1 euro for an espresso, is that fair?
Coffee fairy tale
A fruit that is grown on another Country, picked by human hand or machinery, processed at various challenging stages post harvesting, then exported, imported, roasted by coffee roasting companies, packed and sold to coffee shops, ground and brewed through expensive equipment and hopefully trained professionals, just for you to be enjoyed.
COFFEE CANNOT BE TOO CHEAP
It can be convenient in some cases, but there is definitely something wrong if you pay a super cheap price for this product.
Let’s focus on espresso since we in Italy tend to have meaningful discussions about the right price for this little magic beverage.
ESPRESSO PRICE IN ITALY IS AMONGST THE LOWEST IN EUROPE
You can pay between 2,36 and 3,00 euros in Northern Europe, between 1,75 and 1,90 euros in Austria and Germany, between 1,30 and 1,60 euros in France, Spain, Russia, Polonia and Romania.
If you think about how much you pay for your daily espresso here it rarely is something above 1 euro.
And you are happy with it, you might even think how lucky you are to get the proper best Italian espresso and paying the cheapest price in Europe.
The main issue here is that coffee isn’t that big of a sensory experience, but rather something to be thrown down your body to get you going.
If you stop for a second and think about what you are actually introducing into your body for the cheap price of 1 euro (or even below) you might get scared.
Some shops are forced to buy crazy low quality coffee because the average mentality of consumers won’t accept to pay more than 1 euro, some others won’t even try to communicate with their customers, or they simply don’t care at all.
So it’s important for us to try and let you know how bad that super cheap coffee was grown, how low the producer was paid, how messy and obscure was the traceability and how little attention was paid when preparing that coffee for you.
What you taste in that case is often just a burnt, oily, strong caffeine beverage.
Trust us, coffee is so much more interesting than that.
Take now the example of the few wise specialty coffee shops in Italy.
The espresso here can be found between 1,30 and 3,00 euros.
Why is it more expensive?
Starting with the raw product, Speciality Coffee can be harvest and processed so well that at the end of this first production phase it will barely have any defect.
The green beans are then exported and imported often through reliable companies and people who pay at least twice the C market price to the producer for the hard work committed at the origin.
Coffee roasting companies are then willing to pay more for that high-quality raw product. The traceability gets us to understand what producers are putting in terms of effort to build such a flavorsome coffee. That’s why it is important at the roasting stage not to mess up everything. The roaster will find the right profile for that specific origin to express into the final beverage paying careful attention to don’t burn or roast too dark/too light.
It then comes to the coffee shop owner to select the most ideal roasters to work with embracing the seasonality of this fruit and paying the right price per kilo.
Now it’d be nonsense giving the responsibility of the last step of this challenging journey in the hand of a poorly maintained equipment and bad trained barista.
So, when you pay that higher espresso price for a Speciality Coffee you can trust this long journey was carefully curated by the hands of professionals, including the barista in front of you, which we advise you to talk about any coffee topic. Ask what coffee is he/she preparing you, where was it grown, what flavors should you expect from that coffee. Most professionals will be so happy to hear this kind of question from you.
This kind of coffee can’t be paid 1 euro.
On the unlucky side, you could actually be charged for a specialty coffee sort of price range whilst being served a very low-quality coffee instead.
That is nothing to do with Speciality Coffee, although it is good to pay at least 1,20 euros for espresso, make sure you don’t be fooled: always ask what coffee are you drinking, this is the litmus test!
There is a big difference between bad espresso served in a fancy location and specialty coffee.
SUGGESTIONS ON THE BASIS OF CONSUMER PROFILE
1) If you are the final consumer drinking every day 1 euro (or below) espresso and you are happy with it
Try Speciality Coffee at least once. Search for your nearest specialty coffee shop and be curious about the origin and flavor relation in the cup, just like wine. You’ll see that the burnt rubbery flavor you are used too is just a big lie, coffee can be fruity, bright in acidity and sweet without sugar.
2) If you are a coffee shop owner with interest in better coffee but scared to lose customers by having to charge more and offering a different product to the Italian tradition
Be wise. Quality pays off. We can help you, communicating with your customers, doing tasting events, training your staff, advising on better equipment and of course providing you with the most appropriate Speciality Coffee beans for your service. You won’t regret it!
3) If you already drink Speciality Coffee regularly, at home and in your favorite coffee shop
Thank you, we love you.
4) If you disagree with us
Let us know! We’d love to embrace a conversation.