Hi all,

I wanted to ask to try and get a bit of an insight in to your coffee buying for the next year ahead. As you have probably seen as it is not just being reported in industry press but the wider press, coffee prices are at historic highs at the moment. They are up 86% year on year and have gone particularly crazy in the last few days thought mostly to be down to the threat of tariffs.

Since we started, green coffee has gone up just shy of 300%. For some context, commodity grade Robusta that is used for instant and those ‘worlds strongest coffee’ type blends is now about the same price as we were paying for a good quality Brazil that would be the base of an espresso blend.

During the time we have been roasting we have managed to suck most of that added cost up. Our Signature Bend for example has gone from £20 a kg to £24 a kg. We had a price rise at the start of the year of under 10% but I do not anticipate this being the only one this year if trends continue.

We have zero intention of switching coffee to lower grade beans although from discussing the rises with a trader yesterday he said he is seeing this some very large roasters doing this to stay competitive but in his words ’there isn’t going to be enough crap to go around’.

How do you think the price rises will affect your buying habits? Do you think you will switch your single origin purchases to historically cheaper origins? Will you switch from single origins to cheaper blended coffee? Will you just stick with it regardless? Will you (gasp) cut down your consumption?

Cheers, David

    From my perspective I’ll happily keep paying a premium for good coffee. I rarely buy kg bags these days and usually have one 225/250g bag for filter and one for espresso on the go which lasts about a week.
    I sort of expect to pay between £12-16 per bag for premium SO coffees so even if this rose to say £14-18 then I wouldn’t stop buying or reduce consumption. I’ve think we’ve all seen prices go up across the board so it’s not unexpected.

    My biggest request is that roasters start using letterbox sized bags for 225-250g bags. I ordered some recently from Foundry and their 250g bag is larger in height/width dimensions but shallow enough to easily fit through a letterbox which means the Postie can just stick it through the door even if we’re out.

    La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos

    Ikawa Roaster

    • MMWJB

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    • Post #4

    I’ll buy smaller bags of beans, hopefully maintaining the quality. Preferably avoiding blends. I’ll be unlikely to buy cheaper origins if they are less to my preference.

    A few roasters appear to have switched to 200g bags, maintaining equivalent prices for 250g bags.

    My average spend is just over £7.00/100g.

    • LMSC

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    • Post #5
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    BlackCatCoffee How do you think the price rises will affect your buying habits? Do you think you will switch your single origin purchases to historically cheaper origins? Will you switch from single origins to cheaper blended coffee? Will you just stick with it regardless?

    As @dfk41 has put it, anything other than putting up the prices are neither feasible nor sustainable. There is only so much you can absorb.

    IMO, I won’t expect the majority to go the cheaper route. Substantial costs differences might force someone to look elsewhere than cutting the coffee consumption.

    A short answer to your question is “it won’t make difference to me”.

    Good to see your posts here David! 😊

    Edit: I do not buy bigger bags.

      BlackCatCoffee I’m gonna keep buying the expensive stuff in my search for the best flavours. It might be more costly than it used to be, but I still reckon it’s cheap for what you get. (Compared with wine for instance). Still under a quid a portion with 250g @ £15 🙂👍

      Flair 58, Mahlkonig EK43, Kinu M47, 1zpresso ZP6.

        There was a post on Reddit about the possible repercussions of Trumps tariff threats to Columbia over the last week. Not discussing politics but if a seller with a lot of coffee can’t sell said coffee to one of its largest markets then it needs to be sold somewhere else. Excess supply meaning lower prices for Europe. That was basically the Reddit post anyway.

        I’ve definitely noticed prices really rising e.g. Squaremile red brick is now £36 a kilo on a single bag basis where I think it used to be sub £30. Definitely noticeable on the London based roasters as well given the higher overheads

        Fortunately I’m not very price sensitive on the bean buying front and will pay the extra given it’s happening everywhere. I’d rather focus on quality and variety of beans than cost.

        More generally I see a lot of aggressive offers on subscriptions suggesting in general there are simply too many roasters out there. I don’t envy you at the moment given the raw material costs and proliferation of roasters out there.

        • TTal

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        • Post #9

        I think with this new information it would be good to know what roasters are doing to address the price rises.

        I’d rather pay the extra for my go to coffees to stay the same rather than them change the beans to reduce costs.

        I usually buy blends in 500g to 1kg bags for espresso and I buy the odd SO by the 250g bag as something interesting to have as filter. Mostly at the cheaper end for the majority of it, usually £20 to £30/kg for my go to espresso beans.

        I use 27-30 grams a day and price increase hasn’t changed my habits yet. If they do and I want to spend less money, I’d prioritize quality over quantity and drink less coffee each day. Either smaller cups and going from two a day to one.

        I get through 60 -90 gms a day, taste /flavour/ enjoyment stands ahead of cost.

        I would not go down the cheaper / lesser quantity route.

        Same here. I go through approx. 40g per day. I’d rather drink less coffee rather than compromise on quality. What’s the point in drinking something you don’t enjoy? I don’t drink coffee because I have to drink coffee - I drink coffee because I appreciate the taste.

        Same goes for alcohol/wine: I’d rather drink a wine that I enjoy and can afford rather than something that’s cheaper and can afford more. If I can no longer afford what my taste buds demand for such superfluous beverages. Then I’d rather not drink (coffee or wine).

          The same here, I use only 20gr a day so I think the prices going higher won’t affect me too much. However I prefer to pay more for quality and pay less for other “pleasures”, so to speak…

          @BlackCatCoffee

          Short answer. I will buy what i like the taste of at whatever price the market has to charge for it.

          Same as other essentials really. I cant change what i pay for petrol, gas, electricity.

          Great Coffee is an essential

          My last cup will be in the next hour

          When will it return PLEASE ?!!

          Ade Smith. ACS Evo Leva v2. Kafatek Flat max 2, ssw 2024. Mazzer Philos, Craig Lyn HG-1 prime., WW key mk1.

          About Me

            • ST30B

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            • Post #17

            @BlackCatCoffee
            I would echo the majority of comments here.
            I would only add considering such is the high quality of your roasting - your prices are already reasonable especially combined with the free postage over £25 and forum discount. (Aware that may now change) I’ve been disappointed by numerous roasters over the years and paid higher prices in comparison.

            I also wouldn’t compromise.

            Never tried Black Cat yet but sure I could be persuaded 😉

            Think I would definitely consider drinking less coffee rather than buying cheaper or buying larger amounts (500g out 1kg) of something I enjoy than a selection of different coffees in one go.

            I’ve also not seen the need to use massive shot sizes of like 19-21g and definitely save loads by making 14-16g shots!