I'm not a big coffee drinker but I do like me a nice strong espresso every once in a while.
It's almost 9 years since I noticed a machine at Costco for $1,000. Do I want to spend a grand on something that I may not use much? Can I justify it? It was a deLonghi. Not a big name in the espresso world but a reputable company. I know that the top machines like Gaggia and others can easily go for $4-5K and even more. I'm a self indulgent person and don't like to say no to myself. I made the purchase.
Now to see if I made a wise purchase. Being anal retentive, I decided that I would count how many shots I made and the resultant price per shot for the machine.
So here I am since April of 2017 counting shot by shot. I am closing in on 2,000 shots in 9 years, approx. 200 shots per year. Once I reach that mark, I'll be at 50 cents per shot for the machine. Factoring in the coffee itself is another matter seeing as the price changes. Hint: it hasn't come down. I believe it was $9 for a 1kg bag back then and it is now at $27. I was getting 90-100 shots per bag so 10 cents a shot initially and now 25-30 cents/shot for the beans. I'd have had to factor in when those price changes were and how many I bought at each price point to get an accurate number. Too much work, sorry.
So, I'm thinking that each shot has cost me about 60-65 cents all in. What does Starbucks charge for a shot. I never ever go into one. I usually make 3 or 4 shots to make a cup of espresso.
On a side not, aside from the financials there's 2 other uses I have found for the espresso.
1) I concocted my own smoothie. Banana, espresso, peanut butter smoothie blended in with crushed ice, some agave syrup, a dash of vanilla and a bit of milk. I can have one at breakfast or lunchtime and it'll hold me for about 3 hours.
2) A sip of espresso is a great chaser following a shot of Canadian whiskey.
It's almost 9 years since I noticed a machine at Costco for $1,000. Do I want to spend a grand on something that I may not use much? Can I justify it? It was a deLonghi. Not a big name in the espresso world but a reputable company. I know that the top machines like Gaggia and others can easily go for $4-5K and even more. I'm a self indulgent person and don't like to say no to myself. I made the purchase.
Now to see if I made a wise purchase. Being anal retentive, I decided that I would count how many shots I made and the resultant price per shot for the machine.
So here I am since April of 2017 counting shot by shot. I am closing in on 2,000 shots in 9 years, approx. 200 shots per year. Once I reach that mark, I'll be at 50 cents per shot for the machine. Factoring in the coffee itself is another matter seeing as the price changes. Hint: it hasn't come down. I believe it was $9 for a 1kg bag back then and it is now at $27. I was getting 90-100 shots per bag so 10 cents a shot initially and now 25-30 cents/shot for the beans. I'd have had to factor in when those price changes were and how many I bought at each price point to get an accurate number. Too much work, sorry.
So, I'm thinking that each shot has cost me about 60-65 cents all in. What does Starbucks charge for a shot. I never ever go into one. I usually make 3 or 4 shots to make a cup of espresso.
On a side not, aside from the financials there's 2 other uses I have found for the espresso.
1) I concocted my own smoothie. Banana, espresso, peanut butter smoothie blended in with crushed ice, some agave syrup, a dash of vanilla and a bit of milk. I can have one at breakfast or lunchtime and it'll hold me for about 3 hours.
2) A sip of espresso is a great chaser following a shot of Canadian whiskey.
