7 ms·

For $45 Per Month, All the Coffee You Can Drink

93 points by sschwartz 12y ago

chm 12y ago
That's innovation. Simple, elegant, disturbs the equilibrium. Great idea!
andrenotgiant 12y ago
This will only exacerbate an existing problem at coffee shops in NYC: The "Coffice" phenomenon where people use the coffee shop as their office. Now these people will feel justified basically becoming a tenant of coffee shops and leeching 4-5 coffees a day, leaving this startup with the empty CUPS. :)
- ASneakyFox 12y ago
  I think their counting on gym membership style thing. Though even if people drink a lot of coffee.. it still is just coffee.
- EC1 12y ago
  I never understood the coffee shop thing. I hate working at coffee shops, people nosing around at what you're doing, never enough desk space, that feeling of guilt once you stay there too long, etc.
  - oftenwrong 12y ago
    And the poor ergonomics of a laptop
  - SyneRyder 12y ago
    For me: I work solo from home, so sometimes I go to the coffee shop for a change of atmosphere & to be around people for a while. I find the white noise of the cafe helps me focus, as does having people around me. It's nice having someone serve you instead of having to make your own coffee/food, and sometimes the food is nicer than what I'd make myself at home. But I try not to stay too long & only go at times when the cafe is half empty.
AndyBaker 12y ago
Once it's free - I'll bet you drink 2x as much.
- ctdonath 12y ago
  Article says the increase is about 20%.
- aestra 12y ago
  Yep. The article said there is a similar program in Israel. “They say they’re drinking more coffee than before, about 20 percent more,” says Rotem (who, by the way, drinks four to six cups on a bad day). “Our users save around 30 percent on coffee.”
  - mikepurvis 12y ago
    The word "user" seems strangely appropriate.
AznHisoka 12y ago
Great! Too bad I drink 0 coffees a month. It gives me panic attacks, and makes me pee-pee/boo-boo twice as much:(
nathanmock 12y ago
What's to stop me from buying coffee for all my friends as well?
- aestra 12y ago
  Morals? That's a really good point though. I wonder how many people will get a coffee for a friend waiting outside on their subscription or even split a subscription.
- sschwartz 12y ago
  The last paragraph of the article says, "For whatever it’s worth, fiendish subscribers must adhere to at least one limitation: They must wait 30 minutes before ordering another coffee."
  - rzt 12y ago
    Yes, there is that limit –– and a good one. You could get around it maybe if you were with some friends doing a klatsch with staggered drinking rates and drink start times, but then you'd just look really cheap.
    - jrs99 12y ago
      you could just ask for an empty cup and split the drink with a friend. then a little bit later, get another one. During a long talk with a friend, you could continue to do that and go through several cups. I don't think a random barista who makes 10 bucks an hour will care, especially if you leave a tip. The owner probably won't care because he makes more money every time you get a cup of coffee.
ahoy 12y ago
Espresso as a Service? I like it.
- applecore 12y ago
  For $45 per month, you only get regular brewed coffee. Unlimited espresso is $85 per month.
aestra 12y ago
Significant savings for some. If you had a 2 cups a day coffee habit, this works out to about $.73 a cup or $1.45 a day. Pretty good deal if you like coffee shop coffee. Assuming you'll otherwise spend $3 per cup you'll save about $1657 a year. $2190 vs $532.90.
- pwthornton 12y ago
  The coffee included with the $45 plan (there are two tiers), is not $3 coffee. It's black coffee. In DC, a small drip coffee or pour over runs around $1.80 or so. It's $85 a month for the plan that includes lattes and other more expensive espresso drinks. A small latte usually runs around $3 or so. An espresso might be $2.25-2.50. Two small lattes a day (not a lot of caffeine) would save you a ton of money a month with this plan. If you drank even one cup of coffee a day, you'd save money with this, with either plan. A lot of people drink a cup in the morning and the afternoon, and that's where the savings really add up. I'd personally be more interested in a hybrid plan that got me unlimited black coffee and a certain amount of espresso drinks a month. I know they have a more expensive plan with espresso drinks, but I don't want that daily. How about a $65 plan? It's a great idea though. If you live and work in an area with coffee shops supported by this, you can basically have a monthly fee that covers all of your coffee needs. You can also no longer worry about having any coffee equipment in your apartment. Saving space is important to city dwellers. If this came to DC, I'd strongly consider signing up for it. It's a great way to encourage people to go to non-chains, and to make paying at non-chains easier. Many of the big chains, including Starbucks, have long had ways to pay for drinks with an app. That's part of what this product does, and why small coffee shops would want to get on board.
  - aestra 12y ago
    >A small latte usually runs around $3 or so. An espresso might be $2.25-2.50. I don't live in NYC and lattes are more like $4-$5 here.
  - mertd 12y ago
    By "pourover", they don't mean machine drip coffee. It's the coffee a barista individually brews per order on a pourover cone. I've never seen it cheaper than $3, including DC.
jasonkester 12y ago
