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$4 gas got you down? Try $192-a-gallon espresso
Stars and Stripes ^ | Friday, May 16, 2008 | Matt Millham

Posted on 05/15/2008 6:39:28 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar

High gas prices got you steamed? Just be glad that Chevy doesn’t run on lattes.

A lot is made about the rising price of gas, but coffee prices are already through the stratosphere.

Not that anyone cares.

Dawn Mosier, a barista at the Java Café on Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg, said she rarely gets a comment about the shop’s coffee prices, which are higher than those at some other on-base joints because they sell Starbucks.

But her neighbors at the shoppette not 50 feet away don’t get the same consideration.

"When I’m in the shoppette I always hear people complain about gas," Mosier said. "I guess it’s because they’re buying [fuel] coupons."

Rosalie Rasmussen, a speech and language pathologist in the Heidelberg school district, shelled out $3 on Thursday for a Java Café Grande Caffé Latté, which despite its imposing name measured in at a whopping 16 ounces. A gallon of the stuff would run $24.

"It’s a treat," said Rasmussen, who said she rarely buys coffee. Does it bug her that coffee costs more than gas? Nah.

"I don’t take my car out on the weekends at all," she said, adding she drives only when she absolutely has to for work.

"And I think that’s the difference: You have a choice about coffee; you don’t have a choice about gas," she said. "I have concerns for people who have to travel long distances and for families that have to work that into their budget."

But, she said, she didn’t have a problem herself with gas prices.

"You’d rather not pay $3.78 a gallon, but it is what it is," said James Corneliussen, who works for U.S. Army Garrison Baden Wurttemberg’s command chaplain office. He was talking about gas, not coffee.

Corneliussen gets a 16-ounce Java Café Caffé Americano every Monday through Friday — that’s $10 of joe per week. The equivalent amount of regular unleaded gas would cost $2.36 at today’s price. "I know it’s more expensive than gas," he said smiling. But he hasn’t even considered giving up his morning cup.

"It would be like giving up steak, which is also more expensive than gas," he said. "It probably wouldn’t happen."

The cost of Heather Auge’s thrice-weekly Java Café chai is of so little concern to the arts and crafts center worker that she had to check the board to see how much it cost.

"It’s not a necessity," she said of the $30-a-gallon beverage. "It’s kind of like my thing that I do for me."

Like the others, she also wasn’t fretting about gas prices — the Germans pay more than double what you pay on base, she said. She lives in the Odenwald, far from any form of public transportation, "So I have to drive," she said.

At least she wasn’t drinking single espresso shots, which run $192 a gallon.

"I guess they get more gratification out of their latte" than they do from driving, Mosier said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: energy; gasoline

1 posted on 05/15/2008 6:39:28 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
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To: backhoe

ping.


2 posted on 05/15/2008 6:40:47 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
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To: Jet Jaguar
High gas prices got you steamed? Just be glad that Chevy doesn’t run on lattes.

This is as dumb as the "Don't complain about gas, have you seen the price of milk?" garbage.
3 posted on 05/15/2008 6:40:56 PM PDT by arderkrag (Libertarian Nutcase (Political Compass Coordinates: 9.00, -2.62 - www.politicalcompass.org))
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To: Jet Jaguar
A lot is made about the rising price of gas, but coffee prices are already through the stratosphere.

Perhaps, but I don't typically buy 22 gallons of lattes at the same time...

4 posted on 05/15/2008 6:42:28 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (What if Tony Almeida is the 12th Cylon?)
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To: Jet Jaguar

What a dumb comparison. I use around 30 gallons of gas a week to get back and forth to work - I doubt I’d ever buy 30 gallons of lattes a week. What’s the point of this article?


5 posted on 05/15/2008 6:46:30 PM PDT by reagan_fanatic (Average White Conservative)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Coffee is optional (well, for most people), but not too many can get to work, school, etc. without using gasoline.


