Cafe Grumpy NYC has had a lot of recent national press around it's new $12.00 cup of Ethiopian.
Cup of Ethiopian
Google news lists stories from most of the major media.

A few years ago I was at the Intelligentsia NYC Lab opening, and I believe Doug Zell said something along the lines of:

"If people will pay $2 for a bottle of water and sugar [soda], why won't they pay $2-$3 for an amazing cup of coffee?"

I think he extended this to pricier cups, predicting that there will be a growth of different coffees offered at different prices. And here we are.

I think that I would personally fear buying pricier beans as I would worry that my prep would not match that of the pros, and if I'm paying that much for a cup of coffee, I would expect the barista to talk me through the flavors that I will experience. I'm sure that I'm not the first to make a connection between a sommelier and a barista in this sense. If I get a chance to stop by Grumpy while they have the coffee available I might give it a try (I wouldn't think twice about spending $12 on a glass of wine at a nicer wine bar every now and then, so what's the problem here, right?). If anything, there's more labor and care involved in serving the coffee than the wine (not looking to open up a can of flameworms - this could potentially be argued in either direction, and this is my opinion; there is of course tons to learn to master wine, but it is harder to screw up pouring wine into a glass than preparing pourover drip/clover/etc.).

The negative reactions are baseless. I am guessing that people (non coffee people) are confusing this in thinking that "a" cup of coffee at Grumpy costs $12 -- not a single specialty cup of coffee. Beyond that, I don't see any reason why people would have an issue with this. Perhaps it is because people think they can buy a tub of "coffee" - as if all coffee is the same - at Sams club for $12 that will last 6 months.

An analogy to wine makes sense. I have paid what most would think is an absurd amount of money for wine before because I am passionate about it and there are some very special wines out there. While you can find plenty of nice wines in the $10-$20 range, you aren't going to find a wine that will knock your socks off and that you will describe to a friend 20 years from now in this range. I had a couple glasses of 2001 Masseto a couple months ago (fortunately I was not picking up the bill), and it was an experience I will never forget. Think of the god shot of all god shots, then make it much better. You cannot get that experience from a $20 bottle of wine. And you can't get a "god shot" from Folgers.

That bottle likely cost my dear friend close to $1,000. Excessive? Sure. But it was a dinner among friends that will never be forgotten and we talk about it (like I am now) for the rest of our lives. So, worth it? You bet! Of course that is easy for me to say because I wasn't paying, but I have had similar experiences with wines I did purchase (a bottle of 2002 Insignia comes to mind). Finally, no one has to buy the damn coffee if they don't want it! I will buy a cup next time I am in NYC if for no other reason than to chase that elusive "experience" with food or wine.

End Rant.

dialydose wrote:The negative reactions are baseless. I am guessing that people (non coffee people) are confusing this in thinking that "a" cup of coffee at Grumpy costs $12 -- not a single specialty cup of coffee. Beyond that, I don't see any reason why people would have an issue with this. Perhaps it is because people think they can buy a tub of "coffee" - as if all coffee is the same - at Sams club for $12 that will last 6 months.

An analogy to wine makes sense. I have paid what most would think is an absurd amount of money for wine before because I am passionate about it and there are some very special wines out there. While you can find plenty of nice wines in the $10-$20 range, you aren't going to find a wine that will knock your socks off and that you will describe to a friend 20 years from now in this range. I had a couple glasses of 2001 Masseto a couple months ago (fortunately I was not picking up the bill), and it was an experience I will never forget. Think of the god shot of all god shots, then make it much better. You cannot get that experience from a $20 bottle of wine. And you can't get a "god shot" from Folgers.

That bottle likely cost my dear friend close to $1,000. Excessive? Sure. But it was a dinner among friends that will never be forgotten and we talk about it (like I am now) for the rest of our lives. So, worth it? You bet! Of course that is easy for me to say because I wasn't paying, but I have had similar experiences with wines I did purchase (a bottle of 2002 Insignia comes to mind). Finally, no one has to buy the damn coffee if they don't want it! I will buy a cup next time I am in NYC if for no other reason than to chase that elusive "experience" with food or wine.

End Rant.

+10000000000 dude... hit the nail so hard on the head that my eyes hurt.

People will buy wine and even blended drinks at a bar for 12$ - I DO NOT get the fuss. But I guess ridicule is the first step to acceptance, so in only a couple of years this might get more common (and I can't wait).

I wonder if someone goes in there, buys a cup and expecting a half-off/1$/free refill and if they'll get kicked out for asking

More power to them, but it seems like they might need to pay off their $11k investment. I've never had a cup from a Clover that was worth the premium (from intelly, LA Mill, Ritual, etc). I honestly think the Clover isn't worth the price of admission. But if it creates a buzz, and gets people trying new coffees (not to mention gets them accustomed to paying more for great coffee), well, who's to complain?

Spitz.me wrote:+10000000000 dude... hit the nail so hard on the head that my eyes hurt.

Absolutely agree.

People are just completely not used to appreciating things, appreciating life, appreciating being.
Then how can you speak of generosity, dignity, equanimity, sharing, when the basic recognition is missing?

And on contrary, people spend enormous amount of cash and time on crap, so many different kinds of crap.

There are some people who would pay 12 bucks just to see what it tastes like...

I have no problem with Grumpy offering it as an option, but I don't understand why they are making it as a french press and not on their Clover??

Also for those of you who like the best of things in life you might find this interesting:

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_walla...iness.html