Cost of Tea vs. Cost of Coffee?

[Freeholder]

I'm just curious about something. I finally seem to be able to drink coffee, at least in small amounts (it used to make me sick, literally). And I like tea, mostly plain black tea. I can figure out how much a tea bag costs (and can cut costs by using a tea bag twice, or even three times if necessary). But I'm having a bit more difficult time figuring out how much a cup of coffee costs. (Possibly because I've got a cold and a headache at the moment.) Has anyone ever figured that out? Seems like coffee might be more expensive than tea, in which case I'll stick to tea.

Kathleen

[Millwright]

No good answer with your parameters.

Depends on,

How strong you like either.

What brands you prefer.

What quantity you buy in.

Might even have to figure if you add sugar, creamer, honey or Bailey's.

[Hfcomms]

Well, you could divide the cost of a box of tea by the number of teabags to get the per serving cost and do the same with coffee using the recommended tablespoons of ground coffee and weighing that out and divide by the ounces of coffee in the can. Or if you use less than a tablespoon, etc.

I drink both not caring about the price but I have coffee in the morning and herbal tea at work to cut down on the caffeine as I can’t stand decaf coffee. Ymmv

[Freeholder]

I suppose what it comes down to is needing a more precise scale than any I currently own. Or sitting there and measuring out how many teaspoons are in the container of coffee! Maybe I will do that one of these days when I'm feeling better.

Price isn't really a factor for me right now, especially when I drink so little coffee (I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot). But it might be in the future.

Kathleen

[naturallysweet]

You can reuse coffee grounds as well. I like to mix a little new with the old for a later pot in the day. But some people will dry them out and reuse them.

[Border Collie Dad]

I believe most of the branded coffees have an amount on the outside of the can how many cups that can will make.
That may not be precise for your needs but would give you a fairly good idea,

For example, I have a 34 oz. can of Folgers in my pantry.
It says 270 cups.
I'm sure I bought it on sale for $5.99

That makes it $.022/cup
Hope this helps

[WalknTrot]

I never really thought about it. Both are staples, but it DOES depend on how you use them. I'll use the same teabag nearly all day, whereas I have noticed MANY coffee drinkers (land of dedicated Scandinavian coffee drinkers up here) will make a couple of pots during the day, and throw out a good part of that second/third pot.

[Millwright]

[SouthernBreeze]

You can reuse coffee grounds as well. I like to mix a little new with the old for a later pot in the day. But some people will dry them out and reuse them.

I do that quite often, especially this time of year as we drink more coffee than during the summer.

[CaryC]

I believe most of the branded coffees have an amount on the outside of the can how many cups that can will make.
That may not be precise for your needs but would give you a fairly good idea,

For example, I have a 34 oz. can of Folgers in my pantry.
It says 270 cups.
I'm sure I bought it on sale for $5.99

That makes it $.022/cup
Hope this helps

Just stole my idea, right out from under me.

[SouthernBreeze]

I believe most of the branded coffees have an amount on the outside of the can how many cups that can will make.
That may not be precise for your needs but would give you a fairly good idea,

For example, I have a 34 oz. can of Folgers in my pantry.
It says 270 cups.
I'm sure I bought it on sale for $5.99

That makes it $.022/cup
Hope this helps

At 22 cents/cup, that sure beats Starbucks, LOL! Reuse those coffee grounds, and you spend even less per cup.

[Border Collie Dad]

Just stole my idea, right out from under me

I knew you were going to post that so I hurried to get in ahead of you.

Southern Breeze- THROWING COFFEE OUT!!??
What's wrong with you?

[summerthyme]

Yes... if 34 ounces gives you 270 cups, then you get approximately (as mentioned above, strength preferences, etc, make a difference) 8 cups per ounce.

But if you *really* want inexpensive hot drinks (and the stimulant effects aren't important to you), consider planting some peppermint, lemon balm, chamomile or other tasty tea herbs. Hubby's favorite for years was a combination of peppermint and lemon balm. There are many which grow easily, either as perennials or self-seeding annuals.

One prep we finally accomplished was to have enough fruit growing to use for juice... we aren't soda drinkers, and the commercial juice products are either little more than flavored water with a ton of high fructose corn syrup, or are very expensive. Given the cost of most fruit these days, I'm not blaming anyone for the price, but it's out of our reach.

This year, we canned up almost 25 gallons of grape juice and apple cider. Hot mulled cider is always welcome on chilly days, and the grandkids love the grape juice.

For those who must have their coffee, you might want to stock up a bit now... prices (due to weather and disease issues in the plantations) are going up.

We've found that whole roasted beans (in the mylar bags they're sold in) keep just fine for at least 5 years in our cool basement. I've read that green beans, stored properly, keep pretty well indefinitely, but we've never wanted to get into roasting them.

