# blending coffee

#### irene12

I've tried to work this problem out, but I'm stuck. Barstucks is making a new coffee blend. The company bought 50 lbs. of Kona beans at $34.95 per lb. and plans to mix these beans with Columbian beans that sell for$7.99 per lb.wholesale. If Barstucks wants its cost of the blend to be $11.95 per lb. how many lbs. of Colombian beans should it buy? I thought I should find the percentage that could be used to create the 11.95 blend, but nothing is working. #### Subhotosh Khan ##### Super Moderator Staff member irene12 said: I've tried to work this problem out, but I'm stuck. Barstucks is making a new coffee blend. The company bought 50 lbs. of Kona beans at$34.95 per lb. and plans to mix these beans with Columbian beans that sell for $7.99 per lb.wholesale. If Barstucks wants its cost of the blend to be$11.95 per lb. how many lbs. of Colombian beans should it buy? I thought I should find the percentage that could be used to create the 11.95 blend, but nothing is working.
Please show us - how it is not working out.

#### irene12

50 lbs($34.95) +1 lb(7.99)=x(11.95) Is this on the right track to solving the problem? Irene J #### JeffM ##### Guest irene12 said: 50 lbs($34.95) +1 lb(7.99)=x(11.95) Is this on the right track to solving the problem? Irene

Road to Long Answer: What is the unknown? The number of pounds of Columbian coffee bought. So write it down. You should have:

x = pounds of Columbian coffee bought.

So how many dollars did Barstucks pay for coffee?

How many pounds of coffee did they get for that money?

#### Denis

##### Senior Member
Irene, "showing" it this way will probably make it much easier:

x = required Columbian beans
Code:
50   @ 34.95
x    @  7.99
============
50+x @ 11.95