Cool idea, but it seems to target a pretty narrow demographic: - wealthy enough to live in NYC and buy at least one cup of coffee every single work day - cheap enough to want to save a few bucks a month on coffee - can't be bothered to carry a credit card around every day - can be bothered to carry a smart phone around every day - trendy enough to frequent NYC coffee shops - untrendy enough to be seen using "coupons" in public - techy enough to consider installing a coffee buying app - non-techy enough to not have built a crazy $10k coffee roasting-grinding-brewing setup at home Fortunately for them, starting in NYC, that still leaves around thirty million potential customers. It'll be fun watching this play out.
- carlob 12y ago
  > - non-techy enough to not have built a crazy $10k coffee-brewing setup at home I have an espresso maker (admittedly much much cheaper than that) at home, but I still drink coffee out throughout the day. Though I also must admit to the fact that I leave in Rome where an espresso is 70-90 cents and consistently good.
  - adambenayoun 12y ago
    I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am (Splitting my time between Tel Aviv and the bay area) and I still drink coffee outside.
    - carlob 12y ago
      I find it's really hard to make a homemade espresso that comes close to the one you get from a café around here. But then again maybe I should invest 10k on a new machine (and then 20k to renovate my kitchen to fit it in).
      - adambenayoun 12y ago
        Nothing beats drinking an espresso from a cafe's machine around the corner - I'll give you that.
dec0dedab0de 12y ago
I wonder how they disperse the money to the various shops. Edit: From the website "We pay you for each drink purchased at your awesome coffee shop "
jon_black 12y ago
For $0 a month you can drink water from the tap. It's healthy and doesn't require installing an app. (Psst. You should be finding ways to balance your diet, not contribute to its destruction.)
- jrockway 12y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_benefits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_benefits
  - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
    and don't forget to read the following section on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks . Anecdotally I've found I'm more alert [in the mornings particularly] without caffeine but cutting it out hasn't helped me normalise my sleeping patterns.
    - ivanche 12y ago
      If you want to normalise sleep patterns, I strongly recommend text "Good sleep, good learning, good life" (http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm) It is quite long but IMO very well worth it.
      - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
        Thanks that looks very useful reading this part now http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm#Curing_DSPS_and_insomnia http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm#Curing_DSPS_and_... - sounds like I'll need to sell the children and buy a farm ;0)>
  - jon_black 12y ago
    Coffee isn't poison! YAY! Oh...wait...but... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks Seriously, my point was, whilst everyone ran around hyperventilating at the thought of saving money on coffee (oh my god oh my god oh my god cheaper coffee) they (possibly - I didn't perform any research) overlooked the quite probable (I'm actually not a mathematician) fact that they're already drinking too much, and such a scheme will cause them to drink even more (up 20% you say?). I love sarcasm. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm in a weird mood today.
adambenayoun 12y ago
I'm a huge espresso lover - made sure to have an espresso machine everywhere I spend more than a few hours (office x 2, apartment x 2) and I still find myself buying coffee when I'm outside. I've used them while in Israel (and I know one of the founders), I only have good stuff to say about them. There are 2 benefits from using it, obviously the first one is the huge cost saving but the second is the fact you can drink at several places and you get to discover some good places. When you pay for your espresso sometimes you tend to stick with the place you know have good espresso, however with CUPS I get to visit new places from time to time (mostly when I see on the app that a nearby cafe is a member) and I get to experiment with new blends. Also I found that some places have amazing savings for members - some places will give you drinks and other things at a discount and usually will welcome you as a regular (meaning you get a better service). I hope they spread everywhere and make this an international membership meaning if I visit NYC I can use my app from Israel.
pacofvf 12y ago
I've never though about it, but what Americans call "regular coffee" in my country is called "American coffee". When I ask for a "coffee" I probably get a latte or in Spanish "café con leche".
- mseebach 12y ago
  Not quite. The "Americano" (espresso with hot water) common in countries with the espresso coffee culture was invented during WW2 when the GIs requested bigger cups of weaker coffee. The american "regular coffee" is (weak) drip brewed coffee.
  - deltaqueue 12y ago
    Getting a bit pedantic, but a few corrections: 1. That origin is just urban legend. Americanos started in the 70's. 2. Per ounce, you're technically correct about the strength of espresso vs. drip/brewed coffee. But brews have variable strengths, and most Americans drink 12, 18, and 24 ounce drip coffees (which ends up being more caffeine than even a quad shot of espresso).
    - gamblor956 12y ago
