Would you drink vending machine coffee? by EBENEZER HENG

Consumer,Electronics,Food & Beverages

Drinking vending machine coffee to most you would be probably once in a blue moon sort of thing. You would only drink it, if there are no other choices. You would never drink it as though you are drinking latte from Starbucks.
But, do you know that vending machine coffee has poured in more R&D dollars than any of the specialty or gourmet coffee roasters in the world? Take you local coffee roaster as an example, how much R&D do you think he would invest in his coffee.
Your local coffee roaster probably has his own group of loyal followers due to the unique way he roast and some blends which he has came out with. That I believed is all his R&D. I do not think he has a research lab and definitely do not think he is in talks with the local health authority.
Vending machine coffee on the other hand has to come out with a process that not only ensures that the coffee can last in the machines, taste good after a certain period of time, due to increase competition, it also has to ensure that the coffee dispense has a strong aroma with good taste.
To deliver all these, requires a R&D spend of anything between 1-5 million dollars. And as this is highly processed coffee, it would need the local food science authority giving it the green light before it can be sold in the market.
And getting the approval from the authority meant spending some more money on testing and getting the relevant certificates. So, on this process, at least the company would have to spend another 0.5-1 million dollars.
Therefore, in order to serve you the consumers, coffee from the vending machine, companies have to spend millions of dollars getting it ready. Do you think your local roasters would spend this much on the coffee sold to you?
Then, the machines have a person servicing it daily to ensure that its quality is being maintained and there is adequate stock. This ensures that the vending machine is in tip top condition when dispensing your coffee.
On the other hand, would you even know if the coffee maker that is brewing your coffee in the local shop is cleaned daily?
Of course, what I am comparing are the variables that contribute to the overall taste in a cup of coffee. Coffee shops definitely has the ability to brew a great cup of coffee, but this is does not mean to say that vending machine coffee is of a lower grade.
It might be freeze dried, but that does not mean lower quality. The fact is, if you factored in the health issue, and the consistent quality, vending grade coffee can be consider to be a better product than your local roasted coffee!
Personally, I would drink from this vending grade coffee and would enjoy it knowing that it has passed through many hands in order to make it safe for me to enjoy. So, what about you, would you drink it?