Coffee Appreciation

I asked here recently about subscriptions (i was, and still am, after an awkward amount of beans but I could probably get over that specific need to support 'local' (40-45g per day delivered in weekly amounts = e.g. a 300g bag/box per week).

I did look at YBCR, Steve, but was lured into experimenting with other websites with easier management of what comes when and how much. I still haven't found a winner so would be interested to see what you come up with.

Yeah I don’t have the patience to attempt anything complex with my own website which is why I’m looking at third-party options.

yeah, not sure how much coffee subs those guys do.

was thinking venture capital.

Steve’s no longer part of Hasbean

ah ok, i did wonder when they changed their branding (but didn't bother to look into it). might ditch them in that case. I've had a sub with them for at least 10 years... i'm resistant to change on the whole.

If your packets fitted through the letter box, that would make a difference to me cos i cba to pick stuff up from the post office every other week.

Noted thanks.

“Thanks, that’s good stuff. So the subscription was randomised?”
No. They had various flavour profiles to choose from, ‘light and fruity’ rich and full flavoured’ etc but one bag was not in the ballpark and I ended up binning it.

Don't use subscriptions so can't help but good to see you back Steve.

I have a go to coffee source and just bother them with a "re-up time" email when needed. If I am away from home and like a coffee I might buy a kg to take home, but it is a rare occurrence.

@Stevethecoffee for many years you have consistently sent me great coffees, you know what we prefer and we are have never felt the need to go elsewhere. We cant be arsed with small bags of beans as it usually takes 2-3 shots at least to dial in weight and grind size and it becomes too much of a faff. So bitd when we used hasbean i had a double or triple subscription so I got a decent amount of each bean. But consumption varied, some months I ran out, others I had too much. Hence why we now order on demand 3x1kg bags, and by the time we start the final bag we re-up so the next batch have degassed.

We really appreciate the personalised service - but I am aware its probably a ball ache for you as it isn't automated or predicatble.

No that’s exactly what I enjoy about doing this, the interaction with customers and getting to know their preferences, that’s why we’ve very much channelled our efforts into the bricks and mortar and wholesale relationship side of things. If I had more direct contact with mail order customers like I do with you then I’d find more enthusiasm for it.

I’m really happy with concentrating on our local market-share which I can directly influence by making people really nice cups of coffee which they tell their friends about. Going bigger online means getting into the world of twatspeak marketing and SEO and all that, and frankly I haven’t put myself through the stress of getting to this point to start giving myself avoidable hateful tasks.

That being said these 3rd-party sellers are out there and if it’s reasonably hassle-free, provides a decent bit of revenue and gives us a bit more national spread then it’s worth a go. Emphasis being very much on the hassle-free bit.

Back in London now but I'm missing being able to pop into the shop and buy a kg of beans!

Maybe this could be your USP. YBCR likes to give direct guidance to (difficult/needy/high maintenance 🤣) customers who want a personalised service instead of or in addition to a one size fits all subscription

On the coffee buying chat, for me it's either going for roasters I know, or buying beans from a shop that I trust to stock coffee from decent roasters (ideally something they're serving so I can try it).

Though in saying that I did get a Pact advent calendar last year and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'm generally one for pretty bright & acidic African coffees but actually quite enjoyed the variety that something like that gave. Though that's probably due to the fact that it was only 20g of each as opposed to a full bag.

I wouldn't be completely averse to trying a service that allowed me to pop in my preference and have the subscription service provide from a variety of good roasters. But I wouldn't be betting that they'd be particularly thorough in the quality control of what roasters they work with.

Yeah second that, I default to square mile as I know it will be delivered. I have had coffee stollen off my doorstep before!

I like a little mix up random coffee sub, get to try things you wouldn't normally find
(down side is you sometimes get a fantastic bean but never able to find again)

Currently I buy most of my coffee from supermarkets but get different beans when I can.
(vast majority of my coffee is filter machine and mixed with oat milk)

I’ve only bought coffee subscriptions as gifts for others - typically people like my parents who otherwise just buy the same coffee from Sainsbury every week.

To me a subscription of semi-random coffee works best as a gift idea, I’d like to (as others have said) have a level of control over what is coming next that would be quite an overhead to manage for the provider.

Would aiming for the gift market be practical/desirable?

This will almost certainly be terrible, but it's £15...

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/camping-classic­s/rocktrail-portable-coffee-maker/p60934­

I got one. For £15 it isn't bad. Handle on grinder makes my arms feel like I'm a t-rex but is clever design to pack away neatly. Slight flex in the spindle means the burrs aren't centred always but it grinds fine enough to make a brew. Mesh let's a few fines through but no more than the rivers dripper, this one has bigger volume though.

So I'm really enjoying my Gaggia Cubika and I'm pretty happy with the coffee I get from it but my shots are coming through really quick. With 18g of grinds I get around 36g of coffee in maybe 15s at most. This is both with cheap supermarket coffee and a decent espresso grind from Rave. Is this typical or am I doing something wrong?

Edit: both coffee's are pre-ground

Is it pre-ground? The only thing you can do is try to stuff more coffee in to increase resistance. You can’t really make decent espresso without a good quality grinder.

Just a plug for my mates place for all things coffee including subscriptions
https://whitecloudcoffee.co.uk/about-us/
https://whitecloudcoffee.co.uk/home-coffee-subscription/

Totally normal. You have to adjust the grind of the coffee to increase resistance and slow the shot down - tricky if you don’t have a grinder at home. Tamping it harder will also help slow it down, but beyond a certain point the coffee doesn’t actually compress any more. Try adding a bit more coffee like Steve suggests.

Thanks @Stevethecoffee and @Nef - there's a little more space in the basket so I'll slowly increase the quantity of coffee. On the subject of grinders, there's a ROK GC espresso hand grinder going for £90 near me. Anyone have experience with it?

@Stevethecoffee no experience with the mixed coffee subscription services, but very happy with YBCR.
Mrs rhowe manages the subscription (a one-off birthday present has become a recurring drain on her finances!) and says the website works well and the feedback about despatch etc is good.

Ah nice one that’s good to hear, thanks.

Same with me btw. I have a few coffees that I buy regularly and I tend to buy all of them ad-hoc when I fancy a particular flavour. Your espresso roast is one of those because it has a particular flavour that I like and you’re always dead reliable eg during lockdown when I was shielding and you bailed me out by still shipping.

Ah great, that’s nice to hear. Cheers.