This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
After checking on 35 different businesses in town (of which only 20 sold espresso drinks), the prices of your basic cup of coffee, single shot of espresso, latte, and mocha are laid out here:
| Pricing | Cup of Joe (Basic) | Single Shot Espresso | Latte | Mocha |
| Highest Price | $3.20 | $2.50 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| Lowest Price | $1.00 | $0.50 | $2.95 | $1.99 |
| Average Price | $2.11 | $1.57 | $3.61 | $3.87 |
| Median Price | $2.00 | $1.50 | $3.50 | $3.92 |
The data, by cafe/restaurant, is in the embedded table below. Leave comments on the article with up-to-date info on these coffee joints and we'll update the table with the new information. If you want to add other cafes or restaurants, leave a comment with that info too and we'll add it in to the spreadsheet.
All things are a work in progress, and you can help.
Note: Coffee is a luxury item meaning that price typically plays a small factor in your chosen drink. Quality, caffeine content, ambiance, that little coffee bean placed on top of your cup, and how close it is to your bed among other factors should weigh into your coffee of choice. Price simply helps you compare coffees when all other factors in your mind are held equal.
Pricing your Coffee
What goes into your morning caffeine fix? Sure, there’s coffee beans, hot water, and your mug with your favorite witty quote on it, but what about the economics? How does a cafe price their coffee for us here in Longmont?
Let’s quickly run through these generic expenses.
- The Bean Itself – without a coffee bean, you’ll not have coffee.
- The Bean Shipment – coffee beans are grown in the tropics, a.k.a not Colorado or any state that borders us.
- The Bean Roasting – the roast brings out the aroma and flavor from a fresh coffee bean that would otherwise be soft and spongy and smell not-at-all like the final product.
- The Equipment – the grinder, the espresso maker, the coffee maker, the pot to boil water, the mugs, the disposable cups, and those little wooden sticks or a spoon to stir in your half-and-half.
- The Overhead – coffee has to be sold somewhere, and that somewhere has rent, a mortgage, utilities, or at least property tax. On top of that are your employees, being: your baristas, your accountant, your cleaning crew, your manager, and maybe your shareholders if you’ve really made it.
- The Ambiance – yeah, so this could be costly as who wants to drink their morning wake-up in a drab soviet-style block house. All the artistry, cool couches, and swanky cafe music system add some overhead cost.
All these factors get rolled up into your cup of delicious coffee.
Coffee Prices Spreadsheet
