Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

[shapeshifter]

Is there anywhere that sells the Beanbay green beans in smaller amounts, 250gm for example. Id love to try some of them but really cant afford $40/kg for the Cup Of Excellence when Im just starting out.

Im going to buy the starter pack shortly once this months Beanbay has started just in case I wanted something within that that wasnt too expensive, Id hate to spend a lot of money on something I might not end up liking.

Sorry for the waffling, Im trying to get everything organised as my OH is buying me coffee stuff for my birthday at the end of the month ;D

[beanflying]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

As the owner of a 60ish kg stash dont worry about it  ;D Green beans keep for a couple of years so after you get through the sample pack straight away then grab a bag a month (fits into a 3kg satchel) for a few months and you are away.

If you want a bulk pack then the Harrar or the Peru (both good beans without being to wayout) and a Sample pack would be a great way to get going. Depending on what Andy has bagged for samples I am sure they will try and send you a mix of others with the larger bag.

[bmawebb]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

I know how you feel, I bought 2.5kg or the Mysore Nuggets, and Im struggling to get anything good out of them, so Im grinning and bearing them until theyre gone (about 400 grams left!!), blending them with all sorts of leftovers I have, as I cant find a sweet spot for them on their own.

The higher priced ones like the Cup of Excellence or the Blue Mountain stuff scare me, its a lot to shell out on something that you may not like. But the catch is, youll never know until you give it a rip. Sure it may be $70 you wont see again, but the anticipation and excitement of waiting for something that could be MAGNIFICENT is worth the money, even if the reality doesnt live up to the hype.

Drop the coin on it, I say, and then you can at the very least have paid the price to say I Told You So.

[GregWormald]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Try this:

Buy a sample pack.
Decide which ones you like best, and write a description of what you taste.
Match what you tasted to the description in Bean Bay.
Buy others with similar descriptions until you get more experienced *and* braver  .

For instance, I know I dont like "light" or "fresh" or anything close to "acidic"; I love "wild", "smooth", "earthy", "full bodied".

Greg
(and my tastes in coffee are similar! 8-))

[shapeshifter]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

LOL Big Louie, I definitely cant afford the $100 for the 2.5kg at present, maybe one day

ROFL Greg and thank you for your advice, I appreciate it and yes now that you have said it, it is the best way to start

[scarey]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Good advice above - Ive got a few that I didnt quite "get" that have been put to the back of the stash - Im sure with another year or two experience Ill have the confidence to tackle them.

That said - an alternative is to split a bag with another local - Id be happy to look at that option if you want.

[shapeshifter]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

scarey that was going to be my next post after Id tried my sample packs, to see if anyone in the Newcastle region wanted to join in spliting bags with me.

I know we have to be careful with people on forums, Ive been burnt before but hey for a good cause Im willing to try again

[hazchem]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Green beans keep for a couple of years

They keep but they will not be at their best. Green coffee really is a fresh food product that needs to be stored properly and thought of as a seasonal product. Loss of moisture from greens over time has a major impact on the flavours youll get in the cup. Youre better off buying smaller amounts more regularly as new crops become available, as opposed to stockpiling like I have.

Anyway shapeshifter the other thing to keep i mind is that youre going to want to do more than one roast, so keep that in mind as you hunt for very small quantities to buy. Even if you dont like an origin the first time you roast it - thats just a challenge to roast again (and again) in different ways to see if you can get something you ike from the beans.

Splitting bags of the more expensive origins is a good idea if you can find someone local.

[cuppacoffee]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

beanflying wrote on Yesterday at 15:36:

Green beans keep for a couple of years

They keep but they will not be at their best.

If were talking rule of thumb both statements might be true, but its certainly not something that can be stated categorically.

For example, I have a dwindling amount of Yemen that is now 3+ years since harvest with a current moisture content of 11.1%, and is undoubtedly the best Ive tasted.

Ive also purchased and roasted raw coffee that was very ordinary initially, beautiful between 6-12 months, then different again after that time.

[Wine_of_the_Bean]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Like cellaring wine, coffee characters change as it ages. Some greens can be "too fresh."

If you store greens in a controlled environment, like you would a bottle of Grange, you should expect the flavours to change over time. You simply need to find the peak cellaring time.

Mind you, this is purely my opinion, coupled with observation, and should not be take as fact.

[beanflying]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Some greens can be "too fresh."

Agreed, the batch of MTE478 I got a while back was much better a few months after I got it. Also agreed that some coffees do suffer and lose some of the high notes over time and become flatter and more muted in taste.

Answer is there isnt an exact one which is partially why coffee is an Art in spite of some people trying to make it an exact science.

[Wine_of_the_Bean]

Re: Buying smaller amounts of the Beanbay green beans?

Of course peak in this case is subjective, as all of our tastes are different.