# hasbean starter pack



## redmike (Jan 23, 2012)

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and also decent coffee, but have a French press and a manual grinder. I am still working out what I like, but am thinking of getting the hasbean starter pack

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Filter-Starter-Pack.html

Is this a good place to start? Any thoughts on the coffees in there?

thanks


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

As CoffeeGeek said, HasBean is a great company and their service is second to none.

But they roast light, and if the beans aren't to your taste, you're not the only one.


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

I think you could do a lot better than that starter pack, although Hasbean is a very efficient company. I must admit I've gone off their stuff a bit recently as I find it a bit samey. My recommendations for a range would be a decent Kenyan, a Yirgachef, an Indonesian, and a central American.

At least you'll get an idea from that.


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## brun (Dec 26, 2011)

where would you suggest Expobarista ?


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

James Gormet Coffee is a alternative.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

If you like light and medium roasts then Has Bean are as good as they come. They roasted the beans that won the 2011 World Barista Championships. I love 'em. Their roasts retain the varietal and geographical distinctiveness that dark roasts kill off and replace with roasty flavours. If you like dark roasts, you may indeed struggle with many of their beans. If you don't know what roast style you like (dark or light... or indeed medium), I'd recommend trying lots of different coffees and only then make up your own mind. Coffee preference is a very personal thing. The starter pack is good in my view.


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Remember that he's after filter coffees, not espresso, and whilst light roast is appropriate with some varieties it is horrid with others. Have you ever had a light roast Indonesian?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Good point. No. I've had medium and dark, both good. But then I haven't had any light roasts at all from Has Bean. They have all been medium.


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Having said that, I have









Some Indonesian coffees are a bit deceptive, and if you rely on colour you can end up roasting darker than you need to. Most though really need to go up to second crack.

I think it really does depend on the bean. Some have no flavour until you get to a certain level of roast, whereas 30 seconds too long can murder a delicately floral bean.

It is also worth remembering that there is nothing wrong with enjoying the flavour of the roast.


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

are james gormet usually darker roast then has bean?


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## Sam__G (Sep 4, 2011)

I'm yet to try James Gourmet (although I will be soon) but for what its worth, I find Hasbean's roast absolutely fine for brewed coffee but a little light for my espresso pallette... Definately worth a try if you haven't yet...

Edit: Tbh, most of the espressos i've had from Hasbean have been fantastic aswell actually, just 1 or 2 have been a larl bit light.


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## xiuxiuejar (Jan 24, 2012)

I've just had a look at Has Bean's range and they have a fine selections of well sourced coffees. The pack seems nice and I think that you will enjoy it. The people talking about light roasts are talking about espresso. Espresso blends are generally dark roasted, include at least one full bodied bean and often 10-15% robusta to give it a real kick and body. Some blends feel light when the roasters put well balanced beans together. Although they feel light, these blends allow you to 'find' all the character of the different coffees included. All of us, including me, tend to think an espresso should make our socks pop off and forget why we fell in love with coffee in the first place. Whilst the roast is important, the quality of the bean and where is comes from is what is most important when making coffee. Everybody's taste is different, just keep trying until you find a coffee you like. My advice to you is make sure the quality of the water is perfect for the french press and with this pack, you will find a few surprises.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

All this business of light, med, dark is a bit of a red herring really. Roasters roast beans. Sometimes they are lighter and sometimes they are darker... the reason that is so is because some beans work better that way. A better way to describe Peter James is to say he's one of the most experienced roasters around and has always been mentioned in conversations about great roasters. Light... Dark... Medium... it depends what you buy.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

MikeHag said:


> All this business of light, med, dark is a bit of a red herring really. Roasters roast beans.


 I disagree - I think there are definitely 'house styles' among roasters, and some roasters very definitely favour lighter roasts. What would be a dark roast for HasBean would be a medium roast for Drury. The controversy is, I believe, mostly concerned with espresso blends. All of HasBean espresso blends I find far too light roasted to my taste, but they have many fans.

HasBean, Square Mile, Climpsons, Union Hand Roasted, Drury - each have a very distinctive (and generally unmistakable) approach to roasting and blending.

