# Does your commercial roaster date their bags?



## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

My roaster Thomson of Glasgow is a 120 year old company that flame roasts their beans. I have noticed that none of the six 1 KG bags that I have bought from them (a pair at a time) have any printed or written roast date. I would like to insist that a date is present but as the bags are brought in from the behind the reception area they could just put any date on and I would be none the wiser.

Is this a common practice?


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Mine put a roast date, and a BBD.

If you are buying bags straight from the roaster the only concern for me would be that they are too fresh.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Any roaster could just put any date on they like. But it would be of no benefit to lie, because old beans taste like old beans, regardless of roast date. Thomsons are, in my experience, a commodity roaster. Their customers aren't as quality-focused as those of speciality roasters. Different market, different product. In that scenario a roast date wouldn't add much, in my view.


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## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

MikeHag said:


> Any roaster could just put any date on they like. But it would be of no benefit to lie, because old beans taste like old beans, regardless of roast date. Thomsons are, in my experience, a commodity roaster. Their customers aren't as quality-focused as those of speciality roasters. Different market, different product. In that scenario a roast date wouldn't add much, in my view.


I'm quite willing to try out an alternative. Are there any of the type you mention in Central Scotland?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Oh, I wasn't suggesting switching from Thomsons if you like their beans.

In the Glasgow area you could try Dear Green Coffee Roasters.

You could also try Roast Central - I havent tried his work yet. http://roastcentral.co.uk/


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## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

MikeHag said:


> Oh, I wasn't suggesting switching from Thomsons if you like their beans.
> 
> In the Glasgow area you could try Dear Green Coffee Roasters.
> 
> You could also try Roast Central - I havent tried his work yet. http://roastcentral.co.uk/


Dear Green Coffee Roasters website is down and I cannot find their phone number. Please post it if you have it.


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## radish (Nov 20, 2011)

Don't think they have a 'phone. Try leaving a message on Facebook or Twitter.


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## Beemer (Jun 19, 2012)

MikeHag said:


> Any roaster could just put any date on they like. But it would be of no benefit to lie, because old beans taste like old beans, regardless of roast date. Thomsons are, in my experience, a commodity roaster. Their customers aren't as quality-focused as those of speciality roasters. Different market, different product. In that scenario a roast date wouldn't add much, in my view.


I bought more beans from Thomsons today. I asked about the missing date and that it was impossible for me to tell when the beans were roasted. I was told that all commercial deliveries are date stamped but not the 1kg bags for the public. In answer to my question about how long since the roast I was told "anything from one day to two weeks"

So this is a real bummer as I will never know whether to let the beans rest or not.


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## RobD (May 2, 2012)

I have recently changed who i get my beans from as my last suppliers customer service only worked when everything was going OK but went to rats sh*t as soon as a problem occurred, the new roster not only put a roast date on its label but put roasted for "My name" i had to do a double take to make sure i wasn't having a moment, my first bag of personalised beans







so while they could well just slap a label on a bag of beans roasted two weeks prior, i got the feeling that if they had gone to that much trouble with the label they wouldn't prat about with the beans.


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