# Rave coffee



## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Do not order either of these from rave. I have been ordering from Horsham and Django a lot lately, but these 2 beans really called out to me on the rave website. I haven't ordered from them for a year or so, but had these delivered a few days ago.

I love my fruity coffees and these with their notes of peach, citrus, nectarine etc sounded perfect.

I tried the Kenyan yesterday, awful.

I tried the Ethiopian just a minute ago, even worse.

These beans seem to have promise but have been roasted so dark that they both just taste roasty and burnt with that weird liquorice taste burnt coffee has.

Extremely disappointed and to be honesty I'm considering contacting rave for a refund they're that poor


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

James811 said:


> Do not order either of these from rave. I have been ordering from Horsham and Django a lot lately, but these 2 beans really called out to me on the rave website. I haven't ordered from them for a year or so, but had these delivered a few days ago.
> 
> I love my fruity coffees and these with their notes of peach, citrus, nectarine etc sounded perfect.
> 
> ...


 You should definitely let them know if something is not up to expectation, specially if the product description conveys something that in reality it is not.


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> You should definitely let them know if something is not up to expectation, specially if the product description conveys something that in reality it is not.


 It's not like me to moan about a product or service but these two coffees are dreadful. I stopped ordering from rave a while ago after a bad order and have favour Horsham and Django as stated for the last year or so but these really looked good. I've emailed them


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

James811 said:


> It's not like me to moan about a product or service but these two coffees are dreadful. I stopped ordering from rave a while ago after a bad order and have favour Horsham and Django as stated for the last year or so but these really looked good. I've emailed them


 I know the feeling. Same happened to me, with other roasters. I don't necessarily demand a refund, but to say that a coffee tastes of "citrus, peach and bergamot" just for the customer to find the coffee had all the flavours roasted away is a disappointing experience for sure.

same happen to me here - different roaster. I also emailed them.

this was my post:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/1872-whats-in-your-cup-this-morning/?do=embed&comment=843726&embedComment=843726&embedDo=findComment

it was a Colombian anaerobic. Roasted to death.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Just out of interest whats the roast date on these


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Mrboots2u said:


> Just out of interest whats the roast date on these


 28th


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

James811 said:


> 28th


 But your brewing them , not espresso ?


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Mrboots2u said:


> But your brewing them , not espresso ?


 Yes, I'm aware it's a little early, but they're roasted to a point where they're never going to be enjoyable


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## Happyguy (Dec 29, 2021)

James811 said:


> Yes, I'm aware it's a little early, but they're roasted to a point where they're never going to be enjoyable


 Have you got a photo of the beans?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

James811 said:


> Yes, I'm aware it's a little early, but they're roasted to a point where they're never going to be enjoyable


 Contact Rave and give me feedback

Re early yes, you are  . I find that way early espresso adds a almost bitter , carbonic water taste , which wont help . I can tend to smell from a bag if its not my roast preference , but i still tend to wait and use em after 14 days .


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## Chriss29 (Oct 21, 2020)

I had the Kenyan beans in December and agree they were nothing like expected. I thought it was just me mind do didn't contact them.

I did find it odd that I had two beans from them, one desribed as 1/5 on the roast spectrum and the other 2/5 but the 2/5 was visibily lighter in colour than the the 1/5. Again not sure if this is normal as perhaps some beans darken more than others.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Chriss29 said:


> I had the Kenyan beans in December and agree they were nothing like expected. I thought it was just me mind do didn't contact them.
> 
> I did find it odd that I had two beans from them, one desribed as 1/5 on the roast spectrum and the other 2/5 but the 2/5 was visibily lighter in colour than the the 1/5. Again not sure if this is normal as perhaps some beans darken more than others.


 Outer colour doesnt always tell you the whole story, as something can be dark outside , baked , under roasted inside .

I find roast level descriptors generally unhelpful to be honest , I try a roaster , do the beans match up to taste notes and or do I enjoy them , If yes , ill reorder , if no I'll mark down to differences in preference etc and move on.

