# Popular quality bean list for a newbie



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Hi guys,

New member here and I know this will be a matter of opinion and it's about 'what I like', but forgetting that for now (mainly because I don't know how to describe 'what I like!'), what are some popular brands of coffee beans many members agree are great quality, brands you can't really go wrong with? I've had a look through these threads and there's a bewildering number of brands mentioned, from niche specialists to mail order subscriptions to brands that sound familiar but I don't know if they are considered good or not by the community.

I live in London if that helps, I've experienced Monmouth, Drury's and Caravan so far. Any help with any brands people think are good quality without having to have specialist knowledge - where I can go, pick something, maybe something the seller recommends even, but be safe in the knowledge I'm in/using a quality bean provider - would be very much appreciated.

If there's a particular bean at a particular retailer that all the 'old heads' know about and love, I'd be up for tracking down that kind of thing too.

Thanks for any guidance, it's hard to know where to begin getting beans, atm I feel very random in my bean choices!

EDIT: I have a Sage Barista Express.


----------



## KingoftheHeath (Nov 22, 2019)

What equipment are you using?


----------



## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

As others have said, try as many as you can and follow your nose.

Most roasters have a range, take rave for example, so maybe try a few different beans and start to work out what you do and don't like


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

KingoftheHeath said:


> What equipment are you using?


 Sage Barista Express. Does that mean I should steer clear of some kinds of beans? Or it doesn't work like that? Sorry if that's a silly question!


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> As others have said, try as many as you can and follow your nose.
> 
> Most roasters have a range, take rave for example, so maybe try a few different beans and start to work out what you do and don't like


 I will while I'm there, it's just knowing where to go in the first place. I can Google it of course but it's hard to know from a company's website, or a list in some magazine or website. I was hoping those in the know can name some outlets generally highly regarded. I'll add Rave to the list, I've heard that mentioned a few times now, thank you.


----------



## KingoftheHeath (Nov 22, 2019)

CocoLoco said:


> Sage Barista Express. Does that mean I should steer clear of some kinds of beans? Or it doesn't work like that? Sorry if that's a silly question!


So if I'm looking at the right machine it's got a built-in grinder. I'd imagine it wouldn't get the best out of light roasted beans and you'd get more consistent espresso with a medium (and darker) roast. It's not always clear how light/dark a particular bean is.

In my experience it's all a bit of pot luck buying beans - especially as taste preference varies from person to person and the water people are using is a big variable.

Having said that, I recently had El Jaguar from John Watt and was pleasantly surprised - not a company I'd ever come across before.


----------



## Gavin (Mar 30, 2014)

Ozone's Hudson roast is good.

London roaster too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## matted (Sep 30, 2019)

Rave coffee

James gourmet coffee

Hasbean

Craft house coffee

Have been personal faves of recent. But no coffee is the same to others. Specific bean recs from other forum members i have tried have been largely successful, however some i found not so great. But that has been ok, helped me learn what i dont like too.

Alternatively how about a dog and hat subscription? Something different every month in varying quantities to suit your prefs https://dogandhat.co.uk/


----------



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Places I like in London are Origin (my go to place for beans when I'm not buying online), Workshop, Kiss The Hippo, Notes, Dark Arts.

There's lots of great roasters. Whereabouts in London are you?


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

KingoftheHeath said:


> So if I'm looking at the right machine it's got a built-in grinder. I'd imagine it wouldn't get the best out of light roasted beans and you'd get more consistent espresso with a medium (and darker) roast. It's not always clear how light/dark a particular bean is.
> 
> In my experience it's all a bit of pot luck buying beans - especially as taste preference varies from person to person and the water people are using is a big variable.
> 
> Having said that, I recently had El Jaguar from John Watt and was pleasantly surprised - not a company I'd ever come across before.


 Aah I see, thank you that's good knowledge. The Moka D'or I'm using from Drury's atm is a dark roast and I love, it so maybe I'll stick with those if I try a light roast and my grinder messes it up.

For water I'm using filtered, there's not much else you can do is there? Do people use bottled?


----------



## KingoftheHeath (Nov 22, 2019)

Oh there's a whole just more you can do with water! Getting the water right seems to be emerging as the next big thing. Basically you can strip all minerals out of the water then add back specific minerals to get it just right for coffee.


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

matted said:


> Rave coffee
> 
> James gourmet coffee
> 
> ...


 Thank you I'll look into those.

'But no coffee is the same to others.' - While I understand that, is there not coffee houses where 95% of people say 'oh they're great'? Are there big, or old, or famous companies that you can't go wrong with that most people would know about? I was told Drury's, in that 'whatever you get from there will be great' and that person was right. They supply Le Manoir, Michel Roux restaurants, Gordon Ramsey restaurants. Maybe I don't need that, maybe I just keep trying random places I read about on here? Thank you for your suggestions, I already like the look of Rave and I'll check out the others today. Once I know a bit more about it a subscription might be a good idea, thanks.


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

KingoftheHeath said:


> Oh there's a whole just more you can do with water! Getting the water right seems to be emerging as the next big thing. Basically you can strip all minerals out of the water then add back specific minerals to get it just right for coffee.


 Haha, really? That's crazy involved! I'm getting the impression no-one ever gets the perfect cup of coffee  Life is a constant struggle to get to the perfect cup but it's never achieved.


----------



## KingoftheHeath (Nov 22, 2019)

Yes, spot on imo, the tantalising pursuit of perfection seems to be common amongst coffee lovers.

It's why you'll find quite a few coffee lovers are also avid cyclists - both involve putting a huge amount of effort in and only rarely feeling like you've cracked it.


