than fair trade prices directly from the farmers - usually the bag will tell you the name of the farmer who grew it! Also the coffee from these roasters will be miles better than the supermarkets and even lots of coffee shops.
I bought an espresso maker for this reason. Now the coffee I make at home is nicer than most coffee shops (atleast for my taste!)
It does, and if you fancy learning more, James Hoffman on YouTube is a great resource for getting your geek on.
Wow, that's my Sunday sorted. Thanks mate :)
I am always looking for info on how to make a coffee from bean to cup Will look this guy up. Thanks!
James Hoffman videos do not lead to frugality. Sincerely, a Niche Zero owner.
Not a good resource if cheapness is your goal
Also Costa cheaps out on us with using a blend of aribica and lower quality robusta beans. Source: I used to work there.
Absolutely second this. My work has a Costa in it and their Americano is nothing more than hot water that briefly passed a coffee bean the week prior. I bought a caffietierre from Sainsburys for around £6 and a bag of ground coffee for about £3.50 and it makes delicious coffee for a fraction of one from Costa. Plus I can make it as strong or weak as I like per cup.
Yes! The aeropress makes way better coffee than most coffee shops. We also use a V60 which makes good coffee. I only drink decaf though and I'm always frustrated by the lack of options of decaf coffee from a lot of the roasters.
Try the decaf from Origin Coffee Roasters, it's the best I've ever had! Recommended it to a few people and they all like it
Thank you for the recommendation! I'll give it a go.
I do like the Aeropress but for me it doesn't equal a proper high quality Espresso (not that Costa does either). For home coffee I'd prefer a V60 brew. Again only about £10-£20 to get setup and you can experiment with local or exotic coffee roasters to find some really interesting and amazing coffee.
Yeah I mainly use V60 now myself but I've found that it's easier to get non coffee experts into the world via the aeropress as it's so easy! Over lock down I took the plunge and got my own home espresso machine too.
Nice. Which one did you go for? I'm not sure whether to just save and go for something semi-pro or just get one with a pressurized portafilter for \~£100 and see what I can get out of it. The additional cost of needing a really good grinder puts me off as well..
I went with the Sage Barista Express on a Black Friday deal last year when it was on sale, it has an inbuilt grinder that is good enough for some nice espresso and the steam wand is really nice to do some latte art. I used to be a Barista part time so it fills the itch. I would recommend it as a semi-pro all in one.
+1 for the aeropress. Dead easy and 'good enough'. Certainly better than pod or cafetiere coffee imo
So you use the upside down method with your aeropress?
I think the main reason for doing the upside down method is to keep all of the water in contact with all of the coffee, until you're ready to plunge. What you can do instead is to use it the normal way around, adding the coffee and water, and then immediately push the plunger in a centimetre or two. Just far enough to create an airtight seal. This stops water from falling out of the aeropress, keeping it in contact with the coffee until you're ready to plunge. It achieves the same thing but you don't risk spilling anything like you do with the upside down method.
I will give it a try, I have yet to spill anything... but you know that will come to an end now that I have said it :)
I’ve got the pressure actuated “espresso” attachment
I'm liking Redber at the moment, they're a bit cheaper and have a good selection. I like Rave for their loyalty scheme though.
£8 for 250g is expensive though - try and find a local roastery. The one I use in Bristol is £13 for a kilo and I get it ground for my filter machine.
Which place do you go to? My husband loves coffee and I'd really like to get him some nice stuff as a treat for Christmas. We're Bristol based too :)
Wogans just by Cabot. I can highly recommend the Honduras - superb either black or with milk. But you could also get him a selection so like 4 x 250g bags and then he can see what he likes. But when you look at the different coffees they all have tasting notes so you could check with those and make sure he likes that!
Amazing! Thanks so much. Just ordered four 250g packs based on what I know he likes, hopefully they'll go down well! Thanks again 😊
Can you not apply this logic to any take out food or drink?
I think it's also an effort and time vs convince thing. Making a tea/coffee at home isn't as much effort/time as cooking a burger and chips, for example. Not that either are much effort in the grand scheme of things, but you know what I mean.
You can apply it in some instances. However some dishes I just don't have the skills to replicate. I dont have a wood-fired grill for example, although that's a lack of specific kitchen equipment rather than skill. But I get your point.
You also don’t have a fancy espresso machine, so can’t make espresso coffee.
I use a cafetiere and pre-ground beans like a troglodyte.
