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For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

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Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#91

Post by Patrick_Devine »

jasonkester wrote: post #14

Cool idea, but it seems to target a pretty narrow demographic: - wealthy enough to live in NYC and buy at least one cup of coffee every single work day - cheap enough to want to save a few bucks a month on coffee - can't be bothered to carry a credit card around every day - can be bothered to carry a smart phone around every day - trendy enough to frequent NYC coffee shops - untrendy enough to be seen using "coupons"…

It's not quite like having a coupon or carrying a credit card, but more like insurance. You're insuring that the maximum you'll pay for coffee every month is $45. If you think of it that way, it's a pretty good deal, and doesn't come with a ton of friction (you're more than likely already carrying a smart phone). Now you certainly could pay less than $45/month on coffee with coupons, but this takes away the hassle from both the consumer and from the coffee shop.

I'm curious if the discount being offered to individual coffee shops is negotiated or if it's a flat rate. I would imagine that each shop charges different amounts for a cup of coffee, although maybe it falls around some uniform distribution. Certain locations probably skew one way or the other though; does a cup of coffee cost more or less in midtown or the financial district than SoHo?

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#93

Post by josefresco »

Theodores wrote: post #80
josefresco wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But working from their coffee shop is? I would think a "good customer" to them is someone you walks in, buys coffee, and then leaves. Sure it helps that you probably meet people there (expanding their reach) but a half dozen people setting up camp in your coffee shop all day can't be ideal.

Actually, no... It is the 'empty restaurant syndrome', you have probably done it yourself, in some strange town, not knowing where to eat, you go past a few places and choose one that other diners have also chosen, walking past the empty place as if it has the plague. Hence a few customers that hang around for a while are good for drawing in other customers.

Dude was setting up shop ... if I walk by a coffee shop and see 12 mobile offices I don't think "this must be a good coffee shop" I think "they must have good wifi and not give a shit if you work there". It would appeal to my business-owner side, but not my consumer side.

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#94

Post by jasonmc »

achompas wrote: post #79

If you're in NYC and want a good cup of coffee, check out one of these places: Third Rail (got me through my first semester at NYU) Stumptown (I'm usually at the 8th St. spot but the Ace Hotel location is just as good) Joe Cafe Grumpy Everyman Espresso 9th Street Espresso @ Chelsea Market Note that none of these has signed up with CUPS. I doubt any of them will, either, since (I bet) there are thin margins in selling…

I second every one of those Manhattan shops. Everyman is usually outstanding. Also recommend Gimme coffee.

In Brooklyn there's a few more gems: Budin, Strangeways, Parlor.

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#95

Post by ivanche »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #48
jrockway wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_benefits

and don't forget to read the following section on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks . Anecdotally I've found I'm more alert [in the mornings particularly] without caffeine but cutting it out hasn't helped me normalise my sleeping patterns.

If you want to normalise sleep patterns, I strongly recommend text "Good sleep, good learning, good life" (http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm) It is quite long but IMO very well worth it.

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#97

Post by theorique »

adambenayoun wrote: post #25
carlob wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - non-techy enough to not have built a crazy $10k coffee-brewing setup at home I have an espresso maker (admittedly much much cheaper than that) at home, but I still drink coffee out throughout the day. Though I also must admit to the fact that I leave in Rome where an espresso is 70-90 cents and consistently good.

I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am (Splitting my time between Tel Aviv and the bay area) and I still drink coffee outside.

I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am

What's your average resting heart rate? :)

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#98

Post by gamblor956 »

deltaqueue wrote: post #78
mseebach wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not quite. The "Americano" (espresso with hot water) common in countries with the espresso coffee culture was invented during WW2 when the GIs requested bigger cups of weaker coffee. The american "regular coffee" is (weak) drip brewed coffee.

Getting a bit pedantic, but a few corrections: 1. That origin is just urban legend. Americanos started in the 70's. 2. Per ounce, you're technically correct about the strength of espresso vs. drip/brewed coffee. But brews have variable strengths, and most Americans drink 12, 18, and 24 ounce drip coffees (which ends up being more caffeine than even a quad shot of espresso).

Regarding #1, the urban legend legend is itself an urban legend. The only sources for "Americanos" originating in the 1970s is a dictionary entry and Wikipedia, neither of which are further sourced or authoritative.

Numerous historians, including coffee history specialists stick with the WWII origin. Indeed, http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/the-marines-secret... *provides a picture of a Marine drinking an "Americano" style coffee in 1944 and documents the role of coffee in the US Military back to at least the civil war. See also http://www.vanhoutte.com/en-ca/c-the-coffee-blog/coffee-cult....

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#99

Post by pwthornton »

jon_black wrote: post #16

For $0 a month you can drink water from the tap. It's healthy and doesn't require installing an app. (Psst. You should be finding ways to balance your diet, not contribute to its destruction.)

Let us know how your $0 a month diet works out for you.

Re: For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

#100

Post by vijucat »

theorique wrote: post #97
adambenayoun wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am (Splitting my time between Tel Aviv and the bay area) and I still drink coffee outside.

I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am What's your average resting heart rate? :)

Ha, I was thinking of the same thing. Who knows, maybe he's built for this kind of thing. On that note : if he can get a good night's sleep after all that caffeine, then I envy this man's constitution, which can absorb so much caffeine and still not reel from it! Poor me has to strictly follow a no-caffeine after 6 p.m. rule if I have to get any sleep. Actually, come to think of it, the only time I can handle coffee gracefully is right after I wake up from sleep.
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