6 posted on 05/15/2008 6:53:09 PM PDT by jrp
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To: Jet Jaguar
The minute I'm required to buy lattes daily to get to work, you'll see me here complaining about it.

It's a strawman. You might as well say, "Hey, look how expensive gold is! You're not complaining about that!"

I'm complaining about gas because I'm forced to buy it every three days.
7 posted on 05/15/2008 6:55:47 PM PDT by mysterio
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To: Jet Jaguar

I buy a thermos of coffee for work four mornings a week. I pay less than $3.00 for that coffee for the entire week. I’ts not Starbucks, but it does taste better.


8 posted on 05/15/2008 6:59:27 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Dad of a 2nd BCT 10th Mountain Soldier home after 15 months in the Triangle of death)
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To: reagan_fanatic

The message I get is that the author is dumber than a rock. I have little choice but to buy about 5 gallons of gas every week. I’ve probably purchased less than 3 gallons of latte in my life.


9 posted on 05/15/2008 7:00:04 PM PDT by Diverdogz
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To: SoldierDad

I do the same.

Going to a “coffee house” for coffee is just plain wasteful. (in monetary terms)

But, if you can’t live without it, budget it in and cut back elsewhere.


10 posted on 05/15/2008 7:02:54 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Who would the terrorists vote for?)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Pretty much all of the household cleaner products I have stashed in the cupboard under my sink cost more per gallon than gasoline. Fortunately my car doesn’t run on Pledge and Lime-Away, and my house doesn’t require that I buy those products by the gallon.

What a useless comparison. Some editor’s bright idea.


11 posted on 05/15/2008 7:03:25 PM PDT by RepublitarianRoger2
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To: Jet Jaguar

My $1.86 Starbucks Grande coffee contains 330 mg of caffeine and about 12 calories. A diet coke contains about 55 mg of Caffeine.

You do the math and see what’s over-priced. ;)


12 posted on 05/15/2008 7:23:31 PM PDT by CaspersGh0sts
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To: Jet Jaguar

or $8 a gallon bottled water! You never hear ......


13 posted on 05/15/2008 7:34:13 PM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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To: Jet Jaguar

$4 a gallon gas pisses me off. $200 a gallon coffee? So what?


14 posted on 05/15/2008 7:36:18 PM PDT by LiberConservative ("Typical" White Guy)
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To: jrp

If you think coffee is optional for most people, take away all of the coffee filters and pots at your office tomorrow morning. You’ll see just how necessary it is for many of your coworkers to function every day.


15 posted on 05/15/2008 7:39:11 PM PDT by weegee (Vote NO on Marxism in 2008.)
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To: Diverdogz

How much of the price of a $5 cup of coffee really is in the coffee bean itself?

Should Starbucks be raped for windfall profits taxes the way $5 latte drinkers are A-OK with Hillary’s plan to seize the money from oil companies?

Some people assume they are being gounged unfairly others accept it as a fashion statement. They should at least be consistent.


16 posted on 05/15/2008 7:41:52 PM PDT by weegee (Vote NO on Marxism in 2008.)
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To: Jet Jaguar
After you drink a gallon of espresso, you will so far in orbit you won't ever need gasoline. Who wrote this? Some sycophant for the administration trying to pretend that Bernanke's deliberate bout of inflation to bail out the banking system from its follies is not really as bad as it seems?

Who do I believe the BLS or my lying bank account?

17 posted on 05/15/2008 7:44:20 PM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: reagan_fanatic

It usually comes from people who have oil stock who want us to stop complaining about the price hikes because “itsa not so bad”.

I’m surprised they haven’t compared it to the price of perfume sold by the ounce.


18 posted on 05/15/2008 7:44:34 PM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I've done here today doesn't force you to have a negative opinion of me....)
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To: Jet Jaguar

How much is printer ink per gallon?


