The Great American Coffee Scam

Coffee lovers in New York city are being ripped-off by shady operators as they enter the northern summer. Iced coffee is being watered down by dishonest baristas and people are not getting what they paid for. On average, a New York iced coffee costs 70 cents more than a hot coffee but contains 60 to 200 mls less actual coffee. Coffee shop owners have a series of excuses including the cost of plastic cups, the cost of making stronger coffee to compensate for melting ice, and the cost of the ice itself. But coffee crusader Joe Rinaldi, a café owner himself pointed out the costs of the ice and the cup add up to about 2 cents and the stronger coffee is offset by the smaller quantity in which its made. Calculations showed iced coffee is worth about 21 cents less than a regular cup. Mr Rinaldi’s customers on the other hand are treated to rich iced espressos and cappuccinos with ice cubes made from real coffee. It’s about time someone had a word to Australian cafés in time for next summer.(from an original article in the New York Post)