Which is cheaper- Coffee or tea ( as a obsessive habit that is )

**benwahl** · 02-27-2012, 08:24 PM

So... I'm starting to read a lot about teas and really getting into it. I assumed on the front end that tea would be cheaper to drink on a everyday basis than good coffee. Now I've ordered a few different teas and was just eyeing some black teas and it hit me- this could get pricy. Those of you that made the switch from heavy coffee drinking to heavy tea drinking- the question is which one cost you more? I'm just curious, of course I got into DE shaving to save money ( HA ).

**gearchow** · 02-27-2012, 09:22 PM

I think tea can get way more pricey then coffee, but I never spend more the $20 per pound for coffee beans. I have seen $60+ pounds of coffee.

-jim

**Legion** · 02-27-2012, 09:58 PM

The tea itself can be pricey, some of the Chinese teas cost hundreds of $$ per kilo, but the equipment to make it well does not have to be.

Good coffee gear costs a mint.

**gearchow** · 02-27-2012, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by legion

The tea itself can be pricey, some of the Chinese teas cost hundreds of $$ per kilo, but the equipment to make it well does not have to be.

Good coffee gear costs a mint.

That's too true! High end roaster, high end espresso machine... man, that would be cool.

-jim

**jwhite** · 02-27-2012, 10:04 PM

Honestly either can be done well inexpensively. I find tea less expensive but I don't buy the super rare. One could for, example, dump a ton on sheng, fine pots, silver kettles etc. if they were inclined, but if you start getting into high end grinders, brew appliances, roasters and ultra rare beans you could run into serious cash there as well.

**ouch** · 02-28-2012, 12:51 PM

Tea. You don't have to roast it, grind it, or brew it in anything expensive.

**StillShaving** · 02-28-2012, 09:03 PM

I think it depends on how refined your tastes become. For the average person looking for better than average quality tea or coffee, I think tea can be a good bit cheaper. In part because less is used to make a single cup and it doesn't go stale as quickly as coffee. But at the upper end of the experience, I think tea becomes more expensive, especially if you like something exclusive or aged.

The initial purchase of good coffee equipment takes years to amortize, but I am not really considering that factor. On the plus side, quality coffee beans are not ridiculously more expensive than average coffee (when compared to the variation in tea), and many people start roasting their own to gain more control or to insure freshness or control costs. So even though IMO coffee is generally more expensive, the cost has less variation that tea.

I don't believe this report, but the Consumerist says that the average worker spends nearly $1,100/Year On Coffee

**gearchow** · 02-28-2012, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by StillShaving

I think it depends on how refined your tastes become. For the average person looking for better than average quality tea or coffee, I think tea can be a good bit cheaper. In part because less is used to make a single cup and it doesn't go stale as quickly as coffee. But at the upper end of the experience, I think tea becomes more expensive, especially if you like something exclusive or aged.

The initial purchase of good coffee equipment takes years to amortize, but I am not really considering that factor. On the plus side, quality coffee beans are not ridiculously more expensive than average coffee (when compared to the variation in tea), and many people start roasting their own to gain more control or to insure freshness or control costs. So even though IMO coffee is generally more expensive, the cost has less variation that tea.

I don't believe this report, but the Consumerist says that the average worker spends nearly $1,100/Year On Coffee

A guy I know at work buys 2 cups of Starbucks every day.

-jim

**BruiserWeight** · 02-28-2012, 09:43 PM

That really depends on what type of tea you are buying. I only like strong Assam teas and they cost $45 per pound (Canadian) from the local tea store. Their coffee is about $20 to $25 per pound. As for "equipment", I use a kettle from IKEA that cost $25 and an English brown betty teapot that was $45. My friend who likes his coffee has spent several times that on his grinder and coffee pots / brewers. His monthly coffee costs are actually higher than mine because he likes to experiment with different blends,while I have found something I really like and I stick with it.

**JPDyson** · 02-29-2012, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by ouch

Tea. You don't have to roast it, grind it, or brew it in anything expensive.

Yeah, tea carried out to its extreme just means expensive leaf, maybe and expensive brewer. You won't find yourself dropping $300 on a roaster, wishing you'd dropped more like $800 on a roaster (which will make you wish you had several grand for a roaster).

**ouch** · 02-29-2012, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by JPDyson

Yeah, tea carried out to its extreme just means expensive leaf, maybe and expensive brewer. You won't find yourself dropping $300 on a roaster, wishing you'd dropped more like $800 on a roaster (which will make you wish you had several grand for a roaster).

And even if you do, you'll still have to drop hundreds on a grinder before you even get to brew it.

**JPDyson** · 02-29-2012, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by ouch

And even if you do, you'll still have to drop hundreds on a grinder before you even get to brew it.

...wishing you had spend a couple hundred more.

And we haven't talked about espresso yet.

**pdillon** · 02-29-2012, 07:36 AM

If you're talking about obsessive, I think the entry-level for tea is going to be much cheaper. I'm looking at getting my first real espresso setup and it looks to be in the $1,200 range.

One thing I noticed about tea: my local shops don't give bulk discounts and I can buy tea for literally half the price online. I like serendipitea.com but I haven't explored many other options.

**Mindflux** · 02-29-2012, 08:17 AM

I don't think baby chicks like tea or coffee.

**pdillon** · 02-29-2012, 08:21 AM

I don't think baby chicks like tea or coffee.

**Doc4** · 03-02-2012, 06:32 PM

Methinks "cheaper" isn't really going to cut it.

Perhaps we can agree that an obsessive AD for tea is slightly less ruinously expensive than an obsessive AD for coffee.

**Pinedale** · 03-03-2012, 09:17 AM

Obsessive habits don't really care about $$$.

**ouch** · 03-03-2012, 10:37 AM

Don't forget that if it takes a dollar's worth of coffee and a dollar's worth of tea to make a good cup, the tea is still cheaper, since you can rebrew it several (or many) times, while the coffee grinds go straight to the trash after a single brew.

**benwahl** · 03-03-2012, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Pinedale

Obsessive habits don't really care about $$$.

That's the problem!! So far tea is cheaper for me than coffee but I'm looking at scales, tea strainers, pots, and a fancy new kettle. The more I learn the more interesting the more expensive teas are looking. I want to build a tea table. I was going through about 5# of coffee a month with my areopress. Because I can infuse the tea more than once it's a totally different ball game...but- in the end it always cost so you might as well enjoy the ride. On a side note when I started drinking tea I swore off Wal-Mart for no related reason, just seemed like the right thing to do. I'm loving tea and have not even looked at a Wal-Mart sense my first sip- these times they are a change'en.

**SiBurning** · 03-03-2012, 06:29 PM

The only thing I'm pretty sure about is that, in general, expensive teas tend to be a lot better than decently priced good teas, while expensive coffees are only marginally better, if at all. I'm not talking about extravagantly priced, but like $20-40 vs $7. Or even that $15/oz winter oolong vs $7 for 1/4 lb of season's pick assam.