Obviously I like to keep the local artisan coffee roasters in business, but are there any beans in the big supermarkets worth looking out for on special offers?
Before all you smug Northerners chip in, I don't have a Booths, sadly.
Keep an eye out for Lidl. Usually on Italian week but also on XXL week.
It's not a supermarket but if you want some cheapish-yet-decent beans, £12.85 delivered for 1KG of Con Vivo from wogancoffee.com is unbeatable (in my no doubt limited experience, anyway). At that price you're getting plenty of Robusta in the mix but it'll be roasted within a day or two of your order and you can still feel like you're shopping independent.
I've been using Waitrose No.1 Sumatra Mandheling recently which I quite like. £13.00 for 750g.
Lidl have done some amazing beans over the years. Current offering in big bags is very much Lavazza level/style, but in the past they've done Guatemalan beans that were the best available at any price, never mind their low price. Not seen them for a while.
Booths have just put their prices up... a lot... but beans are costing more for all suppliers to source. Flipping good though.
What I'm looking for is decent supermarket decaf beans at a low price... to wean me off the Amazon own brand ones (they're half the price of anyone else's, and better than decaf beans I've had for four times the price of indy specialists).
Having tried a huge number of independent roasters in Australia, Aldi are my go-to. Latzio medium roast blend. Although we have different Aldi's down here...... but might be worth checking out your northern Aldi's beans.
aldi-australias-coffee-crowned-worlds-best-at-the-superbowl-of-coffee-awards
Not sure if you're near a costco, but my wife picked up a bag of these Grumpy Mule beans yesterday.
Roastery based in Holmfirth. Also sell in Waitrose according to their website.
Also, I've not tried them yet so they might be disgusting. But for £13.99/kg they're half the price of our normal local deli beans.
Not sure if you're near a costco, but my wife picked up a bag of these Grumpy Mule beans yesterday.
Roastery based in Holmfirth. Also sell in Waitrose according to their website.
Also, I've not tried them yet so they might be disgusting.
The Grumpy Mule stuff I've had in the past has always been excellent.
Opened thread to say Booths, but then read the OP,sorry!
Smug northerner.
Some nice ideas.
A couple of local places sell Grumpy Mule.
@kelvin - not supermarket but both 200 Degrees and 47 Degrees do decent decaf, both local to me.
It's not artisan but is okay. Doesn't work out much cheaper though: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/illy-cafe-coffee-beans-250g
It's not artisan but is okay. Doesn't work out much cheaper though: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/illy-cafe-coffee-beans-250g
If you're shopping in Sainos, you should try Union Revelation. It's pretty decent and has the roasting date on the bag. Somehow it's cheaper per 100g than Illy too.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/union-roasted-revelation-wholebean-700g
Lofbergs is another brand available in supermarkets that states the roasting date on the the bag. Currently £14.25/1kg in Tescos
Lofbergs is another brand available in supermarkets that states the roasting date on the the bag. Currently £14.25/1kg in Tescos
That's what prompted the thread, didn't fancy gambling on a kilo though
Tkmaxx often have 1kg bags of beans but it's a bit of a lottery when it comes to quality
Tesco have the Lofberg Brazil single origin beans in 400g for £7.75
If all Robusta is important then the Wogan Omega blend is the one to buy.
Tkmaxx often have 1kg bags of beans but it's a bit of a lottery when it comes to quality
I've tried two different bags, at different times, of coffee from TKMaxx and both were tasteless and stale. I avoid now - no matter how tempting the offering :o)
As a general rule, only buy beans which have a roasting date on the bag.
Apologies if you already know this, but: The sweet spot is generally 2-8 weeks after roasting. You can of course drink them after that, it's just that the quality will deteriorate from that point onwards. Lots of supermarket coffee has a best before date which is 12 months (or maybe 24?) after roasting - which gives you an indication of when it might have been roasted, and how dire it will be.
The problem with Supermarket coffee is whether it can physically make it from the roaster to your coffee cup within 2-8 weeks...... or shortly after that. That's why Booths are so good - they are supermarket price (a bit more), but artisan roaster fresh. My advice is to just buy it from them online. And Importantly, don't but too much at once - so that your are still "getting-through it" after it's past it's best.
Re: TKmax. Their business model precludes them from being able to sell fresh coffee I would imagine?
Somewhere in-between artisan and supermarket prices at £20/kilo
https://quokkacoffee.com/products/quokka-coffee-whole-bean-medium-roast-1-kg-100-colombian-coffee
I've tried two different bags, at different times, of coffee from TKMaxx and both were tasteless and stale. I avoid now - no matter how tempting the offering :o)
Their whole business model* is to sell last years stock, so never go near their food section unless burst bags of year old food are what you're after.
*well, was. They've since become more of a Planet-X and bought up some bankrupt smaller brands / invented brands and the quality is even worse than Planet-X
have you considered moving?
Numerous times, Booths being a factor.
The money you save on housing will even mean that you'll be able to afford to shop there!
The sweet spot is generally 2-8 weeks after roasting
Genuine question - why not 0-8 weeks?
Wonky coffee do a kilo delivered for about 16 pounds and it’s both delicious and green, they reclaim other’s coffee
why not 0-8 weeks?
CO2 content. Beans contain a lot of CO2 after roasting and it gradually off-gases afterwards. This is why there is a small one way valve in the bag. It's only really an issue if making espresso, as it produces too much "crema", the layer of brown foam on top. Some crema is desirable, but too much can make the.shot taste overly bitter.
It's generally advised to let freshly roasted beans "rest" for a week or two after the roasting date to allow the excess CO2 to reduce to an acceptable level. If you are using them in a French press, Aeropress or anything other than an espresso machine, it's not an issue and you can use them straight away. It's the higher pressure (~9 bar) in an espresso machine that releases the dissolved CO2.
It's not a hard and fast rule, I often pull a shot with new beans, I don't think it makes that much difference. Far better to have coffee that's too fresh than too stale ime.
@MoreCashThanDash
IIRC you work in Nottingham from time to time - when you're next there pop into Blend and get a bag of Stewarts beans, they're rather good and very local - the roast house is behind Snienton market - it used to be in the market itself, but they've expanded.
That sounds a top tip, thank you
I think you need to sign up to Lidls, but spend £30 there, between 7-13 April and get £5 back.
I'm no barista, but enjoying Cafe Direct's Machu Pichu, in biggish bags from Sainsbury's
and I have access to Booths
