Expensive Coffee Doesn't Mean Better Coffee

We know—controversial.

As well-meaning consumers, many of us assume that a higher price point must equal better quality. Surely if they’re charging us more, then the seller has sourced more expensive ingredients or taken extra labour-intensive processes, right?

When it comes to coffee, that’s not always the case. In fact, the opposite can be true. Stick with us on this one, and you might save yourself quite a bit of cash (while still getting the benefit of incredible coffee).

What Is ‘Expensive Coffee’?

For us, expensive coffee is when you’re paying more than $150 for 1kg of coffee beans. We like the price point to be closer to $50–$70 per kg. And that matters to us because we care about you and the coffee growers getting the raw end of the deal.

The Goldilocks Coffee Conundrum

 When it comes to paying for coffee, we view it a bit like Goldilocks did back in the three bears’ house—there’s too expensive, too cheap and just right.

Too Expensive

There can be a point of diminishing returns when it comes to coffee, meaning that while price can be an indication of quality and taste, it definitely does not determine it.

Of course, coffee from a dedicated master roaster is likely to be better than a cheap brew from a service station. But once the price point goes beyond a reasonable level, you’d really want those beans to be giving you superhero powers to be worth the extra cash.

Sometimes the price of coffee is determined more by how rare the beans are than how great they taste. So rare coffee beans grown in remote locations under very specific growing conditions will be more pricey than your more widely available varieties. You might also be paying extra for the ‘organic’ label. And you could just be paying for the cache of a ‘luxury brand’.  

All of these indicators—while they may affect price—don’t always affect quality and therefore taste. And buying them over less expensive brands can sometimes be worse for the small holding producers.

For example, for many small coffee producers who are farming on a couple of hectares in remote, undeveloped countries, trying to get the organic certification is pretty much a pipe dream. It can be a very expensive process, and be simply out of reach for them. Most ‘organic’ growers tend to be huge conglomerates rather than the family farmers that we like to support. Even more, some of the most expensive, ‘luxury’ brands, don’t pass those price points along to their individual growers. But use them instead to line the purses of their shareholders.

Too Cheap

While expensive coffee can create a social issue, so can coffee that is being sold too cheap. Around 80% of the world’s coffee is produced by 25 million smallholders and many of them are struggling to earn a living wage.

It’s a terrible irony that while coffee is booming, the farmers at the very heart of the industry are suffering. The average farmer’s income hasn’t changed in the past 20 years—and might have actually declined when considering the increased costs of farming.

Buying expensive coffee isn’t necessarily the solution, of course. But the long-term effects of paying too little for coffee mean that more farmers will have to give up their coffee farms and turn to different—money making—crops like sugar cane or corn. This in turn means less diversity in beans around the world, a more homogenous flavour profile (never a good thing!) and, ultimately, a diminished coffee industry.

As master roasters the flavour of coffee is important to us. But this issue is closer to our heart than that because our family grows coffee in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. We know firsthand what happens when small farmers aren’t paid a fair price for their beans.

‘Just Right’

You might not have given the price of your coffee much thought beyond your own wallet. But how much you pay can make a difference to the livelihoods of farmers around the world.

When you support coffee shops that source from small family owned farms and demonstrate high traceability with their beans, you can feel confident that value is being passed back to the farmers and their families. And by paying a fair price for your coffee, you benefit the entire industry.

We buy directly and independently from all of our smallholder producers, and develop strong ongoing relationships with them. So for us, it’s personal. Just check out the family photos and origin stories on our product page for an insight into some of the amazing families you’re helping to support when you buy Coffee DRs coffee. Because we have ongoing relationships, we’re able to commit to these guys and guarantee our support into the future. When they know they’ll be selling their beans come harvest time, they feel more confident investing in their own coffee production.

When you buy our single-origin coffee or specialty coffee blends, you’re supporting small producers so they can keep on growing the best beans we’ve ever tasted. We want everyone in the coffee chain to prosper, but especially our producers. And expensive coffee is just not always what it’s cracked up to be.

Get The Most Out of Your Coffee

While we look after our producers, we also want you to get the best value out of your coffee. Check out our Brew Guides for the basics of brewing coffee and how to steam milk. We’ve pulled together handy hints for making espresso, French Press, Pour Over, AeroPress or Inverted AeroPress, Moka Pot, Electric Filter, Vacuum Pot. You’ll also find a rundown of types of espresso and tips on choosing the right coffee grind size.

We guarantee our beans will give you ‘just right’ coffee—incredible taste, ethical practices and a sustainable price point. You can shop all of our coffees online or at our shop.