I was wondering how many cups it takes for me to recoup the costs of all my coffee gear.

I get my coffee beans in the neighborhood at Baruir’s. They’ve been in business for almost 50 years and roast right in the storefront. Often the beans are still warm. A bag is $10 and last me two weeks. If I don’t make it over there, I’ll get a bag of Jim’s Organic Sweet Love at the supermarket.

All the coffee snobs say an hand-crank burr grinder is the best. I got this olde-timey looking one for $75. Kind of a pain to use and I wouldn’t recommend if you grind up a lot of beans. I grind only 4–5 tablespoons a day. It’ll last until the end times come.

French presses are the messiest method, typically too small and don’t keep coffee warm. The stainless steel pot we have is insulated and a bit bigger (51oz / ≈4 big cups). I paid $70 years ago. Seems to be discontinued, and the price is much higher now. I wash the previous night’s dishes in the 5m it takes to steep.

I first saw a Zojirushi Water Boiler at Nick P’s apartment in Los Angeles in 2008 and thought it was pretty stupid. It boils, plays a little song, and then it drops to 195° and stays there — then you always have hot water at the push of a button. When I lived in the woods w/o a kitchen a few years ago, I got one of these for $160. Now I love it. The other selling point is that 195–205° is the optimal temp for brewing coffee. Using boiling water gives your coffee a burnt taste.

On weekdays I fill up my thermos. Also a Zojirushi, it’s not cumbersome and keeps 2 cups of coffee warm for 4 hours ($32).

On the weekend I’ll use this silly creamer thing ($6) so I don’t have to walk the 10 feet back to the kitchen when I want my 2nd cup.

That’s $350 in coffee-related stuff. At $3 / cup the costs were recouped after 115 days. Beans amount to 72¢ / day.