Turn Coffee into Riches!

Almost every book about saving money or getting out of debt tells you to forgo your daily double-half-caf-latte and put the four dollars you would have spent for a java buzz into the bank. If you do that every day, you can knock $1460 off your credit card balance for the year, or apply an extra payment to your mortgage. Or take a vacation. Sounds great!

Unfortunately this dictum ignores the fact that coffee is an addiction, and most of us need that morning jolt to make us even moderately productive during the typical day. Sure, you might get rich, but who wants to hang out with a grumpy millionaire?

Coffee is a necessity for a greater part of the population, so to preserve your money and your sanity you have to become a wise coffee drinker. When you spring for a paper cup full of Starbuck's coffee, a large percentage of your four bucks is paying for that green and black logo. It's just coffee, after all; why should it be so expensive? If you're like me, you're just in it for the caffeine anyway--flavor is a bonus.

I'm not suggesting you sink to the level of Maxwell House or Sanka; there are some very flavorful coffees available that are quite reasonable. My favorite is Bustelo, a rich coffee imported from Cuba and widely available in the U.S. I used to buy it in my local grocery store for about $2.99 for a 10-ounce brick. But over the past year or two the store price rose above $3.00, so I switched to Cafe Caribe, which is roasted and blended by a Brooklyn company for the Hispanic market and is still under $3.00 a brick.

But I could do even better. A quick online search turned up several sources of cheap coffee that don't sacrifice taste:

Coffee Bean Direct (www.coffeebeandirect.com) offers 42 varieties of roasted whole beans, not including decaffeinated versions. On the low side, whole bean Colombian Supremo can be purchased in 25-pound bags for $89.50 ( which works out to $3.58 per pound), and whole bean Dark Celebes Kalossi in a 25-pound bag maxes out at $138.75 ($5.55 per pound). Not only does bulk buying save on product cost, but Coffee Bean Direct offers free shipping for orders of 25 pounds or more.

Java Cabana (www.javacabana.com) has a decent selection of flavorful branded coffee. Among their offerings are:
- Medaglia d'Oro (Italy). A case of six 36-ounce cans sells for $63.80 (or $10.63 per big can, equivalent to $2.95 for a 10-ounce can).
- Bustelo, my favorite, from Cuba can be had in cases of twenty-four 10-ounce bricks for $59.40 (equal to $2.48 per brick).
- Pilon (Cuba). Case of twenty-four 10-ounce bricks for $57.40 ($2.39/brick).
- Caffe' Signore (Italy). Case of twenty-four 8.8oz bricks for $61.68 (or $2.57 per brick, equivalent to $2.91 for a 10-ounce brick).
Shipping will certainly add somewhat to these prices, but at the time of this writing Java Cabana was offering UPS Ground service for free.

I also found a company called California Coffee Roasters (www.freshcoffee.net), which offers five standard varieties in 5-pound bags for $27.50 ($5.50 per pound). The shipping cost for 5 pounds is quoted at $7.25, but they offer free shipping for orders of 20 pounds or more.

The best deal? My current caffeine delivery system, Cafe Caribe, on Amazon.com--six 10-ounce bricks cost $12, and there's free shipping for orders of $25 or more. They also sell 6-ounce bricks of Cafe Bustelo for $2.50.

So let's see how far down you can pay your Visa balance if you're getting your coffee from your mailman instead of your local artisan roaster. A 10-ouce can of Cafe Caribe makes about 10 large espressos or cappuccinos (probably the equivalent of a Starbuck's double), and if you buy it on Amazon for $2.00 per brick, each cup will cost you twenty cents. That means that your annual cost for productivity and bliss is only $73. Heck, at that price you can afford to have a second cup every day and still tuck away over $1300 a year!

Of course these calculations do not factor in the initial investment of thirty or forty dollars for a Krups espresso machine on eBay, perhaps a ten-spot for a thermos, and the ongoing cost of milk or cream and sugar; but even taking those into consideration you still come out well ahead of your brand-loyal friends.

So kiss goodbye to the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and say hello to Jamaica, or Aspen, or to financial freedom!