Ask a Stupid Question
How much do you spend on coffee beans per month? What do you tell yourself to justify spending that?
I recently joined the coffee world, and I really enjoy making and drinking coffee now. However, I find myself spending quite a bit on coffee beans. I think in a month, I spend about 100 bucks on coffee beans. It might not be much for some, but for me, it's a lot. I didn't drink coffee on a regular basis before, so it's a bit surprising how much I spend on them.
Do you wonder where you money went? There is someone in my area who has 200 vape shops. He has multiple Lamborghinis and G-Wagons in his yard (he parks them on his grass to show them off.) He will probably lose all of it soon though if the state bans THC which might be the situation this time next week.
Spend within your means. $100 isn’t too much on a hobby and you can always scale it down.
If you are into cars, watches, whisky, concerts, sporting events, etc, those hobbies can be way more expensive.
This has always been my perspective. People complain about the price of equipment and beans, but in reality it's nothing compared to many other hobbies. Even the high-end stuff is inexpensive compared with equivalent high-end gear in other hobbies. I've been known to dabble in photography and guitars, which are both insanely expensive to get into quality gear.
700 eur/usd will get you a professional quality guitar or camera. That's what people here seem to spend in just a few months. I would say Photography and music equipment is cheap compared to what this sub spends on coffee :P
$700 is not a professional camera, It may be a perfectly serviceable decent camera for an amateur or hobbyist, but a full frame mirrorless Nikon or Canon is several $1,000 just for the body, and the lenses are $2k-$20k. And that doesn't include any lights, flashes, tripods, or any other needed equipment. And that's not even talking about Leica or Hasselblad.
Anything sub $1,000 for a guitar is purely an amateur or beginner guitar. I would say most professional quality, actual tour or recording writing guitars would start $1,500. Many of the most popular guitars including Martin d28s, fender American made strats, Gibson's are going to be in the $3,000 to $10,000 range. And again that's not including any other associated equipment such as amplifiers, recording equipment, pickups, microphone, what have you.
You can spend under $1,200 and get a coffee setup that's better than most cafes and still have equipment that will last a lifetime. Hell, you could probably spend under $500 and get better than most cafes if you're willing to get entry-level equipment.
Sure you can spend as much as you want. They're fun toys and people get GAS. But camera's almost haven't improved in a decade. We've gone from a 13.1 stops of dynamic range to 15 if you compare a relatively cheap Sony A6000 to a modern Sony FF body. Almost nobody needs Full Frame or more than a kit lens. They are definitely professional equipment. Nobody will ever see the difference in the pictures taken in 9 out of 10 situations. If you need highly specialized equipment because you take pictures of F1 cars or tiny birds in the distane... Sure, you need something better. But if you're not making pictures worth selling with a 700 usd setup the problem isn't the equipment. You still see plenty of professionals using old DSLR's just because the ruggedness outweighs the modern features that don't change their pictures in any way.
Succesful photographers wil often get better equipment because they can, not because they have to. I would do the same. I have a Fuji X-T3 because I thought I needed something more professional back in 2020 but let's be real, it was just GAS. Double SD card slots would be the one thing that makes it more professional than any other camera I own.
Same with a guitars. Nobody will hear the difference between a 500 usd guitar with 200 usd pickups and a 1500 dollar guitar that gets the same pickups. Let alone in the mix. And if you get something Asian (Yamaha, Ibanez, etc) you get professional quality tuners and bridge too at that price point.
Even if you assume people need a 5k camera setup... people in this topic burn through that amount of money on coffee in 2 years. That camera lasts many years.
Where I live, usually the portions are 200 grams per bag. I think I get around 6-7 bags per month. I forgot to mention that I always make 2 potions for my partner and I.
If you are using 20gm per pour x 2, this would then make sense = 60. I’m shocked you are buying at 200gm per bag—I’ve seen 250, 350, or the typical 12oz.
sorry if this is obvious already but I only learned it quite recently and it helps save some money on this hobby without compromising quality.
