Coffee prices keep climbing worldwide: time to cut back on your cup?
Are you ready to pay more for your coffee, or is it time to switch to something cheaper?
A radio-style debate on a real news story, written for A1 learners of English (beginner): short, slow sentences about everyday things, with the most common words.
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The debate in brief
Wholesale coffee prices fell globally, but retail prices remain high. The panelists debate whether tariffs, shop operating costs, or consumer behavior changes best explain why customers pay more despite cheaper beans.
Key vocabulary
| English | Meaning and example from the episode |
|---|---|
| coffee | dark beverage made from roasted beans“Coffee prices fell.” |
| tariff | tax on imported goods“Shop prices stay high because the tariff stays high.” |
| retail | sale of goods directly to consumers“Brazil has a big crop, but retail stays high.” |
| bag | container for holding goods“My friend Dana buys one bag a month.” |
| shop | store where goods are sold“Margaret runs a coffee shop.” |
| wholesale | sale of goods in large quantities“James, wholesale coffee fell hard.” |
| extra | more than usual or necessary“Brazil is growing a big extra crop.” |
| global | relating to the whole world“Your shop costs are not the global coffee story.” |
| slow | moving or happening at low speed“But slow.” |
| cheap | low in price or cost“Cheap beans come, but the tariff eats the drop.” |
Who's talking
- Host
- Margaret Chen
Coffee shop owner with 12 years running an
Shop operating costs—staff, milk, utilities—drive retail prices, not tariffs. Her price reflects her work, not global commodity movements. - James Okonkwo
Agricultural economist specializing in
Tariffs block the wholesale price drop from reaching consumers. A person buying coffee at home still pays the tariff in the bag, making it expensive. - Sarah Mitchell
Food writer and home cooking experimenter
Consumer habits matter most. People shift to buying less coffee at home instead of visiting shops, and this behavioral change persists even if prices fall.
The panelists are fictional characters, and their voices are generated with AI.
What they debate
- Does Brazil's bumper crop mean cheaper coffee reaches your cup?
- Home brewing versus the café: what are you really giving up?
- Are tariffs worth keeping if they hit your morning coffee hardest?
- Has cutting back on coffee stuck, or will you go back when prices ease?
- Would you switch brands if your favorite coffee cost twice as much?
Transcript (beginning)
Welcome to RoundTalk. Coffee prices fell. Your cup costs more. Pay more or drink less? Margaret runs a coffee shop. James studies crops and prices. Sarah writes about food.
James, wholesale coffee fell hard. Why shop prices stay high?
Shop prices stay high because the tariff stays high. Cheap beans come, but the tariff eats the drop. Consumers wait.
No, no, wait. The tariff eats my drop too. My coffee costs a little less now. But my shop costs more. So my price stays.
Your shop costs are not the global coffee story.
Sarah, you write about how people change. What do you see?
My friend Dana buys one bag a month. Last year it was cheap. Now it costs more. The tariff eats her drop.
Dana pays more for one bag. Why? The tariff. Not a shop in Portland. That is the global story.
My shop is where the global story ends.
Sorry, but no. The global story ends at home. Dana makes her coffee at home now. She stops going to the shop.
James, Margaret says the shop is where it ends. Is it?
No. The story does not end in one shop. Brazil is growing a big extra crop. The world has too much coffee now.
The world has too much coffee. But my price is not going down.
No, no, wait. A big crop is not the whole story. People change too. Dana makes coffee at home. That change stays.
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