What suppliers are people using for mail-order coffee these days? I've been using Modern Standard for a while (and am very happy with them) but would be interested in trying others for a bit of variety. Generally I buy a couple of kilos of whole beans at a time (but as one-offs rather than a subscription). If anyone has any discount codes or referral links, all the better.
We've had a couple of free packets from Pact and it was flippin' lovely. And a very sound company too, by the looks of it. On my list today is to contact them and set up a subscription.
We're all a bit different. I found the Pact coffees to be incredibly acidic.
I use Monsoon Estates coffee. (I think Rocketdog recommended them years ago ?)
recently discovered Wogan Coffee
reasonable prices, really good cofee - they have a couple of decaf whole bean ranges that are excellent.
I've started just doing a random 'Coffee Roaster near you' google search in my local area. There are so many small scale roasteries starting up that there may well be someone round the corner.
Last year I found one enterprising couple had literally just started it in their garden shed two streets away so I could pop round on the bike, save any postage costs and have a nosy around the roastery itself. - https://www.pearhauscoffee.com/
And a very sound company too, by the looks of it.
hmmmmm - it was death by spam mail last time I tried using them. A few years ago mind.
Hasbean in the past which I liked. Rave coffee too - not as good but cheaper. Now I use a local to me place (inverness roasting company) and have a bit of a deal which makes the price a little more palatable.
Hard times so a kg bag of lavazza from super market!
https://www.curiousroo.com/at-home/
Their cafe in Ealing is excellent as well if you fancy try before you buy.
I spent a while trying lots of local and national suppliers, with mixed levels of success. Like ElShalimo above, I found a number to be quite acidic or just not as darkly roasted as I would like.
My favourite is Surrey Hills Coffee (their Pitch Hill roast) which hits the spot really well for me (for reference, I tend to make/drink espressos, machiatos, occasional americanos).
I’ve started just doing a random ‘Coffee Roaster near you’ google search in my local area. There are so many small scale roasteries starting up that there may well be someone round the corner.
Yep, this. My local one is ace, and does local deliveries by bike (or post all over). https://carnivalcoffee.co.uk/
at your favourite espresso stop ask the barista where they get their coffee and then try beans from there.
Lots of different roasters around Brighton and SDW, so working my way through these based on good coffee consumed on the trail.
Pharmacie, Lewes
Tigermoth, Lewes
Craft Coffee, Wivelsfield
Also
Horsham Roasters (actually in Burgess Hill)
Small Batch, Brighton
Always buy small bags so have freshly roasted beans
I really like https://rountoncoffee.co.uk/
Loving the rich roast Columbia at the moment
Waitrose. Ueshima, it's delish. Also available online.
I must live in a small batch local roaster wasteland because I don't see any nearby.
Anyway I've been happy with Rave. Reasonable prices and plenty of choice. I did try Square Mile as well and it was nice enough but they charge 50% more.
We have been using Rave for about the last year - some really nice blends that they do.
https://jamesgourmetcoffee.com just down the road from me.
Lots of variety. If you talk to Peter (who owns it) he'll recommend something based on your preferences. Warning tho, it will be a very long conversation 😉
I've been with Pact for years, mainly as they do decent decaff beans for not silly money. I had a look at alternatives but ended up settling on Pact for weekly deliveries as they're so easy topped up by others when I fancy a change.
Pact when I was in the UK, now I receive a selection of links from a dyed in the wool hipster telling me what is good in the world of coffee.
Like this: https://www.lykkegardar.se/collections/coffee-standard/products/lykke-can-go-low
Sainsburys
Tried various fancy ones and always find them too harsh and bitter. I’m clearly a Philistine but haven’t found much better than Lavazza Crema e Aroma. Currently using Sainsbury’s fair trade which is also perfectly fine but not quite as smooth.
Tried various fancy ones and always find them too harsh and bitter.
Ueshima. Smoother than a baby's bum but still somehow satisfyingly coffee-ish and tasty but not fruity. It's really something different. The house blend is smoother than the bold roast.
Pact for me here as well, super easy to maintain a good level of nice (to me anyway) coffee where you also get a bit of variety. I should definitely look for some local roasters round here though.
