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Had a Pact subscription previously which I liked and am tempted to renew at £8.95 for 250g of ground coffee that changes every delivery.
Any other options I should consider?
I've had Rave coffee subs on and off over the years, always been good.
I used to have a Hasbean 'In My Mug' subscription, though not for a while. Excellent coffee, but very expensive these days.
We buy from Peak Bean our local roaster. Order online and they drop it off on their way home 🙂
I've been with Pact for ages, I pay their 'pioneer' price - a quid a bag cheaper than for new customers. They are OK, but recently I've been buying from a couple of local-ish to me roasters who are very good too.
I've been using Iron & Fire and Mill Bank coffee. They also do mail order and subscriptions and are I think, a little cheaper than Pact. I also find Pact tend to sell more medium to darker roasts when I drink more light roasts these days. More and more I've been pausing my Pact subscription, as I discover great coffee from other small roasters.
There are loads of great small roasteries all over the country now, find one nearby and give them a try.
Thanks everyone. I like to support local businesses so will hunt one out. Heading into town later so shouldn’t be too hard.
We buy from one of a few local roasters for posh 'weekend coffee' - usually Unorthodox.
Then for through the week beans we get a bag from Wonky Coffee (formally Odd Coffee Co) delivered every few weeks. They buy up waste from other coffee brands and re sell it. Sometimes varies a bit being made of random stuff, but it's much closer to the small roasters in quality than the supermarket bags it replaced cost wise.
I am a Pact subscriber and still really rate it. Plus the CEO is a proper keen cyclist.
There are local's that I really should probably use, but on the recommendation of a friend I went with PACT too. The coffees are great, I love that there is always variation and I can tune my preferences (which I do not do religiously, but still helps - if anyone is buying me coffee - the darker roast the better please!), and the subscription speed up/slow down is very helpful.
I struggled to make a subscription work for me. Or rather I struggled to make it work as my only source of beans. Either having oversupply or more normally running out and having to supplement elsewhere.
If you remember the old lovefilm dvd subscription model - as soon as one returned they'd send you the next available on your list. That would work - with a couple of days supply left, you trigger the next ones despatch. Maybe that now exists and I'm behind the times. But a bag event week/2 weeks/month is too clunky.
We use a local roaster for our holiday let as part of the welcome pack and some of the order might get stuck in our kitchen. It keeps me going whilst I iron sheets, so I reckon that's legitimate business expenses.
I've got better at managing over and under supply. With Pact you can easily pause, reschedule or change frequency of deliveries, it takes seconds on their website. As I'm always trying new beans from local roasters, I sometimes have too much. I freeze the excess. Either in its original package by just writing the date frozen on the bag, or in a ziplock back with roast and freeze date. It freezes really well with no detectable loss of flavour.
Not a popular upper middle class observation but I’ve tried various cheaper and more expensive coffees over the years and always end up returning to Lavazza Crema E Aroma which has for me the best balance of flavour for everything from Espressos to Lattes.
More expensive coffees I almost always find too bitter and harsh, especially (sad to say) locally roasted ones which I’d happily support if they tasted better.
Plus can still get Lavazza for a shade over £10 per kg which is a bonus…
try Monsoon Estates
https://monsoonestates.co.uk/pages/subscriptions
I've been using them for about 6yrs or so since they were recommended on here (maybe by Rocketdog?). Their dark roasts are very good.
I've had a subscription since Christmas with
Different one every month, really nice variations and has opened my eyes beyond years of Lavazza Red.
Our local roaster: https://jamesgourmetcoffee.com/ is great. Peter - owner - really knows his stuff, is a complete coffee nerd. They have lots to choose from and are always happy for a chat if you're not sure what you'd like.
I collect mine as it's just down the road and if you're in there when they're roasting......mmmmmm
I’ve been buying the Lavazza but fancy something different. Pact was great and I liked that you could get different coffees, pause it etc. Always from small ethical growers too, plus the taste cards were a nice touch.
Anyone got a subscriber promo/share code for them? I’m going to buy some locally later but the subscription is handy.
More expensive coffees I almost always find too bitter and harsh.
This is probably down to too dark a roast (for your tastes), or too fine a grind - both easily fixed. Big brand coffee, even Lavazza is usually (relatively speaking) old and stale by the time you get your hands on it. This is because it's treated as a commodity with a long shelf life and not a fresh product. Especially if you are buying it pre-ground. Absolutely fine if you like it, but with a few tweaks you could discover a world of new flavours with freshly roasted coffee which are currently off your radar.
