The classic way to buy coffee beans is to go to a little specialist shop where they grind and possibly even roast their own coffee beans. These coffee shops have usually been around for years and pride themselves in the good service that they offer, together with their knowledge of coffee and coffee making.
You will also be able to examine closely the beans that you are about to buy. They may even brew up a sample of the coffee so that you can make doubly sure that it is in fact what you want. You shouldn’t under estimate the power of being able to see and smell the coffee beans that you are about to buy. There are therefore lots of benefits of using these shops especially if you are new to the whole fresh coffee scene.
Problems about Coffee Shops
One of the problems with these types of little coffee shops is that they can’t really carry a vast range of products. They can only carry the ones that they know will sell on a regular basis. As a result, you may find that after a while your choice is being somewhat restricted.
Pricing
Another thing you will notice is that all of this experience and service has a cost and as a result prices will tend to be a little higher than you really want to pay. It is therefore fortunate that you can now tap into the power of the internet and find web sites that have a greater variety of coffee beans for sale.
Internet Sellers
As a result, if you want something particular, such as Kenyan green coffee beans, your best source may in fact be the internet. With internet sites you may also be able to get a better deal. Internet sellers have lower overheads because they don’t have to pay rent and heat on a cozy little shop for their customers.
Be careful with the pricing though, because you may find that there are extra additions such as purchase taxes which come into play right at the point that you want to buy the goods.
Postal Charges
In addition to this, you have to examine the postal charges as well. Coffee isn’t the lightest thing in the world and as a result if you are buying in bulk to get a better deal you could find that delivery charges may eat up all of the savings that you have made, and possibly more. If you are buying from a site operating outside of your country you could also be faced with import charges when the coffee enters you country. You may have to pay this on delivery so you need to take account of all the extra charges that you may incur.
Delivery
Other problems relating to internet sites involve the whole delivery system. As well as the charges for delivery you have to think about the amount of time that it takes. While you have been waiting the 5 days for the company to process and dispatch your order you could have been sitting at home already enjoying the coffee, if you had bought it at the little local store. In addition to this you have to also think about what happens if you have ordered and then they say they actually haven’t got what you want.
This may involve waiting a lot longer for your order or deciding on something different. Once you have paid up, sellers often don’t want to make refunds if they can persuade you to wait longer or choose something different.
Return Policy
The delivery date can also cause a lot of problems for people. It could mean making sure you are at home to receive the goods or ending up going to the courier’s depot to pick up your coffee. There is also a problem if the beans aren’t what you expected in terms of quality. You should therefore, check the returns policy of the internet company.
In the majority of cases, internet firms will take returns, but then there is the problem of who pays for the return of the goods. You could end up paying for this, and this will leave a rather bitterer taste in your mouth as well as that of the coffee you didn’t like. In the end you have to make a choice, but if the product is only advertised on line and you really want it there may be little in the way of choices that you can actually make.
Types of Coffee Stores
Once you start looking at online coffee stores you will notice that some are better than others. Some of them actually do their own roasting where as others just buy already roasted coffee from their wholesaler. You will find that some of them may even buy direct from small farmers.
There will also be those that have a huge range of different beans, whereas others specialize in a niche market of particular beans, such as just organic grown ones. Online stores can certainly extend our ability to get just what we want. To find the range of online stores simply do a search for ‘gourmet coffee’. You may be surprised as to how many that there are out there.
To start off with, it is best to get your beans from a well known reputable store. Once you gain enough confidence, you can try buying from smaller and more specialized web sites. Here are some reputable stores that you may try.
Green Mountain Coffee
This company has a good range of coffee including organic and fair trade.
Starbucks
Yes, you can buy the coffee that they use in their cafes. This is fine if that is what you like.
Peet’s Coffee
These have been around for a long time and as a result they certainly know what they are doing in the coffee business.
Flavorbean
They specialize in flavored coffee that don’t contain any chemical agents. They also have a good range of non flavored coffee beans.
Coffee For Less
This company has a wide range of coffees which are at a reasonable price.
Advantages of Online Coffee Stores
You may find that some online stores will give you a discount, and other advantages, when you give a regular order every month. Also, you should look out for deals relating to the cost of shipping orders of coffee. You need to make sure that the shipping costs don’t outweigh any discounts on the price of the coffee that you manage to obtain. If you order in large enough quantities you may find that you can get reduced shipping costs or even free shipping. You should always keep in mind the shipping costs while you are shopping online.
Coffee Clubs
One thing to think about, if you are thinking about buying coffee online on a regular basis, is joining a coffee club. Most coffee clubs are subscription based. The advantages of this can be many. You can benefit from regular deliveries of coffee and the ability to try a lot of different coffee beans that certainly won’t be available in local shops. When your first pack of coffee arrives you may be amazed at the variety of coffees that are included.
Not all coffee club subscriptions are the same. You need to make a note of what each one offers. They may vary in such things as: the length of time that the subscription goes on for; the frequency of deliveries and any discounts offered. There are some clubs that send coffee on a monthly basis and others that offer discounts on coffee bought through coffee websites.
Sample Coffees
As well as the chance to sample coffees that aren’t normally easily available you will also fill in a profile about yourself online. This profile is then used to put together the samples that are sent to you when you put in your monthly order. You can then add the ones you like to your profile. You will also get a newsletter which will give details of the origin and history of the coffee samples that they have sent.
There may also be special grinds and roasts of particular coffee beans that are only for the coffee club. These won’t be available to the general public. It may also include rare coffees that are very difficult to obtain.
It pays to find out what the terms of subscription are. In some cases, you may be in for a certain length of time whereas others just work on a rolling month by month subscription without any further obligations on your part. You have to weigh up the benefits of each type of subscription, before you sign any contract. You can also give coffee subscriptions to other people, and as such this can provide the basis of a nice little gift for birthdays and Christmas time.