Some roasters will be quite clear in terms of coffee being use able for espresso , some will say all their coffee is useable for espresso ( omni roasters) . I tend to find nowadays that more coffee is not developed enough to be soluable for espresso than over roasted , and I have quite as high intolerance of bitterness / roast.


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

Raves customer service has been absolutely useless here, they've essentially said I don't know what I like as the batches have been looked into and it's 'all come back as it should'

I haven't used rave for a while, and will never do so again. These beans are absolutely awful and the customer service has been even worse


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## Bicky (Oct 24, 2019)

That is really quite poor. A similar thing happened to me with another roaster where I thought the beans were really under-developed and vegetal tasting, but when I emailed them they were very understanding, said they'd look into the batch, and offered me any other beans on their site as a replacement (which thankfully were better!).

Even if it is 'your mistake', surely it's in their interests to find you something you do like, in the hope of your repeat business? Maybe they do such large volumes that they don't care about individuals, well they can count me out as well.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

James811 said:


> Raves customer service has been absolutely useless here, they've essentially said I don't know what I like as the batches have been looked into and it's 'all come back as it should'
> 
> I haven't used rave for a while, and will never do so again. These beans are absolutely awful and the customer service has been even worse


 I mean you can agree to disagree on whether you both think the product is good , but I would have hope they would have offered to exchange it for something else perhaps.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> I mean you can agree to disagree on whether you both think the product is good , but I would have hope they would have offered to exchange it for something else perhaps.


 Seems really odd, as rave are pretty good on customer service, usually a no quibble replacement


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## Sharkie (Apr 29, 2013)

coffeechap said:


> Seems really odd, as rave are pretty good on customer service, usually a no quibble replacement


 Good to see you again coffeechap, been a while!


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Sharkie said:


> Good to see you again coffeechap, been a while!


 Hey up big fella, yes it has, but not by choice, looking forward to getting involved again


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Hi everyone,

I work at Rave and was disappointed to find this thread - It looks like we didn't live up to our usual standards in a couple of ways and I'd like to apologise for that.

I tend to try and avoid "rave" discussions on forums as I obviously have some ingrained bias - but on this occasion I thought it needed addressing from our side - I hope that's OK?

@James811 - Regarding the coffee itself - I have escalated your experience to our head of coffee - we do have some of the exact batch you bought as part of our QC process so we'll test it and I, or our head of coffee, will get back to you. I understand that coffee tastes are personal preferences - but if our product descriptions/ tasting notes are inaccurate then that's our bad.

We do also pride ourselves on our customer service and , as has been mentioned in this thread, we do have a no quibble replacement / refund policy. I have personally reviewed your conversation with our customer service team and I can understand the frustrations you experienced trying to resolve this - you should not have been referred to our quiz to help you pick a coffee when it was quite clear you know your coffee! It looks like you were offered a replacement - but that may have been lost in the conversation as a whole and our records show it never actually happened.

I'd love to put this right for you if you would allow me? I'm very happy to arrange full a refund for you - or ideally I'd love to get you some coffee that you enjoy - so if you prefer I will credit your account with a higher value to allow you to try a few coffees? Just let me know what works best for you.

We do really value all of your opinions on our coffee and range so please feel free to feedback anytime.

While I did mention I avoid stepping into Rave chats I am always more than happy to answer any Rave related questions.

Thanks everyone

David


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## -Mac (Aug 22, 2019)

Nice job, David, and exactly what I've come to expect from Rave over the years.

Got an espresso recipe for your Fudge blend, please? I can't seem to get any 'fudge' flavour out of it (but it's still nice).


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

-Mac said:


> Nice job, David, and exactly what I've come to expect from Rave over the years.
> 
> Got an espresso recipe for your Fudge blend, please? I can't seem to get any 'fudge' flavour out of it (but it's still nice).


 Hi Mac,

I've just had a chat with our Head of Coffee, Ash. She's said the following - I hope it helps...

