At different stages in my life, I’ve sat at varying positions on the coffee connoisseur spectrum.
From particular single origin ristrettos to the $1 cups at the service station, I’ve been through all phases, in no real order.
I do tend to make my coffee at home though.
Two weeks ago, I purchased 2 bags (2x250g) of ground organic espresso from Aldi for $8.75 total ($1.75/100g).
Yesterday, I purchased 250g of “ethically sourced, traceable and seasonal” whole Cadre beans for $15 ($6/100g).
The Aldi beans were pretty average, but I have some sugar in my coffee anyway, and so it went down OK.
The Cadre beans I had this morning in the French press are very nice…
The question is, are the Cadre beans worth over three times the organic Aldi beans? The analyst in me says no way.
However, we aren’t rational. So of course, it’s difficult to say. What we see is there is a story going on here with my narrative.
Am I the person who drinks pre-ground beans from Aldi? Or am I stepping back into the coffee aficionado role and thus need the Cadre beans at a minimum?
Often decisions aren’t made based on logic or reason, sans bias…
Rather, our narrative, our story and our beliefs about ourselves and our beliefs about the world will often have a bigger impact what we choose to buy, do or engage in.