JammyDodger @JonWoo187 was presumably responding to my post which mentioned a purchase from Prodigal in a tangential conversation, not Darkwoods.
A word of caution
dfk41 Glad to see they resolved your issue. What did they say about the lack of roast dates?
whinmoor85 They blamed 2 things. One, their process and secondly they claimed not to sell many 500 gm bags so use 1kg bags (which they do) which predominantly sell to wholesale/trade accounts. I am not sure if that makes a difference but hey ho!
20 days later
I have ordered 1kg of the Arboretum from Darkwoods.
I ordered on Saturday, 20th of July. It arrived Tuesday, 23rd.
Wanna guess the roast Date? 3rd of July. Not impressed.
MediumRoastSteam Complain……be interesting to compare the responses
dfk41 - I wrote to them last night. Let’s see what they say.
On the plus side, at least it had the correct date on. Someone less scrupulous could have just out whatever date they wanted on. This isn’t a roaster I have tried and probably never will having read this thread but at least they seem honest from what you have said.
Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.
- Edited
Adrianmsmith Someone less scrupulous could have just out whatever date they wanted on.
Scrupulousness isn’t really a factor, there isn’t any legal requirement to have a roast date. I don’t think anyone has suggested an intention to mislead.
I’d try the coffee prior to complaining, this roaster is consuistently providing the best coffee for filter, for my part.
Regarding roast dates/resting it strikes me as a double edged sword…I’m very happy to receive coffee quickly if it is ready to brew. When I think I’m running out and want some new coffee, it’s frustrating to receive a bag then have to wait another 2-4 weeks for it to come on song, going without for another day or two whilst I make another purchase for something I can drink right away.
I’d rather the roaster rested & QC’d the coffee, releasing it when at its peak, or at least, state clearly on the product page the recommended rest time from delivery.
If you go to a supermarket to buy sausages and there are two packs left. The first runs out of date that day whilst the other has 10 days on it. They are both the same price. Which one do you buy? Dark Arts gave me excuses as to why I received coffee roasted 20 odd days earlier but did say they would look at their process. So, is this bad luck on your part, has another one slipped through or do they think their is nothing wrong with shipping out older coffee?
dfk41 The first runs out of date that day whilst the other has 10 days on it.
Do you buy absolutely fresh beef and dry age it yourself, or buy the ‘21 day aged’ beef and cook it straight away? Likewise 12yr old whisky?
Meat has a ‘use by’, it can be dangerous to exceed this, coffee (like toothpaste) has a ‘best before’ - it will be safe consume after this date but may not be at peak aesthetic quality.
I don’t want coffee sent out to me before the roaster has had a chance to QC it & make sure I’m getting what they are advertising. I don’t want to hear, “the roast curve looks fine…” when I get a disappointing bag.
I’m sure the coffee will taste just as good however I would also be irritated as I purchase expecting to leave it for it for 7-14 days anyway, in which time I would use existing beans. So not ideal from a stock perspective.
It must be hard for roasters as I’m sure they are confident it tastes just as good and I dare say most customers are happy to accept if it’s been roasted within a month of the delivery date.
Hopefully when you get to trying them they taste great regardless and this experience doesn’t leave a bitter taste (no pun intended)
MWJB I don’t think anyone has suggested an intention to mislead
If you read what I said, I was actually suggesting the opposite and saying that a less scrupulous roaster it could attempt to mislead. I wasn’t saying these were doing so.
Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.
Adrianmsmith Not sure I have ever heard of a case of anyone doing it, or it being a thing.
MWJB I would be very surprised if after the initial cupping there is any further quality control other than possibly looking for stones. Mark, you have no control over what they send out. If it arrives ready to drink, great but I doubt the roasters give a fig. If you buy 21 day aged steak it still has a couple of weeks shelf life, unless you buy from a butcher. When I buy beans I want to drink then when I want, not be forced to drink bags out of rotation because a roaster has either not sold enough of or roasted too much
I am talking blind here as I have never done any roasting but I guess the cost would go up if you expected a cupping session, scoring from every single roast
Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.
MWJB I meant the initial cupping, not QC cupping per batch
Adrianmsmith They cup to give the initial assessments. Three months later the same bean roasted the same way might well not taste the same as it did