# Hasbean sure is expensive



## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

I've been buying greens in the UK for several months now from folks like Redber, Rave and Coffee Bean Shop. I gave Hasbean a try recently and while the beans were very nice they were also terribly expensive. Over twice the price of the other suppliers and you can only buy 250g or 2kg bags. Maybe I'm missing something.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Was the price hidden/concealed? Surely you had the option to not buy if you didn't want to spend the list price?

If they were nice, why is it an issue?


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## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Yeah I don't really get the point here either. Expensive stuff is usually more expensive than cheaper stuff


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Good points folks. I shouldn't have said anything.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Some "speciality" coffee merchants are selling 250g bags of roasted coffee for £6, some £15.

Quality costs money.


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

As someone that gets to see trade price lists everyday for green coffee I can tell you that in order to get quality like some roasters such as HasBean offer, you gotta pay the price.

I would wager they make no more per bag than your average guys, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it is less.

After cup scores hit the mid 80's the price accelerates quickly.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

thusband said:


> I've been buying greens in the UK for several months now from folks like Redber, Rave and Coffee Bean Shop. I gave Hasbean a try recently and while the beans were very nice they were also terribly expensive. Over twice the price of the other suppliers and you can only buy 250g or 2kg bags. Maybe I'm missing something.


 More expensive doesn't mean better necessarily. Take Jamaican Blue Mountain - eye wateringly expensive but not that special IMO. Its price is determined by the fact that no a lot BM is produced and it's in demand - hence the high price.


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Did dave c not point you in the right direction.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

thusband said:


> I've been buying greens in the UK for several months now from folks like Redber, Rave and Coffee Bean Shop. I gave Hasbean a try recently and while the beans were very nice they were also terribly expensive. Over twice the price of the other suppliers and you can only buy 250g or 2kg bags. Maybe I'm missing something.


 Maybe it's because they import the majority of their lots themselves which may add to the resultant price?

I guess that you are used to Sweet Maria prices which are cheap compared to Europe.

I find HasBean expensive but I do like that you can buy 250g. That way you can find out whether it's a bean you like enough to buy 2kg. There's nowhere else in the UK that provides the level of detail that HasBean does. The other suppliers you mention provide very little information.

A middle ground is somewhere like Pennine tea/coffee who supply 1kg bags sourced from Falcon, Wakefield and other major importers. They supply cup scores for most of what they sell. 88pt coffees typically around £12 to £14. Which is more like Sweet Maria prices. But generally they stock less 88+ coffees than HasBean.

Typically an 88pt green coffee from HasBean will be £6 to £8 per 250g. Which as you say is around twice the price. So to say that the price difference is solely quality doesn't seem right. I expect that the big importers have more quantity than HasBean lots so the price is less. I suspect that with HasBean you are paying for exclusivity and overheads.

At the end of the day you pays your money....


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Thanks all. I appreciate the good replies. The explanations for Hasbean pricing seem logical. They do provide much more information about the beans than the others and the beans were nice. I bought a Honduran Finca Cerro Azul Natural from them and it was delicious. Like folks said you get what you pay for.


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## Beeroclock (Aug 10, 2015)

Have you tried Smallbatchroasting?


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Beeroclock said:


> Have you tried Smallbatchroasting?


 No, I've looked at their offerings before but haven't bought from them. They seems to have a pretty large selection. Thanks.


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## Beeroclock (Aug 10, 2015)

They're also very near to you - Shaftsbury - so when all this madness is over... the only thing to watch out with them is that they do still carry a lot of older stock - so make sure you check out the crop/harvest dates.

cheers Phil


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks Phil.

Tom


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## Mattius2 (Aug 28, 2016)

Beeroclock said:


> Have you tried Smallbatchroasting?


 My two last green orders have been from them. Been very happy with the price/quality point tradeoff and the general service and delivery also excellent


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Mattius2 said:


> My two last green orders have been from them. Been very happy with the price/quality point tradeoff and the general service and delivery also excellent


 Thanks I'll give them a try next time.