I have been really enjoying dark arts coffee subscription and they offer a range of roast types for what you need.
Edge Coffee near Arundel are good. I did a coffee course there too, great morning out + nice cafe if you are in cycle range/ South Downs area.
We get a kilo of the Rave coffee Signature blend delivered a month as our every day "base" coffee, then we tend to explore local suppliers with 1-2 bags of theirs a month, lucky to have 5-6 within 20 mile radius of us in Norfolk.
Doesn't work out too bad at £20 a kilo from Rave, and cheaper and nicer than the combination of coffee bags, instant and fresh ground coffee we used to buy now we have decent bean to cup machine.
Although with Rave you don't really need a subscription, there was code for 15% off as new customer, then a 10% off voucher in box with first coffee, then if you buy regularly from them, you accrue reward points that constantly offer money off anyway.
I tried a few subs but really didn't get on with them. We use 250g a week and I'd spend most of that week tuning the grind. And most of the (lightly roasted) coffees weren't to my taste. And it's expensive.
I've now found a good dark road (Espresso Classico) that I like from Martin Carwardine (Lovecoffee.co.uk) and it's £17 a kilo (I order 4 at a time for free delivery). They 'best before' the bags for a year and I notice no difference between the first bag and the last over 4 months. (it's once it's opened it starts changing, but not by much over a month in a sealed container in the cupboard.
I’m sure you’re right about freshly roasted coffee vs the off the shelf stuff but I’ve yet to find one I really like. I don’t muck about with fineness of grinding etc though and rely on the likely sacrilege of a fully automatic Melitta bean to cup job.
I use Black Cat coffee and they do subscriptions.
I did try Hasbean for a couple of months having heard about it on here. Far too weak for my liking so I have gone back to Black Cat Coffee
I did try Hasbean for a couple of months having heard about it on here. Far too weak for my liking
The strength of a cup of coffee has little to do with where you buy your beans from. It is down to how well extracted it is (controlled by brew time, water temperature and grind size) and by the ratio of ground coffee to water. All these things are easily changed to get the strength you like, without changing the beans.
People often talk about 'strength' when what they actually mean is roast level, which is a different thing. This is how supermarkets grade strength level in coffee, as in darker = 'stronger' but it isn't really, it's just more bitter and people perceive that bitterness as 'strength'.
In terms of caffeine content, that's more down to the species of coffee and altitude it's grown at rather than roast level. James Hoffman (who else) did a good video on coffee strength.
Heart and Graft. They were recommended to me on here. I buy from them every 2 weeks now
I have been a fan and using Happy Donkey beans for over 20 years.
https://www.happydonkey.co.uk/product-category/coffee-beans/
The strength of a cup of coffee has little to do with where you buy your beans from. It is down to how well extracted it is (controlled by brew time, water temperature and grind size) and by the ratio of ground coffee to water. All these things are easily changed to get the strength you like, without changing the beans.
People often talk about ‘strength’ when what they actually mean is roast level, which is a different thing. This is how supermarkets grade strength level in coffee, as in darker = ‘stronger’ but it isn’t really, it’s just more bitter and people perceive that bitterness as ‘strength’.
In terms of caffeine content, that’s more down to the species of coffee and altitude it’s grown at rather than roast level. James Hoffman (who else) did a good video on coffee strength.
So much this - too many coffee beans are roasted very dark to hid the averageness of the beans. Good coffee can be a light and 'zesty' experience.
I’d recommend White Rose coffee - tipped on here last year in a similar thread. I’ve settled on a monthly order of 2 x 1kg bags on a lucky dip basis, so whatever’s available at the time of dispatch. Yet to be disappointed, and it’s cheaper, better & way more convenient than waiting for the guy who attends the farmers’ market.
convertFull Member
I struggled to make a subscription work for me. Or rather I struggled to make it work as my only source of beans. Either having oversupply or more normally running out and having to supplement elsewhere.
Rave are good for this; you can go to your account and delay or expedite your next delivery as required.
Also, they roast and send within a day
rountoncoffee.co.uk
Good service and product
Recommending because I know the owner: Dear Green coffee in Glasgow. Dear Green coffee subscription
I'm not sure about the person above finding locally roasted stuff more bitter. It's normally the opposite: fresher beans with lighter roasts makes much much nicer coffee than dark roasted stale commodity coffee.