Everyday stuff comes from here:
https://hotnumberscoffee.co.uk/
If I'm feeling fancier then quite often will get something from here:
https://girlswhogrindcoffee.com/
EDIT: Anyone know why the hot numbers link has come up as a mini embedded web page? Not seen that before?
Origin coffee for something nice.
Specifically their Stronghold beans:
https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/products/stronghold?variant=20150710337609
Nicest thing I've had in quite a while!
Coaltown Coffee
Redber just outside of Guildford
https://www.redber.co.uk/products/cafe-francais-blend
Went rhrough a few and found the Cafe Francais belnd is lovely, both in filter and espresso. I used to use Kingdom for years which was OK, but the best i could get to (like) was something nearish a costa type blend.
TK Maxx, Waitrose, M&S and Tesco - mostly dark roast.
if i used my favorite bean it would be dear green - but alas i cant afford to (40 quid a kilo)so i save that for a treat when i go to the park shop (best coffee in Aberdeenshire hands down)
So instead i use Union roasters signature blend. 24quid a kilo.
co-op. I drink way too much for any of that fancy shit.
Another Extract user here. Normally buy whatever is on the latest 30% off offer I got an email about, otherwise get the original espresso kg bag.
Another Pact subscriber. It's been good because it got me to try a number of different coffees that I otherwise wouldn't have considered, and that I like a lot. I get a bag a week, and top it up either with extra bags from Pact or an order from Rave.
I've using Pebble & Pine for a while, decent variety and price.
James Gourmet and Extract as mentioned above.
I tend to use a local roaster so I can pop in and have a chat about what I want and sometimes get a wee sample to taste.
However, if convenience dictates, I like using the rave coffee quiz to find some beans to fit my mood:
https://ravecoffee.co.uk/pages/coffee-quiz
This tome I decided to see what happens when I ask for light-roast and crazy flavour and am really enjoying what they've sent.
Decent coffee, social enterprise that support homeless people in a number of different ways, and they're based just across the road from me.
I used Hormozi a couple of times after a recommendation on here. They certainly seem very reasonably-priced compared to other places. Decent coffee too, though the last blend I ordered is a bit too acidic for me.
https://hormozi.co.uk
I've just done an order with Rave so will see how that compares.
Coffee beans bought by the kg can be VAT exempt. Worth trying to find a supplier who will set up a wholesale account. 1kg lasts 3-4 weeks for me. Ancoats Coffee. I also like Dark Woods.
I've used Hormozi for years, good variety, roasted to your taste, well priced and prompt delivery. Free delivery I think over £40 so I get 3kg at a time.
Kontextcoffee.comKontext Coffee
Is next door to Geometron and we'll worth some of your cash. They used to do a Robusta which I really liked.
Used monsoon in the past and found their roasts to be excellent. Currently have a sub with Pink Lane Coffee in Newcastle
I get mine from a lovely couple who run a top notch cafe on the IoW, The Freshwater Coffee House
Piece on R4 yesterday lunchtime where a couple with an online coffee roasting business had to shut shop as orders had dropped through the floor, both online sales and the shops they supply. Guess folk are choosing between paying the fuel bill and decent coffee 😕
Many great small local roasters about the place. I do like to try different ones, but my local is Crankhouse in Exeter and recently I've mostly bought from him, always been happy with what I get. He's also a keen cyclist. I'm a fan of Foundry in Sheffield too.
Not sure whether this kind of roaster would appeal to those who think a lot of others are too light a roast. Personally, I find the opposite in that I'm more likely to find coffee over-roasted for my tastes. Albeit probably not that from good independents.
Another vote for https://extractcoffee.co.uk/ here. They have a great selection and I've found the quality of their beans/roasts have been better than Pact when I used to get them.
I've tried/used Extract, Wogan's, Rave, CoffeeCompass and North Star, but by far the best and most consistent has been Redber in Guildford.
https://heartandgraft.co.uk/ (as used by a few excellent local coffee shops in Heaton Moor)
I used to try lots of different roasters but Heart & Graft keep me happy now (Kickback also very good - now my preferred mid-ride pit stop on the Brickworks)
Red Brick from Square Mile Coffee Roasters is hard to beat!
