# Where do you buy your green beans?



## MikeHag

Home roasters, do you get your green beans from roasters such as hasbean? Or do you have other sources that work out better? And if better... in what way? Price? Ability to try exotic, obscure beans? etc.

Ta.


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## coffeebean

Get mine from Cafe Rico in Weymouth - cheaper as they are a wholesaler and very helpful! If they haven't got what you want, they will find it for you and still not charge you too much!

Andy


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## CoffeeMagic

I've used BellaBarista, Hasbean and GreenCoffeeShop for home roast quantities - good x section of coffees


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## MikeHag

greencoffeeshop's website looks good for me







Decent range of green beans for a beginner to experiment with/burn









Thanks.


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## kevinandrew

From U.S is the best place for buying green beans, specially during July to October peak in South or August and September in the North. Early ready in month of June.


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## MikeHag

kevinandrew said:


> From U.S is the best place for buying green beans, specially during July to October peak in South or August and September in the North. Early ready in month of June.


Could you be more specific? Which supplier? I'd also love to know how we can buy beans from the US without carriage costs making it too expensive.


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## DavidBondy

Has Bean if you want to know all about the grower down to what colour socks he wears. The Pennine Tea and Coffee company if you just want to know what country it came from and want to save money. I also buy from Another Coffee and the Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho.

April 2013 - I have stopped buying from anyone apart from Another Coffee. I love their Old Brown Java and buy 3 x 2Kg at a time to get free delivery. Fast, efficient and Carolyn is very nice to deal with! I found that HasBean were getting to expensive and a lot of their coffees I just didn't like! Pennine were OK but I just love the Old Brown Java!

David


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## vagabond

Just bought from Rave Coffee - actually found them on Amazon. They sell 1lb bags and have a limited but decent selection from £4.85 upwards for the 1lb bags. I like the fact they do free delivery for orders over £20 so I got 5lb of beans for less than £25.

Can I make a suggestion to green bean suppliers? Included with the information about the beans you supply a suggested roast outcome and how you like to roast that bean would be really good. Hasbean do this either in the web page information or on the in my cup vids when cupping the said coffee and I find it really useful. Used as a suggestion only of course and not set in stone.

My two pennies spent

Vags


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## CoffeeMagic

vagabond said:


> ...
> 
> Can I make a suggestion to green bean suppliers? Included with the information about the beans you supply a suggested roast outcome and how you like to roast that bean would be really good. Hasbean do this either in the web page information or on the in my cup vids when cupping the said coffee and I find it really useful. Used as a suggestion only of course and not set in stone.
> 
> My two pennies spent
> 
> Vags


You raise a very good point there, as it is not always obvious how to get the best from a bean that you perhaps haven't used before. It would also be good to get an idea of its limitations. For instance, if you are roasting for espresso you may want to create a darker roast that subdues the acidity a bit or creates boldness then you really want to know if that will destroy any flavour characteristics. Some beans can appear lighter than others when roasted, so if you are judging by colour there is a tendency to over-roast. It's in my to-do list


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## Si2013

I'm looking for suppliers for green coffee beans too. I'm interested in trying Chinese Yunnan coffee has anyone got any experience with this? I tried some as a sample from yunnancoffee.co.uk and it's good on a light roast. The price is good but I'm nervous about buying it in 60kg bags

Added by Admin:

Simon - Disclosure is required. It's not hard to match details and see that you are in fact the owner of the website yunnancoffee.co.uk

I hope that you do like the beans you sell. Why would you be nervous about buying it if you are in fact selling it?

If you think like this then how about selling it in lower quantities?

There is a classifieds section but advertising via the proper channels pays dividends.


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## 4085

If it is price, then Bella Barista simply cannot be beaten. They do a bulk purchase offer. there has just been one but I believe there may be another coming up very soon. The last offer was 24 kilos, 12 varieties of 2 kilo per bean, for £5,50 per kilo.


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## coffeebean

Try Masteroast - I buy 15kg at a time from them and they are pretty reasonable! Lindsey and Fiona in sales are extremely helpful too!!


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## Glenn

The user Si2013 is the owner of the website. I have added a note about disclosure to the post.


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## Si2013

Hi Glenn, I apologise. Truth is I genuinely don't actually sell coffee and it isn't a retail website although I admit at first sight that's what anyone would expect given the post and the look of the site. I'm embarrassed, sure. Where am I at? Well, I have, by chance, met a farmer interested in selling to uk, in large volumes though (tonnes). I was surprised by the quality of the end product, and now I have just a few days before going back and I still have about 400g of samples. I was keen to gain additional feedback to pass on to the farmers and thought I might be able to gain that here. I'm a biologist familiar with the green part of the coffee trail and not the end product. I think we can safely say that was a dumb move I made but I hope entertaining for other readers. I have got valuable info from here on where I can get smaller quantities of beans that I want for comparisons. However, I also have masses of questions for people on home roasting methods but that's for another thread. Once again, apologies to the Forum. (Simon)


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## Si2013

Bella Barrista and Masteroast. Fantastic these quantities you mention are perfect for me. Thank you very much.


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## Michael the bowler

Rave coffee has supplied my green beans for last year due to price and free post on orders over £25


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## adamg

Is there an online market for small rebatching of beans say into 5kg bags?

Seems to me that between 2kg and 300kg is not covered amazingly well other than bella (where I go).

I haven't done the math but from what can be £10 per kg when bagged at a kilo each, there is a mark up for either profit or it is not being done that efficiently.

Just a thought.


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## ronsil

If you can find someone to share an order with you, unless you can use all the quantity yourself, order a 20 lbs box from Sweet Marias in USA.

Beans are approx half the greens price here but you will have to factor in P&P which on a 20 lb deal works out the same again as the beans.

The greens choice is enormous with carefully written roasting notes for each bean

They supply any quantity from 1 lb upwards but the optimum quantity taking into account the postage, I have found to be the 20 lb box.


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## adamg

ronsil said:


> If you can find someone to share an order with you, unless you can use all the quantity yourself, order a 20 lbs box from Sweet Marias in USA.
> 
> Beans are approx half the greens price here but you will have to factor in P&P which on a 20 lb deal works out the same again as the beans.
> 
> The greens choice is enormous with carefully written roasting notes for each bean
> 
> They supply any quantity from 1 lb upwards but the optimum quantity taking into account the postage, I have found to be the 20 lb box.


Thanks, might check them out. What about customs? Ever had any unexpected high charges. I know VAT shouldn't be charged on green beans but I've never understood the rules to trust it enough.


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## adamg

Also, last night this thread might did get me thinking...

Like setting up a cooperative with forum members with one of the larger carriers where the min order is a pallet (300kg). Then arranging delivery round the country from that after being split down. I know costs will be involved but even if that come to an extra £300 on the whole price, it's only an extra £1 per kg.

My brain thinks like this to save every penny on the best. I will spend more time per hour trying to save less than what my hourly rate is. My gf thinks I'm a loser for it. But look after the pennies and the £s will look after themselves


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