Tips to combat high coffee prices
As reported two weeks ago here, coffee prices have been on the rise and show no signs of abating. So here are some money saving tips for baristas and coffee aficionados to help make your brewing cost efficient:
Buy Small and Buy Often
In an ideal world, you might roast the beans at home for the ultimate in freshness but that’s a difficult and often time-consuming process. The easier route is to buy coffee in small quantities and use promptly. Even though the flavor of coffee begins to fade after roasting, beans will certainly stay fresh for several weeks, especially if kept in a can or canister with a tight-fitting lid, away from heat, light, and dampness.
Grind the Beans Yourself
Grinding beans only when you need them avoids staleness, cont…
Coffee prices brewing
Coffee prices have topped $3 a pound for the first time in more than 34 years. What is causing our caffeine fix to cost more? There are two primary factors brewing here: 1. Bad weather and 2. Demand is growing amongst the middle-classes in many countries.
Poor harvests due to inclement weather of high-grade Arabica beans have significantly contributed to the surge in coffee prices. Colombia, the second-largest producer, was expected to have a supply of 10m bags in 2011-- but because of heavy rain, traders have scaled down their forecast to about 8.5m. Crops in places like Mexico have been affected by low temperatures, and market analysts are especially concerned about Brazil, the world's biggest coffee producer, for producing less than expe…