# Coffee sellers that offer decent discount on kg purchases?



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Are there any out there apart from Rave?

I know most offer a few quid off a kg, but only rave seem to do a substantial discount. This results in me only ever buying my coffee from Rave (no bad thing) as its more economically sensible, and I'm just a bit amazed that the other sellers haven't caught on to this in order to compete... is Rave just that much bigger than all the other that they can afford to discount on kg purchases?


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

No they aren't bigger, but they have never taken the p1ss with pricing.


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

I've not come across any that do other than Rave. I'd also second that they supply some excellent beans, I've been buying off them for over a year and I've produced some of my best ever shots using them.

They also looked after us very well last weekend at the Titan grinder off.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Second that, have only ever bought roasted or green beans from rave, purely based on the great pricing they offer, did buy a bag from hasbean, which was lovely, but for me as i prefer to roast my own, rave wins every time!

If only they offered a loyalty scheme!


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Their coffee is the best I have had, so I don't object to buying from them all the time. Up to the point of discovering Rave I bought a bit from HB and a bit from coffeebeanshop, but I haven't even thought about either since, and that is down to the pricing, the taste is just a bonus!

Amazes me that the other suppliers are prepared to let their business go to Rave over something as simple as kg discounts!


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Aren't extract quite a bit cheaper for a kilo? Been a while since I checked.


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Something is brewing in rave, seen a tweet earlier, no idea what it is though!


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2014)

Please post the tweet? have you not seen the new website?!


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2014)

apparently they have a shop in Canada now?!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Yes, i think that was the big thing, new site.

And yes they have a franchise in Canada..

Fair play to them, they can see the gaps, and they are going to fill them!


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

shrink said:


> Aren't extract quite a bit cheaper for a kilo? Been a while since I checked.


A quick look at their site would suggest that much like the majority, they offer a £1-2 discount on a Kilo.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Double post

13 doubles


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

I asked a local shop for a discount for a kilo and they said it would be £29....no thanks.

Extract's espresso blend is £15 a kilo. Pretty reasonable


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Yea, its a decent price, but as the 250g is £4 its only £1 cheaper on the kg. £4 is also a good price however.


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## Walter Sobchak (Nov 29, 2012)

jeebsy said:


> I asked a local shop for a discount for a kilo and they said it would be £29....no thanks.
> 
> Extract's espresso blend is £15 a kilo. Pretty reasonable


Extract original is my favourite blend, wish they offered a decent free postage deal though, think it's over £65 for free shipping.


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## jonners (Apr 26, 2013)

Redber give a good discount for a kilo of their beans. I'm currently enjoying their Guatemala Antigua.


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

Ferraris in Wales will do free postage on 4 or more 250g bags if you ask them


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

jonners said:


> Redber give a good discount for a kilo of their beans. I'm currently enjoying their Guatemala Antigua.


Nice one jonners! Rave are not alone, haha!

Do you use them at all regularly, do they have a stand out blend at all?


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## michaelg (Jul 25, 2013)

Once I asked for a kilo bag of Dear Green at Riverhill in Glasgow and after checking with their boss the price they offered was 4x 250g price plus £2. As I was in the cafe itself I took 250g as I needed it for a holiday the next day which sadly dissuaded me from buying in bulk from such a local roaster (10 mins by car)


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

Check out the forum advertiser Limini, methinks you might have a pleasant surprise. £11 for a kilo of Monsooned Malabar + postage is not to be sniffed at. IMHO

Ian


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Another good shout Eyedee, infact at £3.50 for 250g all their coffee is a good price.

Is the Monsooned Malabar one you would recommend?

edit: just realised that MM is a type of coffee, rather than something they have specifically. Read a bit about it, sounds like its worth giving it a try.

Actually put off by Limini's postage pricing, at £5.50 its more than double Redber which is £2.40.

Just put an order in for some MM with Redber, under £15 delivered for a kg is a great price!


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

I usually get 2kg per order then the postage doesnt seem like too much of a hit.

