# Christmas deal at Hands On



## MikeHag

Just received this by email... Hope Paul doesn't mind if I share it. Personally I do rate Hands On roasts very highly.

http://www.hands-on-coffee.co.uk/

FREE FIRST CLASS POSTAGE ON ALL ORDERS OF 3 BAGS OR MORE!

This Saturday (17th December) we're offering free postage and packing on all coffee orders of 3 or more bags (250g). You can choose from any of our coffees (including the new Black Chough and Limited Release range) and postage and packing is absolutely FREE!

The offer starts at 9am Saturday 17th December and lasts until 9pm Monday 19th December 2011 - so don't miss out! To make sure your coffee arrives fresh and in time for Christmas we'll post by First Class Royal Mail by Tuesday 20th December 2011.


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## nekromantik

is hands on coffee good?

how are the beans compared to Has Bean?


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## RvB

nekromantik said:


> is hands on coffee good?


yes it is!


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## nekromantik

I only just ordered some james gormet 250g bag which not arrived yet but now im tempted to get Lusty Glaze 1KG bag for £14 as it works out just under £4 per 250g!


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## coffeeone

ahh man cannot believe i just saw this thread now. i wanted to try this site out as well. oh well.


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## MikeHag

coffeeone said:


> ahh man cannot believe i just saw this thread now. i wanted to try this site out as well. oh well.


If you give Paul a ring maybe he'll extend the offer... dunno, and I can't speak for him of course


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## coffeeone

well it wont hurt to ring him i guess, thanks.

edit - spoke to eloise. She was very nice but explained i was too late. Oh well may get them next year. I liked the look of this company from their site seem rather home grown. How do their beans compare?


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## bobbytoad

coffeeone said:


> ahh man cannot believe i just saw this thread now. i wanted to try this site out as well. oh well.


 In the same boat as you - postage seems a bit steep otherwise or is it just me?


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## nekromantik

bobbytoad said:


> In the same boat as you - postage seems a bit steep otherwise or is it just me?


they are only above has bean shipping costs.

all the online coffee roasters I seen charge between £1.90 - £2.90 for one bag.


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## MikeHag

coffeeone said:


> how do their beans compare?


Paul is roasting the beans for my UKBC set. Personally I think his roasts and their choice of beans are excellent. I know they choose them carefully. Their roaster is a joper, a hybrid of conduction and convection. Makes a great, clean and consistent roast IMHO. But everyone has their own preferences and favourite roasters. Re postage, might be slightly more than some because they do package it very securely to avoid damage in transit... have some scissors to hand when it arrives!


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## RvB

bobbytoad said:


> In the same boat as you - postage seems a bit steep otherwise or is it just me?


No, don't seem to be. £2.75 postage for a single bag of beans that weigh over 250g once packaged up??? 1st class postage is £2.48 for 250g to 500g parcels, I don't think it's unreaonable to charge a little extra for packaging, especially when they come as neatly and securely wrapped as Hands on Bean's do. Will the extra 27p cover the costs of the packaging material, the time in packaging it up and taking it to the post office, definitely not!


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## RvB

coffeeone said:


> How do their beans compare?


They're quality beans, freshly roasted. Any comparison is going to be subjective, give them a go and decide for yourself.


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## coffeeone

taste is indeed subjective. I am however, incredibly new to this game and whilst i intend to try a few different suppliers it would be nice to try the best first, lol.

I have purchased my first real beans from drury which i will try soon and i read that they dont always roast them to order and some have complained at their freshness. I noticed that hands-on do appear to roast to order. How are their beans packed? What i mean by that is can you leave them in the bad they come in or is that a no-no? Same question for drury i guess?


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## MikeHag

coffeeone said:


> it would be nice to try the best first





coffeeone said:


> I have purchased my first real beans from drury


Oof!

Just kidding.


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## bobbytoad

coffeeone said:


> t How are their beans packed? What i mean by that is can you leave them in the bad they come in or is that a no-no? Same question for drury i guess?


I thought i read that hands on do paper bags because they're more eco? don't know if its wee to store in that or not or just to re-bag into a resealable foil bag with a valve - which i did have a few of for such occasions till the mrs thought they were trash!!!


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## nekromantik

I might try Hands On next, I aint a huge fan of James Gormet Formula 6 but gotta finish the bag first! ha ha

So far my fav is has bean jailbreak.


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## stavros

Has anyone tried the Black Chough blend yet? I'm intrigued, but slightly put off by the dark roast. I must admit to being ignorant about what exactly constitutes a "West Coast style" of coffee as their descriptor has it.


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## garydyke1

stavros said:


> Has anyone tried the Black Chough blend yet? I'm intrigued, but slightly put off by the dark roast. I must admit to being ignorant about what exactly constitutes a "West Coast style" of coffee as their descriptor has it.


Same here, Was thinking of grabbing some & seeing if suitable replacement for my rapidly running out St Ali beans for milk-based drinks where I like to actually taste the coffee


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## ChiarasDad

I have tried Black Chough, and I like it quite a lot. It is exactly reminiscent of some of the best, and most enjoyable, darker roasts I enjoyed back home in California. Really, really good if you want something hot, black, strong and tasty - something that makes you take a gulp, and smile, and say "now that's a cup of coffee."

So yes, it's a dark roast, but it's a good dark roast, blended for people who truly like that kind of thing (at least once in a while). And just to be clear, I'm speaking of it as filter coffee, not espresso. I don't think I would care for it as espresso, and I don't even plan to try.

On the technical side, it may be just me, but I think Black Chough underextracts if given the same treatment as an actual bag of 'west coast American' coffee such as from Peet's or Starbucks. So in the drip machine I'm using really fairly excessive amounts of it. In some other brewer I might try increasing the contact time.


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## MikeHag

I'm not a dark roast fan, but I do quite like black chough because it's not too dark so it manages to give the nice bittersweetness without that charred taste. For medium roast fans looking to try something a little darker I think it's a good bet.


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## bobbytoad

Now just for another free shipping offer hint hint ...if Paul is reading


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