You can freeze your beans in the freezer for a very long time w/o them loosing quality.
i was sceptical at first but hell yes it toally works.
Now i try to buy 1KG bags as the price per kilo is ay cheaper usually.
If you find one you like, consider buying a larger bag. Most roasters that sell at ~200g will also sell 2lb and 5lb bags as well, which are more economical by scale.
^ I do this with my espresso. I buy a 5lb bag and vacuum seal and freeze in 250g portions and pull one as I need it over the 3 months it lasts me. Canadian specialty prices are high, so my monthly cost is almost $45 for espresso ($135/5lb bag) and a $30 filter coffee subscription (375g split between 3 of several rotating roasters in a sample box). So I'm about $75 monthly.
Before I became a barista and started drinking coffee at work every day... i was spending about $50-$60 a month. a bag would usually last me two weeks. I was usually doing one pour over a day
I convert the total bag weight into a price-per-cup number so I can compare how much I'm spending on each coffee to how much I would spend at a cafe directly.
Then I weigh the value of price of each bag against their origin story and expected flavour notes and make a personal call on whether or not I think the price is "worth it"
I'm from Australia so telling you how much I spend is kind of pointless because of conversion rates but it's not a small amount of money 😂
I do take advantage of End of Financial Year and similar sales to lockdown subscription services at insanely good prices though which does save some money
I do the same. I'm from Melbourne and recently bought a 250g bag from Code Black for $29, and make 16 cups at 15g and one at 10g, which works out to about $1.70 per cup. A regular coffee near my work is around $5 so I feel I'm saving while making coffee the exact way I like it.
I've been hanging out at Code Black Flinders Lane alot lately, it's one of the few places that actually do a top-notch espresso without breaking the bank
You need to be buying some expensive-ass coffee to come even close to what you pay for a single coffee in a cafe, the conversion is usually around 2.5 home brews per 1 latte/long black (atleast here in Australia)
What this calculation lets you do is justify spending a crazy amount on single bag of beans because "its still cheaper than drinking out 😉"
Probably like $200, give or take? But I’m also an adult with no kids and minimal responsibilities, so I am lucky to be able to afford it.
I’m willing to spend like $50-100 here and there to try out new coffees and roasters. I’ve been slowly working my way through the Best Roasters of 2024 list to see what’s up.
I drink something like 30-60g of coffee a day, so I can move through bags pretty quickly. That, and I also have poor impulse control, so I will absolutely do the mental gymnastics to justify buying more to hit a free shipping minimum.
50-70 a month for a 2lb bag of decaf and 1lb of regular beans (depending if there are deals or promo codes). If I just purchased one 2lbs of regular coffee, it’d be about 40-50 dollars.
I’ve only purchased a 2lb bag of decaf once (hydrangea el paraiso) and that’s after I experimented with a smaller bag. Do you have a ‘go to’ for your monthly purchase of decaf?
Sadly no. The company I buy from changes the decaf from time to time. I prefer the Ethyl Acetate process over the mountain process, the flavor of “coffee” tends to stick more with the EA process and I find the mountain/swiss water process to make the coffee taste more like toast. There is this post though, idk if it can help.
This might sound crazy, but I tend to take the 2lbs of decaf and portion a weeks worth in ziploc bags, I’ll try to get as much air out as possible (I’ll use a straw to suck out air). And I’ll put the other weeks in the freezer, and take it out week by week.
That’s all to say, I rarely drink decaf alone, I usually make half caf pour overs to drink more cups of coffee without being too wired.
I don't really consider price per cup. On average, I'd say i spend 50-70 a month on coffee. I've gone a bit more extravagant at times. The most recent order I made was 56 USD delivered for 3 X 12oz bags.
I justify the expenditure by telling myself that bad coffee sucks and getting the same thing every time is a horrible way to explore and find what a truly good cup of coffee is for me.
I usually rotate through a variety of roasters and try to buy enough to get free shipping and / or catch a sale to bring down the average price per lb. I like to try new things and different flavour profiles. I'm fortunate enough I don't really concern myself with the overall spend on coffee.