      Regarding #1, the urban legend legend is itself an urban legend. The only sources for "Americanos" originating in the 1970s is a dictionary entry and Wikipedia, neither of which are further sourced or authoritative. Numerous historians, including coffee history specialists stick with the WWII origin. Indeed, http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/the-marines-secret-weapon-coffee/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/the-marines-secret... *provides a picture of a Marine drinking an "Americano" style coffee in 1944 and documents the role of coffee in the US Military back to at least the civil war. See also http://www.vanhoutte.com/en-ca/c-the-coffee-blog/coffee-culture/the-story-behind-the-americano http://www.vanhoutte.com/en-ca/c-the-coffee-blog/coffee-cult....
    - mseebach 12y ago
      2: I mean "strength" in a broader sense than caffeine content. I get more jittery from drip coffee (or french press, my personal poison of choice) than I do from espresso - I seem to recall having read that a shot of espresso contains less caffeine than a cup of regular coffee because of the quick extraction. But espresso has a much more intense (stronger) flavour.
jrs99 12y ago
reminds me of a seinfeld episode.
neverminder 12y ago
When I used to live in Norway you could buy a coffee cup (an actual cup) from Statoil (petrol station) and you could drink free coffee with that cup forever (in Statoil stations of course). That was 7 years ago though, so it could have changed by now.
- mseebach 12y ago
  I'm pretty sure that's still a thing (in Denmark at least). It's a different economic proposition, it's more of a "loyalty program" to make Statoil the default choice for gas than an effective way to pay for coffee. Also, the quality of the coffee wouldn't be competitive in NYC, to put it politely.
- hiphopyo 12y ago
  Forever? So people who bought it back then can still drink for free? If you buy it now it only lasts for a year I think.
crazygringo 12y ago
Interesting. At least one coffee shop in NYC has already done this on their own, for only $25/mo (but it's only one location): http://www.yelp.com/biz/fair-folks-and-a-goat-new-york-2 http://www.yelp.com/biz/fair-folks-and-a-goat-new-york-2
- adambenayoun 12y ago
  Ditto. What makes me excited about their model is that this is working across several cafes in a neighborhood.
- thisisauserid 12y ago
  The subscription only gets your their ice coffee which is amazing and incredibly strong. Everything in both of their stores is for sale (maybe even including the furniture) but yes, only one location has a cafe.
- achompas 12y ago
  Fair Folks is great. I live in the area and stop by all the time. Make sure to get a cup if you're on Houston.
hiphopyo 12y ago
Wait, before you all drink up, check out the CAFFEINATED documentary (the actual documentary starts at 4:19). Ever wonder why Barack Obama doesn't drink coffee? Pt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OecTZBjFvw#t=259 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OecTZBjFvw#t=259 Pt. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qncmE7O7wg4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qncmE7O7wg4
- nfoz 12y ago
  I'd prefer a link to some scientific discussion about the problems with caffeine.
  - hiphopyo 12y ago
    Same here. I love coffee but as with other drugs I get this vague notion that it's not always good for me. There's plenty of research over at http://pubmed.com http://pubmed.com and http://liebertpub.com http://liebertpub.com if you're interested. http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/caffeine/NU00600.html http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/caffeine/NU00600.html
rainmaking 12y ago
This sounds like a devilish proposition, only surpassed by "All the amphetamines you can ingest". I like it :)
dvcc 12y ago
$45 is not for the usual Starbucks Double Grande White Chocolate Mocha with soy milk and two shots of vanilla flavoring, that would be $85. With at around a 8% discount (rewards) and a price of $4 per drink it comes out to around 23 drinks. Or 1+ per weekday for the same amount. Not the greatest deal for those users I guess.
duaneb 12y ago
How does this improve over a french press and $15 of coffee grounds?
- r00fus 12y ago
  Time saved in procuring said grounds, making the coffee, cleaning the press, increase in variety and availability (many locations) and likely increase in quality depending on your skills/preference.
- jaynos 12y ago
  No need to carry a french press and coffee grounds (and hot water source) when you wander outside. Yes, coffee is cheaper if you make it at home, but people still go to coffee shops.
- Dirlewanger 12y ago
  People don't want to take the time/resources to invest in making it themselves. Simple as that. Some people are fine (stupid?) with paying for the convenience.
rickdale 12y ago
This is great. I wish I could get this in the suburbs, with Tim Hortons on delivery. Recently I purchased a Keurig k-cup brewer. The machine wouldn't always pump out water, so thinking I was screwed I ordered another Keurig brewer, this time the Vue. $150 for the first Keurig, $100for the second. In the meantime I purchased bullet proof coffee to give it a shot, thats an extra $45. So, in a matter of 1 week I spent about $300 on just getting my home coffee situation together. And I still go to Tim Hortons on my way home from purchasing coffee at the grocery store, or if I am out. FWIW, I called Keurig thinking they wouldn't do anything and they sent me a brand new k-cup brewing machine that is in a box right next to me. But I do love my K-Vue machine, its the best single cup @home experience I have been able to find and I probably drink about $45 worth of coffee out of it each day.
dllthomas 12y ago
The fact that this spans multiple coffee shops is the most interesting thing here, I think.
