Why Is Tea Always More Expensive than Coffee in a Cafe?

gigi16 on 09/12/2020 - 19:04
Last edited 09/12/2020 - 19:10 by 1 other user

Hello. I'd genuinely love to know the answer to this fairly uninspired question!

Surely it costs far more in terms of time / cost to produce a coffee?

I'm sick of drinking coffee (have coffee machine at home) and sometimes would like a lighter option in a cafe - but it just never makes sense to me to pay MORE for tea than coffee, regardless of whether a place is serving fancy tea or a generic tea brand - it's always more. Today in a cafe a regular coffee was $4 and tea was $5, however I've seen the price of tea way higher than that in other locations ($6, $7+ I stopped paying attention after a while because it all just seemed to exxy lol)

Please discuss!

Food & Grocery Cafe Tea

Comments

brendanm on 09/12/2020 - 19:10

+1

If paying $1 more makes you happier, just do it. Paying the lowest possible amount is silly if it isn't what you want.
- gigi16 on 09/12/2020 - 19:11
  
  +4
  
  but this doesn't answer my question :)
  - brendanm on 09/12/2020 - 19:13
    
    +2
    
    No, it answers a much more important life question. To answer your actual question, it's normally served in a little teapot, and a little milk jug. Tea itself is quite expensive, plus the labour for washing the extra bits.
  - BOGOF on 09/12/2020 - 19:24
    
    I stopped paying attention after a while
    
    Therein lies your problem and the answer to your question. All you have to do is look at what you get, what is involved, and have a little think about it.
Quantumcat on 09/12/2020 - 19:14

+7

Buying tea will usually get you a pot with more than 1 cup worth in it.
l005e on 09/12/2020 - 19:20

+2

if ppl just carried their own tea with them, think of the savings!
- gigi16 on 10/12/2020 - 13:04
  
  hahaha <3
MS Paint on 09/12/2020 - 19:24

+7

Just ask for a glass of hot water - usually $1

Add favourite tea bag from back pocket

Enjoy
- magikz on 09/12/2020 - 19:28
  
  I love it
- DashCam AKA Rolts on 09/12/2020 - 20:37
  
  +1
  
  Don't forget to take the teabag with you to reuse, and keep the costs down. OzBargain way.
- SF3 on 09/12/2020 - 22:47
  
  OP can do better, and make tea in advance and kept in a vacuum flask.
  
  or
  
  Carry around a vacuum flask with hot water and a tea bag, and ask for a cup (should be no charge for an empty cup!)
- Mechz on 09/12/2020 - 23:13
  
  +2
  
  Is that you, Lydia Rodarte-Quayle?
AustriaBargain on 09/12/2020 - 19:54

If not many people order tea then it's harder to make because no one is practiced at it, and they never bought a $5,000 machine to make it even faster. I think if not many people order it then it should be the same price, what difference does it make. unless having it the same prices causes people to order tea more, then you will want to bump the price back up to push people back to coffee which you have running liek a production line already. And I bet it's hard to keep tea in stock and actually fresh when you sell two a day. Vs coffee where you just keep ordering it and usually the bean seller already knows if the beans will be stale if they take too long to reorder and suggest smaller more regular shipments.
- mskeggs on 09/12/2020 - 20:42
  
  +2
  
  I often find your speculative comments almost like scat jazz. You imagine an improbable thing then double down again and again till you reach an implausible conclusion, then you hit post.
  - AustriaBargain on 09/12/2020 - 20:46
    
    +1
    
    That's the scientific method. You always pose the hypotheses as fact, it's the fastest way to the real answer even if you're wrong because it makes your ideas disprovable.
abb on 09/12/2020 - 20:00

Cafe means coffee shop, so it kinda makes sense that they've optimised for coffee production.

Also they gotta wash up the teapot.
trustnoone on 09/12/2020 - 20:29

Just a few random ones echoing some here, coffee shops make coffee in a process, they can make one after the other after the other. But tea you have to take time out to make it, and many times its temperature dependent. Tea also usually comes as a pot, its most of the time they're meant for like two people or a few cups of tea.

Honestly I think you're over estimating the cost of the coffee when bought in bulk vs the cost of staff labour which I'd guess is higher.

I also think many places buy the more "expensive" teas, because tea can be basic for some to make it seem like you're getting more then just hot water with a cheap tea bag.

Lastly I guess it comes to price vs demand? When you sell something you don't ask yourself "how much does this cost to make" you instead ask "whats the max I can sell this for and what markup am I getting", considering people are already paying a bit exxy going to a cafe (as opposed to making a coffee or tea at home) you're already willing to drop down 4 or 5 bucks "for something".
- gigi16 on 10/12/2020 - 13:05
  
  fair points ! <3
mskeggs on 09/12/2020 - 20:49

+2

Tea being more expensive is not my experience in most cafes, and it is all my partner orders so I regularly see the price.
I’ve worked in, and my family has owned cafes.
Tea is cheaper than coffee for materials. Labour probably similar, harder than a black coffee, easier than a milk one.
Tea usually has one price point, coffee several for different types.
Most people don’t switch between tea and coffee, or if they do it is because of the time of day or food they are ordering with their beverage - not the price.
DannyC on 09/12/2020 - 20:54

+1

I don't usually order tea…. kinda feel cheated when they use a tea bag and hot water in a pot. As to why tea is around the same or slightly more pricey… well cafe's need to make money, the crockery & tea itself (tea cups, saucers, tea pot, strainers etc), hot water, labour are all costs that need to be covered. Their overheads are high so they need to hit a certain target to break even and start making money.

Cafe staples involve more coffee based drinks so that is where they make their money. Though the initial costs are higher… a decent machine, grinder, the beans you use, utilities for the running of the machine, milk, labour, crockery (saucers, cups etc) all contribute to the costs of running a cafe.
- ihbh on 09/12/2020 - 21:09
  
  kinda feel cheated when they use a tea bag
  
  Does the brand matter? I mean if it was motel Liptons or sth similar, you'd feel much more cheated, right?
  - DannyC on 09/12/2020 - 21:18
    
    Brand I think factors into it for sure, say if they were using something more high end like TWG VS cheap Tetley tea. Happy to pay for more specialty tea and yes for sure if they use a cheap tea like Tetley or something similar I reckon a lot of us would feel a bit cheated lol. But everyone looks at value differently and that is understandable.
- boomramada on 09/12/2020 - 21:23
  
  (tea cups, saucers, tea pot, strainers etc)
  
  This is the answer, as its usually comes in fancy tea pot etc.
Diji on 13/12/2020 - 16:40

Good tea is more expensive than good coffee. If we're talking the cafe just doing up a tea bag or something, though, then no idea.

Why Is Tea Always More Expensive than Coffee in a Cafe?

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