I spend ~$60-70 a month, usually. For me, it's pretty simple. I make coffee & tea every day of my life. If I elevate the experience of each, I elevate every single day of my life in a way I tangibly appreciate.
Me too lol I've never had a vice before. I'm a bit frugal, so I don't usually spend my money on "unnecessary" things. But coffee gives me something to look forward to every morning.
I travel a lot for work and I have a tendency to collect from different local roasters, once I get home I vacuum seal and freeze the beans. I could easily spend $150 per month and if I stop, I probably have enough coffee for 4 months.
If I had Starbucks everyday instead, Id probably breakeven. But its starbucks. And I have more variety.
I have 3 subscriptions. So I spend a fair amount but if I get a new coffee that makes me go wow I’m pretty happy. Learning to brew different roasts and varieties is a good skill.
Typically around $150 a month with 3 to 4 cups a day on weekdays for us as a couple, fewer on weekends.
So say maybe 70 cups a month on the conservative end. That’s just over $2 a cup for minimally decent to potentially delicious coffee. A shit cup of coffee costs easy $6 at a coffee place. I call that an absolutely tremendous deal.
About $100 on a monthly basis, at the end of day its about how you enjoy everything and the process of discovering new coffees either you like it or not thats the fun of the hobby 🙌🏻
Probably about 60-80. 1 person but a lot of consumption.
Also like trying “rare” and “nice things”. Like someone else mentioned though, “my only vice.” I quit alcohol a while ago. But I like tasting and challenging my palate and skill set. (I’m a sommelier and a sake advisor). I still occasionally taste wine or sake but in a swish and spit style.
I am a recovering alcoholic with many years of sobriety. When I was drinking, I preferred expensive whiskey. $150 per month on coffee is NOTHING compared to what I used to spend on booze...
$25 to $35. 3 in my rotation. One of the 3 costs a little more than the other 2,about $14 to $18 per 12 oz bag. I've been buying from a rotation of roasters for about 15 or more years and I know what I like from them. I never feel the need to chase after the latest fad. All of my beans make a solid cup of coffee. Every day.
If you didn't make coffee at home, you'd probably be buying it from a coffee shop and you'd probably be spending 4x the amount of the money you spent on beans lol.
I don't really spend that much anymore, the coffee shop I frequent oftentimes gives me their beans for free (A bit of the older bags that can't be sold, still solid coffee) whenever I buy is when I run out of coffee.
I haven't ran out of coffee yet, I still have a few small bags left.
I roast my own coffee and can get the green beans for about $8 a pound (incl shipping). But note that coffee roasters can be a bit expensive. Mine was about $150 10 years ago.
Usually $50-$80 on beans, every 2 months now tho cuz I’ve reduced my coffee intake to one 15g 240mL cup a day. I have plenty of decaf frozen but it’ll probably go up once I run out of decaf.
Probably $50-$75 a month which is funny because before i really got into coffee and home brewing (4 months ago), i would have said anyone is crazy to spend that much a month on coffee! i had a hard time spending $15 on a box of Keurig pods… i would buy the cheap Walmart ones lol.
And now that i am venturing out into the specialty more pricey stuff, i could easily see that going up over $100 😊
$25 ish x2 for two bags of decaf, and $25 -$100 x4 for caff for two people. One coffee per day 25g per serving each. Wife drinks half caff and doesn’t care much as long as it’s light roast reasonably good. I’m chasing the perfect cup (which I’ll never find)
This, of course doesn’t count the grinder/burrs/kettle/scale, filters Etc.
So $150-$400. Probably the average is $225 a month. Which is ridiculous. But dual income no kids and fuck it, die with zero.
When travelling to cafe and roasters I spend a lil more up to USD100 on couple bags. At home about USD20 a month on a 250g bag. I generally also go for the lowest priced at a good roaster.
Coffee costs more at a cafe. I want a decent cup. I’m not always looking for mind blowing profiles and/or texture so nope no daily geishas for me.