Summerthyme

[summerthyme]

At 22 cents/cup, that sure beats Starbucks, LOL! Reuse those coffee grounds, and you spend even less per cup.

Actually, thats TWO CENTS per cup (2.2 cents, to be exact). Why anyone would pay Starbucks prices (even ignoring their politics) is beyond me.

Summerthyme

[Countrybumpkin]

My dad has said when he was in the Army, they'd put new grounds on old until the basket was full, then dump it out and start again.

[SouthernBreeze]

Southern Breeze- THROWING COFFEE OUT!!??
What's wrong with you?

What?! No no, we never throw coffee out! I usually fight Cary over the last cup. LOL!

[Squib]

The K cup coffee system is convenient, but even at .22 cent per cup, it seems one could stretch the coffee further. We often use a K cup twice.

Years ago at the firehouse, guys would throw coffee out if it wasn't fresh, me, i'd keep reheating it until it was gone. I guess a lot depends on your specific habits and likes.

Also, as Millwright said, if creamer and sugar are factored in...thats an added cost too.

[SouthernBreeze]

Actually, thats TWO CENTS per cup (2.2 cents, to be exact). Why anyone would pay Starbucks prices (even ignoring their politics) is beyond me.

Summerthyme

Ain't that the truth?!!

[CaryC]

Actually, thats TWO CENTS per cup (2.2 cents, to be exact). Why anyone would pay Starbucks prices (even ignoring their politics) is beyond me.

Summerthyme

Because 6.00 for a cup just tastes better, and you look so cool, carrying one around, AND it goes with hundred dollar holey jeans, you're pink hair, and nose ring. So like duh, girl.

O, and BTW Folger's at Sam's has been going down over the last couple of months, and don't think for a minute, that just because it's our brand, and getting cheaper, that we have been stocking up to the point you can't see our other preps, because we haven't. [/scrm

[CaryC]

The K cup coffee system is convenient, but even at .22 cent per cup, it seems one could stretch the coffee further. We often use a K cup twice.

Years ago at the firehouse, guys would throw coffee out if it wasn't fresh, me, i'd keep reheating it until it was gone. I guess a lot depends on your specific habits and likes.

Also, as Millwright said, if creamer and sugar are factored in...thats an added cost too.

What does "K cup" have to do with it, we're taking coffee, like in how many POTS (not cups) have you had today? LOL

[Freeholder]

Thank you all for the good information! My container of instant doesn't have an estimate of how many servings it contains, so that's one reason I thought I'd ask here. I've been chatting with middle daughter (who is home with her husband today having a snow day -- New Hampshire) and they use a system where they pour hot water into a container with grounds that sits right over their cup. It's like a drip coffee maker, but without the coffee maker. They've offered to send me one of those for a Christmas present, LOL!

If coffee actually comes out to two cents per cup (made at home -- Starbucks has never been a consideration here, LOL!), I think that really is less expensive than even the cheap tea bags in bulk. But Summerthyme is right about the herbal teas grown at home -- that's free. I tried to get some mint started, but am not sure it survived, so I'll have to try again this next year.

Kathleen

[fish hook]

I suppose what it comes down to is needing a more precise scale than any I currently own. Or sitting there and measuring out how many teaspoons are in the container of coffee! Maybe I will do that one of these days when I'm feeling better.

Price isn't really a factor for me right now, especially when I drink so little coffee (I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot). But it might be in the future.

Kathleen

If you are measuring by volume,6 teaspoons are 1 ounce.

[Millwright]

(I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot).

Kathleen

THAT'S a crisis.


I would consider a French press too. You just need hot water.

(If I didn't get coffee for a coupla days, everybody I know would be buying me a pot.)

[Freeholder]

THAT'S a crisis.


I would consider a French press too. You just need hot water.

(If I didn't get coffee for a coupla days, everybody I know would be buying me a pot.)

LOL! I know several people like that!

Kathleen

[Freeholder]

My daughter says she uses a little over a quarter of a cup of grounds to make 16 oz. of coffee with the drip-in-the-cup system. This is similar to what she uses: https://www.amazon.com/Kalita-5033-W...rucepublish-20

I had never heard of these before today, but it does make sense -- you don't have to have another small appliance sitting out on the countertop, just a way to get hot water.

Kathleen

[Dennis Olson]

(I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot).

No “percolator” eh? I’m betting that a sizable number of TBers use percolators daily. They fell out of favor when drip coffee makers came on the scene. Percolators BOIL the coffee. Heating it to 212° ruins it. The correct temperature to new coffee is about 200°. For some, “My grandpappy used a percolator, so I do to. And my kids and grandkids use ‘em. None o’ that fancy ‘city coffee’ for us! Matter of fact, we throw chicory in it just to make it taste worse! Yup. We love our ‘hillbilly coffee.’”

