Hokay:
The obvious :
Hill and Valley
Great coffees. You can't take that away from him. Funny bloke. I've corresponded with him and found him arrogant and opinionated. A good friend who knows him personally says he's actually quite a nice guy on a personal level. Customer service : poor. You fit around his needs. He's not customer focussed IMO. Green shipments tend to take second place, and I've had to wait weeks and weeks for greens from him.
The other obvious one :
Hasbean
Great bloke. (We all know who he is, but for his peace of mind let's not say so online OK?). Coffees are interesting, and now he's buying from Mercanta which is top news. I've just found out how to roast his "La Manuela" Colombian and it's
blinding if you get it right. Sadly it's out of stock. Definitely worth a try too. Be aware that he prices with postage included, unlike H&V who add UKP1.10 per 250g bag. Hasbean also does discount for bulk (following pressure from <cough> I wonder who that was!). H&V do too, but not officially and their idea of bulk is much bigger than Hasbean's!
But you musn't forget :
Sweet Maria's
We all know Sweet Maria's and their fascinating range of coffees. Well did you know that (providing you restrict yourself to surface shipping rate) it's as cheap to buy from the U.S. as it is from the U.K.? Possibly occasionally cheaper, if you buy bulk? I've got a 36lb package downstairs waiting to be opened
right now, and I have to have some of the CR Miel and the new Kenyan. I just have to! Steve, get a top Kenyan in and save me from myself! It's an addiction <froths at mouth>!
I've also bought greens from :
- Keith's of Cirencester (poor quality and over-priced, no mail order any longer)
- Ministry of Coffee (nice guy in Coventry, does mail order, average quality)
- Espresso Vivace in Seattle (love the Dolce espresso blend, but I do prefer to make my own blends really)
- Good old Danny McNulty (of a.c "in a field" fame). He's selling Malabar Gold. I tried to persuade TMC's favourite greens retailer to carry it but Dr John is a funny old cove and said retailer didn't like his attitude. Can't say I blame him, but it's a shame nonetheless.
- Monmouth Coffee in London. Great, friendly people, excellent coffee. I bought over the counter but I think they're able to do mail order. Recommended too.
There are a number of other UK sources for greens, none of whom major in it so much as the above. I ran a posting on CoffeeGeek about this topic about 8 months ago. Most of the other guys I wouldn't bother with - life's too short, although they may occasionally have something good in. That said, "Another Coffee" is starting to get some interesting stuff in I hear - but it's hard to tell as their descriptions are so generic (Sorry, CB!)
HTH
Phil