# Union hand roast coffee



## snegger (Dec 15, 2010)

anyone tried this online coffee bean shop?


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Never ordered from Union myself but they supply Taylor St Baristas and their Revelation blend is good.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Also available through Ocado, not tried it though....yet.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

MWJB said:


> Also available through Ocado, not tried it though....yet.


I might be wrong but I think if you were to order the beans through Ocado there'd be no guarantee on a recent roast date. Their revelation blend is sold in Waitrose but the packs don't have roast date on.


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## Russ Evans (Jan 29, 2012)

I was going to order from them recently but now refuse to having seen that their minimum transaction value is £7.50 and yet their beans sell for around £5.10 and postage is £2!

A recent email asking why this pricing structure meant I couldn't buy most of their beans went unanswered so I went elsewhere.

Hope this helps.

Russ.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

£5.10 isnt a bad price and neither is £2 postage at today's standard rates.

I was given two bags as part of a competitors' gift pack by Union at the UKBC, as they are comp sponsors. I really wanted to enjoy them as they were some of the best beans on their website. Afraid they both suffered from a really musty, baggy smell and taste. I could pick them out immediately in a row of six cupping bowls. I don't think they are typical of Union though, and if you order from their website rather than from a supermarket (to get fresh beans) I think you'll probably enjoy what you get. I loved the Union espressos we were pulling at an SCAEUK event a few months back.


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## snegger (Dec 15, 2010)

MikeHag said:


> £5.10 isnt a bad price and neither is £2 postage at today's standard rates.


I think the point Russ was making was he would have to order a min of 2 bags as one bag wouldn't get him past the min order requirement.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Aah yeah, sorry. Fair point about the min price. But there are also lots of beans on there for >£5.50


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

The minimum order thing is enough to lose my business. They prob don't care about the home user anyway. I was at their stall at the Scottish Barista heat and I found their conversation to me as a punter was very curt.


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## snegger (Dec 15, 2010)

will try beans first and see!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Milesy said:


> The minimum order thing is enough to lose my business. They prob don't care about the home user anyway. I was at their stall at the Scottish Barista heat and I found their conversation to me as a punter was very curt.


That's a real shame, especially as your payment was going to CoffeeKids


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

Maybe they feel they have enough commercial revenue to not bother offering decent service to the home user. Silly really. There are plenty other roasters to try out there; Union have made the bottom of my list through this thread alone!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Forums strike again!

Probably won't matter to anyone who has already made their mind up but the Union brew bar at UKBC events is manned by Union and non-Union volunteers. Maybe it's a bit quick off the mark to have such a strong negative reaction. Just my opinion and up to you of course.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I don't know whether the fact we are on these forums at five in the morning makes us losers or just dedicated to the cause and are freaking wired. The clocks have gone forward too - get some sleep!

Edit: I think I do know.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Insomnia is a problem for me at the mo


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## Milesy (Mar 8, 2012)

MikeHag said:


> That's a real shame, especially as your payment was going to CoffeeKids


I still bought one and paid my donation, but the guy who served me was not very well customer mannered in my opinion.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Some of the best coffees I have tasted over the past couple of years have been roasted by Union. As has been pointed out, some of the volunteers manning the Union Brew Bar at the UKBC events were not Union staff.

Feedback regarding pricing structure is very important to roasters and I am sure will be taken onboard.

It should be pointed out that the higher cost of the coffee reflects the premiums paid to the farmers, as Union has a great number of direct trade relationships, paying more than the Fairtrade price.

Royal Mail's weight bands are not roaster friendly as has been discussed numerous times before. Perhaps the 350g bags that some roasters use might help get around this issue whilst keeping a fair delivery price?


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Yep, Union Revelation is lush.


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