# Group buys and forum curation



## simontc (May 21, 2014)

... So I've got an idea. It may be one thats too difficult to actually implement but hey, worth a shot.

Lsol and dsol have been an invaluable tool for many on this forum, whether partaking or not. They have been areas where direct compare and contrast discussions have taken place, allowing many to realise that their tastes are valid; where we have all been able to discuss with each other how changing preparation methods and looking at how our equipment operates under different particulars affects what's in the cup and, importantly, how we as individuals relate to what's in the cup.

All of that, as i say, has worked even when not partaking.

...on that note I will explain why I haven't jumped aboard.... I like variety and, unfortunately, a full batch of dsol or lsol would be at about the limit of my monthly caffeine consumption.

With this in mind could we get together to secure 4 or 5 250/350 bags of different coffees for 20-30 of us a month? Beyond this could a different member take a role in either curating each month OR a bean... Sk8's mad fruity bean etc. Etc.

Thoughts?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Nice idea , @Glenn was trying something with roasters , not sure where he got to with this

Logistically hmmmm. you would need somoene or a way to hold cash

Getting 20-30 people to agree on dark , light , fruity etc ....natural/ washed / brewed

For roasters 20kg for the larger roasters is a drop in the ocean , in terms of being able to offer discount

for smaller roasters , is it worth the hassle and potential benefits and risks? ( variable nature of constructive feedback on other projects )

Given the amount of people who post on the " whats in my cup " threads I'm not sure you would get 30 .

Choices often seem driven by price / offers / rather than other considerations

You would need 20kg at least to get a roaster on board .. i think you will have alot of " yeah thats a great idea , im in " until you get to bean choice and cash / price , then you see a dip of interest

If you can work all that out and make it go , then my hat will be doffed in your direction


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I was trying to find Glenn's thread to demonstrate .

You tend to end up with

" if its medium plus/ light / dark - I'm in "

" if its medium plus , dark , light - I'm out "/

" I want something for espresso and milk drinks "

" I enjoy a bean for brewed "/

It might work but you would need to have either 20-30 very open minded people about what they get (lolz ) or be very clear about the brief .

On a side note nik is hoping to have some info re lsol soon

The idea may work across a small group of people , who just want to try and bean together and swap notes but arent concerned about getting it at discount to so do....


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

It would be for the more open minded bunch and would be more of a bulk purchase affair methinks.

As I say- difficult, but could be done?

Then there's our friends like lee from foundry (hi lee) who im sure would be all aboard supporting for the love of coffee...


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

5 bags. One light. One dark. One medium. One crazy taster. One wildcard... Price wise we could get that down for 30-35 quid i reckon. 7 quid a bag, we can look at investing surplus from flat fee into more expensive coffees with different months etc. Etc.

... Yeah, maybe its all too much.

Perhaps more simply we could just publish a list of five to order for the next month. The only issue with that is postage costs would rack up high...


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Its comes down to if people wanna have the same bean , brew it and share experiences ( good idea ) but feel there should be some discount involved in doing it...

Start an informal thread

This month im gonna buy - anyone wanna brew with me -

Or just join IMM and be done with it









Leave people to order themselves


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

Sounds like a plan... If people dive aboard develop at a later date. ... Maybe get sneaky roasts in (like the dark arts one) for dissemination once in a while.

Thread to begin when I order next week...

I still might join imm...


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## Jez H (Apr 4, 2015)

http://hopeandglorycoffee.co.uk/products/limited-edition-wholebean-coffee-taster-pack-around-the-world-in-five-coffees?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Taster+packs+have+arrived&utm_content=Taster+packs+have+arrived+Version+A+CID_9dc00dc56a52a5ede6adb3e438562de0&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=SHOP%20NOW


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## evoman (May 13, 2014)

simontc said:


> ... So I've got an idea. It may be one thats too difficult to actually implement but hey, worth a shot.
> 
> Lsol and dsol have been an invaluable tool for many on this forum, whether partaking or not. They have been areas where direct compare and contrast discussions have taken place, allowing many to realise that their tastes are valid; where we have all been able to discuss with each other how changing preparation methods and looking at how our equipment operates under different particulars affects what's in the cup and, importantly, how we as individuals relate to what's in the cup.
> 
> ...


