True Price of K-Cups and Pods Make Convenience Costly

It appears there’s yet another one drawback to those single cup brewers we’ve come to loathe. Those in the roasting industry and specialty coffee community have bemoaned the advent of Keurig’s, Nespresso’s and even Starbucks’ Via and their rising popularity for a number of reasons: increased waste from excessive (non-recyclable) packaging, stale ground coffee that sits on store shelves for months, poor extraction and the list goes on. One disadvantage that is commonly overlooked – and was highlighted today in the New York Times – is the cost factor.

Oliver Strand writes today about the high cost of convenience and technology for those single cup brewers. “For example, the Nespresso Arpeggio costs $5.70 for 10 espresso capsules…. but that Nespresso capsule contains 5 grams of coffee, so it costs about $51 a pound.” To put it in perspective Cherry Hill Coffee’s Jivaro Dusk costs $16.80 a pound which provides roughly 40 twelve ounce cups of coffee. It would appear customers are not thinking of bulk prices an longer, instead they “are thinking about coffee pricing in cups,” as SCAA‘s Ric Rhinehart told the NYT. This has understandably created a buzz in the coffee community today.

As James Hoffman points out on his blog today, “They make buying the product as friction free, easy and enjoyable as possible. They make brewing it as easy as possible. No skills, no cleaning, just push a button.” He goes on further to state, “clearly demonstrate that people are happy to pay more for coffee.”

True, convenience may be worth that higher price in the end, but why settle for a mediocre product when you can spend less, use fresh roasted coffee with a reusable filter and help out the planet at the same time. Food for thought.

Brew School

THE SCIENCE OF ESPRESSO
So we’re switching things up for February’s class and dropping some science on espresso. We thought it would be useful to do some hands-on barista basics. Lots of you have espresso machines at home, so we’re going to help give you some pointers. We’re going to cover the basics along with some helpful practices for pulling a great shot. Since we’re moving from the lab to behind the bar, class size will be a bit smaller so be sure to save a spot in advance. Friday, February 24, @3PM here at the roastery: 1-1404 Hunter Court, Kelowna, BC

Next Brew School is almost here!

There’s still some space for our upcoming Brew School class on January 20. Join us for an afternoon brew session as we go over some coffee making alternatives. Along with four of our favourite coffees you’ll get a chance to check out the Hario V60, Aeropress, Chemex and Siphon. Sign up here to reserve a spot.

Looking ahead to 2012

2011 has been a great year for Cherry Hill Coffee. There were many proud moments this year, with the highlight being our 25th anniversary. The feedback on our Anniversary Roast was tremendous and we look forward to bringing you more special releases in 2012. Our Brew Schools have also become a hotly anticipated monthly event, and you’re going to see a lot more of them based on the response we’ve had. (We’re also looking forward to a special event sometime this spring which will appeal to coffee nerds and baristas alike, so stay tuned for more details). Collaborating with Urban Distilleries on their Sprit Bear Espresso Vodka and Crannog Ales on an Espresso Stout were both up there on the list as well. It’s great to have such a cooperative, innovative relationship with like-minded local companies. But most of all, we’re proud of having the coolest customers in Canada. Without you, things just wouldn’t be the same. So here’s to looking forward to an exciting 2012 and another 25 years. Happy New Years everyone.

Brew School