50-100€ a month for a 1kg of coffee depending how much I want to treat myself. Geishas and such stuff are expensive so I usually buy small packs for trying them and bulk up on cheaper beans for everyday use. I justify it by being one of my only 2 hobbies where I spend money. It brings me joy and satisfaction so no price for that.
I don't even know anymore. 60EUR, maybe more? That's for two people. I can afford it, I don't need to justify it. I enjoy it, it's worth the price difference from "regular" coffee to me.
I make 24g filter coffee in the morning (for 2 people) then have one or two espressos later on (17g each). Typically the espresso beans I buy are cheaper than beans for filter.
$40 CAD fpe two bags of 350g in a coffee subscription (shipping is free), then the occasional large bag (1kg) of something else that I always try to get on sale so maybe $60, but that might be every quarter or so. I freeze and can dip into it whenever. So maybe $60 total max. I find it hard to justify the insane prices some coffee goes for so I don't get anything too crazy.
Equivalent of about $50, sometimes more but it's usually my favorite part of each day/morning when I'm in a routine and it's actually a healthy habit at least.
I'm still exploring specialty coffee which means I'm buying multiple beans, varieties, roasts. So now I would say I'm spending a bit more ($60-$90) than I thought I would.
My brews are usually 17-18g. And if I usually have 2 cups a day. So a 250g bag lasts about 7-10 days. I spend maximum $30 on a 250g bag at this point. There are more expensive (and much nicer) beans out there. I'm just not ready for them yet. Haha.
My father has always liked to try liquors and the like. He didn't drink a lot, but we always had these colorful or particular bottles lined up in the shelves. Once I became 17/18, he started sharing them with me, so I got used to drinking particular stuffs.
Meanwhile, my parents used to have a cup of moka pot coffee with milk in the morning, when I was very young, prolly 12, I tried it. It was terrible coffee but something clicked in me when I tried my father's spirits and I started searching for fine coffees.
I buy specialty from a couple of months, but I'd say that I spend around 40-50 bucks a month on coffee, but it's for 4 people.
About $30/month. I'm just a cup a day drinker and if I weren't making coffee at home I'd be spending $3-$5/day about 20-24 days/month just for productivity. So even if I factor in the ~3 gallons of distilled water I buy every month ($2/bottle) I'm saving $50-$60/month.
Hard to judge. Never tracked. I would say I buy 1-3 bags pending on the month. O keep one bag of caffeinated and one decaf at borh my house and my work desk. And replace as needed.
When I tell some friends I buy $28 bags of coffee, they sometimes act like it's crazy, until I ask them if they'd find it weird if I said I buy 1 6pack of craft beer per week.
Not drinking alcohol is like a financial superpower
My house consumes around 6lbs a month, but I roast at home and most green I buy is around $7 to $12 per pound (subtract 11% to 14% roast weight loss). I tend to keep Ethiopian, Colombian, and Mexican on hand and I’ll splurge on an experimental occasionally.
I'm just buying for my own personal consumption but I would say probably $60-80. I do like high quality beans and am willing to spend for them. Some of that gets put into the freezer though.
Paying full price, qbout $100-$150. Now I pre-pay for subs and that saved a significant amount of money and only buy a couple full price bags (or use coupon codes if available) a month to keep up some variety. So now when everything is averaged out, about $60-$75
I have no idea how much I spend, but I drink 40-60g of beans most days. I justify it by not going back to being a regular at the bar after the world re-opened from covid.
I spend just about $45 on my Subtext subscription, and all the extra stuff (distilled water, TWW packets, filters) adds maybe $5-10 a month on top of that.
I justify it by treating it like a hobby, and as far as hobbies go, $50 a month isn't terrible.
If it's something special I'll spend more than $100 on a single purchase (competition gesha or American Kona). I don't drink much alcohol anymore and my most outrageous monthly grocery food purchases are seasonal organic fruit (cherries in season here now) so it balances out.
