By Ben Rodgers
Editor
DE PERE – All it took was 117 shots of espresso, 312 ounces of milk, four baristas, a new roll of receipt printer paper and a little over an hour and a new unofficial world record has been set.
Thankfully, for the baristas De Pere resident Nick Hetcher called The Exchange Coffee, Mercantile, & Eatery ahead of time for his massive order, setting a new unofficial world record for most expensive cup of coffee ever purchased at a coffee shop.
“When our boss told us we were going to make the world’s biggest cup of coffee we were like ‘OK. It’s going to be a fun Friday,” said Kira O’Donoghue, shop lead at The Exchange.
The total price tag on Friday, Nov. 30, for the 429 ounces of caffeine was $162.52, after tax, and $154.05 before.
Hetcher had 170 ounces poured into one giant mug, and the rest in smaller to-go cups.
Guinness World Records doesn’t have a category for most expensive cup of joe, but recordsetter.com recognizes the most expensive Starbucks drink ever ordered.
The previous record on the site was $148.99 set at a Starbucks in Bethesda, Maryland.
When asked if it was safe to consume that much coffee, O’Donoghue didn’t mince words.
“Not at all,” O’Donoghue said. “Think of all that caffeine going into his body. It’s not safe at all.”
But Hetcher had no plans to consume the entire 3.3-gallon order.
“Obviously I can’t drink it,” Hetcher said. “If anyone wants a cup, they can have one.”
By placing his order at The Exchange part of Hetcher’s total will go to support Eye Heart World, a De Pere organization that aims to combat human trafficking in Wisconsin and Alabama.
“It’s a great cause,” Hetcher said. “They are legitimately helping young girls get off the street. They’ve even set up the Rose House, a house for them. It’s a great cause.”
Hetcher also has a book out under his alias Joe Caffeine titled “The Coffee Joke Book,” available for purchase at Amazon and The Exchange.
“It will give you some good laughs day after day, 363 days a year,” he said. “A couple of the jokes aren’t that good.”