[Border Collie Dad]

I've been looking around yard sales and thrift stores for an electric percolating pot.
Mr. Coffee is, sort of, ok but it's not real coffee although passable

My wife has a Keurig but it really doesn't cut it for good coffee.

[Dennis Olson]

Cuz “good coffee” is burned coffee...

[Millwright]

My time in Miami got me hooked on Cuban coffee.




You can put the essence of half a pot of regular coffee with a quarter cup of sugar....in a shot glass.

I do have an espresso machine for when I get a hankerin' for it.

Still not the same as getting from the little walk-up windows that are everywhere in Little Havana.

[WalknTrot]

(I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot).

No “percolator” eh? I’m betting that a sizable number of TBers use percolators daily. They fell out of favor when drip coffee makers came on the scene. Percolators BOIL the coffee. Heating it to 212° ruins it. The correct temperature to new coffee is about 200°. For some, “My grandpappy used a percolator, so I do to. And my kids and grandkids use ‘em. None o’ that fancy ‘city coffee’ for us! Matter of fact, we throw chicory in it just to make it taste worse! Yup. We love our ‘hillbilly coffee.’”

I still use one of these. Actually, several of them, since there is one in the camping kit, one in the horse trailer kit, etc. Best coffee ever made, and all you need is the hot water.

[Grouchy Granny]

Better known as "Charbucks"

[Dennis Olson]

Best coffee ever, and all you need is hot water:

[Freeholder]

(I'm buying instant because we don't have either a coffee maker or an old-fashioned coffee pot).

No “percolator” eh? I’m betting that a sizable number of TBers use percolators daily. They fell out of favor when drip coffee makers came on the scene. Percolators BOIL the coffee. Heating it to 212° ruins it. The correct temperature to new coffee is about 200°. For some, “My grandpappy used a percolator, so I do to. And my kids and grandkids use ‘em. None o’ that fancy ‘city coffee’ for us! Matter of fact, we throw chicory in it just to make it taste worse! Yup. We love our ‘hillbilly coffee.’”

My grandparents always used a percolator until later in their lives, when Grandma finally did get a coffee maker. I don't have any kind of coffee maker because up until recently I couldn't drink it -- I would spend the rest of the day sick if I tried. That seems to have changed, so I'm seeing what's out there for options. My favorite way to have coffee is mixed with hot cocoa, LOL! But there are too many calories to do that frequently.

Kathleen

[Dozdoats]

“Budget the luxuries first.”

― Robert A. Heinlein

-- https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/597...luxuries-first

[Millwright]

There's always cowboy coffee.

Put the grounds in a pot of hot water, give it 15 minutes or so.

Strain through a cloth.

[Seeker]

And this--"Making coffee great again" - (Cups are available also)

https://www.doyoucovfefe.com/

or this:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=covfefe+c...l_48xljf4d1z_e

[Hfcomms]

I well remember the Army coffee. Dump two cans of coffee into the big boiler and a dozen crushed egg shells and a half hour later if you were wet and cold nothing tasted better.

[Samuel Adams]

Tea needn’t “cost” anything.......

There are so many wild and domesticated plants whose leaves, flowers, roots, etc. make excellent hot or cold (steeped then cooled for later) tea !!

If you like the conventional flavor, try wild or tame strawberry or blackberry/black raspberry leaves, dried and brewed as you’d brew any other....never boiled, just steeped.

Cold, wild tea is great unsweetened.

I like my hot winter tea with a spot of honey or maple.

As they say, YMMV.

We have 30+ wild herbs in half gallon jars, for the purpose.

[Walrus Whisperer]

A few years ago, safeway here was changing their stores to giant mega marts. they were selling 100 cnt regular lipton tea for 1$ to 2$. i would go in 2 or 3 times a day and stock up. i probably had 25 or 30 boxes. ive used maybe 4 boxes so far. i will prolly be dead b4 i use all that tea up. its wrapped on the outside, each bag is wrapped. i use 2 bags a day, 3 cups of tea daily. When done with the 2 bags, they go into a 3rd cup to get every goodness out of them. THEN, they go into the compost heap. I have many jars of honey also, 1 tsp of honey in each cup. You oughta see what its selling for now! like 5$ for like 20 bags! jeez.

[homepark]

EGADS! Reusing tea and coffee grounds! It you do that in these here parts and give it to your kids, it is considered child abuse! Yes, Starbucks burns their coffee. I don't care for it. I do roast my own in a small coffee roaster in about 1/3 lb batches. I do a light-medium roast so you primarily taste the coffee, not the roast. Using freshly roasted beans and ground right before use is a peculiarity of mine. I have gotten several neighbors hooked on it. The coffee is very smooth, not bitter at all. You can actually taste the various 'notes' of each
single source batch. A much better beverage. I like drinking it warm-hot, not boiling hot. I have spoiled myself.