I would always recommend a 1:2 brew ratio (sage baskets normally allow for a cosy 17g, and therefore 34g yield.) You should aim for a 30s brew time, give or take. Nearer 25s will be smoother, lighter sweet notes and delicate acidity. Nearer 35s will be fuller bodied, sugary sweetness (more fudge flavour), and have a longer finish. The latter tends to work better in milk drinks too.


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## Hybrice (11 mo ago)

David Webb said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I work at Rave and was disappointed to find this thread - It looks like we didn't live up to our usual standards in a couple of ways and I'd like to apologise for that.
> 
> ...


 Have to say, when I saw this post I intentionally avoided Rave when subscribing to a bunch of roasters to find one I prefer, but the customer service shown here is excellent and I think iI'll try a couple of bags to see how things go.

It shouldn't have come to you having to see this on a forum and responding David, but kudos for the fact you did - exemplary.


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Hybrice said:


> Have to say, when I saw this post I intentionally avoided Rave when subscribing to a bunch of roasters to find one I prefer, but the customer service shown here is excellent and I think iI'll try a couple of bags to see how things go.
> 
> It shouldn't have come to you having to see this on a forum and responding David, but kudos for the fact you did - exemplary.


 Appreciate your comment - and if you do fancy trying anything we have a special code for forum members that will give you 20% off ravecfuk


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

An update from our Head of Coffee...

_"Hi James, _



_I have been passed your thoughts by David, and the roasting team and I carried out a secondary cupping of our Nano Challa and Tegu production samples. One of the Nano Challa samples was your exact batch. _



_As a bit of context for this coffee, we offered a similar Ethiopian to our Traditional subscribers (these customers are fans of darker fuller roasts), and the coffee went down really well. When we launched the Nano Challa, we wanted to recreate this fuller roast profile. Whilst this was right for some of our customers, we do understand that the descriptors of this coffee may not have been right for everyone. Particularly people who are very familiar with Ethiopian coffees, their delicacy, and how they are usually lighter roasted. _



_We think this may have contributed to your expectation and therefore disappointment - as a result we are looking at how we can communicate better to a more diverse audience of coffee drinkers, and how we transition coffees from our subscription service onto general sale. _



_Your feedback has lead to lots of good debates in the team - and we would love to put things right for you, so hopefully you can find a coffee you like. I would personally recommend the Rwandan Bumbogo, which is a super clean natural coffee with lots of vibrant fruit notes. Or if you usually like anaerobically fermented coffees - the Costa Rican El Cerro will knock your socks off - it's the craziest, booziest and fruitiest coffee we've had all year."_

James, I hope this adds some sort of clarity as to how this happened. I will arrange a refund of the original purchase and these two recommendations from Ash will be heading your way FOC.

Best


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

David Webb said:


> An update from our Head of Coffee...
> 
> _"Hi James, _
> 
> ...


 Nice to see you here David.


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## Griffo (Dec 31, 2017)

David Webb said:


> Appreciate your comment - and if you do fancy trying anything we have a special code for forum members that will give you 20% off ravecfuk


 Code not working. Has it been turned off?


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Griffo said:


> Code not working. Has it been turned off?


 Hi Griffo - I've just checked and it's active for new customers on roasted and green coffee RAVECFUK - Hope that helps


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## Griffo (Dec 31, 2017)

David Webb said:


> Hi Griffo - I've just checked and it's active for new customers on roasted and green coffee RAVECFUK - Hope that helps


 Ah, new customers - not a new customer  thanks though!


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Griffo said:


> Ah, new customers - not a new customer  thanks though!


 *MATESRATES10* will get you half way there... or a diff e-mail address (you didn't hear that from me!)


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## James811 (May 10, 2014)

So I've been away for a few days as its my 30th today. I returned home to a rave parcel and was extremely confused until I saw this, just want to say a massive thank you. I know I was offered replacement coffee but as I said I'd already ordered a replacement from elsewhere which is why it never got sorted I guess.

