# Rave Coffee



## Spazbarista

Big up for this vendor. Discovered him a couple of weeks ago when looking for a new machine. Turns out he is 3 miles up the road from me in an out-building of a vicarage. Popped in to pick up the machine. Was like spending an hour in a crack house, he was whizzed off his tits.

Currently enjoying his mocha-java blend through the machine, but while I was there he gave me a shot of Peruvian that was smooooth.


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## chimpsinties

I just received an online order from Rave Coffee. Has anyone else tried them What drew me towards them was their offer of free delivery if you spend over £25. This suits us fine as a colleague and I share orders so we always spend more than that.

I opened a bag of their Papa New Guinea - Sigri this morning and I was surprised how light a roast it was. Very light brown. I had a sink shot to begin with, totally undrinkable and came out way too fast. So I dialed it much finer but probably still not fine enough and got an drinkable but wouldn't say particularly nice shot.

I hope it's just me needing to get used to their style of roasting. Anyone else got any tips?

If you're buying the bigger 1kg bags they really are cheap like ~£12.50 for ~1kg


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## Spazbarista

Never tried the PNG as an SO espresso, so no idea about it. It is the base for the Signature blend espresso that certainly isn't a light roast....medium dark, I'd say. I also enjoy the Mocha Java as espresso in milk. The smoky earthiness cuts through. Lovely as a macchiato.

He has slightly changed the blend of the Signature and swapped central Americans IIRC. Im still playing with it, but prior to that change I was getting beautiful shots, earthy and with Turkish Delight sweetness.

Never tried his filter blends or other SO, but he did once make me a crystal clean shot of Peruvian that was nice.


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## shuggyboy24

hi all

i ordered from rave coffee, 6 bags, ive tried 4 and i have to say its the most unpalatable coffee i have ever tried, if i could return for a full refund i would, to my taste buds it really is that bad


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## chimpsinties

What have you tried? In what way unpalatable?

I've totally changed my opinion of them now. I think they're great!

I just had my 2nd order from them which was a 908g bag of the Brazilian Columba and a 227g bag a Peru something-or-other. They accidentally ground the peru whereas I wanted wholebean so they offered to send me a free bag of whole bean as an apology. I didn't really mind that it was ground cos I could just use it in my AeroPress but if they're offering why not. I love their coffee.


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## Spazbarista

Bit hard to know what is going wrong for you without knowing if you've rested the coffee and how you are preparing it. Can't help you if it is single origins as I've never tried his, but the blends are piss easy to get great espresso out of. If it is those you are struggling with then there may be something else at play. I've drunk kilos of the stuff and it is pretty consistent.

The only poor thing I've had was some Kenyan Peaberry he gave me (as a freebie) which he had admitted he'd let run on a bit too long and killed the delicate flavours.


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## RoloD

I noticed that Amazon now do 1Kg bags of Rave coffee beans, £14.50 with free delivery.

Are they worth a try?


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## Danm

Worth a try yes. I've just opened a bag of their signature blend. Compared to other roasters (has bean, extract etc) i'm finding it very dark....relative basis.

Nothing wrong with it, and very good as a base for milk drinks.

Are they just using amazon as a sales channel. If its coming from anywhere but rave, you may want to check first roast dates etc.


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## Spazbarista

Well that will be using Amazon as a front end seller, the beans will come straight from Rob I expect.

I suppose a kilo is quite a lot to buy if you end up not liking it. I've only tried his blends so I can't advise on anything else, but I like what I've tried. You can get a really tasty espresso from his Signature blend, although he tinkered with the blend recently and personally I'm not convinced it was an improvement. His Mocha Java blend is rich deep and smoky. Great in milk. Neither of these blends are of the bright and fruity style.


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## RoloD

Danm said:


> Worth a try yes. I've just opened a bag of their signature blend. Compared to other roasters (has bean, extract etc) i'm finding it very dark....relative basis.
> 
> Are they just using amazon as a sales channel. If its coming from anywhere but rave, you may want to check first roast dates etc.


 It's "fulfilled by Amazon" which means it comes via the Amazon warehouse (which I imagine has a fairly rapid turnover) - that's why it's free delivery. 250g packs come straight from Rave.

I certainly like it darker than HasBean roasts - what Union call "dark" (like Bright Note and Organic Natural Spirit) as opposed to "extra dark" (Revelation).

I could start with a 250g bag - but at £6.28 with postage as opposed to £14.50 for a kilo I'm tempted to go for the latter.


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## Spazbarista

I'll ask him next time I see him, but Id be amazed if it isn't coming straight from him as it is very much a small scale artisan set up although he does supply to a number of cafes over quite a wide area of the UK. As for darkness,I'd say the Siggy is a tad lighter than Revelation.