In my humble opinion.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Sorry - Please don't read more into my previous post than I actually meant to say (and probably said badly!).

I'm not saying that roasters don't have their own roasting styles. I'm just saying it's not right to refer to roasters as light roasters or dark roasters. Taking Steve, yes he has some espressos that are acidic. But he also has some dark espressos. Peter James... is he light? medium? dark? He does a variety.

Maybe I'm being pedantic, and maybe it's ok to use the word 'light'. I just find it misleading.


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Fwiw I don't think Mike has said anything that I'd disagree with. He's right, in my view.

The confusion arises in this forum because sometimes people are specifically talking about espresso and sometimes not, without making it clear.


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

One thing I would like to pick up on is Mike's note about Light/medium/dark roast. Roasters each have their own style, but there's a lot more that influences that taste profile than just what colour the beans are. I'm not suggesting it isn't a factor, just that there are a sufficient range of other factors in roasting that it makes more sense to me to talk about each roasters' style, and the kind of flavour profiles they favour, rather than grouping into "light" and "dark".


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## Calidore (Jan 22, 2012)

On the pros and cons of Hasbean I think the pros heavily outweigh the cons. They're a great company to deal with: they once--only once--sent me the wrong coffee, and got me a replacement for nothing next day. The actual coffees in their starter pack should be uniformly enjoyable, though I've only actually had two of the four myself. The El Salvador Alaska is really something, and is pricey if you buy it on its own. I don't myself find the Hasbean roast of this one too light, though I do roast my own a little bit darker than they do, but then I mostly drink cappuccino. The Machacamarca, which Hasbean have made their signature coffee, is also really delicious. I thought the 2011 was a bit less good than the 2010, and I haven't yet tried the 2012, but it's got depth and warmth aplenty, and the first time I had it I thought 'this is it'. I think the starter pack is a great deal and it should give you a sense of the kind of things you like. I have only had one coffee from Hasbean that I really haven't enjoyed, and even then I could see that it was interesting.


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## redmike (Jan 23, 2012)

thanks fr the replies folks. Think I'll give it a go and see how I get on


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I recently bought the filter starter pack. Though pretty decent, I wasn't enamoured with the el Salvador finca, but the Bolivian one was top draw - lovely orangey crispness with smooth chocolatey, caramel sweetness. They're the only ones I've tried so far; I'll be starting a new pack tomorrow. I've been brewing in an aeropress, French press, pour over and as espresso. I realise they are in the filter pack, but thought I'd try them out for espresso and the Bolivian works well. Both are great in aeropress and pour over - French press not so much, though I think I under dosed.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

MikeHag said:


> I'm not saying that roasters don't have their own roasting styles. I'm just saying it's not right to refer to roasters as light roasters or dark roasters. Taking Steve, yes he has some espressos that are acidic. But he also has some dark espressos. Maybe I'm being pedantic, and maybe it's ok to use the word 'light'. I just find it misleading.


 Yes, it is far too simplistic to talk of roasters being 'dark' or 'light', and I didn't really mean that. But I haven't had any espresso blends from HasBean that I would call dark (and I've tried about six) - my favourite, which is probably his darkest (and the only one with robusta in it), is Breakfast Bomb. None of Steve's espresso blends go as dark as, say, Union. And none of the third wave roasters get anywhere near the black, shiny oily beans you get from some of the old-style Italian roasters (and probably a very good thing too).

And I really don't want to go on about HasBean, which in so many ways is a fantastic company. I want to buy from them, I've just had too many disappointments. I just get concerned when people think there is something wrong with them if they don't like the HasBean style, or that their palates are undeveloped or unsophisticated if they don't like light espresso roasts and fizzy citrus flavours.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

RoloD said:


> I just get concerned when people think there is something wrong with them if they don't like the HasBean style, or that their palates are undeveloped or unsophisticated if they don't like light espresso roasts and fizzy citrus flavours.


Completely agree. There's room for everyone's tastes. This is why it's important for everyone to try lots of different roasts from lots of different roasters, instead of just buying what someone else says is good.


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