Ian


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

That's ok if you can use them fast enough. (Unless you freeze them but that's a whole thread in itself let's not go there! )


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

hotmetal said:


> That's ok if you can use them fast enough. (Unless you freeze them but that's a whole thread in itself let's not go there! )


Gone in 3 weeks lol

Ian


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

We've recently started offering 1kg bags. It's harder to do due to the postage, more expensive and the whole process is a bit more labour intensive. We're trying to offer as best a deal as we can, the same as our wholesale price on small quantities, £17-18.

We're doing green too as a few people seem to be wanting to roast their own beans at home. I just wish we could try their results......


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

foundrycoffeeroasters.com said:


> We're doing green too as a few people seem to be wanting to roast their own beans at home. I just wish we could try their results......


When do your greens go up on the site?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

foundrycoffeeroasters.com said:


> We're doing green too as a few people seem to be wanting to roast their own beans at home. I just wish we could try their results......


Some do post their roasts on the daily roast thread but maybe offer a pointer in the right direction with your greens or even a few i.e couple of your own roasted beans as a "guide" even if stuck to the front of the bag on a white background? just a thought as appreciate all roasters different but would help those getting started.

John


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

+1 for some roasting guides on bags of greens!


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## jonners (Apr 26, 2013)

[







Originally Posted by *jonners*   

Redber give a good discount for a kilo of their beans. I'm currently enjoying their Guatemala Antigua.

QUOTE=D_Evans;201306]Nice one jonners! Rave are not alone, haha!

Do you use them at all regularly, do they have a stand out blend at all?

I haven't tried their blends yet. I've had their Americas and Central packs, and my favourite was the Guatemala Antigua so I bought a kg.


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## hubrad (May 6, 2013)

Eyedee said:


> Check out the forum advertiser Limini, methinks you might have a pleasant surprise. £11 for a kilo of Monsooned Malabar + postage is not to be sniffed at. IMHO
> 
> Ian


+1 for Limini.. the normal espresso blends are £3.50 for the 250g, save a quid on 500g bag and save £3 if buying the whole kilo.

As also said, the 250g bag price both here and elsewhere is actually really favourable when compared to the usual supermarket bags of this size.

P.S. I've just been getting into this one.. costs a little more, but most definitely to be sniffed at! Cameroon Western Hills Mbapit


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## hubrad (May 6, 2013)

D_Evans said:


> Another good shout Eyedee, infact at £3.50 for 250g all their coffee is a good price.
> 
> Is the Monsooned Malabar one you would recommend?
> 
> ...


I work in a music shop with a mail order department, so I get to see the other side of p+p charging.. check out the PO charges here: http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/RM_OurPrices_Mar2014a.pdf Many companies have carrier contracts, as they want signed-for delivery. Add to the carriage charge your packaging costs and someone's time packing up, admin and often taking to a collection point such as a post office or depot.. it all adds up. Much as all our coffee suppliers seem to genuinely love what they do, as a business they have to make a profit, and at the very least break even on the delivery costs (never mention 'break even' to your accountant or bank manager!) or they cease to be a business and we all lose out.

I consider myself lucky that I have two top notch suppliers within easy reach, Limini and Casa Espresso, so I can avoid delivery charges by putting in some miles and minutes myself. Usually order in advance to make sure they will have what I want.

Maybe a few forum members could club together for an order from their favourite supplier(s) in order to spread the costs - I'm sure that any business will be only too happy with that.


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

I do 1kg bags - got Brazil Mogiana (£16/kg), Celtic Blend (£16/kg) and Blue Mountain Blend (£20/kg) in at the moment.

http://www.thecoffeebean-vanandroaster.co.uk/Fresh-Coffee.html


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

hubrad said:


> I work in a music shop with a mail order department, so I get to see the other side of p+p charging.. check out the PO charges here: http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/RM_OurPrices_Mar2014a.pdf Many companies have carrier contracts, as they want signed-for delivery. Add to the carriage charge your packaging costs and someone's time packing up, admin and often taking to a collection point such as a post office or depot.. it all adds up. Much as all our coffee suppliers seem to genuinely love what they do, as a business they have to make a profit, and at the very least break even on the delivery costs (never mention 'break even' to your accountant or bank manager!) or they cease to be a business and we all lose out.
> 
> I consider myself lucky that I have two top notch suppliers within easy reach, Limini and Casa Espresso, so I can avoid delivery charges by putting in some miles and minutes myself. Usually order in advance to make sure they will have what I want.
> 
> Maybe a few forum members could club together for an order from their favourite supplier(s) in order to spread the costs - I'm sure that any business will be only too happy with that.


