The Java Dilemma: Saving on Coffee in Tough Times

Nov. 14, 2008 — -- The weak economy can be a buzz kill -- just ask one of the nation's most prominent coffee retailers.

Starbucks Corp. last week reported a 97 percent drop in fourth-quarter profits, a decline blamed in part on fewer U.S. consumers getting their caffeine fix at the popular coffee-shop chain.

If you're among the Americans cutting back on their coffee-shop java, chances are you've at least considered getting your caffeine fix at home instead … and doing so, experts say, doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing your taste buds.

"If you get a decent coffee maker and decent coffee, you can make great coffee at home and save money and enjoy it," said Jack Groot, the president of the Midwest Barista School and JP's Coffee & Espresso Bar in Holland, Mich.

So exactly what is a belt-tightening, amateur "barista" to do? ABCNews.com talked to Groot, coffee consultant Ed Arvidson and Consumer Reports' Robert Karpel to find out.

Plain Coffee

Achieving satisfaction from your standard cup of joe starts with great coffee beans. Beans from a roaster or a coffee shop will likely be more expensive than grocery-store coffee but they'll be fresher, Groot says. Expect to pay between $9 and $15 a pound.

Next, consider investing in a coffee grinder. This, too, is a matter of freshness. Groot says that buying coffee beans and grinding them yourself will ensure that grounds you ultimately use in your coffee will be fresher than a retailer's ground coffee.

Experts agree that burr grinders -- devices equipped with grinding wheels -- are superior to blade grinders, which as the name indicates, use metal blades to chop beans. A burr grinder, Karpel says, will run you between $60 to $250. Arvidson, a senior consultant for Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, says a decent grinder will cost at least $100.

And finally, after you've ground your coffee, it's time for the final step: the coffee maker. One of the most important things to look for in a home coffee maker, Karpel says, is its ability to heat water to the proper temperature -- between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cuisinart coffee makers, Karpel says, have been rated highly by Consumer Reports subscribers and cost about $80, while Groot recommends machines made by Bunn, which run about $100 to $130, and Capresso, which are in the $170 to $200 range.