Where to buy small samples of variety coffee beans?

MoneyMon555

Hi.

I can't seem to find a supplier that sells small quantities of a variety of coffee bean samples.
Can anyone recommend one please?

Have occasionally bought beans from the supermarkets , only to find I didn't like them.
If I could just buy small samples , then it wouldn't really be such a bad thing if I wasnt keen on them - and eventually I'm sure I'd find some I'd like.

By the way - the one  I buy on a regular basis is Columbian number 3 beans , and it seems that most supermarkets that do it, have almost the same bean and roast, and I can just find the cheapest possible - so I am happy with that, but want to occasionally have a change a be a bit adventurous 

Thanks in advance

DullGreyGuy

Where are you?

There are several roasters near us which both sell coffees and beans. You buy by the gram so can have little or much as you want or alternatively just grab a coffee from the beans of choice and go back to buy the beans if you liked it?

Cloth_of_Gold

Try putting 'coffee bean taster packs' into a search engine and you will find a number of companies that supply smaller packs e.g.

https://norfolk.coffee/product/roasters-choice-pack/

https://www.redber.co.uk/collections/coffee-taster-packs

It's an expensive way of buying coffee but once you've decided what you like you can buy larger packs which are cheaper of course.

Mnoee

It's the sort of thing that small roasters do, but their small packs are often a similar price to a supermarket large pack. 

If you're fairly new to coffee then a bit of geography goes a long way - if you like Colombian you could try other South or Central American coffees as they tend to be medium bodied with nutty, chocolatey notes, whereas African coffees tend to be full bodied with fruity or spicy notes - Asian coffees are more varied, but also less common in supermarkets - if you're a fan of lighter nutty Colombia, you'd probably not be a fan of the deep and earthy Sumatra you sometimes find there.

Obviously I've been quite simplistic here, but for exploring coffee on a budget, firing up Google maps isn't the worst place to start! 

MoneyMon555

Thanks @Cloth_of_Gold
Yes, the relative expense of sample packs makes it a bit of a problem. Thanks for info and links

MoneyMon555

Thanks @Mnoee

I am keen to 'explore' a bit , but as with many people on this forum, I am on a budget and don't want to splurge cash on what is a bit of a luxury for me.

Thanks for pointers

jon81uk

Specialist roasters have more selection and will sell small 100g bags, such as Monmouth Buy Coffee Online | Monmouth Coffee Company
But 100g of their beans is a similar price to 227g of Supermarket coffee! Therefore you might find it easier just to try a few different ones from the supermarkets, Waitrose I think have a few different beans for example.

MoneyMon555

jon81uk said:

Specialist roasters have more selection and will sell small 100g bags, such as Monmouth Buy Coffee Online | Monmouth Coffee Company
But 100g of their beans is a similar price to 227g of Supermarket coffee! Therefore you might find it easier just to try a few different ones from the supermarkets, Waitrose I think have a few different beans for example.

Yes, I think I am coming to the same conclusion when I look at sample pack prices now. Maybe i can find a friend or family member who wants to try a few different ones and go halves etc

Cloth_of_Gold

MoneyMon555 said:

jon81uk said:

Specialist roasters have more selection and will sell small 100g bags, such as Monmouth Buy Coffee Online | Monmouth Coffee Company
But 100g of their beans is a similar price to 227g of Supermarket coffee! Therefore you might find it easier just to try a few different ones from the supermarkets, Waitrose I think have a few different beans for example.

Yes, I think I am coming to the same conclusion when I look at sample pack prices now. Maybe i can find a friend or family member who wants to try a few different ones and go halves etc

If someone asks what you would like for Christmas perhaps you could suggest they buy you 3 or bag bags of different coffee beans. If someone I buy for said that to me I would be really pleased as it's easy to get, a bit different, doesn't cost a fortune and I would know it was something they actually wanted. I would also enjoy researching what to get.

Pollie

My local market has a stall that sells loose ground coffee and beans. Perhaps worth checking your local market.

MoneyMon555

Just a quick update. I found this company that did a 75g bag for £1.75 including postage, which I thought was reasonable.

The only catch (possibly? ) was that you don't get to pick what you get- they send the beans that they are roasting that week.

Luckily, I think , I got a Brazilian variety and I absolutely love it ; very mild and refreshing and not a million miles from the Columbian beans that I usually have.