My new coffee machine

As a coffee drinking enthusiast I recently recently took the plunge and bought a smart new coffee making machine. I did undertake research mainly on-line but it was hard to discern by price or review which was the best. The one I eventually chose a Smeg was in the medium price range and apparently easy to assemble and to operate. I have had it now for a month and am delighted with it. It looks smart in black and chrome, it was indeed easy to operate, except for a habitual difficulty in attaching the filter handle to the unit, and after a while I even managed the frother to make  cappuccino.

A colleague on the Rust who passed by approved of his expresso and when Polly my p/a made it through the elements and presented herself for work,  freezing but appearing like a super fit Norwegian ski instructress, I was only too pleased to brew her up a warming cappuccino with an extra topping of frothy milk with the true professionalism of a barista.

The coffee I buy  from Waitrose costs £5 and there is the milk. I allocate 5% of the packet to each cup so the coffee works out at 26p per cup.

Meeting a friend at Costa yesterday and paying over £5 for two flat whites it struck me their profit event was enormous. They would buying the coffee in bulk and I would doubt if its more than £1 per packet.

There is staff to pay, fixed costs of rent and business rates, but I doubt if a cup of coffee costs them more than 20p.

There is a takeaway business too and such places are busy all day and early evening.

No wonder every high street has a Costa or Starbucks (Costa Packet and Megabucks might be better names) and any number of independents. I imagine the pub trade has suffered though most serve coffee. Those who spend £ 5 per day probably don’t realise that this is nearly £2000 per annum.

I am in the wrong business.