drcode 12y ago
As someone who works out of coffee shops a lot, there is pretty much ZERO appeal for me to use this kind of service, since I view my coffee costs as "rent" and prefer to pay full price plus a tip to be viewed as a good customer. Bringing in an app saying "I'm a cheapskate that doesn't want to pay full price" is not the message I want to give to coffee shop staff.
- josefresco 12y ago
  But working from their coffee shop is? I would think a "good customer" to them is someone you walks in, buys coffee, and then leaves. Sure it helps that you probably meet people there (expanding their reach) but a half dozen people setting up camp in your coffee shop all day can't be ideal.
  - Theodores 12y ago
    Actually, no... It is the 'empty restaurant syndrome', you have probably done it yourself, in some strange town, not knowing where to eat, you go past a few places and choose one that other diners have also chosen, walking past the empty place as if it has the plague. Hence a few customers that hang around for a while are good for drawing in other customers.
    - josefresco 12y ago
      Dude was setting up shop ... if I walk by a coffee shop and see 12 mobile offices I don't think "this must be a good coffee shop" I think "they must have good wifi and not give a shit if you work there". It would appeal to my business-owner side, but not my consumer side.
  - drcode 12y ago
    > I would think a "good customer" to them is someone you walks in, buys coffee, and then leaves. No, that would be a "great" customer in their eyes. I am merely trying to not be a jerk of a customer, while still spending some time working in their shop.
- 12y ago
jayvanguard 12y ago
Are margins on coffee good enough to support this long term? High end coffee is quite expensive as is square footage in small trendy coffee shops. I suppose the odd abuser who parks their butt for 3-4 hrs a day in the coffee shop can be dealt with in other ways e.g. they must order food to keep a seat. If they are forced to walk to the coffee shop each time they will likely max out at a few coffees a day.
- pwthornton 12y ago
  I would imagine they are going to try to aim this at the business crowd. My coworkers and I often go and get coffee together. We almost never actually sit down. We talk on the walk to and from the coffee shop. We might take the coffee to a nearby park. I agree that this won't make business sense with people who use coffee shops as an office.
jonnii 12y ago
If they can convince Zibetto on 6th Ave to sign up I'll immediately give them $45/month. It'll save me a fortune!
Thiz 12y ago
I am not a coffee drinker but this is what I do when I crave for one: Two cups of water in a blender. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee, a teaspoon of sugar, two spoons of powdered milk. Mix it all for ten seconds. Pour in two cups. Put in the microwave for a minute. Enjoy a delicious capuccino with a partner.
- Cthulhu_ 12y ago
  > instant coffee Begone, plebe! :p
D9u 12y ago
Not one cup of coffee in over 50 years... When someone offers all the beer I drink for one low monthly price, I'll be signing up.
- Cthulhu_ 12y ago
  I'm sure there are several services out there that send you a monthly amount of beers, preferably different kinds and whatnot. If not, that needs to be a thing, :D.
- agotterer 12y ago
  I'm not sure this is possible in a retail setting. There are rules around incentivizing the purchase of alcohol. Which is why you don't see promotions like buy one get one free... with the exception of happy hour and bottomless brunch sort of deals. Which have a whole different set of rules and exceptions.
themoonbus 12y ago
Does everything need to be made into a monthly service? In the past day, I've seen razors, coffee, socks...
drivingmenuts 12y ago
That 30 minute limit would be the dealbreaker for me. I often drink one cup just to get caffeine in, then immediately start another for either flavor or more caffeine or to have something to do.
Cthulhu_ 12y ago
$45 per month? I get free coffee at work. Well, I do now, they only recently changed the coffee machines to ones that produce drinkable coffee. Before that I'd spend money to get decent coffee, probably far more than this service is offering. Starbucks etc in this country charge much more for regular coffee, probably due to a much lower volume / amount sold.
lnlyplnt 12y ago
I used this service while I was in Israel, and it's really amazing. CUPS pays the coffeeshops for each cup you consume, so the shops treat you like a real customer, not like a "groupon" customer. Honestly the biggest benefit is the spontaneity of it all "should I get coffee? eh fuck it why not."
achompas 12y ago
If you're in NYC and want a good cup of coffee, check out one of these places: Third Rail (got me through my first semester at NYU) Stumptown (I'm usually at the 8th St. spot but the Ace Hotel location is just as good) Joe Cafe Grumpy Everyman Espresso 9th Street Espresso @ Chelsea Market Note that none of these has signed up with CUPS. I doubt any of them will, either, since (I bet) there are thin margins in selling excellent coffee.
- jasonmc 12y ago
  I second every one of those Manhattan shops. Everyman is usually outstanding. Also recommend Gimme coffee. In Brooklyn there's a few more gems: Budin, Strangeways, Parlor.
xntrk 12y ago
As soon as the support more coffee shops in midtown i'm buying in. The map they have of the indy coffee shops is something that does seem pretty useful. At least to me.
reddit_clone 12y ago
As someone who had quit coffee cold turkey a month ago, this thread is pure torture for me to read.

