What Should a Latte Cost? (July 13, 2025)
Eight dollars: Six dollars for the latte, and a 2-dollar tip for the barista. How did I arrive at this expensive conclusion?
It’s simply that great lattes, even merely good lattes, are so hard to find, based on my experience. According to my rankings, you’ll need to visit about 5 cafes (!) before finding something amazing. Paying up for quality is not a bad idea. And, in fact, believe it or not, you’re already spending a LOT more than that (the second-to-last paragraph explains why)!
One of the most expensive lattes I ever had was a just-okay one at Ralph’s Coffee on the Upper East Side (3.8/5). As I wrote in my review at the time: “The gall to charge $7.50 ($8.17 with tax) for this latte! It wasn’t bad, but, like Ralph Lauren’s other merchandise, this is way overpriced for what you get.” If a café is going to charge you that much for a latte, it better be great.
But I would happily pay 8 dollars for a latte if that meant a superb drink was in the offing (note that some mediocre places are already charging that amount or close to it – looking at you Ralph’s Coffee). Most people probably won’t shell out that much, so, from a business perspective, perhaps you are assuming I don’t have an MBA (smart assumption).
On the other hand, the more that people learn about espresso, the more they will appreciate how difficult it is to make it. Then, perhaps the “you get what you pay for” philosophy will take over and people will agree to pay for an expensive but great drink.
If a cafe were to charge 8 dollars and produce a mediocre drink, few would buy it, which in my ideal world would force the café to produce a better product (though perhaps cafes would simply eliminate espresso-based drinks from the menu entirely).
If you’re still not convinced, think about it like this: Considering that your chances of finding a great latte at a café are only 1 in 5, and assuming the current cost of a latte – let’s say $6 – that means you’d have to spend $24 dollars before you find something great at that 5th cafe. And then you’d need to shell out another $6 on that great latte, for a grand total of 30 bucks! That’s far more than my proposed $8.
About tipping a great barista that two bucks: Do it! It’s all about the barista. A barista who masters espresso is an expert craftsperson who deserves a tip for every drink they make. We need more of them.
