The Coffee (and tea!) thread - and you thought audiophiles were finicky :-)

7 Likes

Searched for “coffee” from my iCloud photo backup, here are a few snapshots taken last year in Australia. (My son is a coffee enthusiast.)

4 Likes

So, I’m interested in people’s preferred coffee suppliers in the UK at the moment. I’ve always used Hasbean, more recently bought out by Ozone - generally their Hodson blend on repeat subscription. I feel it might be time for a change - why not? Ideally it wouldn’t be to anything more expensive :face_with_tongue: I’m probably 70% espresso / 30% cappuccino in terms of use, and realistically would only run one bean option at any one time. Would welcome any suggestions - thanks :folded_hands:

I have been getting my coffee from this roaster from West Wales for several years. I have 3 or 4 1KG bags of beans delivered every other month. We have plenty of visitors who enjoy their coffee and never have complaints

1 Like

Thanks @Michael_Harris, will check them out!

1 Like

The only UK roaster that I’m familiar with is Square Space and their beans are excellent (it’s James Hoffman after all…). If you’re ordering online then consider the Netherlands who have several top notch roasters. I have to say I don’t know what the difference in price point is but these beans are both not cheap (though you can take refuge in the notion that you’re helping communities around the world). Maybe they are for special occasions?

1 Like

Thanks @RHG - I’ll take a look at Square Mile - price wise they look roughly comparable to Ozone on at least some of their stock…which does make the suggestion from @Michael_Harris something of a bargain!

I’m drinking in in a late afternoon a Latte now, though mostly I drink espresso or take an Americano on the drive to work.
It’s an absolute bargain, definitely worth a couple of bags at those prices.
Discovered them while travelling around West Wales as a lot of the Cafes there used their coffee.

1 Like

I’ve recently started using Rave Coffee. Good selection.

I’ve been using Longbottom, Rainshadow and Kicking Horse coffee roasters.

Thanks @Rugby and @SukieInTheGraveyard - I think there’s enough good sounding options here to stop my subscription and get experimenting this year!

I’m in the US, so that might affect pricing and availability.

Doh, just twigged that - think I’ll stay with UK options for now but thanks anyway!

1 Like

I was a Hasbean / Ozone man until I went on a course at Coffee Gems, since when I’ve bought my coffee from Ricardo (who really knows his stuff, the courses are well wortwhile).

For info I buy the Gato Bandido blend, 2kg at a time, getting 25% off which makes it eminently affordable (64 total for the equivalent of 8 x 250g bags, so £8 a tine). And it’s very nice too.

2 Likes

Ooh, thanks for this @Phil_Wright - particularly helpful to come across a fellow convert!

I’m on a b2b deal with Pact, micro lot coffee, £21 per kg delivered a monthly. Usually the lighter side of medium. Never had a bad batch. Single origin. I get my decaf from Deluxe coffee roasters, hsnd delivered as they’re a few roads away. Same price as Pact, £21 per kg.

1 Like

We usually buy 3 Volcanos Guatemala Dark from Stone Creek Coffee. Five pounds at a time, whole bean to grind for filter coffee. But I accidently ordered the same coffee espresso grind. I couldn’t bear to write off the $95 expense, so I bought this little Bialetti pot. Having fun with it!

3 Likes

Thanks for this - I’ve eyed them up before so good to have some feedback.

Thanks everyone - I think I’ve got enough options to keep me fuelled for the foreseeable future :grinning_face: