# Costa Coffee



## FurryCup

I don't use these beans all the time, but I do use them as a backup if the store is out of my usuals. Such a situation arose this week. On entering my local Costa I saw the new Silver 250g tins I had heard about and then I saw the price £4.99 geeeeezzzz!! They had some of the old 227g packs left for £2.99 which I was told are being fazed out. Now call me tight (you wont be the first) but thats a hell of an increase for a tin!! They are OK but not great beans so I don't think I will be buying them anymore at that price. Is the price the same in your local Costa? I don't mind paying for good beans, but.............. Rant over.









p.s nice looking tin though.


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## vintagecigarman

HOW MUCH???!!!

Amazing!

£5 buys 250g of amazingly good, freshly-roasted coffee from Hasbean. No nice tin, but a good re-sealable pack with a valve.


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## sandykt

£4.99 - are you sure. I purchased some on Saturday and they were £4.29. I have so many empty tins in my house its unbelieveable. I have to admit, I did buy all the bags when they told me about the change from bags to beans.

Price aside, they are my favourite beans and if they were £7 a tin, I would still buy them.

I hope Mr Whitbread is not reading this!!!


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## Glenn

sandykt said:


> I hope Mr Whitbread is not reading this!!!


He might be, but you are free to express your opinion


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## BanishInstant

When I saw the price, and particularly slow service that day, I put the tin down.

If you are a fan of Starbucks then they do a very interesting deal. If you have one of their cards, which you can keep topping up, if you buy some beans, you get a drink free.

http://starbucks.co.uk/en-GB/_Card/


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## sandykt

I will visit Costa at the weekend to see if the price has gone up. I don't mind buying in tins but there should be the option to buy re-fill bags too.

If anyone wants a tin to store nuts & bolts in their shed, just let me know!!!


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## FurryCup

Yes Sandy def £4.99 the pre-ground was £4.29. Costa's can vary prices slightly on consumables. I wouldn't mind but she tried to charge me the new price for my old packet!. Make a coffee tin wall and post a pic.

Try these Sandy if you like Costa you should like these and double the beans for less money. http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/equal-exchange/equal-exchange-it39s-our-coffee-italian-whole-coffee-beans-500g/

That sounds like a good deal from Starbucks "pitty they serve coffee in a Navy's mug".


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## sandykt

I have been thinking about the price of these beans and I have found my receipt from Saturday's visit to Costa - FurryCup, you are right, they have gone up to £4.99. I have fired off an e-mail to Costa's customer service department and I will post their response when I get it. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say.


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## FurryCup

Indeed it will Sandy. Well done for being proactive.


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## LeeWardle

Ok, now.....Having only tasted Costa on-site what is it that is so amazing about the Costa Beans!? I don't mean in in a bad way, just why does everyone on here seem to love them? £4.99 seems crazy when I could get 1k of Union Hand Roasted beans for a £10!

If I get the right annswer I will buy some Costa beans today!

Lee


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## sandykt

Update: Costa have opened my e-mail but no response has been received by them, as yet.


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## FurryCup

Lee, IMO there is nothing special about Costa beans, but at the old £2.99 price you had a slightly above average bean at a reasonable price and if you think a medium Cap' in Costa costs almost the same as the old bag it did feel like a good deal. My local Costa has very high standards and I wouldn't go anywhere else for coffee when I'm in town, but when I was in Liverpool recently I visited 2 Costas and they were both terrible. I think it depends on whether the franchise owner is hands on or not. As for the new price of £4.99 I will honestly never buy their beans again at that price. Where do i get these "1k of Union Hand Roasted beans for a £10" you speak of? Save your £4.99.


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## BanishInstant

For me, Costa coffee in general is the better of the high street outlets, but is miles away from good independants.

The beans are just okay in my opinion, and maybe a fall back if I have run out earlier than planned and I haven't been able to secure fresh supplies.


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## sandykt

IMO Costa beans are really nice. I have purchased fresh beans, not said anything to my husband and he cannot tell the difference - only when the fresh beans are starting to go off has he made any comment. My local Costa has very high standards and I started buying the beans (when they were in bags) after being informed the beans sold in bags, are the beans the store uses.

I have looked at some online coffee bean companies and I think, generally, the price of coffee seems to have gone up.

I'm off to Costco this weekend so I might be brave and try their house blend coffee beans.


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## BanishInstant

sandykt said:


> I'm off to Costco this weekend so I might be brave and try their house blend coffee beans.


Keep an eye on the roasting/expiry date, picking the latest in both cases.


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## sandykt

I will Banish, don't worry.


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## LeeWardle

FurryCup said:


> Where do i get these "1k of Union Hand Roasted beans for a £10" you speak of? .


Ahhhh, you have to know people







Ha ha thats about the cost price that a distributer sells it for. I get them from the coffee company I used to be an engineer/trainer for.

Lee


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## DonRJ

I use Garraways and Pennine Tea and Coffee for beans, if you buy larger quantities (spend £50) and split the purchase with mates or just use loads like I do, you will be paying less than a tenner a kilo for many of the beans on offer.

http://www.pennineteaandcoffee.co.uk/commercialcoffeeingredients/Origin_coffee.htm

http://www.garraways.co.uk/c6544/espresso-coffee-beans.html

Don


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## FurryCup

LeeWardle said:


> Ahhhh, you have to know people
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> Ha ha thats about the cost price that a distributer sells it for. I get them from the coffee company I used to be an engineer/trainer for.
> 
> Lee


Big tease lee,







lets try and compare like with like.


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## LeeWardle

I really need to buy some Costa beans before bashing them!









Lee


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## DavidS

I got a latte from costa between college once (there is an actual costa in my college, but it wasn't that one). It was pretty savage. How many shots do they put in their medium sizes? Tasted really weak..


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## Glenn

Normally 1 shot (displayed on their menu). Additional shots can be added - there is usually a supplementary charge.

However, some drink types (eg Flat White) have a higher espresso:milk ratio


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## coffeeman

It's actually 2 shots in a medium latte (eat in/take away) the large (massimo) are 3 shots and the small is 1 shot for eat in and 2 for take away. Apparently the corporate reasoning behind this is that the small take away cups are 13oz and the glasses are 12oz and customers complained the small take away's were weak! all the other drinks are 2,3 and 4 shots for small medium and large respectively.

Interestingly the 'brand standard' for flat whites states a 40ml shot extracted through 21g's of ground coffee but in practice we've found using 60ml's gets a MUCH nicer tasting cup. Also using 40ml's you get a very small amount of crema in my experience as a costa barista

(the charge for an extra shot is 35p)

On the subject of the beans I agree the tins are massively over-priced for what they are but I'd beware with the bags as costa's moved from bags to tins at least 3 months ago so most of what's being sold of will be 3 months+ old.


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## RisingPower

DonRJ said:


> I use Garraways and Pennine Tea and Coffee for beans, if you buy larger quantities (spend £50) and split the purchase with mates or just use loads like I do, you will be paying less than a tenner a kilo for many of the beans on offer.
> 
> http://www.pennineteaandcoffee.co.uk/commercialcoffeeingredients/Origin_coffee.htm
> 
> http://www.garraways.co.uk/c6544/espresso-coffee-beans.html
> 
> Don


But hang on a minute, why would anyone want 1kg of roasted coffee if they weren't running a shop? I mean I can understand maybe 250g-500g a week, but 1kg? Damn. Mind you, I guess if it's for lots of people that makes more sense.

Having said this, 2kg of green for £13.00, assume 80% roasted weight, works out at £8.13 a kg.

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Indian-Monsoon-Malabar-2009%252d2010.html


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## vintagecigarman

I've never been even close to 80% weight from green to roasted, am I doing something wrong? (Doesn't taste like it)


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## RisingPower

vintagecigarman said:


> I've never been even close to 80% weight from green to roasted, am I doing something wrong? (Doesn't taste like it)


Really? Mind you it does depend on the bean you're using, but I average around that %, like around 217g for 255g.


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## vintagecigarman

You're right - it's me reading my stats wrong.

I use a lot of Cuban Serrano, roasting in half pounds to just up to 2nd crack, and generally get 6.7 ounces from 8 ounces of greens - about 83%. (I had foolishly been reading 6.7 as 67%, sorry)

Nice to know that it's more economical than I thought!

I've only done about 60 roasts, so I've got a LONG way to go!


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## sandykt

Hey guys, I think this thread is going a bit off subject!!! Anyway, I was in good old Essex this morning and at the Costa in Lakeside - guess what, their tins of 250g coffee beans were £4.29 - not £4.99. Obviously I purchased some! Still no word from the Head Office of Costa.


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## RisingPower

vintagecigarman said:


> You're right - it's me reading my stats wrong.
> 
> I use a lot of Cuban Serrano, roasting in half pounds to just up to 2nd crack, and generally get 6.7 ounces from 8 ounces of greens - about 83%. (I had foolishly been reading 6.7 as 67%, sorry)
> 
> Nice to know that it's more economical than I thought!
> 
> I've only done about 60 roasts, so I've got a LONG way to go!


Yeah, it's economical-ish







But then presumably you didn't roast for that reason?


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## DonRJ

Sandy = Costa warrior woman


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## vintagecigarman

RisingPower said:


> Yeah, it's economical-ish
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> But then presumably you didn't roast for that reason?


Responding to this at risk of further annoying Sandy :>)))

Sorry, I know it's still moving off topic.

