Has Bean www.hasbean.co.uk Review

Overall Rating

Fantastic selection of coffee. (116 different beans).
They are passionate about what they do.
Great customer service.
Very good delivery.
New types of coffee arriving all the time.
Part of the 'Cup of Excellence' Scheme, so farmers get a great deal for great coffee.
All the bits and pieces for roasting, grinding and brewing.

I have the caffeine shakes all day until I get home from work.
I can't afford all the bits and pieces for roasting, grinding and brewing coffee that I would like.

I discovered the Has Bean website a couple of years ago. I am a big coffee fan, but I have been put off by the high prices and low grade you get in the shops.

So I Googled it, and came up with Has Bean, and I haven't looked back since.

Coffees are broken down by region on the website - Asia, America, Africa and also Blends and Decaf.

The owner has put his tasting (cupping) notes in each entry, and there are also customer reviews. They are all useful. However, the owner has a well trained palette for coffee, and he knows good from bad. I know that some coffees I like he does not, so it is also personal taste. Pretty much all the reviews from the punters (such as myself) tend to be good, as we have all been used to drinking rubbish until now. I have found since buying coffee from there that my taste has developed and I am more critical.

Ordering is very easy. You can buy roasted or green (to roast yourself). Ground or beans. Select the delivery address, sort the payment and voila. The goods normally arrive next day or the day after. The beans are roasted and ground to order, so you always get the freshest. They are delivered in a jiffy bag, and all the coffee is in re-sealable bags, with the name of the coffee and the date roasted printed on.

Prices range from £2.90 up for 250 grams. My current favourite is £2.99, so you don't have to spend a fortune.

Has Bean is also a supporter of the Cup of Excellence scheme.

The Cup of Excellence is a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in that country for that particular year. These winning coffees are chosen by a select group of national and international cuppers, and are cupped at least five different times during the competition process. The final winners are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence and sold to the highest bidder during an internet auction.

In effect, the farmers are rewarded for producing good quality crop, which I think is better than many other fair trade type schemes, which just seem to be a charity, or do not encourage good quality product or improvement.

I would recommend this website. It is always a treat when the coffee arrives on my desk at work. I open the bags and the smell is amazing (and the non-coffee drinkers complain that it makes them want to drink coffee again hehehehe).

Members' Comments onOllsbols's Review

• FlyGuy on 16th Apr 2008

  Lots if useful info, many thanks.