Cold Coffee Isn't Cheap
International Business Times
Published Jul 17, 2014 01:04PM ET
Updated Jul 17, 2014 01:15PM ET
Cold Coffee Isn't Cheap
By Kathleen Caulderwood - If you’ve noticed your coffee budget is a little tight this summer, you’re not alone.
More than other countries, Americans looking for caffeine have turned to the sweet, cold version served in a plastic cup with a straw. But the very things that make this summer staple so appealing also make it pricey.
“People think ice is free,” Michael Pollack of Brooklyn Roasting Company, where a 24 oz iced coffee costs $4.50, told Gothamist’s Gabrielle Sierra.
“Ice is a fortune. If you think we go through coffee fast, double that for ice,” adding that his employees store ten-gallon boxes of ice in the refrigerator to help meet demands.
But the coffee itself is also getting expensive.
Earlier this year environmental problems and a coffee fungus hurt Brazilian crop yields, causing the price for Arabica beans to spike from $1.26 per pound in December to $2.26 per pound in April.
After cafe owners get their hands on the precious beans, there’s still more work to be done.
While its possible to simply pour regular hot coffee over some ice cubes, this can “create a brew that at its worst is sour and, at best, flimsy and unremarkable,” according to Imbibe Magazine.
Consequently, most restaurants and cafes opt for a cold-brew method which produces a better taste but can take more than 24 hours to steep and absorb all the flavor -- labor and time add to the final price.
Even after this extensive process, the costs keep going up. Iced coffee is hardly ever served in an ordinary paper cup, but a clear plastic one with a lid. The straw itself can cost an extra few pennies per serving, not to mention the paper napkins.
The straw itself costs one or two extra cents. Jason Scherr, owner of Think Coffee in New York, told Grubstreet his paper costs increase 20 percent when the sun comes out.
“Summer stresses me out,” he said.
But it seems iced coffee is here to stay.
Research from Mintel shows that cold-served coffee’s share on cafe menus has increased from 19 percent in 2009 to 24 percent in 2013.
“Cold coffee, especially frozen-blended, has become very trendy in major U.S. cities such as New York, but it is more than just a momentary fad,” said Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at Mintel, said in a press release.
“Its usage has been building for the last few years and actually reflects the changing tastes of the younger generation.”
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Written By: International Business Times
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