He was muttering away last week about having created some new blends, and getting me to taste them. Will report back.


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## chimpsinties

can't you go in with anyone else and split an order. There's a couple of us at work who do it so buying 4 bags each puts us over the cost of the free delivery direct from their website. This time I got a 1kg bag of Brazilian Columba and another 250g bag of something else all for about £16. It's great coffee too!


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## ronsil

just placed my first order with Rave for 8 kilos various green beans. Amongst them are Monsoon Malabar, one of my favorites. Excellent for use in blending.

Very good pricing with free delivery over £25

Ron:coffee:


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## EN4CER

Loved Rave's Peru , yummy.. Disliked their signature blend, boring. Delivery to 5-6 days, which was ridiculous!


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## funinacup

I finds Raves delivery a bit slow when you're used to the speed of Hasbean and others, but I do like their Signature blend and have got some more along with a bag of green Peru to put through the Behmor. I did a sample roast with it yesterday at a training session and it smelled amazing!


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## Spazbarista

Dunno about delivery as I pick it up. I have had a conversation with Rob about it though, and he is in two minds about it. On the one hand he wants the beans to arrive adequately rested, and for that very reason he used to send it out second class, but on the other hand he understands that in the Internet age people have grown accustomed to pretty much next day delivery.

With regards to his Sig blend being boring, I'd say it is a subtle grown-up coffee, not a Shouty in-your-face adolescent overly citric HasBean style of things.









But yes, if you like those bright fruity styles then his espresso blends will not be to your liking. I'd quite like him to do a fruity blend for milk though.


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## shuggyboy24

wee update, have to say the brazilian santos is not too bad! maybe the roasts in general are too dark for me , however i normally like darker roasts? oh well always worth a try!









Hugh


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## chimpsinties

Slow postage?! I've had 2 lots from them now and they've both arrived next day. Getting over 2kg's of coffee in the post next day (and for free!) is great service if you ask me







(I know you didn't but I said it anyway)


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## ronsil

am impressed - ordered my greens Friday delivered today Monday

Going by what has been said about their slow postage was anticipating delivery end of week.

Beans look good unlike some MM I recently had from Coffeebeanshop - maybe I was unlucky.

Ron:coffee:


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## dwalsh1

Just tried ordering 2x908grams of their signature blend amounting to £25. Paypal wants to charge £5 delivery. Am I right in saying I have to spend a penny over £25 to qualify for the free delivery. I have just e mailed them for an answer.


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## hooly

fwiw it sounds like Rave can offer unusually good shipping prices if you're ordering from the continent. i'm in Paris and they are the only UK supplier (green beans) i could find who'll ship to me at reasonable rates. most places are saying £40-50 for a 5kg parcel. Rave says £14. guess who i'll be ordering from.


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## DNA

Has not been much action on this thread for a few months and im wondering if any one has tried any more from them? or any new people that have tried it that have something to say. Im going to make my first order soon and wanted to know which are the good ones and which should be avoided.


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## chimpsinties

I buy the Guatemala Finca Nueva Granada Monte Rosa by the kg every month and love it. Seems to get better after resting for about a week but it doesn't stop me tucking right in.

I've found the Monsoon Malibar seems to create a lot of static so it's messy to grind plus I'm not that fussed about the flavour.

I'd suggest buying about 5 bags at a time and just trying everything. Only you can say if you like it or not. Try and get a friend to chip in too and get the free postage offer. If a couple of us get a kg each we can usually get it down to the equivalent of about £3 a bag.

PS I also really rate their Swiss water decaf. My missus is preggers so doesn't drink regular cafinatied coffee and she loves it.


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## bronc

I bought a pack of Brazil Daterra Bourbon and one Malawi Geisha both unroasted. Do you have any experience with them? These will be my first home roasts so I'm pretty much going to be experimenting but what roast should I aim for?


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## Chris_on_caffeine

bronc said:


> I bought a pack of Brazil Daterra Bourbon and one Malawi Geisha both unroasted. Do you have any experience with them? These will be my first home roasts so I'm pretty much going to be experimenting but what roast should I aim for?


Those Brazil beans (depending on their age) are really sensitive, make sure you're on a profile that's gentle on the heat after 1st crack.


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## bronc

Popcorn maker







Hope they don't end up that bad.


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## Chris_on_caffeine

Oooh haaa!


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## bronc

Should I take them to 2nd crack or..?


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## Nimble Motionists

Service was great from Rave, ordered one day, dispatched the next, arrived the next. No roast dates on the bags and had similar problems with static on MM. Generally darker roasts and nothing spectacular. Wouldn't rush back but might buy again at some point.


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## Chris_on_caffeine

bronc said:


> Should I take them to 2nd crack or..?


Up to you matey! Depends how you like your coffee to taste, though personally I would stop before you get to 2nd.