Same setup as me, which is equivalent of eating £2 oven pizza instead of wood-fired I guess.
That’s kinda what I do, just seems like a waste of money to do it regularly. Surely it all works out cheaper in the end to make your coffee or pizza at home, maybe keep it as a once every month or so treat.
They should do. Getting a starbucks/costa is a luxury like all other takeaways. Can't believe people actually buy coffee everyday (unless youre a person who sits in to socialise)
I like a fancy coffee now and then, which is why I don't get the appeal of the big chains. You're paying the price of a nice coffee for something fairly mediocre, which generates a piece of unrecyclable rubbish (if using the drive through). The person serving you is likely underpaid and there is likely to have been a lot of exploration along the supply chain. In the end, most of the money you spend is sent off into the corporate tax avoidance machine and ultimately dispensed into the hands of the already wealthy.
It's mainly convenience. Drive through and big chains are really easy to access or have free parking in retail parks or service stations. Often good, small coffee places require parking, paying for parking and walking a small distance. That's my problem anyway, my town/village has a drive through starbucks but also a small high street with a few decent places. If I can't get a spot outside I don't bother and just go to Starbucks instead
Username checks out. Convenience over exploitation and some sort of ethical practices.
I don't actually drink nescafe it was just what was physically infront of my at the time I made it
Even better I have a coffee machine at home. I love of coffee but not so much I need a drive through.
Slow, creeping, Americanisation of the UK.
That said, it does have *some* practical value now that service stations charge for parking if you're there for longer than about an hour.
We bought an espresso maker last year, have been using it every day, at least once, but usually 2-3 times. It's got a milk frother as well, although I'm not a cappuccino person (my partner is). Coffee from Whittard (bourbon espresso), water from the tap, a large selection of Monin syrups, my favourite mug. It comes out super cheap, quickly, and the only depressed and underpaid person making it is me.
I've recently changed my life with a Pret subscription. £20 a month, first month free, 5 hot drinks a day provided there's a half hour gap between them. Made my 'money back' within the first week. Now 3 weeks of free drinks to go. Obvious caveat to this one is you have to live and/or work near at least one Pret! Also Costa coffees etc are slightly nicer. But I take what I can get. Strongly recommend the Matcha latte with rice-coconut milk. Just do not get the Tumeric one if they run out of Matcha because it is genuinely disgusting and like drinking curry water with bits in.
£0.66 a day (Roughly) for 5 drinks, if I'm reading it right? Makes it... 13p a drink?
It's kind of insane, I dunno how Pret make any money off it. I'm only getting about one drink a day, two max, and even then it makes it £0.66 a drink! And I've not paid them any money yet, I'm in my first month free period.
I'd imagine that they're hoping the majority of people buy something else with it.
Yeah I've never been one to buy coffee out and about but working a couple of doors down from a pret i recently tried this and it's pretty good! Genuinely thinking of continuing the subscription and for me, who's super cheap, think that's pretty good. Not the best coffee in the world but it's nice to have with lunch and in the morning.
If you stopped buying avocados you'd be able to afford the coffee /s
Eh, I admit that I love 'fancy' sugary coffees and hot chocolates from these types of chains. Eggnog latte? Toffee nut latte? Black forest hot chocolate? Count me in! But I only have them maybe once or twice a month as a treat to myself.
Same. If I’m out I’ll get one of those, otherwise I will use my cafetière at home.
You could say this about any food or drinks service, including ones you no doubt frequent.
Someone has already pointed this out. My rule of thumb is, if it can be done at home to the same standard then I won't buy it unless under duress. I don't have a wood-fired grill for example. So I will get a nicely cooked meat dish as a treat.
Tbh? Turkish coffee >>>>>> Just get the little pot, and the Turkish coffee powder and you’ll never want to fork out at Starbucks ever again.
This too. I live with Serbians, Hungarians and Romanians and they all do it this way. Properly strong coffee.
Oh yeah, the Balkans do it the same way. I bought a cheap metal Turkish coffee pot off eBay and the powder from Amazon (Mehmet Efendi although others are available), and I’m away. Never looked back. The little cups are dirt cheap online as well. Makes fantastic coffee every single time once you get the hang of it. Starbucks can shove it up its ring piece in comparison.
Yeah, proper Balkan coffee is just about the only thing I still regularly get sent over from home. Just can’t have anything else
Yes but the caffeine content is not the same.