This has more than restored my confidence in the brand and will definitely keep an eye on what you have on the website whenever I'm ordering.

I've just brewed some of the Costa Rica El Cerro and it's beautiful


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## snegger (Dec 15, 2010)

Ordered from Rave for the first time, thanks to this thread, my order came tracked so the postie didn’t post it, returned back to the depot, is this normal for Rave as I’m not waiting in for a coffee delivery when it could be posted through the letter box?


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

Mine is normally 4-6kg in a box so cannot be posted through a letter box, but thee postie simply places it in a safe place and all is good. Could it be because it's a first order. Might be worth just calling and asking Rave.


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## snegger (Dec 15, 2010)

AndyDClements said:


> Mine is normally 4-6kg in a box so cannot be posted through a letter box, but thee postie simply places it in a safe place and all is good. Could it be because it's a first order. Might be worth just calling and asking Rave.


Yeah to be fair think the postie messed up, just checked the box and it says no signature required, it would have gone through the letter box! So sorry to Rave not their fault…ordered last Thursday just got the beans today because the postie messed up.


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## nekromantik (Nov 13, 2011)

@David Webb Can you check with roaster for best recipe for Chatswood for milk based drinks please?


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

Made my order last Friday, Airscape and 250g beans, they arrived Monday!
I’ll be ordering a Kg in the next couple of days.
their subtle branding, makes leaving boxes anywhere, problematic.


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## Alfieboy (Dec 26, 2018)

Bhodgson said:


> Made my order last Friday, Airscape and 250g beans, they arrived Monday!
> I’ll be ordering a Kg in the next couple of days.
> their subtle branding, makes leaving boxes anywhere, problematic.


What did you buy? And what sort of coffee do you like?


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

I got their signature blends espresso. Meh, it’s not really cutting it with me. Not enough umph. So I’ve ordered 250g of their No4 espresso blend. Happily my reward was free postage, this visit. Bargain.

I like strong espresso base drinks. Though I’m partial to the odd straight double, too.

im not going to experiment too much, till after the Niche arrives and I can drive it.


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

nekromantik said:


> @David Webb Can you check with roaster for best recipe for Chatswood for milk based drinks please?


SO sorry for the delay on this - checking now!


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Bhodgson said:


> I got their signature blends espresso. Meh, it’s not really cutting it with me. Not enough umph. So I’ve ordered 250g of their No4 espresso blend. Happily my reward was free postage, this visit. Bargain.
> 
> I like strong espresso base drinks. Though I’m partial to the odd straight double, too.
> 
> im not going to experiment too much, till after the Niche arrives and I can drive it.


How did you get on with the Espresso blend?


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

snegger said:


> Yeah to be fair think the postie messed up, just checked the box and it says no signature required, it would have gone through the letter box! So sorry to Rave not their fault…ordered last Thursday just got the beans today because the postie messed up.


Sorry - this is a bit annoying. We are looking at letter box-friendly boxes for single bags. But most people do order more than 1!


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

David Webb said:


> How did you get on with the Espresso blend?


It’s was nice. But not quite what a was looking for. 
I’ve, for the moment anyway, settled on Chatswood blend #6.
incidentally. The Fudge was excellent for both espresso and V20. Again not quite what I was after, but I’ll defiantly be buying a bag every so often.

I'm still after a darker more in your face coffee. but, there’s no hurry. Just look how much fun it is trying new coffies.


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

nekromantik said:


> @David Webb Can you check with roaster for best recipe for Chatswood for milk based drinks please?


From our Head of Coffee...

Go for the classic 1:2 ratio - and you can push this to 30-32s (the longer side of extraction time) to get as much body and sweetness out of the coffee as poss. this will cut through the milk better.

Hope that helps!


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Bhodgson said:


> It’s was nice. But not quite what a was looking for.
> I’ve, for the moment anyway, settled on Chatswood blend #6.
> incidentally. The Fudge was excellent for both espresso and V20. Again not quite what I was after, but I’ll defiantly be buying a bag every so often.
> 
> I'm still after a darker more in your face coffee. but, there’s no hurry. Just look how much fun it is trying new coffies.


