$4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

[sparcs]

2 places I had coffee at had $4 coffee. One.. The Black Pearl seems very concerned with affectation and appearnece of quality. The pulled the shot in to a shot glass then decant, and the milk was damn hot.

Is this a trend we can expect to see more of???

[TC]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

2 places I had coffee at had $4 coffee.  One.. The Black Pearl seems very concerned with affectation and appearnece of quality.  The pulled the shot in to a shot glass then decant, and the milk was damn hot.

Is this a trend we can expect to see more of???  

Hmm...dunno  :-?

Ill happily pay $4 or more for great coffee anytime. I think great coffee, especially in Melbourne is way underpriced. On the other hand, $2 for cheap, stale, underextracted swill with complimentary bad hygiene is an absolute ripoff  >

[acoggins]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

2 places I had coffee at had $4 coffee.  One.. The Black Pearl seems very concerned with affectation and appearnece of quality.  The pulled the shot in to a shot glass then decant, and the milk was damn hot.

Is this a trend we can expect to see more of???  

Sounds like you made a mistake. Learn from it and move on. Not every coffee establishment in Melbourne is quality.

And yeah, $4 is fine, but it better be worth it.

[sparcs]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

indeed that is my point. If its worth it...

it seems there are not many of the truly good places charging any where near that. mind you at the units level $3.50 is not near $4.

perhaps some one could do a PhD on developing a quality measure then finding out the algorithm that shows the inverse relationship of cost:quality

and indeed even bad complimentary coffee is not worth drinking

[bolb]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

Not every coffee establishment in Melbourne is quality.

Totally agree on this one.
This week however my wife and i had very pleasing long blacks, although the barista said the beans were too young. Its the first time my wife has actually drunk a whole long black, normally a latte drinker but she cannot stomach full cream milk so settled for the long black in this instance.
Later we had lunch at a cafe/restaurant and the only comment from her when drinking her coffee was "not a patch on what i had this morning".

Life doesnt get any better when you get good service and coffees thrown in. Support your sponsors!!!

thanks Chris

[muppet_man67]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

Not every coffee establishment in Melbourne is quality.

Totally agree on this one.
This week however my wife and i had very pleasing long blacks, although the barista said the beans were too young. Its the first time my wife has actually drunk a whole long black, normally a latte drinker but she cannot stomach full cream milk so settled for the long black in this instance.
Later we had lunch at a cafe/restaurant and the only comment from her when drinking her coffee was "not a patch on what i had this morning".

Life doesnt get any better when you get good service and coffees thrown in. Support your sponsors!!!

thanks Chris  

Where was this? Love fresh coffee.

[TC]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

Life doesnt get any better when you get good service and coffees thrown in. Support your sponsors!!!

thanks Chris

My pleasure bolb...

Glad you enjoyed the coffee!

Chris

[maryb]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

I agree that the good coffee around Melbourne is not expensive.

Ironically, it is the best places that keep their charges very modest.

[bushblockies]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

Interesting discussion. My sister took my mother for a coffee in Melbourne last week (we are from Geelong where really good coffee is pretty scarce!) at a well known pancake chain store & got charged $7.00 for a coffee. When questioning the bill was told because Mum asked for a double shot latte that counted as two drinks - hence the bill!!!!! >

[Thundergod]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

In Sydney an extra shot will set you back $0.50c
As she didnt get twice as much milk Id have been making a scene and either had the bill reduced or walked out with a cup full of milk.

Seriously though, at this stage Id be taking it up with head office.

[hazchem]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

I know of a cafe/roastery in Sydney that dont even charge for espresso and ristrettos. Milk drinks and long blacks, sure, but not for shots as it were.

Im used to paying $3 for most of the cafe coffees I drink, would happily pay more too given the quality and effort put in by those involved. I generally think that quality coffee is something we could/should be paying more for.

[sparcs]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

dont even charge for espresso and ristrettos.

WOW... thats freaky... I guess its because they roast???

It seems WE all have the right idea. better it is, the more we are happy to pay... but it seems the wankyer cafe (and I must say quite a few rural ones) seem to "think" theirs is worth more. Again I really do think there is some algorithm that could capture the relationship.

Same with coffee snobs... there is plebs (instant and food court), then the wankers (that think they know and order "special" ninja coffee, but then dont actually know anything about it, of have machines they have no idea how to drive) then true snobs (who know of what they speak, and know whats important and what is not, like that you CAN make good coffee in a shit machine)

[Dennis]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

WOW... thats freaky... I guess its because they roast???

It can also depend on the mood and how the customer presents. Yesterday afternoon a couple of young guys ordered a piccolo and fw. The guy with the piccolo had been in before and is a recent convert to the drink thanks to a little prompting from me via giving him a free one cause he had never tried it before and was curious.

As the shop was quiet yesterday afternoon I had time to talk with them and they both tried some chai syrup over ice cream as well as a couple of double ristrettos.

The bill came to $6.00. If I did this all the time I would go broke, but every now and then I get a kick out of doing something unexpected and when it opens someones eyes and palate to a new experience its a real delight!

[muppet_man67]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

I know of a cafe/roastery in Sydney that dont even charge for espresso and ristrettos.

Im not sure I would feel comfortable not paying for a product if it well produced. When you sit down and drink 3 or four short blacks over the paper in the morning how are you distinguished from a coffee lover or a free loader? Its a different scenario to to being a regular and the barista giving you a freeby to get your reaction to a new blend or s/o.

[hazchem]

Re: $4 coffees in Brunswick st ???

WOW... thats freaky... I guess its because they roast???  

It can also depend on the mood and how the customer presents.

yeah, I suspect its a similar situation at the cafe I was referring to, I have to admit to having a pretty good rapport with the owners and staff, so I dont know if they do it for everyone.

As the shop was quiet yesterday afternoon I had time to talk with them and they both tried some chai syrup over ice cream as well as a couple of double ristrettos.

Dennis, I think the approach youre taking is smart business. Aside from the educational aspect and the personal satisfaction you talk about, speaking as a customer its this kind of thing that makes me loyal to any business. Now if only I wasnt so lazy about coming to see you more often!  ;D

Im not sure I would feel comfortable not paying for a product if it well produced. When you sit down and drink 3 or four short blacks over the paper in the morning how are you distinguished from a coffee lover or a free loader?

beats me mate, but no matter how hard I try they dont let me pay. That said, I dont usually just have espressos when there and are more likely to have at least one milk drink and something to eat. Ive been a loyal customer for many years so I guess they see some value. Does it make me uncomfortable? it used to, now i just tip a bit heavier than I usually would if I think they havent charged me enough.