93 points by sschwartz 12y ago

chm 12y ago

That's innovation. Simple, elegant, disturbs the equilibrium. Great idea!

This will only exacerbate an existing problem at coffee shops in NYC: The "Coffice" phenomenon where people use the coffee shop as their office. Now these people will feel justified basically becoming a tenant of coffee shops and leeching 4-5 coffees a day, leaving this startup with the empty CUPS. :)

ASneakyFox 12y ago
I think their counting on gym membership style thing. Though even if people drink a lot of coffee.. it still is just coffee.
EC1 12y ago
I never understood the coffee shop thing. I hate working at coffee shops, people nosing around at what you're doing, never enough desk space, that feeling of guilt once you stay there too long, etc.
- oftenwrong 12y ago
  And the poor ergonomics of a laptop
- SyneRyder 12y ago
  For me: I work solo from home, so sometimes I go to the coffee shop for a change of atmosphere & to be around people for a while. I find the white noise of the cafe helps me focus, as does having people around me. It's nice having someone serve you instead of having to make your own coffee/food, and sometimes the food is nicer than what I'd make myself at home. But I try not to stay too long & only go at times when the cafe is half empty.

AndyBaker 12y ago

Once it's free - I'll bet you drink 2x as much.

ctdonath 12y ago
Article says the increase is about 20%.
aestra 12y ago
Yep. The article said there is a similar program in Israel. “They say they’re drinking more coffee than before, about 20 percent more,” says Rotem (who, by the way, drinks four to six cups on a bad day). “Our users save around 30 percent on coffee.”
- mikepurvis 12y ago
  The word "user" seems strangely appropriate.

AznHisoka 12y ago

Great! Too bad I drink 0 coffees a month. It gives me panic attacks, and makes me pee-pee/boo-boo twice as much:(

nathanmock 12y ago

What's to stop me from buying coffee for all my friends as well?

aestra 12y ago
Morals? That's a really good point though. I wonder how many people will get a coffee for a friend waiting outside on their subscription or even split a subscription.
sschwartz 12y ago
The last paragraph of the article says, "For whatever it’s worth, fiendish subscribers must adhere to at least one limitation: They must wait 30 minutes before ordering another coffee."
- rzt 12y ago
  Yes, there is that limit –– and a good one. You could get around it maybe if you were with some friends doing a klatsch with staggered drinking rates and drink start times, but then you'd just look really cheap.
  - jrs99 12y ago
    you could just ask for an empty cup and split the drink with a friend. then a little bit later, get another one. During a long talk with a friend, you could continue to do that and go through several cups. I don't think a random barista who makes 10 bucks an hour will care, especially if you leave a tip. The owner probably won't care because he makes more money every time you get a cup of coffee.

ahoy 12y ago

Espresso as a Service? I like it.

applecore 12y ago
For $45 per month, you only get regular brewed coffee. Unlimited espresso is $85 per month.

aestra 12y ago

Significant savings for some. If you had a 2 cups a day coffee habit, this works out to about $.73 a cup or $1.45 a day. Pretty good deal if you like coffee shop coffee. Assuming you'll otherwise spend $3 per cup you'll save about $1657 a year. $2190 vs $532.90.

pwthornton 12y ago
The coffee included with the $45 plan (there are two tiers), is not $3 coffee. It's black coffee. In DC, a small drip coffee or pour over runs around $1.80 or so. It's $85 a month for the plan that includes lattes and other more expensive espresso drinks. A small latte usually runs around $3 or so. An espresso might be $2.25-2.50. Two small lattes a day (not a lot of caffeine) would save you a ton of money a month with this plan. If you drank even one cup of coffee a day, you'd save money with this, with either plan. A lot of people drink a cup in the morning and the afternoon, and that's where the savings really add up. I'd personally be more interested in a hybrid plan that got me unlimited black coffee and a certain amount of espresso drinks a month. I know they have a more expensive plan with espresso drinks, but I don't want that daily. How about a $65 plan? It's a great idea though. If you live and work in an area with coffee shops supported by this, you can basically have a monthly fee that covers all of your coffee needs. You can also no longer worry about having any coffee equipment in your apartment. Saving space is important to city dwellers. If this came to DC, I'd strongly consider signing up for it. It's a great way to encourage people to go to non-chains, and to make paying at non-chains easier. Many of the big chains, including Starbucks, have long had ways to pay for drinks with an app. That's part of what this product does, and why small coffee shops would want to get on board.
- aestra 12y ago
  >A small latte usually runs around $3 or so. An espresso might be $2.25-2.50. I don't live in NYC and lattes are more like $4-$5 here.
- mertd 12y ago
  By "pourover", they don't mean machine drip coffee. It's the coffee a barista individually brews per order on a pourover cone. I've never seen it cheaper than $3, including DC.