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## Agentb (Feb 11, 2017)

I regularly return to Hasbean, (i do tend to stray often) in fact i have finished off some Nicaraguan Finca Limoncillo Funky Natural Red Pacamara (huge beans 😺) and some Thai Doi Pangkhon Black Honey. Both of which i would buy again. You sometimes get a discount code which helps (most coffee roasters do). They do write up their coffees well, and have a good variety - and i like the top opening bags more than the side opening ones. I can peel off their stickers and they go in the book, with some setting and notes so i can go back to a coffee.

I also tried recently buying the cheapest beans at Waitrose about 2.50 / 250g i could find recently just to see if i could make a drinkable coffee.. I was shocked at how oily, small and black they were. I made a couple of espressos and the sink enjoyed them.🙀

When you add the all the time and costs of getting a coffee made, a 5 pound difference in a bag of 250g - say 14 doubles - its just 35-40p extra between very bad and very good.

Like wine the extra you spend in a bottle usually makes quite a difference from the low end.

edit:strays over to Smallbatchroasting


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Excellent post, @Agentb. Thanks a lot. The more I think about the excellent Honduran I got from them the more I think I'll be back.


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## BlackCatCoffee (Apr 11, 2017)

Agentb said:


> I regularly return to Hasbean, (i do tend to stray often) in fact i have finished off some Nicaraguan Finca Limoncillo Funky Natural Red Pacamara (huge beans 😺) and some Thai Doi Pangkhon Black Honey. Both of which i would buy again. You sometimes get a discount code which helps (most coffee roasters do). They do write up their coffees well, and have a good variety - and i like the top opening bags more than the side opening ones. I can peel off their stickers and they go in the book, with some setting and notes so i can go back to a coffee.
> 
> I also tried recently buying the cheapest beans at Waitrose about 2.50 / 250g i could find recently just to see if i could make a drinkable coffee.. I was shocked at how oily, small and black they were. I made a couple of espressos and the sink enjoyed them.🙀
> 
> ...


 A lot of sense here. It always confuses my when I see people happy to buy super equipment but then get stale coffee from the supermarket to save a few pence a cup.

This is not a dig at the OP I can see he is after good beans.


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> A lot of sense here. It always confuses my when I see people happy to buy super equipment but then get stale coffee from the supermarket to save a few pence a cup.
> 
> This is not a dig at the OP I can see he is after good beans.


 That's a good point. I didn't hesitate in buying my Lelit Bianca so I shouldn't be quibbling about the price of good beans.


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## Beeroclock (Aug 10, 2015)

Agentb said:


> I regularly return to Hasbean, (i do tend to stray often) in fact i have finished off some Nicaraguan Finca Limoncillo Funky Natural Red Pacamara (huge beans 😺) and some Thai Doi Pangkhon Black Honey. Both of which i would buy again. You sometimes get a discount code which helps (most coffee roasters do). They do write up their coffees well, and have a good variety - and i like the top opening bags more than the side opening ones. I can peel off their stickers and they go in the book, with some setting and notes so i can go back to a coffee.
> 
> I also tried recently buying the cheapest beans at Waitrose about 2.50 / 250g i could find recently just to see if i could make a drinkable coffee.. I was shocked at how oily, small and black they were. I made a couple of espressos and the sink enjoyed them.🙀
> 
> ...


 I think we were discussing the purchase of "green" coffee from Hasbean - not the roasted product.

Hasbean are pretty much on a par with most other roasters from a cost point of view - but buying their coffee green is particularly expensive.


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

Beeroclock said:


> I think we were discussing the purchase of "green" coffee from Hasbean - not the roasted product.
> 
> Hasbean are pretty much on a par with most other roasters from a cost point of view - but buying their coffee green is particularly expensive.


