Well, I have thought all day as to what to write on this topic. For those who ask what I am rabitting on about, on the recommendation of @"Inspector"#44 I visited this site to buy a kilo of their Nicaraguan Decaf for £8.99 https://a1coffee.net/java-caffe-nicaragua-decaf-coffee-beans-1kg.html This then led me to buy a kilo of these in addition https://a1coffee.net/planet-java-roasters-selection-coffee-beans-1kg.html and also a kilo of Xmas Tree shaped marshmallows that were dated July, but were fine for the princely sum of a quid! Postage was a bit steep but the beans arrived yesterday, as next working day. I decided to open the Espresso Blend this morning. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/Kspr0mj.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Kspr0mj.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/jTAmZ2C.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/jTAmZ2C.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/T2dmY0m.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/T2dmY0m.jpg[/IMG][/URL] So, on opening the beans and having a good sniff, the aroma was 'roasty'. In my experience this can come from older beans and at £5.99 per kilo then I expect that is right. They had a sticker of BB 09/23 which would suggest them having been roasted with September, so no reason to not get stuck in! I tried an espresso first but needed to loosen the grind as was getting a 55 second pour on 17 in. Second shot was not a lot better coming in at around 40 seconds for 30 gms out. The shot had exactly the same smell to it as the beans in the bag and allowing for the fact the pour was not spot on, tasted horrible! I then had the bright idea of adjusting the grind again since a pal turned up who likes cappuccino and made a couple for us. I told him it was a new bean and wanted his honest opinion. He enjoyed it saying it had an odd taste but one he found perfectly fine. I tried to drink mine but could not. In milk, the same strong 'roasty' taste came through for me. So, what can I conclude? It is hard not to be biased when you suspect the beans are probably very old and you had very low expectations. I suspect that to the slightly less discerning coffee lover it is simple. If you can get past the 'roasty' taste and find them ok, then they are ok, and vice versa. I will not drink anymore personally but will keep them to try on other guests. I do not believe in knocking a product just because it is not for me. I look forward to trying the decaf in the next few days and will report back on those!

My mate said exactly the same thing that it has an odd taste which he never tasted before but he quite liked it and asked for a second cup. In milk, it's really tasty for us, but to drink it straight, yeah you need to drop temp to 89-90 and pull a faster shot. Then they are somehow good. Otherwise roasty. But I definitely can't complain for £5.99 and even if I didn't like it I would make it a guest coffee lol Don't wanna raise your expectations but Nicaraguan beans are really really good as a flat white or americano.

Today I made an experiment by removing lighter coloured beans which I assumed robusta beans. Didn't change grind setting and shot ran a bit faster. But end product was nothing more/less than a smooth, nutty typical Brazilian. So that odd taste and roastiness might come from robusta beans. Or lighter coloured beans whatever type they are.

@"Inspector"#p28188 thanks for that. |i will try the same!

> @"Inspector"#p28188 Today I made an experiment by removing lighter coloured beans which I assumed robusta beans. Didn’t change grind setting and shot ran a bit faster. But end product was nothing more/less than a smooth, nutty typical Brazilian. Interesting! (how much would you charge for removing the light beans from a few kilos of this? 🤣).

@"Doram"#p28193 Can't see me doing it for few kgs 🤣

@"Inspector"#p28188 I did notice the description doesn't say 100% arabica - which their other coffee does, so had assumed the price was due to this. Very interesting to see the results of your experiment!

> @"Inspector"#p28188 roastiness might come from robusta beans. One other characteristic of robusta is that it tends to produce more crema. If the amount of crema went down... it's a pretty good bet that it was that.

@"PortafilterProcrastinator"#p28198 It says Brazilian and Vietnamese, so I assumed Vietnamesed ones were robusta.

These sorts of prices remind me of Homesense and their odd cheap bean brands. I saw a Slumberjack Long Haul 1kg bag for perhaps £8. But looking at the label was interesting. Beans from Honduras, Peru, Brazil and Vietnam. 80% Arabica, 20% Robusta. I dread to think how it tastes in the cup. I wasn't bold enough to buy it to try.

[URL=https://i.imgur.com/Ig1Ine3.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Ig1Ine3.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Btw i reordered yesterday and shipping was again £4.79 for 2.5kgs of beans. I wonder why you paid above £6 @"dfk41"#4

Cheap Beans

dfk41

Inspector Be careful, you may start a trend amongst those who like a bargain!