jasonkester 12y ago

Cool idea, but it seems to target a pretty narrow demographic: - wealthy enough to live in NYC and buy at least one cup of coffee every single work day - cheap enough to want to save a few bucks a month on coffee - can't be bothered to carry a credit card around every day - can be bothered to carry a smart phone around every day - trendy enough to frequent NYC coffee shops - untrendy enough to be seen using "coupons" in public - techy enough to consider installing a coffee buying app - non-techy enough to not have built a crazy $10k coffee roasting-grinding-brewing setup at home Fortunately for them, starting in NYC, that still leaves around thirty million potential customers. It'll be fun watching this play out.

carlob 12y ago
> - non-techy enough to not have built a crazy $10k coffee-brewing setup at home I have an espresso maker (admittedly much much cheaper than that) at home, but I still drink coffee out throughout the day. Though I also must admit to the fact that I leave in Rome where an espresso is 70-90 cents and consistently good.
- adambenayoun 12y ago
  I own 3 espresso machines and have access to 5 no matter where I am (Splitting my time between Tel Aviv and the bay area) and I still drink coffee outside.
  - carlob 12y ago
    I find it's really hard to make a homemade espresso that comes close to the one you get from a café around here. But then again maybe I should invest 10k on a new machine (and then 20k to renovate my kitchen to fit it in).
    - adambenayoun 12y ago
      Nothing beats drinking an espresso from a cafe's machine around the corner - I'll give you that.

dec0dedab0de 12y ago

I wonder how they disperse the money to the various shops. Edit: From the website "We pay you for each drink purchased at your awesome coffee shop "

jon_black 12y ago

For $0 a month you can drink water from the tap. It's healthy and doesn't require installing an app. (Psst. You should be finding ways to balance your diet, not contribute to its destruction.)

jrockway 12y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_benefits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_benefits
- pbhjpbhj 12y ago
  and don't forget to read the following section on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks . Anecdotally I've found I'm more alert [in the mornings particularly] without caffeine but cutting it out hasn't helped me normalise my sleeping patterns.
  - ivanche 12y ago
    If you want to normalise sleep patterns, I strongly recommend text "Good sleep, good learning, good life" (http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm) It is quite long but IMO very well worth it.
    - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
      Thanks that looks very useful reading this part now http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm#Curing_DSPS_and_insomnia http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm#Curing_DSPS_and_... - sounds like I'll need to sell the children and buy a farm ;0)>
- jon_black 12y ago
  Coffee isn't poison! YAY! Oh...wait...but... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Health_risks Seriously, my point was, whilst everyone ran around hyperventilating at the thought of saving money on coffee (oh my god oh my god oh my god cheaper coffee) they (possibly - I didn't perform any research) overlooked the quite probable (I'm actually not a mathematician) fact that they're already drinking too much, and such a scheme will cause them to drink even more (up 20% you say?). I love sarcasm. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm in a weird mood today.

adambenayoun 12y ago

I'm a huge espresso lover - made sure to have an espresso machine everywhere I spend more than a few hours (office x 2, apartment x 2) and I still find myself buying coffee when I'm outside. I've used them while in Israel (and I know one of the founders), I only have good stuff to say about them. There are 2 benefits from using it, obviously the first one is the huge cost saving but the second is the fact you can drink at several places and you get to discover some good places. When you pay for your espresso sometimes you tend to stick with the place you know have good espresso, however with CUPS I get to visit new places from time to time (mostly when I see on the app that a nearby cafe is a member) and I get to experiment with new blends. Also I found that some places have amazing savings for members - some places will give you drinks and other things at a discount and usually will welcome you as a regular (meaning you get a better service). I hope they spread everywhere and make this an international membership meaning if I visit NYC I can use my app from Israel.

pacofvf 12y ago

I've never though about it, but what Americans call "regular coffee" in my country is called "American coffee". When I ask for a "coffee" I probably get a latte or in Spanish "café con leche".

mseebach 12y ago
Not quite. The "Americano" (espresso with hot water) common in countries with the espresso coffee culture was invented during WW2 when the GIs requested bigger cups of weaker coffee. The american "regular coffee" is (weak) drip brewed coffee.
- deltaqueue 12y ago
  Getting a bit pedantic, but a few corrections: 1. That origin is just urban legend. Americanos started in the 70's. 2. Per ounce, you're technically correct about the strength of espresso vs. drip/brewed coffee. But brews have variable strengths, and most Americans drink 12, 18, and 24 ounce drip coffees (which ends up being more caffeine than even a quad shot of espresso).
  - gamblor956 12y ago
    Regarding #1, the urban legend legend is itself an urban legend. The only sources for "Americanos" originating in the 1970s is a dictionary entry and Wikipedia, neither of which are further sourced or authoritative. Numerous historians, including coffee history specialists stick with the WWII origin. Indeed, http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/the-marines-secret-weapon-coffee/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/the-marines-secret... *provides a picture of a Marine drinking an "Americano" style coffee in 1944 and documents the role of coffee in the US Military back to at least the civil war. See also http://www.vanhoutte.com/en-ca/c-the-coffee-blog/coffee-culture/the-story-behind-the-americano http://www.vanhoutte.com/en-ca/c-the-coffee-blog/coffee-cult....
  - mseebach 12y ago
    2: I mean "strength" in a broader sense than caffeine content. I get more jittery from drip coffee (or french press, my personal poison of choice) than I do from espresso - I seem to recall having read that a shot of espresso contains less caffeine than a cup of regular coffee because of the quick extraction. But espresso has a much more intense (stronger) flavour.

