I got home the other night and my roommate asked, “What’s the cheapest coffee per ounce?” I didn’t know. That simple question spawned a two-hour search — digital and physical — to find the cheapest possible option.
We scoured Amazon.com for different brands. There were Coffee Bean Direct, 8 O’Clock Coffee, Starbucks, and everything in between online. After some math from elementary school that seemed far too hard to remember, we divided nearly every brand by ounces to find the cheapest price.
The most affordable was about 30 cents per ounce. In the back of my mind, I remembered that I had a coupon for $1 off of Walgreen’s “Nice” coffee. This blatantly huge canister comes in at nearly 33-ounces of pre-ground coffee. After coupon, it came to 23 cents per ounce.
My roommate said, “Let’s go to the Walgreens and try it!” The clock read 9:30 PM. Drinking a bunch of caffeinated coffee didn’t seem smart, but against my better judgment I immediately said “yes.”
We hopped on our bicycles and rode to the store. Headlights ablaze, we were men on a mission. Inside, we quickly walked over to the coffee aisle and found “Nice.” It sat precariously close to Folgers. My roomie was quick to point out that markets regularly pair their generics next to comparable products.
If the “Nice” canister was supposed to be similar to Folgers, it’d be undrinkable at any cost. I had tried Folgers before, and realized that if I ever needed to quit coffee, this would be the perfect prescription. Folgers had perfected the art of throwing unknown substances in large drums — before anyone else. Open any pack, and you find a strange blend of irregularly roasted chips of what they call “coffee.” That diversity of substances is paired with a uniquely acidic taste — like drinking an alkaline battery. But there was “Nice.” Maybe it’d be better?
After purchasing the canister, we rode back to immediately brew a cup. It was just like Folgers. The smell, the taste, the look… Everything about it screamed of substandard quality. I wanted to swig mouthwash and chew soap to clear my palette of this abomination. “Nice” would be returned the next day, as Walgreens’ return policy guaranteed my satisfaction. Two-three cents per ounce were 23 too many.
Saving money has a limit. At some point, frugality becomes cheap to a fault. Every product has a different barrier, and sometimes spending a little more upfront creates a better value. Either way, I have a few takeaways — some rules — that you should follow on your search for a more affordable cup.
1. Search for 100% Arabica
For casual coffee drinkers, scan the package for the source and type of coffee beans. Some popular regions include Central America, Africa, and East Asia. Unlike my “Nice” coffee experience, where the canister read, “100% coffee,” you want to see a bag that says, “100% Arabica beans.” This will help ensure that you are actually drinking real coffee, and not twigs and dirt.
2. Buy whole beans
Whole beans retain their flavor and oils longer then ground coffee. There’s nothing better than some freshly ground coffee. Packaged ground coffee, by any brand, is a big flavor sacrifice. If the goal is to maximize flavor on a budget, stick with whole bean. It usually doesn’t cost any more and assures that you can see what’s going into your hot cup o’ joe.
3. Buy in bulk
But if you can’t buy in bulk and have to buy coffee quick, stick with 12 to 16 ounce packages. While these can’t compete to bulk coffee, you can usually find one brand on sale — exercise strength and resist brand loyalty. Additionally, packages are more frequently purchased, so they tend to be fresher than the metal containers.
4. Stay away from the canisters of coffee
Ugh, I can’t stress this enough. The bulk, pre-ground, canister-style coffees are awful. It’s gas station coffee that’s set out for hours on end. It’s the leftover shards that no other coffee company wants. It might cost a few more cents per ounce to stay away, but I assure you that this is worth it. Just think, you’re saving tons of money over buying coffee out and about!
5. Buy with friends
The best part of about being frugal has nothing to do with padding my own wallet. Frugality is a social starter — something that brings people together and helps them question their values around money. Sharing in this pursuit of the cheapest coffee wasn’t just about saving a dollar here and there, it was about experimenting with a friend. And nothing helps save more than buying in bulk with others. If you can, try to buy whole beans with others — go to Costco or local roasters and ask for deals. There are savings in numbers.
Oh, nice! Coffee beans are one of the things I pay for. I usually buy from a local roaster who visits his suppliers and can talk about both the labor force and the environmental impact, but when I can’t for some reason, I generally buy a package of beans marked fair trade (and check for the roasting or “best by” date on the package.) That said, I’m not nearly as thorough about my research when I’m buying a cup out in the afternoons — if wherever I stop has an option for fair trade, I’ll get that, but I don’t walk out of the store if there isn’t one.
That’s great you’re both conscientious about fair trade and buying whole bean coffee. I have waivered back and forth about the idea of “fair trade.” There’s a wealth of controversial figures in that business and no one organization seems to be THE representative body for the movement. Vice News recently highlighted some of the debate here: https://news.vice.com/article/fair-trade-free-markets-and-the-bitter-fight-behind-your-morning-cup-of-coffee.
