Gourmet Coffee Stops Make Gas Costs Higher As Oil Price Nears $100 a Barrel: Online Coffee Retailer Recommends Brewing at Home

Commuters with a coffee habit contribute more to greenhouse gases and global warming if they make a morning coffee stop. Gourmet coffee brewed at home saves money and helps the environment by reducing fuel burned by starting and stopping the car and going out of the way instead of directly to the office, according to online coffee distributor.

Allentown, NJ (PRWEB) November 29, 2007 -- Commuters appear to be economizing on coffee stops as gas prices soar to near $4 a gallon, according to online coffee retailer Tastesoftheworld.net (http://www.tastesoftheworld.net). Looking for places to cut back as the cost of filling up increases, consumers appear to be withdrawing from gourmet coffee (http://www.tastesoftheworld.net/index.php/cPath/28) stops on their commutes. While no direct link between coffee sales and gas prices is possible to make, commuters are unable to drive shorter distances to work except by cutting out stops for java or errands on the way to work.

Oil prices neared $100 per barrel last week, while gas station prices flirted with $4 per gallon at the priciest pumps. Starbucks reported a leveling of sales, announced a decline in expansion plans and experienced a drop of stock prices last week.

A travel behavior analyst, Nancy McGuckin, cited a report in 2005 called "National Household Travel Survey" by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the basis of her conclusions that morning rush hour traffic is worsened by stops for daily morning gourmet coffee at coffee shops.

McGuckin dubbed her discovery, "The Starbucks Effect" because during the period she studied, the chain added over 4000 new locations (1995-2001). Although not limited only to trips to coffee houses, the research suggests that running additional errands in the morning on the way to work has contributed to traffic congestion and increased gridlock. This is because people divert from the shortest and fastest route, to one that leads them past the coffee house or dry cleaners.

Increasing the number of stops in the trip decreases gas mileage and increases stress levels, while brewing coffee at home can actually save you gas and time as well as helping to reduce gridlock and reduce greenhouse gases by allowing the fastest route to work without detouring to the coffee shop. Brewing gourmet coffee at home also allows a wide choice of fresh ground coffee beans, from fine Italian Espresso to rare Jamaica Blue Mountain gourmet coffee (http://www.tastesoftheworld.net/product_info.php/cPath/28/products_id/76). Most coffee houses serve only a roast of the day, meaning you get whatever they brew for the day.

Commuters making gourmet coffee drinks at home before departing for work can enjoy it at home while spending quality time with the family. They'll save money by paying less than .35 cents per cup for their favorite gourmet coffee made from fresh ground beans. McDonalds announced plans recently to sell gourmet coffee under the golden arches, but not even the new less expensive fast food brew can beat the low cost of brewing premium gourmet coffee at home.

About Tastes of The World

Tastes of The World coffee company focuses on specialty gourmet coffees which are not readily available in the United States. Rare Gourmet Coffee is their business so they make shopping with them risk free. "If you are happy tell a friend if you are not tell us." International blends from Italian Espressos to Puerto Rican (http://www.tastesoftheworld.net/product_info.php/cPath/28/products_id/92) and Jamaica Blue Mountain gourmet are available at http://TastesOfTheWorld.net

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