No, I didn't start roasting for reasons of economy - and anyone who thinks they can save money by home roasting should definitely never work in the financial sector. I started, primarily, just to get involved even deeper with coffee, and to see if I could eventually approach the quality of some of the specialist roasters. I now know just how difficult that second part is.

What I hadn't fully expected is how much FUN roasting is, and how even minor tweaks can have profound differences in the end-product. It's become totally absorbing, and something that I'd encourage any coffee-lover to try.


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## FurryCup

Sandy any news on that email? Well done on finding cheaper Costa beans, but as the ground is £4.29 I think they have just made a mistake pricing it up. So keep stum when you buy them.


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## sandykt

No response from Costa at all. I have a read receipt for the e-mail so I am going to give it another couple of days and then hit them again.


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## FurryCup

I hope your love of the Costa hasn't diminished. That kind of love is hard to find.









I asked my wife yesterday "if she had to give up her morning coffee or her daily cups of tea for ever which would it be"? To my amazment she said tea. I think that makes me the best Barista in the World, wheres my Trophy?


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## sandykt

Well, the mystery continues..... no word from Costa's head office. However, I visited Costa in Shaftesbury (Dorset) yesterday afternoon and very clearly both the ground coffee and coffee beans were priced at £4.29.


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## FurryCup

It's beyond me why they should charge more for beans than ground! Am I missing something?


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## DavidS

sandykt said:


> Well, the mystery continues..... no word from Costa's head office. However, I visited Costa in Shaftesbury (Dorset) yesterday afternoon and very clearly both the ground coffee and coffee beans were priced at £4.29.


You should have west another 30 odd miles west, I could have put some real coffee in your hands for cheaper!


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## sandykt

Well, well, I have a reply from Customer Relations at Costa. Here it is:-

"I write further to your correspondence regarding your visits to our Costa Coffee Stores.

Firstly, please accept my sincere apologies for you disappointment that we have discontinued the packet coffee that we used to sell, and that the replacement tins do not represent value for money in comparison.

I have spoken to our Marketing team and they have informed me the new tins off coffee do not have the same coffee in as the packets did. This has been replaced with a Mocha Italia Blend of coffee which is what we use worldwide in our stores. The previous coffee was a filter coffee which could be used in a caffetierre. The new coffee is a premium Espresso coffee which is a far superior product.

Our new coffee is not for use in a caffetierre it can only be used in an Espresso machine or in a stove top percolator.

I have however passed your comments onto our Marketing team who are closely monitoring all feedback on the changes.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to contact us, and for your feedback."

They seem to have completely missed the point I was making to them. I am not concerned about ground coffee at all. No mention of a price hike at all in their e-mail but, as I have said, my local Costa is selling the beans at £4.29. I have also been to Lakeside (Thurrock, Essex) and they too were selling beans at £4.29. At that price, I'm happy to continue buying them combined with an on-line purchase every month or so.


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## BanishInstant

sandykt said:


> At that price, I'm happy to continue buying them combined with an on-line purchase every month or so.


But what are you going to do with all of those tins?


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## sandykt

Well, I managed to get rid of some at the weekend - a family member said "oh, I could use those for my shed". My husband his eye on the next three or four. Why, do you want some?


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## vintagecigarman

Congratulations on at least getting a response, Sandy, even if it totally ignores the issues that you raised.

I suspected that your comments had just disappeared into the ether. Good to know that they at least attempted tp take them seriously


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## FurryCup

Thats nice of them to tell people they no longer sell coffee for use in a caffetierre. Oh! sorry they haven't. They only told Sandy. What a load of old used coffee grounds. All those tins can not be good for the planet. Who thinks a large part off the new price is the tin?


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## FurryCup

Just to say that both beans and ground are now £4.29 in my local Costa. I still think they will go out of date at that price. (I know they will be out of date by the time they hit the shelf by alot of peoples standerds).


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## sandykt

I have used both fresh beans ordered online but my main supply are Costa beans. IMO they represent fairly good value for money (at the moment). By the time I add on P&P for online fresh roasters, Costa is usually cheaper. My local Costa seem to sell their beans as I always check the dates before I buy and I usually buy the beans which are roasted in the same month of purchase.


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## Edward

I'm afraid I'm going to need to correct you on that VC.

Home roasting isn't more economical, provided all coffee gets used in time, before it goes stale, in both cases.

Scenario A Roasting your own and always having fresh coffee that you can use until its done

Scenario B Disposing of a significant portion of your coffee when it goes stale

If you're someone who (for whatever reason) occasionally experiences decreases in consumption level, in real terms (i.e. your pocket) home roasting can and will save money over throwing good coffee out.

Also don't forget postage as a part of the cost. If you've got a green bean you like and can order a large amount of (6 months, years supply) you eliminate the recurring postage cost, sometimes that alone can £3 a week or so (assuming you buy weekly to maintain freshness)


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