19 posted on 05/15/2008 7:51:02 PM PDT by fzx12345 (ZOTTO ERGO SUM)
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To: Jet Jaguar

I am proud to say that I have never bought a designer coffee from anywhere like Starbucks or Caribou or whatever places there are. I like coffee, I just make my own at home.


20 posted on 05/15/2008 8:04:21 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Diverdogz

I could only wish to have to buy only 5 gallons of fuel every week. I’m having to purchase somewhere between 20 to 30 gallons a week (I can’t say for sure because I haven’t really tracked the actual amount).


21 posted on 05/15/2008 8:11:08 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Dad of a 2nd BCT 10th Mountain Soldier home after 15 months in the Triangle of death)
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To: SoldierDad

You probably don’t want to know.


22 posted on 05/15/2008 8:12:34 PM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I've done here today doesn't force you to have a negative opinion of me....)
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To: Sue Perkick
I’m surprised they haven’t compared it to the price of perfume sold by the ounce

Perhaps some people need to buy lots of perfume, but, really what is the actual quantity of perfume an average woman uses in a week? I'd guess much less than 1/4 ounce a week.

23 posted on 05/15/2008 8:14:20 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Dad of a 2nd BCT 10th Mountain Soldier home after 15 months in the Triangle of death)
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To: Sue Perkick

It could be a whole lot worse. I live a little more than 100 miles from where I work. I rent a room during the week (4 nights) and only commute on Monday and Friday. If I were to be driving every day my weekly cost would be more than $300.00. It’s probably less than that in reality because I estimated my fuel economy at a lower mph than I probably actually get.


24 posted on 05/15/2008 8:18:58 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Dad of a 2nd BCT 10th Mountain Soldier home after 15 months in the Triangle of death)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Dumb comparisons! Now, compare the price of gas to the price of toilet tissue! Useda be able to buy a 4-pack for 66 cents, now it’s easily four times that! Pretty soon we’ll be forced to use the New York Times. Where are our elected representatives on that?!


25 posted on 05/15/2008 8:19:35 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (You're gonna cry 96 Tears on my Pillow!)
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To: Jet Jaguar

I do not have to fill up my gas tank with espresso to get to work.


26 posted on 05/15/2008 8:20:10 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (Buy a Mac ...)
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To: SoldierDad

I used to share an elevator at my job with people who seemed to bathe in a gallon of cologne a day.


27 posted on 05/15/2008 8:22:55 PM PDT by weegee (Vote NO on Marxism in 2008.)
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To: SoldierDad

I know. They come up with one ridiculous analogy after another. Let’s see, when I buy Advantix for the dog it’s $15. The tube contains 3 drops. I can only imagine how much a gallon of it would be. I guess this is the point where they expect me to say “Oh my I see the light! Why am I complaining? I should just be thankful!”

But I don’t. I am. And I’m not.


28 posted on 05/15/2008 8:23:56 PM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I've done here today doesn't force you to have a negative opinion of me....)
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To: Revolting cat!
Why use the NYet Times? The ink comes off on your backside and the subscription keeps them afloat.

It is much cheaper just to use Zimbabwe dollars. Today they released the new $500,000,000.00 bill (no joke). 1 US dollar will buy you $30,000 Zimbabwe dollars. And they are conveniently sized.


29 posted on 05/15/2008 8:35:24 PM PDT by weegee (Vote NO on Marxism in 2008.)
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To: Jet Jaguar
I don't have to buy coffee, and I especially don't have to buy crap such as espressos, lattes and other fancy, rip off type coffees. Good old ordinary coffee is just not that expensive and I don't drink a gallon of it in a day, and probably not in a week and if the price keeps going up, I don't have to drink it at all.

However, I do need to buy gas, gas is essential to every day life in the USA(and most other countries also)and should be taxed accordingly, in other words the taxes on it should be a lot lower. Also, since it is something we all need, every effort should be bent in order to insure a domestic supply by drilling known sites, exploring for new ones and building new refineries.