Another vote for Monsoon here, partly because I can buy direct from the owners at at my local market every Saturday, but mostly because I've yet to find anything I like better. Fire Dancer, Espresso and The Bloke are probably my favourites, with the occasional bag of Fixie when I fancy something with a bit more bite.
I found iron and fire roasters about 6 months back and haven't ordered from anyone else since.
Really like their half-caf as well for when i don't want a lot of caffeine
I like redber coffees, currently on some sumatran mandheling as I type... 👍
I use a local roaster - Exchange Coffee. Their Espresso Crema is excellent stuff, and certainly not bitter. They did mail order for me throughout the pandemic.
My go to bulk buy remains Happy Donkey 100% Costa Rican at half the price of everyone else.
I buy the odd bag of:
a) Pact coffee
b) a 4 pack from Hasbeen
c) a 4 pack from Hotel Chocolat
The latter is surprisingly good. I know coffee prices are on the rise like everything else but £9 for 250g is a bit steep for me.
Another vote for Rave.
However, don't judge me for our go to beans when we are between Rave deliveries.
This is my favourite at the moment. Reasonably priced. Dark strong roast. Very good and non of those acidic sour fruity taste at all. Roast is darker than Java or Sumatra.
Cornish Coffee Stupidly Strong
Papua New Guinea highland or lowland beans are also very good.
Black Donkey Devil's Roast coffee bags, this afternoon I ought to pour hot water into the bag storage container, the early alarm today for work after a week off has left me super zombied!
Yes, Happy Donkey for us too. I like their Brazilian blend for my espressos. Mrs BigJohn has cappuccinos and likes their Costa Rica. She finds mine too muddy (it has a tiny bit of robusta which I like) and I find hers too sharp.
I really like fancy coffee, it’s one of my hobbies actually 😬
Dog & Hat do a good rotating subscription offer.
Normally rotate through these getting 1-2kg and splitting it into small freezer friendly bags to use as needed.
https://www.crafthousecoffee.co.uk
https://www.djangocoffeeco.com/
https://www.coffeecompass.co.uk - note do roast more medium dark but do so very well
https://www.crankhousecoffee.co.uk
https://www.blackcatcoffee.co.uk
I try to go localish (Glasgow). Dear Green are very good but quite pricey, Hinba are based near Oban and good value and nice (recently opened a cafe in Glasgow too), and a couple of the local roasters in Glasgow. Glen Lyon are good too, but also pricey. All have been good and gives a nice variety. When I run out of fancy stuff I buy lavazza red at the shop and notice how much less I like it now than I used to(quite burnt and bitter).
Tried various fancy ones and always find them too harsh and bitter. I’m clearly a Philistine but haven’t found much better than Lavazza Crema e Aroma. Currently using Sainsbury’s fair trade which is also perfectly fine but not quite as smooth.
Pretty much the same, mainly Sainsburys Espresso at £10 a kg.
Pollards for me in Sheffield. Feel an obligation as remember being taken there by my mum (a big coffee drinker) from a very young age (and I’m now nearly 50).
Lots of history to the company too
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9410000/9410358.stm
Another Pact subscriber here. I've been with them for yonks so I get their 'pioneer price'. I love trying the random varieties they send. Very occasionally they send me one I don't like, I let them know and they don't send it again. Always freshly roasted, usually only 1 or 2 days before I get them
Based in Livingston and run by Murray Swanson. Gem of a bloke and a handy cyclist to say the least. Sources his beans from various places and roast them in house.
Edgecumbes down near Arundel is my local go to. Dark Side of the Edge is the current favourite blend but they have all been good.
Started with a pactcoffee.com subscription then moved to buying bulk beans from https://stirlingcoffee.co.uk/ for the last 6 months. Theyve got some fabulous roasts.
Please don't laugh but my go to is Morrisons Italian Coffee Beans I sometimes trial other beans but keep going back to this (not their Espresso blend which is bitterer) and helps it is under £9/kilo too.
Another satisfied Wogan user here. Some of the blended coffees are a bit to heavy roast for my taste. Spend over £35 and post is free and usually next day if you order before 8am on a weekday. Still family run too.