Inspector

dfk41

I’m just afraid they will become popular and prices would go up 🤣

Doram

Inspector dfk41

I’m just afraid they will become popular and prices would go up 🤣

You should have kept quiet: they upped the price of the decaf by 35%… 🥴

Pompeyexile

CoyoteOldMan You like living dangerously… (I hope it’s a great coffee, but when postage is almost as expensive… I wonder if we are all being ripped off!) 😉

I normally have to spend £25 to get free postage so I can’t balk at £3.99 for delivery. As I’m not a coffee conniosseur or at least don’t have the refined palette to be one, if it produces a decent cup i.e. anything better than instant, then at that price it is worth a punt… especially from the reviews of dfk41 and Insepctor who are far more knowledgeable than me.

CoyoteOldMan

Pompeyexile 100% with you - I’m just surprised at the cost of the coffee, that’s all. My last coffee order was for £34 for 1.5 kg, and I still got charged 4.50 for postage, hence my semi-tongue-in-cheek question about being ripped off - it was referred to me/my purchase, not yours.

dfk41

Well, I have nearly finished the kilo bag of Nicaraguan Decaf and so impressed am I, I have ordered 3 more kilos. Including P & P it came to the staggering amount of £31.76. I appreciate that we all have different taste requirements, but………if anyone wants a decaf roasted to a little bit north of medium please do try this
https://a1coffee.net/java-caffe-nicaragua-decaf-coffee-beans-1kg.html

A1 coffee are certainly not artisan and the other kilo I bought @£5.99 was pure shite but they have a winner with this one. My original order included a kilo of Xmas tree shaped marshmallows that were out of date for a quid. I was so sad when my wife found them and gave them away……LOL

Inspector

Your last sentence made me laugh🤣

What recipe you settled in the end? 18gr in ?gr out.

I just opened decaf bag and beans look and smell the same. I will pull a shot later today.

Edit:shot pulled and can confirm no difference from the first bag. Setting was also same on Niche

I’m sure price will go up now. Let’s keep this gem for ourselves 😜

dfk41

Doram I rather suspect that is a rise in wholesale prices since most their beans have also gone up!

dutchy101

Just caved and ordered a kilo of the decaf. £16.78 with postage, but not bad considering.

Inspector

dutchy101

Have you tried them yet?

Inspector

@Cuprajake

Have you tried El Salvador beans yet?

I was a bit disappointed, tasting notes weren’t what they were advertised on the web page. Totally different. And it tastes like what it’s written on the bag, also didn’t feel like they were roasted in the last week, more like two months old. Might be wrong tho.

They were still OK, smelled really good and did better in aeropress than espresso. Maybe they shine in V60, don’t know.

Their Guatemalan and Nicaraguan decaf is top notch, but yeah weren’t very happy with this one. I also emailed them giving a bit feedback about tasting notes, guess what, no reply yet. 🤔

Cuprajake

Inspector

nah binned them,

they were old beans, they had a second sticker over the original used by.

dutchy101

Inspector

No - they’ve been vacuum packed and bunged into the freezer. I drink very little decaf - it’s mainly my wife who does and I’ve just defrosted my last 250g of a Smith St. decaf which we need to get through first.

Inspector

New roaster, White rose. I think they are sister company of Pennine Tea Coffee.

Ordered 250gr bags this time, not as cheap but thats the way to try and see which one to order next time, if any :)

Doram

Inspector I think they are sister company of Pennine Tea Coffee.

Ha! I Read the list, recognised some of the greens from Pennine and wondered if they use the same supplier.

That makes sense, and also explains why I didn’t see Pennine offering roasted versions of their greens on their website (only a few other coffees, mainly blends if I remember correctly). I wonder why some businesses separate their green and roasted operations under separate names.

Rob666

Loving White Rose! Monsooned Malabar currently, lighter roast than my usual supplier but still delivering the goods. Also like their Cattlemarket blend. 2K waiting for Christmas…

Inspector

Rob666

Oh that’s good to hear.

I should give it a try next time.

CoyoteOldMan

Rob666 I have just re-ordered from Coffee Compass, but will try White Rose next time. Especially if they are on the dark side!

Rob666

Inspector They are ‘dark side’. If that’s your preference I doubt you would be disappointed.

Inspector

Rob666

I like dark side 🕵🏼‍♂️

Rob666

CoyoteOldMan Be careful what you choose, some are decidedly light, at least by my criteria. ;)

CoyoteOldMan

Rob666 Thank you! Anything you would recommend?

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