jrs99 12y ago

reminds me of a seinfeld episode.

neverminder 12y ago

When I used to live in Norway you could buy a coffee cup (an actual cup) from Statoil (petrol station) and you could drink free coffee with that cup forever (in Statoil stations of course). That was 7 years ago though, so it could have changed by now.

mseebach 12y ago
I'm pretty sure that's still a thing (in Denmark at least). It's a different economic proposition, it's more of a "loyalty program" to make Statoil the default choice for gas than an effective way to pay for coffee. Also, the quality of the coffee wouldn't be competitive in NYC, to put it politely.
hiphopyo 12y ago
Forever? So people who bought it back then can still drink for free? If you buy it now it only lasts for a year I think.

crazygringo 12y ago

Interesting. At least one coffee shop in NYC has already done this on their own, for only $25/mo (but it's only one location): http://www.yelp.com/biz/fair-folks-and-a-goat-new-york-2 http://www.yelp.com/biz/fair-folks-and-a-goat-new-york-2

adambenayoun 12y ago
Ditto. What makes me excited about their model is that this is working across several cafes in a neighborhood.
thisisauserid 12y ago
The subscription only gets your their ice coffee which is amazing and incredibly strong. Everything in both of their stores is for sale (maybe even including the furniture) but yes, only one location has a cafe.
achompas 12y ago
Fair Folks is great. I live in the area and stop by all the time. Make sure to get a cup if you're on Houston.

hiphopyo 12y ago

Wait, before you all drink up, check out the CAFFEINATED documentary (the actual documentary starts at 4:19). Ever wonder why Barack Obama doesn't drink coffee? Pt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OecTZBjFvw#t=259 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OecTZBjFvw#t=259 Pt. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qncmE7O7wg4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qncmE7O7wg4

nfoz 12y ago
I'd prefer a link to some scientific discussion about the problems with caffeine.
- hiphopyo 12y ago
  Same here. I love coffee but as with other drugs I get this vague notion that it's not always good for me. There's plenty of research over at http://pubmed.com http://pubmed.com and http://liebertpub.com http://liebertpub.com if you're interested. http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/caffeine/NU00600.html http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/caffeine/NU00600.html

rainmaking 12y ago

This sounds like a devilish proposition, only surpassed by "All the amphetamines you can ingest". I like it :)

dvcc 12y ago

$45 is not for the usual Starbucks Double Grande White Chocolate Mocha with soy milk and two shots of vanilla flavoring, that would be $85. With at around a 8% discount (rewards) and a price of $4 per drink it comes out to around 23 drinks. Or 1+ per weekday for the same amount. Not the greatest deal for those users I guess.

duaneb 12y ago

How does this improve over a french press and $15 of coffee grounds?

r00fus 12y ago
Time saved in procuring said grounds, making the coffee, cleaning the press, increase in variety and availability (many locations) and likely increase in quality depending on your skills/preference.
jaynos 12y ago
No need to carry a french press and coffee grounds (and hot water source) when you wander outside. Yes, coffee is cheaper if you make it at home, but people still go to coffee shops.
Dirlewanger 12y ago
People don't want to take the time/resources to invest in making it themselves. Simple as that. Some people are fine (stupid?) with paying for the convenience.

rickdale 12y ago

This is great. I wish I could get this in the suburbs, with Tim Hortons on delivery. Recently I purchased a Keurig k-cup brewer. The machine wouldn't always pump out water, so thinking I was screwed I ordered another Keurig brewer, this time the Vue. $150 for the first Keurig, $100for the second. In the meantime I purchased bullet proof coffee to give it a shot, thats an extra $45. So, in a matter of 1 week I spent about $300 on just getting my home coffee situation together. And I still go to Tim Hortons on my way home from purchasing coffee at the grocery store, or if I am out. FWIW, I called Keurig thinking they wouldn't do anything and they sent me a brand new k-cup brewing machine that is in a box right next to me. But I do love my K-Vue machine, its the best single cup @home experience I have been able to find and I probably drink about $45 worth of coffee out of it each day.

dllthomas 12y ago

The fact that this spans multiple coffee shops is the most interesting thing here, I think.