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Jon_Foster said:


> Places I like in London are Origin (my go to place for beans when I'm not buying online), Workshop, Kiss The Hippo, Notes, Dark Arts.
> 
> There's lots of great roasters. Whereabouts in London are you?


 Thank you for your suggestions. Workshop has come up before, I looked last night and I'll be heading there. Notes rings a bell too. I'll go to them all over the next few months, I'll do something different every bag for a while I think.

I'm in South Woodford, London. Can't see an options locally, or within 5 tube stops although I only looked locally yesterday. Maybe there's a cafe that does beans fresh I will find...


----------



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

No worries 

I'd definitely suggest trying an espresso (or whatever you drink) in the cafes too. It'll help give you an idea of what to aim for! Most places will give you a free cup when you buy a bag (origin definitely do) but I always ask whatever cafe I'm in and most places usually do...

I lived in Loughton for a few years so I know your area a little, off the above list Dark Arts are the nearest, still a bit of a schlepp though... (between Hackney Central and Hagerston).

A place called Bare Brew sells Square Mile Coffee (who are London based and excellent but don't have a cafe hence their absence from the list) and I would imagine they'll sell bags of beans too. They're just by Snaresbrook station so not too far!!

https://www.barebrew.co.uk/

Good luck! 

Edit: Just saw on their site that they do sell beans in store! Bonus!


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Jon_Foster said:


> No worries
> 
> I'd definitely suggest trying an espresso (or whatever you drink) in the cafes too. It'll help give you an idea of what to aim for! Most places will give you a free cup when you buy a bag (origin definitely do) but I always ask whatever cafe I'm in and most places usually do...
> 
> ...


 Great advice, thank you! Snaresbrook is just down the road and they do sell Square Mile beans, I just called them.

Good idea to ask to try them first, never thought of that. Origin are in the British Library, it's always nice to go there but I see they do a 1 bag every 2 weeks delivery, I might go for that once I've tried them and have a bit more knowledge on what I like.


----------



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

No probs, let me know how you get on, remember that after roasting beans are best rested for about a week, then drunk within the next couple of weeks so always check the roast date.

Origin are one of the best as far as I'm concerned, and the beans are the same price whether you have them delivered or buy in store so no reason not to get involved!


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

Jon_Foster said:


> No probs, let me know how you get on, remember that after roasting beans are best rested for about a week, then drunk within the next couple of weeks so always check the roast date.
> 
> Origin are one of the best as far as I'm concerned, and the beans are the same price whether you have them delivered or buy in store so no reason not to get involved!


 Thanks for reminder, I had forgotten about the resting period. Caravan sold me some that was 'pre-rested', they were good to go, but good to remember that's not always the case. Origin will be an early stop for me thanks, I called them and you can specify 'roasted yesterday' or '1 week ago' etc, plus there's no delivery charge or minimum order. In the coming weeks home delivery may be a smart choice.


----------



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

CocoLoco said:


> Thanks for reminder, I had forgotten about the resting period. Caravan sold me some that was 'pre-rested', they were good to go, but good to remember that's not always the case. Origin will be an early stop for me thanks, I called them and you can specify 'roasted yesterday' or '1 week ago' etc, plus there's no delivery charge or minimum order. In the coming weeks home delivery may be a smart choice.


 True dat! ?


----------



## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

Rest period seems to be bean and roast dependent. 
If you have an hour listen to this fantastic podcast (and read the slides) 
https://scanews.coffee/podcasts/sca-podcast-19-science-of-coffee-freshness

I find my dark roasts are great at 4-7 days. But leave my natural processed pacamaras for 2 weeks. 
Light roasts I tend to find great flavour at 1-2 weeks


----------



## 24774 (Mar 8, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> Rest period seems to be bean and roast dependent.
> If you have an hour listen to this fantastic podcast (and read the slides)
> https://scanews.coffee/podcasts/sca-podcast-19-science-of-coffee-freshness
> 
> ...


 Thanks for that. I can't see to access that website atm, but I'll try again later.


----------



## Huckster (May 16, 2016)

Another vote for Rave Coffee from me, I get through quite a lot of beans so I generally buy 2kg at a time (1x Italian Job & 1x Signature) of and take advantage of their free postage. I rotate this with Another Coffee Blend No 1 which is always reliable and good value. These all work well with my ex-commercial grinder and trusty Gaggia Classic!


----------



## Caffeine fan (May 14, 2019)

Another vote for Hasbean. They do a starter pack of 4 different beans, 250g each, for £20. I found them pretty tasty!


----------



## Deegee (Apr 5, 2020)

I ordered some Red Brick from Square Mile Roasters in E.London this afternoon and found the article below on their blog detailing "resting periods" and the resultant effects on drinkability of both very young and older beans, makes for interesting reading if you've a curious mind.

http://www.squaremileblog.com/2020/02/21/red-brick-and-freshness/


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Deegee said:


> I ordered some Red Brick from Square Mile Roasters in E.London this afternoon and found the article below on their blog detailing "resting periods" and the resultant effects on drinkability of both very young and older beans, makes for interesting reading if you've a curious mind.
> 
> http://www.squaremileblog.com/2020/02/21/red-brick-and-freshness/


 here is another for you


----------



## Deegee (Apr 5, 2020)

That's interesting, he's saying much the same things the SM blog was, I was intrigued by the testers preferring 3-4 week old Coffee, with the bean life potentially extending further than their own "Use By" dates just judging on taste and despite the TDS values dropping, although it was no surprise finding freshly roasted beans were universally reported as sour.

All info is good I guess, as long as it's not just something some clown is spouting with nothing to back it up.


----------

