The frugal coffee shop

I’ve been examining coffee over at Examiner.com. I have one or two more articles to add to my Examiner coffee series, but I’m thinking that the most frugal coffee shop is the one in my kitchen.

I personally use a coffee press, and have for about four and a half years. I chose it for a few reasons that I’ll share here. (And that’s why I have a personal blog, not just a journalistic Examiner column.)

the coffee shop in my kitchen

This was photographed next to my MIL's coffee grinder. I don't use a grinder.

  1. The capacity. I’m the only person in the house who drinks coffee. I started for social reasons around the age of 34. Now that I can’t drink milk without serious stomachaches, I consume more coffee and tea than before. I always want to limit my consumption for various reasons, and this helps me control it.
  2. The low cost and maintenance.
  3. Small footprint on the countertop.
  4. It looks cool.
  5. I can use it for loose tea.
  6. This model is insulated and travels well. I can take it camping. I can have it in the car.

Other than that, I will add that I grind up to a half pound of coffee at the grocer’s every couple weeks. I keep the coffee in a small resealable box with an almost identical footprint. The press requires a coarse grind that doesn’t come pre-packaged and pre-ground and with manufacturer’s coupons.

The first coffee press that I owned was glass, and I HAD to pour that coffee out to drink it. (The glass carafe broke, by the way. No more cozy coffee.)

7 Comments

  1. Hey I saw your twitter for this, and I don’t want to seem spammy so feel free to delete this cuz it’s kinda self-promotion 🙂 I wrote an ebook on how to make your own iced lattes and frappuccino-type blended drinks. I used to work in a coffeeshop and loved making them but most people don’t realize they are easy and you don’t need any special equipment. Just posting since I wrote it mainly to help people save money by DIYing their espresso. Some people spend over $1000/year in the coffeeshop!

    Anyway, the link is here – Cold Espresso Drinks eBook

  2. Holly P

    Can’t wait to read it. I have a press, an aeropress, and a melita drip. The french press is wonderful, but tends to make a more acidic coffee that over a matter of days hurts my esophagus. So, I am looking for a fast way to make espresso at home frugally. I love coffee though, and it does seem so incredibly silly to pay for drinks at 2-5 dollars a pop. I mean really! But yet I do it. Quite a lot in fact!

    I appreciate your quest for the best and cheapest home coffee making. I’m still sort of sad I didn’t get the Illy subscription with free Francis Francis espresso machine deal they had several years ago. I was so close to getting it! It was so cute!

    • Holly P

      I should clarify that I want to move to making espresso at home because I heard that it is actually less acidic than coffee.

      • Hey Holly, I also have that same problem… even drip brewed is generally too acidic for me to drink very much of. Cold brewed coffee is great because it’s concentrated, you can use it for hot or cold espresso drinks, so it’s really versatile, and has way less acid than any other type of coffee preparation. You can use it, heated up, as a substitute for espresso shots in hot lattes too. Doesn’t quite have the same sharp flavor that hot espresso shots have, though.

        The book I linked above, I forgot to mention, is a free download and I’ve got pretty detailed instructions on how to make cold brewed coffee if that helps.

        As per Julie’s post, though, I do have a French Press on my list too! I’ve heard it just makes phenomenal coffee, and someday I would love to have one. Especially since I usually just make one coffee at a time.

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