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## DNA

Nimble Motionists said:


> Service was great from Rave, ordered one day, dispatched the next, arrived the next. No roast dates on the bags and had similar problems with static on MM. Generally darker roasts and nothing spectacular. Wouldn't rush back but might buy again at some point.


So are they freshly roasted then? can not find anything on the website to specify if its roasted day before delivery or not and like you said there is no roast date.


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## Spazbarista

It's a quick turnover. No worries about freshness


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## DNA

Hey guys so i finally got my grinder and Aeropress and il be buying my first beans from rave.

I want to get a few different ones to experience different tastes but want to only spend around £25 (for free shipping)

could i get a few recommendations please? At the moment ive only got the signature blend and mocha java in the cart.

Oh and me and my girlfriend are totally new to coffee so we dont really know what we like yet. (apart from that she uses a lot of milk and hates bitter coffee)


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## RisingPower

They have tasting notes no?


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## DNA

Yes but so do wines and im always lost in the wine section...i guess usually some are less favored and some are known to be exceptionally good. Its just a bit intimidating for us and was hoping for some recommendations to help us experience different aspects of coffee..


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## RisingPower

DNA said:


> Yes but so do wines and im always lost in the wine section...i guess usually some are less favored and some are known to be exceptionally good. Its just a bit intimidating for us and was hoping for some recommendations to help us experience different aspects of coffee..


I'd say try the peru, old brown java, columbian and malabar to start with.

I'm yet to have anything underwhelming from them though, the peru was gorgeous.


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## chimpsinties

My favourite of there's is the Monta Rosa. I buy it by the kg most months


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## DNA

Thanks guys! im actually gonna go for 2x908g packs as it ends up being a lot cheaper so im gonna get the Peru from your recommendation and a Signature blend.

The Monte Rosa is oos atm.

and after thats finnished il try the other ones.


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## aaronb

DNA said:


> Thanks guys! im actually gonna go for 2x908g packs as it ends up being a lot cheaper so im gonna get the Peru from your recommendation and a Signature blend.
> 
> The Monte Rosa is oos atm.
> 
> and after thats finnished il try the other ones.


Don't buy more coffee than you can use in ~4 weeks, it will go stale and will not be nice anymore. it's better to buy smaller and often.

I'd recommend trying a few suppliers as well if you are new to coffee to get a good idea of what's out there, Has Bean, Londinium, Union, Square Mile, Monmouth etc all have different roasting styles and some will appeal more to you than others.

FWIW I would avoid the Mexican from Rave, it lacked much of anything to me. I need to try some of their other beans at some point.


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## Spazbarista

He's got some new beans in. Both are excellent...

try the Yirgacheffe dommerso, and the Cuban Serrano


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## DNA

Wow that was fast, they arrived to my door 10 mins ago. (whoever was disappointed with delivery time had bad luck!)

I regret buying such large amounts of only 2 beans, i was just so tempted by the discount, but i really should have sacrificed a third in quantity for more variety.

I would love to buy small and often but postage prices make everything so expensive.

I live by Crouch End, London and i hear there is a shop or 2 that sell fresh roasted beans so maybe that might be my option in the future but for now im happy withthis. Anybody know if they are ready to drink? Doesnt have any roasting date on it so dont know when they were roasted.


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## chimpsinties

I thought there is usually a small price tag type label on the bottom of the bag with roasting date on?

You could always get someone else to go in with you on the order. That's what I do. A guy at work gets 1kg and I get 1kg and another bag to try different types. usually comes in at about £29


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## Earlepap

If you live in London there are plenty of cafes that sell beans so that you can avoid delivery costs. Of course you don't necessarily get the freshest roast, as much variety, and some places mark up the prices.


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## Spazbarista

DNA said:


> Anybody know if they are ready to drink? Doesnt have any roasting date on it so dont know when they were roasted.


Depends what it is. If it is Signature blend it will be very very fresh, as the turnover is fast. Maybe leave it another 4 days or more. For SO beans, ir depends but they may be jsut about ready. I'm surprisedn there is no roast date, he's pretty fastidious normally.


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## DNA

There is a best by date and a batch number on a white sticker on the bottom, but thats all.


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## bronc

Can you recommend me some of Rave Coffee's SO beans or blend for espresso? I'll be making an order for greens and I want to get some roasted beans as well for comparison. Thanks!


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## ronsil

Their signature. blend is really good

Ron

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2


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## suferick

Second that. It's quite subtle as an espresso but gives bags of crema. It makes the best moka of any bean I know.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


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## bronc

Great, so I'll get one bag of the signature blend. Can s.b. recommend me green beans which are relatively easy to roast? I'll be using a Turbo Crazy. I'm probably going to make a 25GBP order to qualify for the free shipping so I'll be ordering a couple of bags.


