In this week’s 6 Minute English: Buying a cup of coffee in a café can be a real treat – but what would you do if you couldn’t afford one? Would you go without? You could ask for a suspended coffee instead.
In this programme, Neil and Jen discuss the new idea of suspended coffees – a scheme where you pay for a coffee for someone who can’t afford one.
Civet coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. How much does it cost per kilogram?
Listen out for the answer at the end of the programme.
Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. My name is Jennifer and I am joined in the studio today by Neil.
Neil: Hi there.
Jennifer: In this programme, we are going to talk about coffee and an interesting new project which is going on in many European cafes. Do you like coffee?
Neil: Yes, I do like a cup of coffee.
Jennifer: What’s your favourite type of coffee?
Neil: Well, when I was younger, you could only get two types of coffee: black (without milk), or white (with milk). Now there are so many to choose from: latte, cappuccino, espresso… I think my favourite would be a latte, with caramel syrup.
Jennifer: That sounds delicious. I prefer espresso.
Neil: An espresso is too small for me, Jen. I like value for money from my coffee!
Jennifer: Well, that’s interesting, because our story is about paying for coffee which you don’t drink yourself, but first, a quiz question for you.
Neil: OK I’m ready!
Jennifer: You said you like value for money – but this question is about a very expensive coffee. It’s produced from coffee beans which are eaten by an animal called a civet – but how much can it cost per kilogram?
a) $5
b) $50
c) $550
Neil: I think $5 is too cheap and $550 is too expensive, so I’ll say b) $50.
Jennifer We will find out whether you’re right or not at the end of the programme. Back to our story, which is all about buying coffee. How much is a regular cup of coffee, Neil?
Neil: Where I live, there are lots of coffee shops. The price is usually around £2 for a cup of coffee.
Jennifer: £2 for a coffee? How often do you buy one?
Neil: Hmm, I buy one every day before I catch the train for work.
Jennifer: So, a £2 cup of coffee, Monday to Friday – that’s £10 per week. That’s quite a lot of money! But what would you do if you did not have enough money to pay for a coffee though, if you couldn’t afford it?
Neil: I suppose I would have to go without. If you go without something, you don’t have it.
Jennifer: Well, lots of people don’t have money to spare for a coffee, but now a new scheme means that they can go to a café…
Neil: Are coffee shops giving away free coffee?
Jennifer: Not quite. A new trend, or pattern, has started around Europe, where people can pay for a suspended coffee.
Neil: I know that train services can be suspended. But, what’s a suspended coffee?
Jennifer: A suspended coffee is where you donate, or give, money for a coffee that someone can drink later.
Neil: So, someone can come into a coffee shop and ask for a coffee that someone else has paid for?
Jennifer: That’s correct. So, when you buy your morning coffee, you might hand over £4 – that’s £2 for the coffee you want to drink and £2 for a suspended coffee for someone else.
Neil: That’s an interesting idea. So who would drink a suspended coffee?
Jennifer: Let’s listen to a clip from Hettie Clark, who works in a café, to find out who might ask for a suspended coffee.
Hettie Clark
A suspended coffee is where someone buys a coffee for somebody else who is in need of it. So, they could be homeless, they could be hard on their luck or it could be collaborative with the refugee centre down the road.
Jennifer: So, Hettie Clark mentioned three different types of people. Did you hear who they were?
Neil: She said “They could be homeless”. If you’re homeless, you don’t have anywhere to live.
Jennifer: Hettie also said “They could be hard on their luck”. If you are “hard on your luck”, you are unlucky.
Neil: What was the third group of people?
Jennifer: Hettie said “It could be collaborative with the refugee centre”. Refugees are people who flee their home country because of danger or war. Let’s listen to that clip from Hettie again:
Hettie Clark
A suspended coffee is where someone buys a coffee for somebody else who is in need of it. So, they could be homeless, they could be hard on their luck or it could be collaborative with the refugee centre down the road.
Jennifer: So, Neil, do you think you would buy a suspended coffee for someone in need?
Neil: Yes, I think so. It’s a chance to do a good deed for someone who needs it. What about you, Jen?
Jennifer: Yes, I think it’s a really interesting idea. I think it will be really good for communities too, because it will bring people together.
Neil: I agree.
Jennifer: Well, all this talk of coffee is making me feel rather thirsty. Let’s go and make a cup.
Neil: Hold on, you need to give the answer to the quiz question first…
Jennifer: That’s right. I asked how much civet coffee can cost, per kilo. Was it:
a) $5
b) $50
c) $550
Neil: And I said b) $50…
Jennifer: And you were wrong! It is c) $550. Coffee from beans passed through the civet is the most expensive in the world. Do join us again for another edition of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Bye for now!
Neil: Goodbye!