In fact /*coffee*/ price increases have outpaced gas prices in the past year.
While fuel prices are expected to stabilize, coffee could continue to rise.
A batch of /*espresso*/ blend coffee beans fresh out of the roaster piping hot and $2 more per pound than last year. At coffee labs in /*Tarrytown*/, they've had no choice but to pass along rising costs to their customers.
The jump in price of unroasted coffee beans known as green coffee isn't limited to specialty shops or exotic blends. /*Smucker*/ the company that distributes /*Folgers*/ and /*Dunkin Donuts*/ brand coffee in supermarkets is raising what it charges retailers 11percent.
Reasons vary from speculators driving up costs to harsh winters limiting supply.
Experts say it's unlikely prices will drop anytime soon. But for many, coffee is as much a necessity as milk or bread.