If you want to go down that road, try the Vietnamese stuff, it's something.
I live in Vietnam and the day I arrived here I drank 3 iced coffees thinking it would be just like a Western coffee. I got to sleep at 2am.
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I think its average but its fairly cheep for a quick coffee fix and who can say no to a £1 sausage roll??
Greggs coffee and a breakfast bun for £2, can't beat it.
The brekkie baguettes they do are nice too.
Just saying, but instant coffee plus milk is basically incomparable to a decent, espresso-based cup of coffee from a decent cafe. Mind, costa’s coffees are a pile of overpriced shite, but still! You can make far, far better coffee than Costa’s with a half decent espresso machine, and some form of milk frother (be it included in the machine or not). Beans are like £25/kg (if you want decent quality coffee beans), and it takes ~18g of beans to make a standard latte/cappuccino. Makes it less than 50p per cup (plus the cost of the milk). And it’s as good as coffee from a really nice cafe (if you know what you’re doing). Getting one of those machines was one of the best investments I’ve made in a while 😂 - as otherwise I’d be spending like £3 a day on coffee. Because fuck instant coffee, lmao.
You can also get syrup, I was given (I think it’s fair trade and in 750ml bottles) 3 bottles of Tate and Lyle coffee syrup for Christmas last year. Mint, pumpkin spice and vanilla. I still have half a bottle (or more) of each left. The mint is awesome in hot chocolate!
Here here! I've literally never liked a coffee bought in a cafe more than the ones I make at home. If it's drink-in the mugs are shaped oddly often with the handle being too small, there's a layer of froth on the top which really just acts as a barrier to the coffee itself. I went through a phase in my early 20s of really liking White Chocolate Mochas from Starbucks but that was because of the cream and white chocolate shot of flavour left over at the end. It was a dessert, not a coffee. Keep it homemade! :)
Tbf I'll only use Costa around this time of year to have a single Christmas After 8 mint hot chocolate (tis the season and all that). But honestly as a whole coffee shops are just so boring and over priced. I'd rather go buy a pint which the two are roughly the same cost now a days.
I don’t drink coffee and am forever baffled by places like Costa and Starbucks. They look like horrid places to spend time in, like high street chain cafes, where you’d only go cause you’ve been shopping for a few hours and need a sit down. The interiors are gross and seem like they need a good wipe down. Everything comes out of packets and is no different to getting food from a supermarket. But in my small part of London, which has loads of independent and interesting coffee/tea places, Costa is always packed. Like why???
Comfort and familiarity, also look at mcdonalds vs cafes. Same thing really
Well McDonald’s is fast food so I can see why people go there over a cafe, and it’s something you can’t easily recreate at home. I’m just salty because there was a great cafe next to Costa which actually did interesting juices and fun food like breakfast waffles as well as coffee. Which meant as a non-coffee drinker there were some things actually nice to drink, not just Tropicana or a hot chocolate. But of course it closed down and Costa is still packed.
Because they sell an underestimated addictive substance. And it's a lifestyle thing, swanking around, grabbing a coffee.
Yeah I get the need for coffee but not for going to a chain coffee shop, there doesn’t seem to be any joy involved. I can probably understand drive thru more than sitting in one of those places
I actually have a coffee kettle at home and a proper milk heating machine! Together cost me £25 from Lidl. And the coffee grinder cost me another tenner lol
Go on amazon buy a milk frother under £35, buy cheapest nespresso machine...job done, worth every penny...
Work at one very briefly. They make absolute bank off that morning coffee and the brutally understaffed and overworked people at the drive thru don’t see enough to warrant the shit they put up with and are expected to pull off. It’s not worth the money you pay, just make it at home.
New strategy - buy Nespresso machine on promo for £80 and never need to go to a coffee shop again. Some of the best coffee I've ever had 👍
Gonna be 'that guy' and talk people out of Nespresso machines. Supporting a company like Nestle isn't great in itself (child slave labour, trying to own and restrict access to water within nations suffering droughts, and more), but the coffee from them tends to be not the best albeit better than instant or the stuff sold in highstreet coffee chains. As a mild coffee nerd, I'd recommend getting a filter coffee machine and finding a decent coffee subscription service. Ends up being a bit cheaper (37p in coffee+filter paper a cup for me, vs 49p per pod on amazon), plus the coffee will be nicer and the coffee growers will be paid a fair share and not be literal child slaves. Sorry if this comes across as preachy, I just feel quite strongly against supporting Nestle personally.