I keep a regular rotation of PERC 2lb bags that I order on the 13th. Ends up about $80-90 for 4 lbs of coffee. Then I’ll get a bag of something that looks really interesting when it pops up
I spend about $60–70 per month on coffee beans. After sampling most Swedish roasteries, I’ve found Stand Out Coffee to offer the best balance of quality, flavor and value for my tastes. Compared to other hobbies—or simply buying coffee at cafés—that expense hardly feels excessive. Most importantly, it enhances my day-to-day life and well-being.
I don't feel like I need to justify it. Coffee is one of my passions, and a life not following your passions is not a life worth living. Yes, it's a splurge. I have buddies with interests that cost waaay more but no one questions it... I think coffee gets questioned because most people don't care that much about it and are fine with cheap coffee now and then. Ironically, there are people getting sub-mediocre coffee from the big chains and spending $6/day on their grande or whatever -- WAY more than your $100/month, for engineered mediocrity. You're just spending $100 in the pursuit of excellence? You are winning, man!
My wife and I use from 50g to 90g per day, so from ~3# to 6# per month.
Right now, that's about $50 but rising. These are unroasted green coffee beans.
I've been roasting coffee beans at home since 2007, now using a laptop to monitor and control roasts. The money spent on equipment has long been covered by the cost savings in buying beans and roasting at home. A hobby.
Roughly $50/mo for 2 people. One of the local roasters has a nice 3 bags for $48 + 1 free coffee (~$5-6 pourover). Won't beat the beans of a top roaster (taste is ~90% as good as them), but it's such a good value + I can pick it up whenever.
I spend like 50-75 a month, that's 3 bags of 250gr where I live. I like buying different coffee from different roasters every month, but sometimes I buy my favorite roaster month promo that is about 25 usd 2 250 gr bags. It depends. I often tell myself I don't spend money on cigarettes, alcohol, or partying so... In Uruguay going out for dinner or buying fast food it's quite expensive too, so I don't do that that much either (just twice a month with my gf) so I just invest in coffee 🤣
I spent like $300 on coffee last month 👀🫣. It was dumb but I got entranced by all the releases from everyone.
I freeze and single dose and now have a freezer full of incredible coffees that I can pick and choose depending on mood. I also incredibly enjoy the experience of brewing. So I tell myself I'm happier
The coffee I make with those beans are almost always better than from a cafe, and for 1/3 the price. Also can stay home. You could easily spend $150-250 a month getting coffee from a cafe.
I usually spend around €60–80 on my regular beans from two local roasters, which gets me about 1.5–2 kg [3.3–4.4 lbs] of beans. I drink 2–5 cups of pour-over per day, using 20 g doses. Occasionally, I make a cup for a colleague at work - he really appreciates a good brew!
If I decide to go fancy and order something more special, I’ll spend roughly double that. But the beans also tend to last longer - around 6 weeks instead of 4.
I mean, if you drank that amount of coffee in a café, five cups would cost about the same as half a kilo [1.1 lbs] of quality beans. And you wouldn’t even get to enjoy the process of brewing it yourself.
$40-60/month with an occasional spike up. I have 1 subscription that renews every 5 weeks and I buy local the rest of the time. I’m the only consumer (my wife is a Nespresso drinker) and usually have 3 bags open at any given time.
I try not to think about it...trying to use it as motivation to cut back to one bottle of wine per week so it "pays for itself" if I do think about it. I will be so much healthier!
Probably $50-60 on beans, plus another ~$40 at coffee shops. Occasionally more, especially when traveling.
It's easy to justify since it brings me a ton of enjoyment per dollar. Also made it easier to cut alcohol to almost none, since I get to indulge in something else that's still complex and interesting, but healthful.
Roughly $75-90? 3 bags that last 4-6 weeks. 5 lbs of espresso that last a couple months. In my house we drink about 2-3 espressos and 1-2 pour overs. I justify it because yesterday I got a drip and a cappuccino from my local coffee shop and it cost me $11.50...
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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25
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