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What does a home espresso drink really cost?
Updated
The beans in a home espresso drink cost far less than a cafe drink. How much you save in a year depends on your own habit, so type in your own numbers. We do not list product prices on this site because they change daily.
Home drink cost vs your cafe habit
Estimate only. It counts beans and milk. It does not count the machine, a grinder, filters, descaler, or the shots you throw away while you learn.
How the math works
A 12 ounce bag holds about 340 grams. At 18 grams per double shot, that is about 18 drinks per bag. With the starting numbers in the calculator, a bag that costs you 16 dollars works out to about 0.85 dollars of coffee per drink. Add 0.40 for milk and the drink costs about 1.25 dollars. Against a cafe drink at 5.50 dollars, 5 times a week, that is about 1106 dollars a year. These are example numbers. Yours will differ.
What the calculator leaves out
- The machine. Divide what you would pay for the machine by your yearly saving to see how many years it takes to pay back.
- A grinder, if your machine has none. See do you need a grinder.
- Wasted shots. You will pour out coffee while you learn to dial in the grind. Plan on losing part of your first bag or two.
- Upkeep. Descaler, cleaning tablets and water filters are small costs, but they repeat.
- Machine life. Every machine we list has some owner reports of failure within one to two years. A machine that dies early changes the math.
When home espresso does not pay
- You buy one or two cafe drinks a week. The saving is small and payback takes years.
- You go to the cafe for the place and the people, and you will keep going anyway.
- You do not want a new morning chore. Grinding, tamping and cleaning take a few minutes per drink. If that sounds bad, look at the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier, which handles more of the steps for you.
If the numbers work for you, see our five picks.