UK coffee roasters , do you realise we do not all want a subscription!

Adrianmsmith

After the 20 discount emails arrive roday, some seem worth a look.

Then you realise they just want you to subscribe to a repeating order.

Yes i know it’s good business for them to sell on subscription rather than a single 1 or 2 kg order.

But, after being on the site and having subscription rammed down my throat several times i just close the tab and unsubscribe the emails and delete the email.

Not so good business practice!

I realise some love a subscription. Roasters, realise we dont all want one, 😡

I only buy approx 15kg per year and want to choose what i order and when it arrives.

LMSC

I tried dog and hat filter international subscription. Ran it for a few months and realised it is not for me. They have a good variety, are competitively priced and their subscription model is perfect for those who like variety, and some nice coffee.

At home, I prefer 250g or 150g tins as they are easier to handle and drink should a bag go south.

My wife can appreciate great coffee and would dip into instant if she needs to.

In addition, we also have to buy two different set of coffee roasts, filter (light / medium light) for us and medium just for espressos and flat whites. The latter have to be less fruity / acidic for my daughter. Like self, she also doesn’t like bigger bags. 😊

MediumRoastSteam

LMSC My wife can appreciate great coffee and would dip into instant if she needs to

Out of curiosity… How can “my wife can appreciate great coffee” and “dip into instant if she needs to” go together? Do you mean “can’t appreciate”?

MWJB

MediumRoastSteam I think for people who are not into making coffee themselves, that they can often get a ‘good enough’ cup from instant. At a boxing day lunch yesterday my sister gave me an Azerra decaf instant…it wasn’t ‘bad’.

LMSC

MediumRoastSteam Out of curiosity… How can “my wife can appreciate great coffee” and “dip into instant if she needs to” go together? Do you mean “can’t appreciate”?

She was basically an “instant” coffee drinker (sounds familiar, is it not?) because she can’t be asked to go thru’ the routine of making a good cuppa. The thought of weighing, grinding, puck preparation, tamping and using the lever puts her off. She is happy if some one makes her a good cup.

The instant comes handy if I am travelling or gone to work. She finds them ok to drink.

She doesn’t like the coffee from the usual high street coffee shops as finds them bitter and burnt. However, she does find the flat white from McDonald’s far better in quality than others. Hahah 🤷🏽

Adrianmsmith

LMSC She doesn’t like the coffee from the usual high street coffee shops as finds them bitter and burnt. However, she does find the flat white from McDonald’s far better in quality than others. Hahah

& @Jason1wood 😎

Unfortunately i have to agree about McDonald’s.

Im up and down the country a lot, like 30 odd k miles per year. Obviously i start out with the travel mug each morning. But even having the occasional sip it runs out!!

So usually that gives the choice , stick with the water bottle, starbucks, costa or McDonald’s.

I just cant get to liking Costa. Tried one last month after a long break . confirmed still as bad . I drink latte or flat white anyway. Starbucks is like burned milk but their “blonde” roast is drinkable.

Then theres McDonald’s and i have to ssy it’s the most drinkable of the lot!!

But all of them mean i cant wait to get home!!!

We have 200 degrees locally which isnt bad whilst at McArthur Glen shopping village .

The “best ” locally is a small cafe called the apple tree. They use a local commercial roaster, Coffee Central and thats good, still made in a commercial machine with pressurised baskets though 😭

Jason1wood

Being out the scene for a couple of years and only coffee I’ve been drinking was McDonald’s and Costa machine at local garage. Found them OK and didn’t feel like I was missing out.

Had a trip up to see @dfk41 for a chat and a coffee. He did me a lovely flat white and I was like, wow. Proper taste explosion and knew I had to ditch the crap from my usual go to places and get back to ‘proper’ coffee.

That’s why I’ve been asking so many questions about gear etc. Feel like the scene has changed massively in a couple of years, with machines and all these new burr types.

Anyway, back to my aeropress for the time being 😕🤣

HarveyMushman

Jason1wood Anyway, back to my aeropress for the time being

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

Different brew methods are… different, not necessarily better or worse.

I’m not the biggest fan of straight espresso. I’ll have one after dinner if we’re out but at home, I don’t really enjoy it as much as a flat white. I also don’t find it a particularly pleasant short drink to savour in terms of flavour compared to milk-based espresso, which I love.

However! With a V60, I love exploring the more delicate flavours and really enjoy ‘black’ coffee from filter methods.

It’s good to have a range of brew methods at your disposal.

On topic. I don’t mind the idea of a discount for subscribing to buying so much per month, but I want a good online system for easily changing the beans, and very easily skipping or rescheduling a delivery in case I’ve used more or less coffee than usual.

Adrianmsmith

HarveyMushman On topic. I don’t mind the idea of a discount for subscribing to buying so much per month, but I want a good online system for easily changing the beans, and very easily skipping or rescheduling a delivery in case I’ve used more or less coffee than usual.

Have you found such a system you’d be confident to share?…..

HarveyMushman

Adrianmsmith

I wish I had!

The best system I’ve seen is the NA beer ‘Lucky Saint’. I subscribed to that for a while and it was really easy to skip a week or change delivery day etc… they only had one product type though so probably easier to manage.

I think NewGround might offer something similar although I haven’t bought from them in a while. Origin Coffee also have an app so might offer some level of subscription management.

I guess we’re also talking about the ‘discovery’ style subscriptions though where it’s less about convenience and more about finding new coffee.

Either way I do prefer just finding and purchasing coffee as and when I need it. The discounts for subscribing are also usually pretty negligible.

Adrianmsmith

HarveyMushman I guess we’re also talking about the ‘discovery’ style subscriptions though where it’s less about convenience and more about finding new coffee.

Thats the bit i dont get!! I like to order something i like the sound of.

I usually buy 1kg of my goto and 250g of something that sounds interesting.

My wife purchased an advent calendar for me with 24 x approx 22g samples.

Now i did drink them all but didnt actually think “must order that” for any

Surprisingly i found a dial in that worked ish for most of them to be in a ball park!!

LMSC

Adrianmsmith My wife purchased an advent calendar for me with 24 x approx 22g samples.

Where was that from?

mkelly789

Adrianmsmith your go-to, out of interest is…….

Adrianmsmith

LMSC

Santa of course 🧑🏼‍🎄😎

Or maybe here…..

https://www.perkulatte.com/

Adrianmsmith

mkelly789

That changes occasionally…..

Along the lines of

https://coffeelink.com/shop/coffee/bags/honduras-honey-process-microlot/

https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/single-origin-coffee?page=1

https://extractcoffee.co.uk/coffee/strangelove/?srsltid=AfmBOorfTa5fd25f0yNJt3Sd5Y_auQC4_MKzVYA3sDrHoQhC9Wf-4MOW

Raja123

Adrianmsmith you’re a good candidate for roasting your own coffee at home, you know. No turning back once you start…

Jony

I’ve stopped subs , im back to buying 250/150 now . Rotate through ⅚ companies now

Adrianmsmith

Raja123

I Have to admit i would love to try, but, unfortunately i just dont have the spare time to get in to it . 🤓

LMSC

Adrianmsmith

FYI only 🤣

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/2997-bocaboca-250g-coffee-roaster-bean-cooler/9

Raja123

Adrianmsmith well if you do start, I can try to help you out with some “profile targets” (I go full manual on the gas hob with the Roastino). A 100G roast takes me less than 15 mins, end to end. Getting really nice results also.

Adrianmsmith

LMSC

Thanks, believe me, ive read that whole post several times over 😎

LMSC

Adrianmsmith I am sure you did. 😊