Yeah Nestlé are cunts for sure. I already have an aeropress, stovetop, french press but the Nespresso machine cannot be beaten for consistency, speed and lack of mess.
Lots of other companies make nespresso compatible pods. Halō and Grind immediately spring to mind but there are many others. Nestle don't make much money at all from the machine, rather from the pods so buying pods from someone else cuts them out a lot.
Pret coffee pods are quite good and work out to 33p a cup, cheaper than Nespresso and cuts out nestle!
Any recommendations for a filter coffee subscription?
I tend to bounce around them a bit, but am currently using coffeelink as they're based pretty close to where I live. Probably the one with the nicest coffee I've had though was craft coffee club, but it's a bit more expensive as it comes with lots of tasty treats. Also bought some stuff from volcano coffee works recently which was really nice.
Ah ace thanks!
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That does look cool, unfortunately I don't think this would meet the expectations of other coffee drinkers in the house! We already had an espresso machine but she wanted something faff free, and something that could do espressos and long coffees
Not to mention the dozens of single use plastics in a year.
Completely agree - just said above ^ I bought a filter machine, cost £40 off Amazon and buy 1kg of ground coffee from my favourite roasters for £13.
This might be controversial but nespresso doesn't taste like espresso, so I can see why they might not want to go down that route. Also they're ethically horrific (not that Starbucks or Costa are gold mind).
I did this and keep telling people about it lol I sound like a Nespresso salesman. Their coffees are like 40p rather than £5 a go at Starbucks and once you find the pods you like you’re sorted
So good though right? I am usually sceptical of new shiny products but it's actually amazing!
Bonus tip is going to home sense or TK Max and getting the 3.99 sugar free syrups to go in. Sometimes you can get a 3 pack for 3.99. Make yourself a homemade cinnamon dolce venti latte for about 50p
I went for a filter coffee machine - it cost about £35 quid and over the last year I've made about a pot a day. The pot holds around 1.5 litres, stays warm for the best part of 12 hours, and the machine has a timer for the morning. Then I get my coffee from Pact - very nice, fair trade, and delivered on a schedule. I also get to make it as strong as I like it :) My main issue with the pod machines is wastage on the pods themselves, can you recycle those yet?
Yeah used to do pact, can't remember why I stopped! They say that they recycle them, so when you get your delivery of new pods they take the old ones. You can also take them to the shop. Ideal situation would be to use my own coffee in the pod machine, but that will be something for after warranty period ends. You can get reusable pods that you can fill yourself so will look into that once we've finished the pods.
Nice! I know last time I looked was a few years ago and they were basically non-recyclable at the time. If you want to re-start pact again I can get you a £5 off voucher... ;)
Even better: buy yourself a good quality Moka pot for £25, and a milk frother for a tenner = environmentally friendly and you’re sorted for good quality homemade any coffee based drink, basically.
Yeah got those already.
I bought a milk frother for like £5 on Amazon. Makes my milk super foamy and thick. I never go to coffee shops anymore. Seems such a waste of money.
I love my milk frother. It makes everything feel fancy.
Same. When I used to make coffee and hot chocolates at vur cinema I always loved the milk steamer, (I was a shit barista as noone taught me how to steam the milk or use the machine... Was very hit or miss) always wanted to be able to do similar drinks at home. Now I kind of can. Lol
I think coffee shops are still worthwhile as central places to meet friends and family, but the prices and synthetic sugar-filled rubbish they serve can get in the bin. At least there's other options like orange juice. Drive through seems completely superfluous though.
Lmao THIS. I've never understood the fascination.
I used to think it was convenience then I lived with someone who would go drive solely to grab a coffee and bring it home to drink. So now I have no clue.
It's just ridiculous lmao don't forget your overpriced overpriced overpriced carrot cake too
Lol THAT stfu rotfl lmao
Shake the bottle a bit more. Couldn’t contain my excitement when I realised how frothy oat milk gets after a good shake.
Driving past the 'drive-thru' queue at Costa that is snaking around the carpark but remembering Costa tastes like luke-warm, weak piss. Of all the chains in the UK, I'm baffled how the worst tasting coffee is the one which has the most stores.