Yallah, good discount on subscriptions, let you order early/skip with ease. Also have a good loyalty points scheme where you can get those snazzy storage containers that suck air out
If your using an espresso machine then its a bit daft getting one of those different coffee every time subs. Find a coffee you like and get the grind / machine properly dialled in and then stick to it for a while.
Another Heart and Graft recommendation. Recommended on here previously and I'm loving their Barnraiser blend.
Wow, more recommendations than I’ll ever be able to try!
Thanks for the help everyone!
Surprised to see no other love for Wonky, it's really nice, they offer light medium and dark roasts, and a whole lot of other stuff we don't know because we don't buy it. An aeropress and a £50 burr grinder, at work and home. Bosh and made in a few seconds, especially with a temperature kettle.
https://colonnacoffee.com/ Or The Barn out of Berlin beat anything mentioned here for me with the caveat that I’m an espresso or filter drinker. If you’re adding milk and sugar the others are all good.
I've been getting coffee from Horsham Coffee. Not yet signed up for their subscription but very tempted.
https://www.horshamcoffeeroaster.co.uk
Generally seems to be on the lighter side, which I tend to prefer (my wife isn't so keen - she likes a nice dark italian). Their espresso blend works really well in my cheapo Sage espresso machine though.
I've just finished my last bag from them, and I'm now on some quite rough beans I bought from the local coffee shop, which is why I'm sat here on STW thinking about where I can get some nice coffee from.
As @slackboy says, support a local roaster or independent coffee shop.
Bonus it could be cheaper.
I'm lucky to have exchange coffee, based in Blackburn very close, who also supply a good number of local coffee shops. They also sell the best tasting chocolate I've ever had flavoured with one of their beans.
Oldnpastit if you're mid Sussex for your Horsham beans, you could try Craft House Coffee in wivelsfield green.....their two espresso blends go down very well.
For anyone else looking for a small batch UK speciality coffee roaster, this is a great resource. Over 500 searchable entries
I also find Pact tend to sell more medium to darker roasts when I drink more light roasts these days
This, but I haven't found a better alternative, so I have to change their proposed delivery most weeks.
In principle I'd prefer to buy local. but I can't find one I like. I was recommended https://www.caribecoffeeco.com/ but I didn't enjoy their coffees.
James Gourmet coffee. I don’t subscribe as I want to pick and choose, they do filter, omni and darker espresso roasts.
the coffee is up there with more expensive speciality roasters like Alchemy, Colonna, Roundhill etc.
I don’t think they can be beaten for value plus they do some interesting anaerobic processed coffees.
Can recommend two local roasters I use - 200 Degrees and 47 Degrees.
47° also do a lovely diner mug like the old Singletrack ones....
In principle I’d prefer to buy local. but I can’t find one I like.
Where are you? Have you searched by location on the link I put up in the post above yours?
Where are you? Have you searched by location on the link I put up in the post above yours?
Yes, thanks, I’m in Northumberland and the local roasters are a bit restricted and/or expensive, so I’ll stick with Pact for now. I also sometimes buy from Rave.
Fair enough 🙂 I mix it up with my Pact subscription and local roasters. I'm lucky in that those near me are often around the same price as Pact or even a little cheaper.
https://www.fikacoffeeroasters.co.uk/coffee
These were recommended to me recently but I haven't tried them yet (although they are shut until 10th April it would seem 🙄). I have been buying Hasbean but they sneakily changed the pack size from 250g to 220g which now makes them too expensive so I won't be buying there again.
Hormozi have a good range, well priced, choice of roasts, free postage and prompt. I only buy origin coffee and vary each order but never been disappointed.
Taylors of Harrogate (Italian blend?) on the left, Horsham "Bwishaza" on the right (finally started a subscription and arrived yesterday). Very different tastes.
I’ve never done a subscription because I quite like the monthly ritual of choosing a load of different or new coffees.
I tend to split between local roasters and batches from Hasbean and now Yallah and Horsham coffee roasters. The main thing is places that roast to order, or in regular small batches, so it’s fresh. I’ll get about a month’s worth each time - 4-5 250g bags.
I agree about Hasbean’s shrinkage. They sent an email about it, so they were up front, but I’d rather they’d put up the prices to make it more transparent. I haven’t bought from them since either.