# Coffee beans subscriptions-worth it?



## jay_kendrick (Jan 16, 2018)

I have now been up and running with my grinder and gaggia classic from earlier this year. Now I am looking to get a bit more into the coffee beans.

It seems the premium time for beans is upto 3 weeks from roasting. Also ideally seasonal beans (I had some brazil beans recently which were roasted in July and they didn't quiet taste right).

So would I be right in saying the easiest and most realistic way to do this would be through subscription sites?

Can anyone make specific recommendations or is it just a case of trying out a few? By chance are there any discount codes? If so private message me.

Here is a decent list to start from and I am open to suggestions. As I say I am looking for seasonal beans open to trying out many different types.

https://coffeeblog.co.uk/coffee-subscription-directory/


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## ashcroc (Oct 28, 2016)

I'm subbed to the LSOL (sign up for guest slot of next roast is open) through the forum & also dog&hat. Both are great ways to get different beans from various roasters.


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## Jez H (Apr 4, 2015)

Django are ace. Change your bean, delivery, frequency etc. Really helpful guys & great coffee.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Thumbs up for Foundry from me. Their passion for coffee shines through everything - from their bean selection, the roast profiles they test until they are satisfied they are bringing the best out of the bean, their informative website and newsletter, and their whole ethos!

Dog and Hat are great, in a different way - they source beans from various roaster, you get to try one-off roasters and beans you probably would be unlikely to otherwise.

HasBean are great too. Square Mile are fab! And then there's the LSOL and the superb selections coming out of that. You are spoilt for choice!


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## jaffro (Oct 6, 2015)

So a subscription is a great choice to try out some new beans, just because you get a variety and you often get beans through that you wouldn't usually consider buying. Sometimes there's one you aren't so keen on, but in general it widens your view, so I'd definitely give it a go!

Regarding the lifespan of beans, I'd say you have a good month from roasting rather than 3 weeks, but that doesn't mean beans are dead on day 32. Realised the other day I had one shot left of an delivery I'd got about 7 weeks beforehand and made one of the best brews I'd had from that bag...

I'm a LSOL subscriber and love it, but agree with MildredM on Foundry - some of my top beans have come from them and they're super helpful and informative. Definitely recommend giving them a go!

Really want to try the Costa Rican they have at the moment... Last year's was the absolute bomb...


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

DogandHat have been excellent in my opinion. They pick roasters from around the UK and also Europe on occasion so you get a really good mix. They've even had a special offer of beans from the USA, although I'm told this was a one off and there aren't currently any plans to repeat it. Their price for the subscription is often much cheaper than buying direct as well, although that isn't the reason I joined. I've yet to have a coffee I don't like in the 6 months or so I've been in it, which before then was unheard of.

The only downside I can think of is if you like dark roasts they may not be your bag. Everything I've had has been either light/medium or medium with nothing approaching dark really and certainly not the sort of dark that Coffee Compass and the like do where there's actually oil on the beans.

As regards freshness, I find that coffee often changes over the first month to six weeks, with no real decline in quality, just a different taste. After that point they tend to go downhill gradually until they're usually shot by around eight to twelve weeks and need binning.


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

In terms of espresso, beans in proper bags can last up to 6 months if they're not open to the air. I've tasted plenty of coffees that were better three months down the line than they were at one month. The obsession with brewing so soon after roasting is, I suspect, as largely imagined as when there was a trend in speciality coffee for getting the grounds from the grinder to the portafilter in the shortest possible time to avoid the supposed staling that happens in a few seconds (it doesn't - at least not to any degree that can be detected by a human).

JP


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

LSOL and #SSSSS for me. Plus the odd bag from wherever takes my fancy should I run out (which is rare, but I did last month..)


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## fatboyslim (Sep 29, 2011)

I wouldn't trust myself to buy the good coffee each month but apparently some would?!?!


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

jjprestidge said:


> In terms of espresso, beans in proper bags can last up to 6 months if they're not open to the air. I've tasted plenty of coffees that were better three months down the line than they were at one month. The obsession with brewing so soon after roasting is, I suspect, as largely imagined as when there was a trend in speciality coffee for getting the grounds from the grinder to the portafilter in the shortest possible time to avoid the supposed staling that happens in a few seconds (it doesn't - at least not to any degree that can be detected by a human).
> 
> JP


What are 'proper bags'?


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

jjprestidge said:


> In terms of espresso, beans in proper bags can last up to 6 months if they're not open to the air. I've tasted plenty of coffees that were better three months down the line than they were at one month.
> 
> JP


I don't know about 6 months, I've always thought of 3 months is pushing the limit.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

urbanbumpkin said:


> I don't know about 6 months, I've always thought of 3 months is pushing the limit.


I wouldn't argue with that other than I think it should be less for some beans. 6 months - dubious. Personally I buy around once a month or so. It varies a bit according to usage rates and how much I buy. Currently around 750g sometimes plus 250g of a bean that I have never tried or one that I have and and want to use again for a change now and again. So as the time and what I order varies I don't use subscriptions. Most roasters offer them.

I use a new bean a few days after it arrives and use it up slowly. That way I can see if there is much of a change due to resting them for longer.

I don't think its a good idea for some one new to espresso machines to keep switching beans. I suspect I was fortunate in finding one I like early on.







The only problem is that now I have found methods of keeping the beans so they more or less produce the same taste all of the time and my timed shots are consistent to around 1g for long periods it's all got a bit boring.







Still enjoy the drinks though but it's time to change something.

John

-


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

MildredM said:


> What are 'proper bags'?


Not unsealed paper bags.

JP


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

ajohn said:


> I wouldn't argue with that other than I think it should be less for some beans. 6 months - dubious. Personally I buy around once a month or so. It varies a bit according to usage rates and how much I buy. Currently around 750g sometimes plus 250g of a bean that I have never tried or one that I have and and want to use again for a change now and again. So as the time and what I order varies I don't use subscriptions. Most roasters offer them.
> 
> I use a new bean a few days after it arrives and use it up slowly. That way I can see if there is much of a change due to resting them for longer.
> 
> ...


Have you tried it, or are you just assuming that it's not correct? People often repeat folklore as if it's fact, and the coffee world is full of it. I've tried plenty of beans at just under 6 months that have been great - several roasters have told me the same, although I guess it isn't in their interests to promote this.

JP


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## Paul K (May 11, 2018)

Thinking about doing a subscription for 6mths to Mechina Espresso in Edinburgh.

Anyone had one from them or is there better out there?


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