I suspect our darkest/punchiest coffee might be The Italian Job #2 - Malabar is also interesting - it doesn't present as dark but has some interesting smokey notes. We also have something particularly dark in the pipeline - watch this space! Glad you are enjoying trying them out!


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

David Webb said:


> I suspect our darkest/punchiest coffee might be The Italian Job #2 - Malabar is also interesting - it doesn't present as dark but has some interesting smokey notes. We also have something particularly dark in the pipeline - watch this space! Glad you are enjoying trying them out!


Malabar is on my tester list.
I’ve been chopping and changing for several months. So I’ll settle with my Chatswood, for a month or so. then have at it again.


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## Jason1wood (Jun 1, 2012)

Loved reading this thread, always used Rave and never had a problem. 
Great to see them getting involved and sorting an issue and keep helping out.
I have a 3 weekly sub of their COLOMBIA EL CARMEN Nº 50 it's a very keenly priced coffee and always use it with my milk drinks as cuts through the milk beautifully


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## Bhodgson (11 mo ago)

Jason1wood said:


> Loved reading this thread, always used Rave and never had a problem.
> Great to see them getting involved and sorting an issue and keep helping out.
> I have a 3 weekly sub of their COLOMBIA EL CARMEN Nº 50 it's a very keenly priced coffee and always use it with my milk drinks as cuts through the milk beautifully


Thanks, another one for the ‘test list’.


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## asdfcoffee (5 mo ago)

David Webb said:


> An update from our Head of Coffee...
> 
> _"Hi James, _
> 
> ...


Hi David,

I had a very similar experience with the Ethiopian and Kenyan to OP. Looking now both recommendations are out of stock. Is there anything RAVE would recommend instead?


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## Slobat (3 mo ago)

Bhodgson said:


> Malabar is on my tester list.
> I’ve been chopping and changing for several months. So I’ll settle with my Chatswood, for a month or so. then have at it again.





David Webb said:


> I suspect our darkest/punchiest coffee might be The Italian Job #2 - Malabar is also interesting - it doesn't present as dark but has some interesting smokey notes. We also have something particularly dark in the pipeline - watch this space! Glad you are enjoying trying them out!


(Sorry, late to party and all that) but I used to like Malabar a lot a year or so back, but then it seemed to get more highly roasted and I prefer a bit less roasted. I am a bit of a novice espresso maker with low level skill and equipment though. I like fruity flavours. Absolutely loved Bumbogo. Sad it’s gone now, though I secreted a packet of well wrapped beans in the freezer for when autumn gets miserable.


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## David Webb (Apr 19, 2021)

Slobat said:


> (Sorry, late to party and all that) but I used to like Malabar a lot a year or so back, but then it seemed to get more highly roasted and I prefer a bit less roasted. I am a bit of a novice espresso maker with low level skill and equipment though. I like fruity flavours. Absolutely loved Bumbogo. Sad it’s gone now, though I secreted a packet of well wrapped beans in the freezer for when autumn gets miserable.


 Sorry for the late reply! I just had a word with Ashlee our Head of Coffee who said you could try the Gashuru Natural - but it's almost sold out so don't hang about!


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## frustin (Feb 10, 2013)

I'm wanting to buy again today but the reliance on RM is preventing me pressing the button.


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## Slobat (3 mo ago)

David Webb said:


> Sorry for the late reply! I just had a word with Ashlee our Head of Coffee who said you could try the Gashuru Natural - but it's almost sold out so don't hang about!


And another late reply! Thanks. We were on a bag of Gashuru natural when you responded. I like natural process a lot, and always look out for it on Rave. And thanks to your prompt I managed to order another bag before it ran out  The order did get unfortunately get stuck in a great Mail strike mountain at the sorting office, but on the plus side that meant it was just ready for espresso grinding when it arrived. Merry Christmas!


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