I have worked for companies with delivery contracts as well, and I understand it is not a free process. But when your competitions delivery rate is half yours and their product is the same price you are putting yourself out of business.


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

Pricing is really difficult, especially when taking postage into account and when trying to make everything fairly simple and transparent. Roasters approach this in a number of different ways. I'd be really interested to hear what people think about our approach, I'd be happy to make changes if there was a better way of doing it.

The first thing to say, which is really obvious (apologies) is that when you buy your coffee, you have to compare the TOTAL cost to you to get those beans to your house. This is easier said than done when a lot of roasters don't tell you how much the postage and packaging costs are going to be until you checkout. So, you go through the hassle of placing the order, they sting you for the postage but you can't really be bothered to look elsewhere, Im sure we've all seen that strategy. Personally, I hate it. It's dishonest and wastes the customers time. I'm not going to name names but maybe someone else should! - a thread with all roasters' approach to this would be an invaluable resource for forum members and may shame some people into being more honest in how they deal with their customers. Seriously, I've seen £4 postage costs (second class mind) on a 250g bag of coffee. £6 for 250g might seem reasonable, but £10 to get it to your house is a completely different proposition in my view (and that's not to say that some coffee isn't worth that much, just that this way of extracting money from people leaves a sour taste for me).

So, I"ll walk through how we go about things. First off, the postage costs are displayed in big letters in the main area of the shop home page. Let's use our most expensive coffee (the Yirg) as an example. For 350g, it costs £11 delivered to your door by first class post in specially designed packaging that will hopefully fit through your letterbox (it does about 90% of the time in our experience). The postage charge here is £2. That's because Royal Mail charge us £1.65 and then we add the cost of the box, the stickers, the tape etc. The actual cost to us is around £2.03 but it would seem a bit daft to charge this exact amount.

1kg of the Yirg would cost £25.50 delivered, this time by second class parcel post. The postage cost here is £3, it used to be £4 but Royal Mail reduced their prices to compete with MyHermes a short while ago so we reduced our postage costs accordingly. Royal Mail actually charge £2.80, so again we add the cost of the box, the tape, the stickers etc and charge £3.

Now, if you order 2kg of the Yirg, you cross the £25 mark and so you get 'free' postage. So, the total cost to you for 2kg would be £43. If you used your coupon code (exclusive for forum members!), your order would cost £36.55 i.e. £18.26 per kilo, delivered - which essentially is getting into the same ball park as wholesale (based on a minimum 5kg order).

As I said, I'd be really interested to hear what people think about this issue as we struggle to know whether we're doing things in the best way here. I hope the info helps to take the issue forward.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks for that post, and I personally do think you are mostly going about it in the right way. I will often fill in a 'customer details' page with jargon in order to het to the postage costs so I can total up the actual cost to me. I imagine you are alluding to Rave when you mention websites that dont do this, but it is only ever really a problem when the postage costs are over the top, and are used as a way to make profit, something Rave clearly dont do, as they only charge £2.40 for delivery of a kg, so less than the Royal Mail charge.

You post shows that your postage costs are fair, and thats great for someone who wants to try your selection of beans, I know most of us here like to try new coffee. But most of us will also have a 'regular bean' one we go back to time and again, for me this is Rave sig, this is partly because its a reliable easy to use bean, but it is partly because it represents such excellent value for money, and this combination is what keeps me going back time and again. The minimum I will pay delivered from you for a KG is £23, with Rave its £15.35.