Just found you from Twitter. I had ‘Nice’ eggs from Walgreens when I visited the US last year and the yolk was green! I usually eat free range but couldn’t find them. It was not Nice at all! I’d say their coffee is terrible.
Hi Emma, glad you found me! 🙂
Green yolk?! How Dr. Seuss-like! That’s horrific, though. I haven’t had any problems with “Nice” eggs, yet. But now I’m scared. Haha.
Sam
What are you talking about I love Folgers
Every person’s palette is different. Plenty of people like Folgers, seeing as they’re in business. And they have different blends and varieties — usually more expensive — that are actually pretty good tasting. But the cheapest versions get rather acidic and nasty for me! :/
Love this post! I’m a coffee lover, too, and willing to pay the few extra cents per cup for this pleasure.
PS. I hope you didn’t buy or eat the eggs in the photo — it gives me the creeps just thinking about it, LOL!
Thanks Bette! Yes, it really is that little. A couple cents per cup when you’re brewing it yourself. That seems worth it to me, too!
The eggs were just fine! Hah. And cheaper too!
Agree with that canister statement! Yuck! I think I’d save money by not getting a 2nd cup at the cafe near my office everyday. Drugstore brand coffee….shudder.
Just think about the drugstore leggings in the photo, as well! Haha.
I’m usually not opposed to buying generic brands, but that is one rung too low for me.
Even better than cheap is free! Not only will my new apartment complex be offering free coffee (and oranges and bananas!), but my new office building offers free coffee as well.
Problem is, I don’t drink coffee and I don’t want to get addicted to the free stuff and have to pay for it when I move away.
Gwen,
It sounds like you’re totally set up at this new apartment. Good for you! Take advantage of those awesome perks, as much as you can. Having fresh fruits is a heck of deal and could lower your food budget.
Sam
I just love the fact that you went out at 9:30 with your friend for this experiment :).
Good catch, Sherri! Yeah, I’m always open to a little adventure at the end of a long day. Nothing more exciting than going to Walgreens. Haha. 😉
Oh my, this is where my splurge is! I use the Keurig carafe I got as a Christmas gift. Have monthly delivery of k-carafe(you get discount and free shipping), usually Newman’s Organics or right now Tully Italian roast. I drink it black and all day long. But working in the medical field and evening shifts you will find most of us have caffeine IVs going on. Bad addiction but I don’t drink alcohol so a trade off.
I agree, there are some things I am willing to pay more for to get better quality. If it’s not at least decent quality, I don’t care how cheap it is, it’s not worth it.
We all need to decide what is important to us. There are some items I’m not willing to pay much for, but others I will. For instance, I’m not a fan of where I live, so I make sure I can afford a good vacation each year until I can move. I’m willing to scrimp and save other places to be able to afford it and splurge a little. My budget for it compared to my income would seem high to some people, but for me its totally worth it.
I’m so glad this wasn’t an article about giving up coffee for the sake of saving money and I’m so glad you didn’t recommend drinking Folgers (blech). I’ve come to realize I take a great deal of comfort from my morning cup of coffee – it’s part of my routine and part of my identity (I’m a “coffee drinker”). If I’m going to drink it, it might as well taste really good, though I will compare the price labels of the good stuff at the store, and usually buy the one that’s on sale. Which is probably 10 times as expensive as Folgers and 20 times higher quality.
I wouldn’t dare, Kirsten! I’m too much of a coffee fiend to give it up. I love the routine of that morning cup, as well.
I’d add to this that the most frugal way to prepare coffee is the French press. We love this low-tech, high-quality way to prepare coffee. No electricity and no machine to replace, ever!
In Europe and a non-coffee-drinker, I don’t know either of these brands but was left high and dry wondering what a “decent” coffee then costs per oz, in your opinion?! ;o
What a fantastic question and lapse in my explanation! Haha. I’d say I have consistently purchased good tasting coffee at around 30 to 40 cents per ounce. Anything less, and you risk serious quality and possibly harm. 😉
As long as your making it at home, that’s good enough for me for frugality. Bad coffee is a cardinal sin. My only disagreement is buying in bulk. Coffee starts going stale the moment it’s roasted so your better off with smaller bags with roasted dates on them that you’ll go through in a reasonable time period. a
Nice mass murderer on your t-shirt…
Haha. I wasn’t aware that Russell Brand was a mass murder…
On the frugal vs cheap front, we really see this choice as good coffee vs no coffee — no Folgers in the equation! Thank you for making clear that that is not a real option. 🙂 If real coffee is not in one’s budget, then wean yourself off and give it up. Also, for consideration — coffee is one of the worst crops out there in terms of several things — deforestation, workers rights and chemicals (pesticides, etc.). We think it’s worth paying a little more for fair-trade, shade-grown (meaning trees weren’t cut down), organic (no pesticides) beans, which we can get locally roasted at our coffee shops. We understand that not everyone values those attributes, but we do, and we just plan to pay what it costs. We’d rather drink one cup a day of coffee that didn’t exploit people or forests and won’t make us sick than drink two cups or more a day of coffee that causes harm.