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## ronsil

They sell a Peru Femenino Cecanor which is very tolerant at different roasting levels. Cracks are easy to hear. My suggestion would be to stay with just the one type of bean whilst you learn the roast process. It's also a good idea to buy a small bag of the same bean ready roasted to give you something to compare with.

Good luck & happy roasting


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## bronc

Well, the thing is that I have a friend living in the UK who will be coming back to Bulgaria so I want to order more beans to save on postage. So far I've heard only good things about the Peru and the Monsooned Malabar beans.


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## ronsil

Monsooned Malabar is an excellent bean but is not easy to roast & it has a distinct earthy taste which does not appeal to everyone.

You may find the 1st.crack runs directly into 2nd.crack & although you think you are in first, in fact, its already at second crack


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## bronc

Hm.. it looks like I'll have to think about it more. Thanks!


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## bronc

So here is what I got based on this thread:

*Peru - Femenino Cecanor* - 950g green beans

*Guatemala Monte Rosa* - 450g green beans

*Signature Blend *- 227g roasted beans

*Mocha Java Blend* - 227g roasted beans

Can't wait to try them. I also have ~200g Malawi Geisha and ~350g Brazil Daterra Yellow Bourbon greens left from my last order. I'm waiting for my convection oven to arrive on Monday and I'll get the Turbo Crazy started. Just roasted 70g of the Brazil beans with my popcorn maker but I guess they were too much and turned out a bit uneven even though I didn't stop stirring. Will try them tomorrow after they've degassed.


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## ronsil

Sounds very good - enjoy your roasting & give us your views afterwards.


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## redricks

Well folks going off what people said i decided to try the signature blend ordered a kilo ad a mixed kilo of others on Monday last week they arrived Wednesday and i opened the bag of signature about 20mins ago.First i have to say was the overwhelming smell of dark chocolate so i dialed some in and pulled my first double shot for a cappa but it had a great looking crema to good to spoil so a late night espresso it was and dark chocolate it was and strange a blueberry finish very distinctive and most of all F.A.B.


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## james10

Anyone tried 'the italian job' beans?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## shrink

Well ordered a 1kg bag of rave signature.

Sorry to say I did it on amazon, as postage appears not to have been updated there and it was a good bit cheaper for the same thing. Not sure they meant to let that one slip through the grid.

Will report back


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## ronsil

I spoke with Rave last week about that as i also noticed that the Amazon offers were for a full kilo. Rave direct are packed at 902 grams.

Conclusion is that up to orders onder the 'free postage' offer from Rave it is cheaper to buy the smaller quantities via Amazon


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## shrink

It's a shame though, as it means they must make less money on amazon orders. More coffee for less money!


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## coffeechap

Rav are currently updating their web page and rob seems open to feedback so might be worth chatting to him


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## shrink

I suspect their website is the one that's up to date, they probably haven't updated postage costs on amazon.


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## coffeechap

Their website will completely revised in the very near future, or at least that is according to rob the owner


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## coffeechap

What did you think of th micro hopper, good idea of yours in the first place


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## shrink

Looks good. still waiting on mine


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## shrink

Rave coffee arrived today... Roasted two days ago, lightning fast delivery.

Got it dialled in really quite quickly, as its a similar size and roast level to my standard choice of allpress redchurch.

First impressions?

I love it. It has everything the redchurch has ( chocolate, intensity, richness ) but is a bit sweeter and a bit more forgiving to brew. 18g pulled to about 1.5oz in 25 seconds. Sweet and intense. Amazing in milk.

This will be my go-to blend from now on I think. It's so reasonably priced


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## ronsil

On my recent extensive blast freezing tests, Rave Signature came out as the least affected by the freezing process. Better than Union, Origen & some (not all) of my own roasts & blends. I always dose at 18g. I found it at its best 6 days after roasting or within 2 hours of defrosting if frozen


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## shrink

I froze half of it, in hasbean bags. The rest I kept in its own bag to be used this week


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## walakalulu

Could I have an update? Looks cheap per kg but what of the quality?


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## chimpsinties

I get 1kg of their Italian Job whole bean about every 3 weeks. Have done for years. I really love it. Cheap, great service. Super fresh.


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## johnealey

They have a Q grader as head roaster, Quality of beans good just rest as per instructions that are printed on despatch note. Italian job is very much a darker "introducing" coffee from Rave if you like an Italian style, if not their other blends good as re the single origins (have a kilo of signature in resting plus some suarez as well, and I very rarely buy from roasters as roast my own so am picky, if that helps







)

John


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## cloughy

15% off until midnight tonight on blends - WORLDCUP2022


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## lake_m

Thanks - going to give the Fudge a go.


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## Lucian_Blue

How light is light roasted coffee?


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