Why does the raw coffee bean meaning matter when coffee prices are debated

Raw coffee beans are the green, unroasted seeds that come off the coffee tree and go into roasting; the term describes the bean before any heat is applied. That distinction matters in everyday coffee talk, because price, origin and processing are all tied to the green stage, not to the roasted bean sitting on a shop shelf.

Understanding the raw coffee bean meaning also helps in budget conversations. A widely discussed suggestion in China held that young people could drink one less 30-yuan cup of coffee a day and save nearly a thousand yuan a month, close to the individual pension tax benefit cap. Readers pointed out that a daily 30-yuan cup is not a common expense, so cutting coffee does not solve retirement pressure. Coffee knowledge of this kind separates a bean's cost from a cafe's price.

As China's population aging process accelerates, the retirement issues of the post-80s and post-90s generations are drawing increasing attention. Some experts suggest that young people should plan for retirement as early as possible—for example, by drinking one less 30-yuan cup of coffee each day, they could save nearly a thousand yuan a month, which happens to match the tax benefit cap of the individual pension scheme. However, this suggestion has sparked widespread discussion on social media. For many young people, a 30-yuan cup of coffee every day is not a common expense, and the overall pressure of living costs is far from something that can be solved by skipping one cup of coffee. This article will explore the realities and controversies behind this topic from the perspectives of retirement data, individual pension policy, and the current state of coffee consumption.

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According to statistics, by the end of 2021, the number of people aged 60 and above nationwide had reached 267.36 million, accounting for 18.9% of the total population; among them, those aged 65 and above numbered 200.56 million, or 14.2%. Relevant forecasts show that by 2027, the proportion of the elderly population will exceed 20%, marking China's entry into a stage of deep aging.

By 2050, the elderly population is expected to reach 487 million, about one-third of the country's total population, and a super-aging society will cover the entire retirement life of the post-80s and post-90s generations. In other words, by then one in every two or three people will be elderly, and roughly two young people will need to support one elderly person.

In recent years, reports about "insufficient pensions in some provinces and cities" have been common, and how the post-80s and post-90s generations will solve their retirement problems has become an anxiety for many. In response to this situation, in 2021 Zhou Yanfang, a deputy to the National People's Congress and deputy general manager of Pacific Medical Health Management Company, submitted multiple retirement-related proposals, calling for accelerating the construction of commercial pension insurance and the third pillar of pensions, namely the individual pension system.

During this year's Two Sessions, Southern Metropolis Daily held a retirement-themed forum, inviting 50 experts and scholars to discuss retirement issues together. Dong Keyong, secretary-general of the forum, said when talking about individual pensions that individual pensions belong to accumulated pensions, and the earlier one participates, the more beneficial it is. In particular, the state also provides tax preferential policies, which are even more meaningful for young people; this system can be said to be tailored for young people.

If planning is done early, for example by drinking one less cup of coffee each day and saving 30 yuan, 900 yuan can be accumulated in a month, roughly equivalent to the nearly 1,000 yuan tax benefit cap provided by the state. Saving the cost of one cup of coffee a day can prepare one in advance for future retirement life.

(Insert: According to the latest policy, the annual contribution cap for individual pensions is 12,000 yuan, or 1,000 yuan per month. After participating in individual pension investment and obtaining a 1,000-yuan tax benefit cap, the taxable amount can be reduced by 96.3 yuan, accounting for 9.6% of the tax benefit cap. As income rises, the ratio of the tax difference to the tax benefit cap will further increase.

In other words, the 1,000 yuan deposited into an individual pension account each month, even without any investment, can enjoy a tax benefit return of about 3%. If the investment returns of steady pension products are added, the overall return will be even more considerable.)

However, in reality, how many young people can actually drink a 30-yuan cup of coffee every day? 3 0 yuan a cup of coffee , perhaps for a small portion of people , it may be a normal coffee price. But even so, every day people who spend 30 yuan on a cup of coffee account for a very small proportion.

Many netizens admit that, let alone a 30-yuan cup of coffee, even coffee costing just over ten yuan is at most something they drink only once or twice a week; after all, the cost of one cup of coffee is already enough for a very filling meal. Some netizens also said: "Drinking coffee is just an occasional way to relax—does even this bit of happiness have to be 'deprived'?" "Most people who can drink coffee every day brew it themselves from coffee beans, which works out to only a few yuan per cup..."

From a certain perspective, the expert's view itself is not a big problem; it is just that the metaphor may not be quite apt. For many young people, being able to set aside 1,000 yuan a month to pay into an individual pension is itself not an easy thing.

After all, daily expenses go far beyond coffee, and the costs of other aspects of life are the biggest burden. No matter what salary level one is at, everyone has their own spending pressures, and this money cannot be saved just by drinking one less cup of coffee.

At the same time, for some people coffee is a daily necessity, but there are still more people who do not have the habit of drinking coffee or spending on coffee. If sincere advice is really being given to all young people, then using "saving on coffee" as a metaphor is clearly inappropriate.

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.