A trend to defy all trends

So if more people are brewing coffee at home and more people are seeking out gourmet, how do we arrive at the trend of coffee capsules? Apparently it's the logical progression. Coffee capsules make sense where single servings of coffee are needed, whether because of infrequent or minimal consumption. It's been popping up in banks, offices and supermarkets where drip coffee was once offered. I'm not saying that bank-made drip coffee was good coffee; often it resembled primordial sludge which one drank out of desperation or indifference. I'm asking if the its replacement by pods and capsules (sounds like we're in an episode of Star Trek) is better.

I'll admit I was not eager to try coffee produced from a pod. The whole process sounded perverse (must everything be instant these days?). My first encounter came in the form of a K-cup at my internship last year. I faithfully brought coffee from home each morning in a travel mug, but on a particularly long and tedious day I found myself lolling in my chair, with no more coffee. It seemed there would be no way to avoid it if I meant to survive the rest of my day, and so I ventured towards the machine. Everyone in the office was quite proud and fond of the coffee maker;  it was a gift from a member of the board. All day long, people disappeared into the cramped storage room where the machine lived and returned with steaming mugs of coffee. Not wanting to misuse the machine and create a giant mess (or worse damage their beloved coffee maker) I had a colleague demonstrate its operation. It's embarrassingly simple. Open top. Put in pod of choice. Close top. Push button next to picture which closest resembles the size of your cup. Presto! The only question left was would it be any good?

No. It was not. I subjectively argue that it was not good coffee. I drank some, and even after doctoring it with milk and sugar my taste buds seemed to shout "why are you doing this to us?". That was the end of my foray into instant coffee, at least for a little while. A few months later Williams-Sonoma was offering a coffee and espresso technique class and I decided to attend, fully aware that it would be a parade of all their overpriced coffee-torture-devices. I brought my sister, to serve as a barometer to my reactions and impressions. We were presented with a line up of their machines and products. One by one, each was discussed and samples were made and passed out. We sampled drip, french press, coffee pods, espresso pods and machines that steam milk, too.

If I had to pick coffee pod produced coffee out of a line up, I'm certain I could. It tasted horrible compared to the drip and french press brews. I wasn't surprised, but at least I'd done my foodie duty and given it another go. The real surprise was the espresso pod, which was really pretty good. It had good body, and a nice crema. I chalked it up to espresso requiring more specific water temperatures, pressure and so forth. It stood up quite well to the machinations of kitchen gadgetry. The drawback is that the machines cost quite a lot more than my humble Mr. Coffee. So that was the end of espresso pods for me.

Now I've discovered for many people it was only the beginning. Nespresso brand espresso machines and pods have been on the rise since 2000, according to an article in the New York Times. They've been digging in their heels in European countries with advertising campaigns and fancy Nespresso boutique stores. This one is in Manhattan:

Courtesy New York Times

Judging by the barista's chic suits and the artfully color blocked display, this place is no where near my price range. The idea is to appeal to the well off, bohemian espresso elite of the world. Ready to hear how much these capsules will run you?

“The real margins now are in capsulized coffee,” Mr. Gaillard [former Nespresso exec turned rival] said, “where you basically sell five grams of coffee for five times the price of what you’d get from regular roasted ground.”

So, the machine will run you at least $190 to start and then you will be gouged for the capsules. Only most people don't think of it that way. In the same way that it's cheaper for you to make regular coffee at home, consumers still feel it's cheaper than going to a cafe for an espresso. Time for me to attempt some basic math. The capsules run 43 to 62 cents each. Lets go with the $190 Nespresso machine and the 62 cent capsules and see where we end up.  If you drink one espresso solo a week it's costing you approximately $4.27 (not including taxes). If you drink one espresso solo a day it's costing you approximately $1.14 (again, taxes not included). At my local cafe, a single espresso is $1.65, which mean you'd have to use your Nespresso machine at least four times a week to save money versus getting your espresso out.

So, assuming you trust my math, assess your coffee habit. Is it worth it for you? I'm a regular joe, seven days a week kinda gal. I save espresso drinks for the occasional afternoon boost or after dinner accompaniment. And I like going to a nice cafe. The cafe itself is part of the espresso experience.

And just to really throw a wrench in things, Financial Times has just reported that coffee beans are at a twelve year high in cost. What does this mean to you? Well, it means that the prices for buying beans at your local grocer are going up. In spite of that, you likely won't see a change in prices at your local cafe.

"You see it much more in the grocery store because the raw materials are a big component of cost," said Jose Sette of the International Coffee Organization. "In a coffee shop, your big expenses are rent and labor."

 Good grief. It seems you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you're a serious espresso junkie, I say go ahead and invest in the machine. Just try to patronize a nice local, independent cafe now and again for the sake of our economy and coffee culture.

As for me, I'm certain of one thing after all this coffee-talk: I need an espresso.

Sources:
Nespresso and Rivals Vie for Dominance in Coffee War
Why Coffee Is Getting More Expensive