30 posted on 05/15/2008 8:36:25 PM PDT by calex59
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To: Jet Jaguar

We get this kind of illogic all the time on these gas threads. When your car runs on expresso call me and we’ll cry together.


31 posted on 05/15/2008 8:36:46 PM PDT by purpleraine
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To: weegee

Probably because their natural odor would have made you hurl.


32 posted on 05/15/2008 8:40:16 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Dad of a 2nd BCT 10th Mountain Soldier home after 15 months in the Triangle of death)
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To: weegee
If you think coffee is optional for most people, take away all of the coffee filters and pots at your office tomorrow morning. You’ll see just how necessary it is for many of your coworkers to function every day.

Only until they kick the addiction. After about a week you can function quite well without coffee or any type of caffeine, I have done it more than once and will do it again if need be. No one needs coffee, they only think they do because it is a habit and a slight addiction. It can be easily overcome.

33 posted on 05/15/2008 8:40:18 PM PDT by calex59
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To: reagan_fanatic

That and you probably need that 30g of gas a week, even if it’s not a need it’s still much higher on the list then coffee is.


34 posted on 05/15/2008 8:43:33 PM PDT by Domandred (McCain's 'R' is a typo that has never been corrected)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Call me when you get up to six gallons of espresso a day.


35 posted on 05/15/2008 9:07:10 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: jrp

Coffee is not optional for me. However, the station where I fill up my gas tank also makes better coffee than most restaurants. And it only costs me 27 cents to fill my 24oz cup.


36 posted on 05/15/2008 9:13:28 PM PDT by upsdriver (the maverick upsdriver is writing in Duncan Hunter for president)
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To: calex59

Sorry, but no, I do need coffee. Everytime I give up drinking it, I keep falling asleep behind the wheel. Besides, now it is reported that coffee is good for you, rich in anti-oxidents. So I get to live by staying alert and warding off cancer!:)

As a real plus, I absolutely love the taste of coffee.


37 posted on 05/15/2008 9:18:40 PM PDT by upsdriver (the maverick upsdriver is writing in Duncan Hunter for president)
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To: Jet Jaguar

I wonder what they have to say about the self-help industry. They make larger profits than the petroleum industry. Also, they charge hundreds of dollars to attend their seminars.


38 posted on 05/15/2008 9:30:22 PM PDT by Ptarmigan (Bunnies=Sodomites)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Then there’s the 2lb cans of $5 Meijer 100% Columbian coffee I brew myself. Lasts me a long time. One “scoop” os 1/2 gallon, so it is less than .25 a gallon.


39 posted on 05/15/2008 9:34:07 PM PDT by Darren McCarty (Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in - Michael Corleone)
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To: Jet Jaguar

These stories are so tiresome. They compare a commodity item bought in bulk with an individually prepared specialty item.

Gas is a commodity that is sold at a relatively consistent price across a region. There is no packaging and gas is effectively the same at any station.

Coffee can be purchased as a commodity in the form of raw or roasted beans, but Lattes, espressos and even brewed coffee are specialty products.

Complaining that a custom-made espresso is more expensive than a gallon of gas is like complaining that a filet minion at Tavern on the green costs more than an entire frozen turkey.


40 posted on 05/15/2008 9:36:21 PM PDT by MediaMole
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To: reagan_fanatic

#5...What’s the point of this article?

As you already figured it’s to fill the blank white pages of a newspaper.

Lips flopping, pens flopping, typewriter keys flopping.... tis the same. Just saying


41 posted on 05/15/2008 10:41:34 PM PDT by P8triot1 (Liberalism ALWAYS produces the exact opposite of its stated intent. Quinns 1st. law..)
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To: P8triot1

All the news that's fit to print.

42 posted on 05/16/2008 8:43:54 AM PDT by weegee (Vote NO on Marxism in 2008.)
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