 Yes, I missed that. I'm referring to their greens.


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## the_partisan (Feb 29, 2016)

There's a reason many roasters don't even sell green beans, because the margins are extremely low for small batches. Hence the higher prices from HasBean. They'll probably do a much better price if you contact them and ask to buy say a full 60/70kg bag or so.


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

the_partisan said:


> There's a reason many roasters don't even sell green beans, because the margins are extremely low for small batches. Hence the higher prices from HasBean. They'll probably do a much better price if you contact them and ask to buy say a full 60/70kg bag or so.


 Probably so but 60kg is about 150 roasts for me in my little Huky and I like trying different beans too much.


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## malling (Dec 8, 2014)

BlackCatCoffee said:


> As someone that gets to see trade price lists everyday for green coffee I can tell you that in order to get quality like some roasters such as HasBean offer, you gotta pay the price.
> 
> I would wager they make no more per bag than your average guys, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it is less.
> 
> After cup scores hit the mid 80's the price accelerates quickly.


Yep

Quality costs, every time I check what local high end roasters pay for greens it put things into perspective... it's not exactly the cheaper stuff that people tend to roast at home or what mid or low end roasters typically use. When they done roasting greens there is a good reason why it costs plus £10 for 250g! Some of them even stopped suppling 1kg roasted bags for customers because of the high price.

Allot of these also get their greens from Nordic Approach, which kinda says it all, again high quality stuff that cost an arm and a leg, I see prices for certain greens from them time to time.

Again just go into the Swedish roasters Drop page, they also sell 1kg greens, although 1/2 the price it is bloody expensive.


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## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

thusband said:


> Probably so but 60kg is about 150 roasts for me in my little Huky and I like trying different beans too much.


 Consider approaching other (forum ?) roasters in your area to see if forming a small buying syndicate is viable----then make collective decisions and buy direct from the importer. A group achieves variety at lower costs. But keep it small to avoid personal financial over exposure.


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## Beeroclock (Aug 10, 2015)

That's a very good idea Batian, I'm buying a lot more green now especially as I've increased my batch size capability. I'm based in Corsham Wiltshire, near Bath. So if anyone in the area fancies creating a small "local" group - pm me and we'll see if we can work something out.

Cheers Phil


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## Dormouse (Aug 6, 2017)

I usually buy greens from Pennine and Hasbean.

Most from Pennine who seem aimed at the trade and tend to have good coffees at a very reasonable price. Always a wide range of coffee growing countries.

Hasbean are expensive but quality is very high. I'd buy more from them if he had more Asian coffee, but Steve appears to have a bias to central and south America.

Always looking for a new source for high quality Monsoon Malabar or other aged coffees. I find Pennine's okay; not great, but the others I've tried were worse. Long time since I found a MM at Hasbean.


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

A year or so ago when I first started buying coffee over here I thought Hasbean was very expensive. Now I find myself going back to them over and over. The quality of their beans are excellent. I do about 380 grams in my Huky and always sort the beans prior. With Hasbean I rarely find defects but with other folks I'll find a dozen or so.


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## Step21 (Oct 2, 2014)

I've not bought from Hasbean for a while - I would like to see them offer a higher discount for 1kg, currently it's 2kg. Roasting small batches I find 2kg more than I want.

I have bought from Pennine mostly in recent times buying a variety of origins at reasonable prices, plus free delivery over £60. Quality is good overall. It's probably around half the price of HasBean per kg and while HasBean quality is higher it's not twice as good imo.

I also use Two Day coffee from Bristol from time to time, who carry a limited range but quality is good. 30% discount per 100g and flat £2 postage, no extra discount for quantity. So closer to HasBean prices.


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## thusband (Nov 19, 2015)

I haven't heard of Two Day Coffee but they look interesting. Not any cheaper than Hasbean but they offer 1KG so that's appealing. I'll try them next time.

Thanks a lot!


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