Cassie Smith pours a cup of coffee at the Java Stop on Monday. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Searching for a cup of joe at a low price

Cheap coffee is tough to find in Lodi

Many of life's necessities are costing more and more each day. Gas is still past $4 a gallon, milk prices break the bank, and even a small cup of coffee can't be purchased with pocket change.

A cup of regular coffee at your local coffee shop may have once cost less than a dollar. But, now, you could spend up to three dollars for a basic cup of Joe.

So, I set out armed with a steno pad and pen, I was ready to face mid-morning coffee addicts before their brew, and anything else that came my way.

My assignment? Find the cheapest cup of ready-to-drink coffee in town.

I searched high and low, near and far, and found out enough about the prices of coffee to make my head spin. And, no, it wasn't because of the caffeine.

Of course, this was by no means a scientific study, but for the purpose of the story it was the best I could do.

One thing I did find right away were local residents upset at the prospect of seeing their morning cup of goodness taking more out of their pocketbooks.

"Does it bother me? Of course it bothers me," said Lodian Tracy Spencer. "Everything is going up; bread, milk, everything." Spencer, a Taco Bell employee, finds herself around the corner of her work at Starbucks buying coffee every day.

But, let me tell you, trying to prove my hypothesis wasn't quite as easy as it seemed. Naturally, one might think, "oh gas stations, they have cheap coffee."

Nope. Think again.

In fact, the three gasoline stations I looked at all had coffee, but it cost more than a dollar.

A 12 ounce cup of 7-11 coffee will be $1.29 and at Chevron, expect to pay $1.19.

On to Denny's. Known for their all-day breakfasts, I naturally thought Denny's would have the best yet the least expensive cup of caffeinated goodness.

But, once again, I was wrong. Though Denny's offers free refills, the initial cup will cost you $1.75.

Forward to the next breakfast hub. Golden Ox Restaurant. A steaming cup of coffee will cost you $1.39 and you can have as many refills as you can handle.

So, sit yourself in a booth and enjoy. That is, if you are willing to spend that much. Which I wasn't.

Since Golden Ox was reasonable, I decided to check out Applebees, another local diner. One cup of coffee, $2.29.

Applebees was way out of my price range, but I decided to see how it compared to Panera Bread.

After a quick call, I found a 16-ounce cup of coffee will cost you $1.75. A nice-sized pour, but I'm looking to pay less.

So, I set out to a local Starbucks, pretty much expecting to see high prices.

I was surprised. Not only did I find people willing to talk about coffee woes, but prices were similar to that of the gas stations and Denny's.

One small Starbucks coming up. Your total will be $1.55 please.

So, Starbucks was cheaper than Denny's, but outside was a woman swearing Carl's Junior had the best and the cheapest brew around.

"Everyone should be going to Carl's Junior," said Orange County resident Willie Edwards. "I like it because it's less expensive and I think it tastes better."

Edwards and her husband were heading back to Orange County after vacation and stopped because as she put it: "He likes Starbucks. I'm just here because of him."

Sorry Willie, but I'm afraid there is even cheaper coffee around than Carl's Junior's 12 ounces of brew that will cost you a whopping $2.99.

If diners, gas stations and fast food didn't have the cheapest coffee, I figured maybe Lodi's local coffee shops would.

On Ham Lane, House of Coffees offers a 10 ounce cup of java for $1.50 and shot of espresso for $.50. Tillies Coffee Tea etc., on West Pine Street offers a 12 ounce cup of coffee for $1.50.

And, you can get as caffeinated as you want with the free refills.

Henceforth and onward, the quest continued to McDonald's where I found signs touting $1 cups of coffee.

At first it looked as if I was done. I had found the cheapest cup of coffee I could. But wait, oh, it isn't really $1. It's $1.08.

So, I went onward to Java Stop where low and behold, I found a twelve ounce cup of house blend coffee for $1 exactly. Bingo, I was done.

After speaking with the manager, Richard Hazard, I quickly learned the secret to an inexpensive brew.

Hazard said coffee beans now cost less. If a company is willing to grind their own beans, they can offer quality coffee at low prices.

"We roast our own," Hazard said. "Then we can sell it for a buck. After all, we're not trying to make millions of dollars."

Contact Natalie Flynn at natalief@lodinews.com.