Weighing the cost of Starbucks coffee

Autumn is upon us. The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing and the Pumpkin Spice Latte season at Starbucks has arrived. 

Who wouldn’t want to spend $6.99 on a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte? I wouldn’t — along with several other price-conscious customers. 

Recipes for homemade lattes are popping up left and right on social media. Videos with titles such as “How to Make Coffee at Home” or “Ditch Starbucks and Save Money” often go viral. Why is this? Well, Starbucks is too expensive, and making coffee at home saves money.

According to Finance Buzz, Starbucks menu prices have increased by 39% since 2014. In 2023, Starbucks generated a gross profit of $24.567 billion, according to Macrotrends. This begs the question of why the coffee shop’s prices have increased a lot while the quality of its products have stayed the same. Not to mention the insane amount of revenue the company generates each year.

Coffee is, for many of us, a necessity. The irony is that the phrase “I’m a broke college student” often comes from a guy or girl holding a venti Starbucks cup in their hand.

Photo by Noah Seidlitz | @noahsdslr

Country Living notes that one of the most popular and basic drinks at Starbucks is the Iced Caramel Macchiato. If you ask any Starbucks barista, they’ll tell you the most popular size is a grande. Here in Lynchburg, the price of the Iced Caramel Macchiato is $5.95 before taxes. Many people like to add cold foam to their drink, which brings the price to a whopping $7.40. Don’t forget, some prefer dairy-alternative milk. Add some oat milk; now your drink is $8.10. 

If you’ve ever seen the Montview Starbucks line, you can guess that many students place their favorite orders almost every day. Especially for those 8 a.m. classes, Starbucks appears to be the best option for stocking up on caffeine. If a customer is buying an Iced Caramel Macchiato five days a week, that brings the yearly Starbucks spending total to around $1,547. That doesn’t even take into account any additives in the drink. 

In contrast, homemade coffee is fun to make, delicious and cheaper. I bought a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte recently and realized … woah! I can’t be spending this. So I make my own pumpkin lattes — almost every day, in fact.

The ingredients you will need for a pumpkin spice latte are the following: pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Pull your shot of espresso or make drip coffee and add a little bit of each to your espresso. Froth some milk, make it iced or hot, and there you have it. I promise that if you make one for your friends, Starbucks won’t be their first choice any longer. 

Although Starbucks can be convenient, I think taking a break could do coffee drinkers some good. Not only will it save your wallet, but it’ll allow you to come up with fun recipes for your own coffee concoctions. If you can’t live without Starbucks for too long, try limiting your coffee purchases to a couple times a week, and find some time to be your own barista at home. You may just find homemade coffee is better.

Denny is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. 

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