FAQs

What is speciality grade coffee?

What's the massive interest in speciality coffee all about?  

Speciality coffee is all about exploring the wonderful vibrant flavours of the highest quality coffee beans, grown by dedicated small growers, often simple family farms, in the far flung corners of the world. 

If you are already buying big brand coffee beans or ground, you are probably interested in drinking or providing a decent cup of coffee whether you own a coffee shop, a hotel, a pub or at home with friends. Try some of the stuff on here and take a few steps up the quality ladder. We have four delicious blends with a range of flavour profiles, a choice of two smooth super flavourful Swiss Water decafs - a light roast and a dark roast - and if that's not enough, seven single origin coffees.

We have coffee for everyone.

When you say my coffee will be fresh, how fresh?

Honestly, it could not be fresher because all our coffee is roasted to order. We do not roast huge batches for storage in a warehouse! Once freshly roasted they are ground (or not - if you ordered whole beans) and packed straight away. You will always see a 'Roasted On' date in the bottom left corner of the label.

Also read the next Q&A below for a related answer to this.

How will I know when my order has been dispatched?

Orders under a total of 2kg are carried by Royal Mail 48 Hour Tracked service. Orders over 2kg are carried by DPD. 

Either way, you will receive an email letting you know that your order has left our roastery. When your order is being sent by Royal Mail the email will contain your tracking number.

If DPD are carrying your parcel they will send you a text message to let you know it has been collected followed by a second message on the day of delivery (usually the following day before 11am) to let you know the one hour delivery slot.

When will I receive my order after it's been dispatched?

For Royal Mail 48 Tracked service (total parcel weight under 2kg) you will usually receive your coffee within two to three days. If you miss the delivery just use the tracking number to rearrange. For DPD deliveries (total package weight over 2kg) it is almost always the day after dispatch and you will receive a notification on the day of delivery to advise the allocated one hour slot.

Can I use my coffee as soon as I receive it??

Yes, you can certainly use your coffee straight away although if you can resist opening the bag straight away the coffee will benefit from a few days rest.

Supermarket shelves are brimming with masses of slick coffee packaging. Next time you're looking through it all (if you're not yet convinced here) the one thing you will rarely see is the date it was roasted. You can't tell how long they have been sitting in a warehouse or on the shelves, slowly losing their flavours and aromas. When coffee bean become stale like this we end up with a disappointing cup of coffee. Often, we then add more coffee in search of the promised flavours. Nope. Then we let it brew for longer, which is too long and we end up with bitter flavours. Nasty!

Because we roast all coffee to order, you are guaranteed your beans are always full of fresh vibrant flavours. Check the bottom left of the label and you will see your coffee was freshly roasted for you just before dispatch.

How much coffee should I use when I'm brewing?

This is a good question we are asked regularly and the answer depends on three things; how you brew your coffee; how much coffee you want to produce and how strong you like it. And please always remember the importance of your coffee being ground correctly to suit your method. You can specify this on each of our product pages and we will very happily grind your freshly roasted beans for you free of charge. 

As a guide...

• Most espresso machine handles with a double shot basket require between 16 and 18 grams to produce a double shot of espresso. We recommend a 'brewing ratio' of 1:2 so with 16g of coffee the ideal volume of liquid coffee should be 32g produced in 27 seconds. If using 18g of coffee then it's 36g of liquid coffee produced over the same time. This of course means buying a scale...but, believe me, it's worth the trouble.
• A three cup cafetière? About 15 - 20g. Just scale this amount up for a larger cafetière.
• If you use a filter/dripper method such as a Chemex or Bodum dripper then start by using a 'brewing ratio' of 1:15 ratio of coffee to water which is..for each gram of coffee use 15 grams of water. Translating that to normal life means if you use, say, 35g of coffee use 525g of water (just over half a litre/17fl oz).

When I leave my email address and mobile number at the checkout, will I get bombarded with marketing stuff?

NO, never. It is not our policy to bombard anyone. If you would like to receive occasional updates and/or articles about our products including new products you might like, or perhaps tips on how to make the best coffee ever...you can just leave the check box checked at the Checkout. If not, just uncheck the box.