It may simply be that until you can sell in much larger amounts, like Rave, you simply cant compete on this price level, costs of goods and postage all go down as far as I understand when the amount you sell goes up. In this case, the speciality coffee at the prices you offer seems like a good deal, and for that segment of the market I'm sure you are getting it right!


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback. No, I wasn't alluding to Rave at all but to other roasters who hide the postage costs until the last bit of the process AND those charges are then a rip off. Rave are hard to beat on the value front, that's for sure and I have tonnes of respect for how they go about things on the whole. They set the bar high in terms of value for money and deserve all their success. Personally I don't mind paying a lot for beans if they are worth it i.e they are great beans, well roasted and fresh etc. What gets me is people selling stuff that's not particularly well roasted for inflated prices and then doing it in a sneaky sort of way.

As you say, as we are able to move more volume of coffee, we would expect costs to come down and then of course we would be able to reduce our prices.


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## Heligan (Aug 24, 2013)

foundrycoffeeroasters.com said:


> I'd be really interested to hear what people think about this issue as we struggle to know whether we're doing things in the best way here. I hope the info helps to take the issue forward.


An interesting post, thanks. Completely agree with you about transparency regarding postage costs, if the information isn't readily available or given at the first checkout stage before an account has to be created, then I usually look elsewhere.

Just a couple of suggestions for your site if I may? Firstly, the postage costs are on the Shop page, but if you use the "Take me straight to the beans" link then that page is bypassed. It would be helpful to have it as a link from your homepage. Second, there's nothing about postage on weights between 350g and a kilo (eg 2 x 350g bags or the taster pack plus a 350g bag). It's probably the same as a kilo, but it would be useful to have clarification.

I think companies such as Amazon who offer free delivery with a low minimum spend have set an expectation generally among consumers which is unhelpful to small businesses which simply can't compete. The best we can ask for from those small businesses is that they don't rip us off, which you clearly don't. I do also like the fact that you offer free delivery over £25 - the retailers (generally, not specifically coffee related) which just charge more the more you spend with them make me feel that they don't want my business.

Finally, a lot of the websites I buy from (again, not just coffee related) do free delivery on any value just for one day or a few days during the year. For example, one of the wine merchants I use does this frequently approaching a Bank Holiday and it can be a nudge to try something new without having to wait until I put in a full order. I feel as though I'm getting a bit of a "bargain" I suppose, although experts in shopping psychology probably have this all mapped out!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Surely the secret to all this is how much you send out and how strongly you negotiate with your Courier company. When you are selling a product that is not designed to be used the next day (unless your stock control is pants) then a consumer will be more interested in point of delivery cost. I suggest that first class, next day becomes largely irrelevant when the beans need a resting time of several days.

You can charge delivery in 2 ways; transparently or hidden. Amazon have been quoted. I bought one of the Clever Drippers recently for less than £6 and it arrived the next day. Ok, Amazon are probably dispatching millions of items per week so can dictate their own costs.

Should there be a level at which postage becomes free. I do not think so because you are robbing Peter to pay Paul. I know some do this but lets be real, 2 kilos is not bulk!

Taking My Hermes as an example, one kilo is £2.98 if they collect and £2.78 if you drop off. Up to 2 kilos is £3.98 and £3.78 respectively. You can add on extras like signed for that cost more and the insurance id £50.

I would use those figures to negotiate any deal, but at the end of the day to get the volume discount they will need you to guarantee so many packages a week.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

dfk41 said:


> Ok, Amazon are probably dispatching millions of items per week so can dictate their own costs.


They sure can as they don't use any couriers round my way, they just deliver the stuff themselves


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

Heligan said:


> An interesting post, thanks. Completely agree with you about transparency regarding postage costs, if the information isn't readily available or given at the first checkout stage before an account has to be created, then I usually look elsewhere.
> 
> Just a couple of suggestions for your site if I may?


Awesome, many thanks for your ideas. I'll look into all of them as I agree that things could be clearer! Thanks again.


