Hey There-

I was wondering if anyone out there has subscribed to one of Counter Culture Coffee's coffee programs? It seems like a pretty good deal, and I have read good reviews of their espresso blends. My concern is, since they send you two bags per shipment, that the second bag's quality might dissipate before I get to it in the second week. I am especially concerned about the crema quality for making espresso (since I exclusively make espresso). Can anyone confirm or deny my fears? How fresh is the coffee they send out? Is it consistent? Is there another company that you would subscribe to?

Thanks,

-John

I've subscribed in the past with good success. At least the roasters I have worked with roast and ship on the same or following day. Counter Culture is one of those (Three bags of New Counter Culture Coffee Idido SOE on the way, as I write this). If you're a long way away from the roaster, I'd suggest placing your order so it is "Monday's batch" so that the shipment doesn't sit in transit over the weekend.

When I get a shipment that is larger than I can use in a week, I'll seal the intact bag into a Ziploc Freezer bag or Lock-N-Lock container and freeze it until the day before I need it. That way it warms to room temperature before I open the bag. You don't want moisture condensing on the beans, if you can avoid it.

The one thing about most subscriptions is that you are drinking the same coffee for a month or more. That can be a blessing or instil boredom, depending on your perspective.

Coffee is a personal thing. You might look through
List of our favorite Roasters
Favorite Espresso Blends 2010
Favorite Espresso Blends 2011
for some ideas

jhopple wrote:Can anyone confirm or deny my fears? How fresh is the coffee they send out? Is it consistent?

Looking at their shipping map on their website, http://counterculturecoffee.com/faq/shi...g-schedule, being in Nashville you should get it 2 days after they roast it. So if you order it on a Monday, they roast & ship it on Tuesday, and you should receive your order on Thursday. I havn't tried their subscriptions. I usually order 2 bags, open one and freeze the other like suggested in many other threads here. Their $5 flat rate shipping (in a box) is great. My orders have always been timely (1 day post roast since I live in NC!), fresh and consistent from batch to batch. FWIW, I like their Aficianado and Rustico.

Thanks for the replies so far. I noticed that you both agreed to freeze the unused portion of the coffee until I am ready to use it. Am I crazy, or isn't that practice really frowned upon?

as an aside, the dose in nashville uses CC coffee and from time to time has cuppings as well.

Thanks for that heads up. I just moved to town and am having a little bit of a time finding a local roaster that I really like.

I'm also in Nashville. I order from CCC during the weekend and get my coffee on Wednesday. I usually order a couple bags at a time and freeze all but one. As someone mentioned earlier, Dose on Murphy Road carries CCC coffee and gets new shipments about every 2 weeks. If you time it right, you can get bags of Apollo from them that are only 2-3 days old without paying shipping. And I commiserate with you about the lack of quality local roasters.

jhopple wrote:Thanks for the replies so far. I noticed that you both agreed to freeze the unused portion of the coffee until I am ready to use it. Am I crazy, or isn't that practice really frowned upon?

It is frowned upon unless done right. If it is done right it is a great option. See

http://www.home-barista.com/store-coffee-in-freezer.html

for an explanation of why so many on here freeze their coffee.

Back to the original question CCC is great and I especially love Aficionado with Rustico a favorite, too.

So after a little further investigation, CCC's subscription is not the value that I thought it was. Are there other comparable companies that give you more incentive to do repeat business with them? I just really can't spend $13.00 a week on myself for coffee. I require about 10-12oz per week of beans, and I would like to spend under $10.00 if possible.

Thanks

Hello,

If you're open to freezing, several sponsor roasters and others offer lower price per pound 2 and 5 pound bags, divide into usable portions and freeze.

Good luck.