Interesting idea - I was in the DSOL and enjoyed the mystery etc, but I also found it was not only hard to keep up with all of the beans, it meant that I was basically stuck with one type of beans per month. I too like variety (my favourite roaster is Coffee Compass, but I still find it tiring to make it through 500g since I often want to order 5 or 6 varieties).


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## Blackstone (Aug 5, 2012)

Jez H said:


> http://hopeandglorycoffee.co.uk/products/limited-edition-wholebean-coffee-taster-pack-around-the-world-in-five-coffees?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Taster+packs+have+arrived&utm_content=Taster+packs+have+arrived+Version+A+CID_9dc00dc56a52a5ede6adb3e438562de0&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=SHOP%20NOW


i like this but its only 50g bags. i will have run out of beans before i manage to dial them in


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

evoman said:


> I too like variety (my favourite roaster is Coffee Compass, but I still find it tiring to make it through 500g since I often want to order 5 or 6 varieties).


Speak to Richard at Coffee Compass if you'd prefer smaller 250g or 350g bags, I made an enquiry and he kindly offered to oblige.


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## evoman (May 13, 2014)

DoubleShot said:


> Speak to Richard at Coffee Compass if you'd prefer smaller 250g or 350g bags, I made an enquiry and he kindly offered to oblige.


Great suggestion - is there a premium on the cost to get a smaller quantity? I assumed that the reasonable prices were partly due to the larger bags.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Blackstone said:


> i like this but its only 50g bags. i will have run out of beans before i manage to dial them in


Brew / cup them


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## evoman (May 13, 2014)

evoman said:


> Great suggestion - is there a premium on the cost to get a smaller quantity? I assumed that the reasonable prices were partly due to the larger bags.


p.s., I got a reply from Richard - so I am sorted!


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

simontc said:


> It would be for the more open minded bunch and would be more of a bulk purchase affair methinks.
> 
> As I say- difficult, but could be done?
> 
> Then there's our friends like lee from foundry (hi lee) who im sure would be all aboard supporting for the love of coffee...


I absolutely would! - I'd always be interested in hearing ideas for stuff like this and we'd be pleased to support the initiative. I would also offer a discount for a decent amount of coffee. It's cheaper and easier in many ways to roast a larger order so I'm perfectly happy to pass on the saving.


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

Perhaps a cheeky suggestion but this is starting to sound a bit like the book club idea, we all buy the same book, read it and discuss. This does lend itself to coffee too, but what stops me from trying new coffees is the prohibitive postage associated with small orders of say 250g. With an obliging roaster, as Foundry appear to be, we could perhaps start a coffee club. We could buy our own coffee of the week/month in whatever quantities we want and then have a discussion thread to share experiences of the bean. This would work best if the postage was absorbed by the roaster making small orders economically practical for us.

The difference from DSOL would be that you could have whatever quantity you wanted (and paid for) and you could opt in or out by not ordering that month/fortnight/week. Simon's job would be to pick a coffee and let the roaster know so that they could arrange a posting discount for members taking part, and then to set up a thread for the feedback.

Seems that everyone would win with this sort of arrangement


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

That could absolutely work... The difficulty will be getting roaster agreement...


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

If they provide a good bean I'm sure that their postage costs will easily be reimbursed by the advertising they get free for their product on the forum, and members giving them a try when they might not otherwise have done so.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

i think you may over estimate how many roasters can benefit at anyone time from forum exposure. With possibly lsol running , other popular roasters ( rave, CC , foundry ) , the volumes post forum " exposure " might not deliver the boost people expect.

Key is good , positive , balanced feedback for roasters...

Also A roaster would need some idea of an amount to roast also.

Book club idea was the one @Glenn was in discussion with with roasters


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

Perhaps the key I developing the initiative- start with simple "these are the beans I'll be enjoying this month' and if people start jumping in and order along we could perhaps develop months where we get 'a a special bean will be roasted for us if we get x and x up for it' or even ' a code has been given to us for this month which waives postage fees'... The key would be to show roasters that they will make some sales, but more so than that (as boots says) they will get good amounts of well thought out feedback about their product which they can then use to further their business... We get to nerd out over coffee with each other, they get feedback... And get to nerd out too!


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## paul whu (Sep 25, 2014)

I would sign up in a heartbeat


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## simontc (May 21, 2014)

http://www.oldspikeroastery.com/ anybody fancy trying some of these guys beans?


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