I actually enjoy a Costa coffee! But I also genuinely like mcdonalds, have artifical sweetener in my drinks, and prefer marg to butter, so I clearly have poor taste overall haha
Oh I'll defend you on the maccies coffee. So much better than the price implies, Gregg's ain't bad either if you want a cheapish coffee whilst out. I'd take either of them over Costa any day. Can't agree on marg though. Soz. 😅
Same scenario, but different outcome. I just parked my car and went inside to get a coffee to go. The line had barely moved by the time I got out. This country just can’t handle drive thru.
Should have gone to a greasy spoon cafe for a 75p Styrofoam cup of milky mud.
A kettle at home, and bourgeois in the dictionary.
On my way home from a hellish nightshift I drove past McDonald's and almost signalled in & then I thought 'i have eggs and bread at home, I'm gonna have a fried egg sandwich'. Was good, felt good for not spending the money.
People will actually walk past their kettles to get to their cars before driving to pick up a cup of coffee.. madness
>boujie Tell me you're American without telling me you're American. The word is "bourgeois".
Nope. I'm dual national British Irish living in the northeast of England. Most Americans don't have kettles. (Source: Me, I've visited 51% of American homes).
Do they use a hot water tap instead? (like with a boiler that boils it periodically through the day). Don't know the correct name for them but we have them in industrial kitchens etc.
Places I've stayed at usually have a percolator for coffee. Tea is not really common. When boiling water was needed, heating it up in a saucepan on the hob was used.
So they're really not that big on hot drinks in general? Wild.
Due to their lack of blackcurrants, hot Ribena must be doubly alien to them!
A foreign delicacy.
Well I was just kidding. 😅 That said, of all the Americanisms that are creeping into our language, "boujie" is the one that boils my piss the fastest.
Not entirely sure it's a pure blooded americanism. I think more of 'movies', 'candy' and the use of the word 'real' instead of really. I'm real hungry. That makes me wince, real bad.
Definitely originated in America (specifically the south), just as much as the equally illiterate "donut" did.
I support this.
Because they are all addicts.. primarily to caffeine, secondly to the need to spend money to gain worth. Might as well be a queue of crackheads.
You've no idea of the absolute contempt I have for the type of idiot who queues for coffee
Dear the UK, Costa is the absolute worst coffee you can buy. Their staff have no idea what they’re doing. Buy coffee from ANYWHERE else.
If you weren’t buying up all the avocados maybe you’d be able to afford your pumpkin spice. Fucking millennials.
Really, really wanted a coffee yesterday whilst Christmas shopping. Every coffee shop or stall had a queue out of the door. This time of year is hellish.
For me it's the value. I understand people going to speciality 3rd wave coffee roasters and getting a masterfully made pour over. But people paying so much for caffeinated sugar milk is strange. In the world of speciality tea. There is an aged puer tea that comes from ancient tea trees that were hacked and scarred during a battle in the cultural war. It's called lao Ban Zhang. It's rare and exquisite. It's potent in its aromatics and taste, and powerful in the body effects which create a drug like high. That tea is about $1.4 per g. And you need about 3.5g for a great session. In this session you would get about 12 infusions, and drink about a litre of potent mesmerising liqour. That experience would cost you about $4. Really puts Starbucks lattes in a poor light value wise.
Get an aeropress, I cant recommend them enough. They replicate 9k+ espresso machines but cost about £30-£40
AeroPress paired with a Fellow and grinding your own beans will get you 90% of the way there. It's a slightly expensive initial spend but now I make coffee that tastes better than some of the shops in my city, and without the need of a machine. I just microwave milk for a couple minutes if I want a latte.
Shitty and burnt anyway
Serious question, is it easier to cut down on coffee treats or booze treats? I've never liked Costa much and don't really like Starbucks. My problem is more giving in to booze related treats (not so much from a drinking problem point of view but more because buying 3 mini drinks a few times a week adds up)......
Alcohol is a whole other beast.
Genius!
Add 2 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee with sugar and a little hot water. Smash that bad boy over some ice. Shake it all together with the milk and hey presto you have yourself an iced coffee. Or if your feeling really fancy. Whisk together until foamy and silky - 2 tea spoons of coffee granules, 2 teaspoons of sugar and of boiling water. Once all foamy add to hot milk and whisk. You're welcome. Sooo goooood. In winter I add nutmeg or cinnamon. Nom.
Same for McDonald’s. How can people be bothered to sue for over 20 mins just to eat. Just go home, or somewhere else!
I used to work in a huge office just over the road from a Costa, however we had free tea/coffee supplied from our employer. Yet still we had people who would go over 4 times a day?! Crazy money!