I drink a pot of coffee a day, which works out to around $.03 per cup. Pretty cheap for that vice.
I know that Starbucks tastes better than my drip machine, but I don't really care. Coffee is coffee to me, java junkie that I am.
I know that Starbucks tastes better than my drip machine, but I don't really care. Coffee is coffee to me, java junkie that I am.
Moka pots work too and are cheaper (though espresso machines are real cheap at least here in Europe) but the coffee isn't as creamy and it takes a few minutes to boil (even though it needs no attention). With a large moka pot it's easier to make large quantities though (but I hate stale coffee so I favor espresso machines). Still better than drip.
If you're really into coffee get a superautomatic machine. Best coffee I've ever had, instant and with zero effort.
There's a lot of fiddly cleaning involved - the grinder has to be cleaned meticulously after use as do the various bits of the espresso machine. The finely ground coffee is very sensitive to static so tends to jump/attach itself to white t-shirts and plastic kitchenware - more cleaning. All this cleaning is required even if you just want to make one espresso - otherwise later uses will have a nasty taint.
There's a lot of experimentation required to produce a decent espresso with crema from such a set-up. Depending on the beans, their age, the weather, etc., the fineness for grinding and how tightly you packed the portafilter would vary. On good days I was getting 3 out of 4 but that still meant 1 in 4 (or more) were dreck.
Moka pots are a pain to clean though, but you can buy a huge one to produce a large quantity.
I'm suspicious of the espresso machines, though, as they reportedly leech cadmium into the coffee. Not something I want to drink all day.
Also fresh high quality beans often result in costs per coffee a lot higher than your number. While I would encourage people to get into espresso as an hobby, I wouldn't recommend it to save on Starbucks cost.
Don't buy high quality beans.
IMHO the end result is influenced mostly by preparation and water quality. I'd had to double blind it, but I've had store brand and expensive beans and the difference is negligible.
Note: I'm in Europe. Market differences might apply.
The most important thing I found was not to use municipal water. Bean quality is far less important than water quality. Great beans and city water is undrinkable. Lousy beans and good water is tolerable in a pinch.