I don't know how it is in the US, but here cafés with well-sourced well-roasted beans, well-trained barristas, well-selected milk, and top-of-line espresso machines and grinders are labors of love. They tend to be subsidized behind the scenes by more traditional businesses like agriculture or construction (you can't price too much above Starbucks), so even though I pay 20x what it costs me to make an Aeropress cup myself, I'm actually getting a discount.
I also always go for the flat white. When I'm unsure of the quality of the coffee in a cafe, I ask the barrista what's the diff between a latte and a flat white. The answer reveals how much of a coffee nerd the barrista is, which is an indicator of how well the owner takes care of everything else that goes into making a cup of coffee.
I spend an atrocious amount of $$ on coffee and will continue with reckless abandon :) if you’re ever in Calgary, we’ll go enjoy the heavenly foam of a well-made cappuccino. 30% discount if you’re 🇺🇸 haha
Jordon, the piece is so good *chef's kiss*. I love the image you used and title. It flows you nicely and your humour shines through.
I am with you on the premise of this piece. I don't sweat a 5$ coffee and even more expensive activities like massages; which are my thing. The joy I get from the experience is worth way more than the $100 I have to part with.
Resonates hard - the exact dilemma I face every time I go to get coffee haha.
Heard recently from Simon Sarris about coffee shops as ways to build social ties - especially for introverts. $5 a lot for coffee but little for connection. He met two roommates, a landlord and his wife all by going to the same coffee shop to work every day.
Really appreciate it Tommy! Haha amazing, that's so cool he met all those folks in his life (especially his wife, that's such a small world). As an introvert as well, I'll take any social ties that involve things I enjoy as often as I can get them...even for $5 a day!
Anytime my coffee is $5 I cringe, but then I feel the same way you do here. And whenever I track my spending, it’s always my car that tops my spending list, the coffees never do. I also love how iconic Michael Buble is for a coffee shop. Great piece!
Thanks Michelle! That's a great point and funny how that works: your car topping the spending list and coffees being (probably) much farther down the list than the guilt or worry at the time of their purchase led you to believe (in this case, worries in the mirror are NOT as large as they appear - p.s. I think this comment just sparked an essay idea, I very much appreciate you!)
I don't know how it is in the US, but here cafés with well-sourced well-roasted beans, well-trained barristas, well-selected milk, and top-of-line espresso machines and grinders are labors of love. They tend to be subsidized behind the scenes by more traditional businesses like agriculture or construction (you can't price too much above Starbucks), so even though I pay 20x what it costs me to make an Aeropress cup myself, I'm actually getting a discount.
I also always go for the flat white. When I'm unsure of the quality of the coffee in a cafe, I ask the barrista what's the diff between a latte and a flat white. The answer reveals how much of a coffee nerd the barrista is, which is an indicator of how well the owner takes care of everything else that goes into making a cup of coffee.
I spend an atrocious amount of $$ on coffee and will continue with reckless abandon :) if you’re ever in Calgary, we’ll go enjoy the heavenly foam of a well-made cappuccino. 30% discount if you’re 🇺🇸 haha
Haha sounds like a plan!
Jordon, the piece is so good *chef's kiss*. I love the image you used and title. It flows you nicely and your humour shines through.
I am with you on the premise of this piece. I don't sweat a 5$ coffee and even more expensive activities like massages; which are my thing. The joy I get from the experience is worth way more than the $100 I have to part with.
Thanks Justine! That joy really is priceless and if you enjoy it, go for it
Loved this Jordan. So so good.
Resonates hard - the exact dilemma I face every time I go to get coffee haha.
Heard recently from Simon Sarris about coffee shops as ways to build social ties - especially for introverts. $5 a lot for coffee but little for connection. He met two roommates, a landlord and his wife all by going to the same coffee shop to work every day.
Celebrate this one man. Awesome stuff.
Really appreciate it Tommy! Haha amazing, that's so cool he met all those folks in his life (especially his wife, that's such a small world). As an introvert as well, I'll take any social ties that involve things I enjoy as often as I can get them...even for $5 a day!
Anytime my coffee is $5 I cringe, but then I feel the same way you do here. And whenever I track my spending, it’s always my car that tops my spending list, the coffees never do. I also love how iconic Michael Buble is for a coffee shop. Great piece!
Thanks Michelle! That's a great point and funny how that works: your car topping the spending list and coffees being (probably) much farther down the list than the guilt or worry at the time of their purchase led you to believe (in this case, worries in the mirror are NOT as large as they appear - p.s. I think this comment just sparked an essay idea, I very much appreciate you!)
Dude, this was great!
Appreciate it, Alex!
Thanks Anthony! I cannot thank those folks enough (and you for reading). I'll keep an eye out for your latest!
Haha excellent to know, funnily enough that was one of the most fun sections to write