drcode 12y ago

As someone who works out of coffee shops a lot, there is pretty much ZERO appeal for me to use this kind of service, since I view my coffee costs as "rent" and prefer to pay full price plus a tip to be viewed as a good customer. Bringing in an app saying "I'm a cheapskate that doesn't want to pay full price" is not the message I want to give to coffee shop staff.

josefresco 12y ago
But working from their coffee shop is? I would think a "good customer" to them is someone you walks in, buys coffee, and then leaves. Sure it helps that you probably meet people there (expanding their reach) but a half dozen people setting up camp in your coffee shop all day can't be ideal.
- Theodores 12y ago
  Actually, no... It is the 'empty restaurant syndrome', you have probably done it yourself, in some strange town, not knowing where to eat, you go past a few places and choose one that other diners have also chosen, walking past the empty place as if it has the plague. Hence a few customers that hang around for a while are good for drawing in other customers.
  - josefresco 12y ago
    Dude was setting up shop ... if I walk by a coffee shop and see 12 mobile offices I don't think "this must be a good coffee shop" I think "they must have good wifi and not give a shit if you work there". It would appeal to my business-owner side, but not my consumer side.
- drcode 12y ago
  > I would think a "good customer" to them is someone you walks in, buys coffee, and then leaves. No, that would be a "great" customer in their eyes. I am merely trying to not be a jerk of a customer, while still spending some time working in their shop.
12y ago

jayvanguard 12y ago

Are margins on coffee good enough to support this long term? High end coffee is quite expensive as is square footage in small trendy coffee shops. I suppose the odd abuser who parks their butt for 3-4 hrs a day in the coffee shop can be dealt with in other ways e.g. they must order food to keep a seat. If they are forced to walk to the coffee shop each time they will likely max out at a few coffees a day.

pwthornton 12y ago
I would imagine they are going to try to aim this at the business crowd. My coworkers and I often go and get coffee together. We almost never actually sit down. We talk on the walk to and from the coffee shop. We might take the coffee to a nearby park. I agree that this won't make business sense with people who use coffee shops as an office.

jonnii 12y ago

If they can convince Zibetto on 6th Ave to sign up I'll immediately give them $45/month. It'll save me a fortune!

Thiz 12y ago

I am not a coffee drinker but this is what I do when I crave for one: Two cups of water in a blender. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee, a teaspoon of sugar, two spoons of powdered milk. Mix it all for ten seconds. Pour in two cups. Put in the microwave for a minute. Enjoy a delicious capuccino with a partner.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago
> instant coffee Begone, plebe! :p

D9u 12y ago

Not one cup of coffee in over 50 years... When someone offers all the beer I drink for one low monthly price, I'll be signing up.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago
I'm sure there are several services out there that send you a monthly amount of beers, preferably different kinds and whatnot. If not, that needs to be a thing, :D.
agotterer 12y ago
I'm not sure this is possible in a retail setting. There are rules around incentivizing the purchase of alcohol. Which is why you don't see promotions like buy one get one free... with the exception of happy hour and bottomless brunch sort of deals. Which have a whole different set of rules and exceptions.

themoonbus 12y ago

Does everything need to be made into a monthly service? In the past day, I've seen razors, coffee, socks...

drivingmenuts 12y ago

That 30 minute limit would be the dealbreaker for me. I often drink one cup just to get caffeine in, then immediately start another for either flavor or more caffeine or to have something to do.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago

$45 per month? I get free coffee at work. Well, I do now, they only recently changed the coffee machines to ones that produce drinkable coffee. Before that I'd spend money to get decent coffee, probably far more than this service is offering. Starbucks etc in this country charge much more for regular coffee, probably due to a much lower volume / amount sold.

lnlyplnt 12y ago

I used this service while I was in Israel, and it's really amazing. CUPS pays the coffeeshops for each cup you consume, so the shops treat you like a real customer, not like a "groupon" customer. Honestly the biggest benefit is the spontaneity of it all "should I get coffee? eh fuck it why not."

achompas 12y ago

If you're in NYC and want a good cup of coffee, check out one of these places: Third Rail (got me through my first semester at NYU) Stumptown (I'm usually at the 8th St. spot but the Ace Hotel location is just as good) Joe Cafe Grumpy Everyman Espresso 9th Street Espresso @ Chelsea Market Note that none of these has signed up with CUPS. I doubt any of them will, either, since (I bet) there are thin margins in selling excellent coffee.

jasonmc 12y ago
I second every one of those Manhattan shops. Everyman is usually outstanding. Also recommend Gimme coffee. In Brooklyn there's a few more gems: Budin, Strangeways, Parlor.

xntrk 12y ago

As soon as the support more coffee shops in midtown i'm buying in. The map they have of the indy coffee shops is something that does seem pretty useful. At least to me.

reddit_clone 12y ago

As someone who had quit coffee cold turkey a month ago, this thread is pure torture for me to read.