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## foundrycoffeeroasters.com (Jun 19, 2014)

dfk41 said:


> Surely the secret to all this is how much you send out and how strongly you negotiate with your Courier company. When you are selling a product that is not designed to be used the next day (unless your stock control is pants) then a consumer will be more interested in point of delivery cost. I suggest that first class, next day becomes largely irrelevant when the beans need a resting time of several days.
> 
> You can charge delivery in 2 ways; transparently or hidden. Amazon have been quoted. I bought one of the Clever Drippers recently for less than £6 and it arrived the next day. Ok, Amazon are probably dispatching millions of items per week so can dictate their own costs.
> 
> ...


Again, many thanks for taking the time to respond. Some of our thinking about the fist class is a) using large letter post, it's only a few pence more to go first class at this weight and b) people tend to buy the 350g bags for filter rather than spro and the beans are good to go after a couple of days rest, some beans even sooner. People making spro at home often buy 1kg or more. As we all know, it tends to disappear quicker when brewing under pressure! So, for spro we use second class type parcel services. It keeps costs minimal and as you say, the beans need 5-7 days rest anyhow so re extra time to deliver doesn't matter so much.


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## Big Tony (Dec 18, 2012)

I have ordered Rave Coffee from Amazon before. I think it cost me around £14 delivered which was a great price but I stopped buying it when I received two consecutive orders of two week old beans. Not that I wouldn't order from them again, but I like it to be as fresh as possible and I felt a little cheated tbh.

I work in London and often find myself around the East End. There is a great coffee shop called 'Brick Lane Coffee'

as mentioned here http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/brick-lane-coffee-london

They sell Purosa coffee....as detailed here http://www.interamericancoffee.com/papua-new-guinea-fto-purosa/

amazing sweet, silky smooth coffee at only £15 a kg. I have never bought it more than 3 days after its roasting date.


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

Hi Big Tony

Was the Rave coffee you ordered from Amazon for delivery via their Prime service? I only ask as seem to recall a thread discussing that for Prime orders the stock is held at Amazon site so as to meet the quick turnaround but if you specified a slower delivery or non prime delivery it was fulfilled / packed / despatched by Rave themselves so potentially a lot fresher (mods: please feel free to correct me if wrong)

Pretty much every Rave order have placed has arrived within 48 hours, and when ordering roasted rather than green, roasted the day or latest the day before despatch. Might be worth a retry accepting there will be an additional cost of postage ( 2nd class ideal for me as resting in the post rather than "taunting" me to open from my cupboard  )

Whilst slightly off thread, think may help others in making a choice. Agree with the sentiment of the thread and also the transparency issues as have "bottled out" of ordering from some online suppliers re P&P costs especially for a new supplier where you are in effect trialling a small quantity, before committing to kilo + purchases.

Postage costs are one of the reasons I started to buy in larger quantities to spread the cost making a smaller percentage spent getting it here more palatable ( I did later look at this as well, it being one contributory factor in going down the home roasting of greens route)

Hope of help

John


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

johnealey said:


> Hi Big Tony
> 
> Was the Rave coffee you ordered from Amazon for delivery via their Prime service? I only ask as seem to recall a thread discussing that for Prime orders the stock is held at Amazon site so as to meet the quick turnaround but if you specified a slower delivery or non prime delivery it was fulfilled / packed / despatched by Rave themselves so potentially a lot fresher (mods: please feel free to correct me if wrong)
> 
> ...


I have ordered from amazon on their super saver delivery and the beans were 6 weeks old.


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I think if you change the buying option so you buy it from Rave and not Amazon then it'll come direct from Rave (but you don't get the 'free' delivery). Of course you could just buy it direct from Rave as well


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Dylan said:


> I have ordered from amazon on their super saver delivery and the beans were 6 weeks old.


The coffee that eave send to amazon is nitrogen flushed to keep it fresher for longer, you should always buy direct, then you get beans roasted that day most of the time


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

coffeechap said:


> The coffee that eave send to amazon is nitrogen flushed to keep it fresher for longer, you should always buy direct, then you get beans roasted that day most of the time


Ew. Good to know, it didn't taste right when I got it, I actually wanted rested beans, but the plan backfired.


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