Posted Sun Dec 4, 2011, 2:45pm Subject: Re: Green Coffee Beans In Barcelona, Spain and Western Europe
Coleminator -
I spend about half the year in Asturias in Northern Spain, and looked hard for a green bean supplier. I don't believe you will have much luck. The roasters generally do not sell premium coffee - they tend to adulterate it with sugar (torrefacto) during the roast process to artificially 'carmelize' it. Its quite acidic and some hint of damage to the stomach.
Unlike the the Portuguese, who really do a nice job selecting and roasting, the Spanish tradition is not stellar. A very few who did roast absolutely refused to sell green beans. I am guessing they feared someone finding their source. Supply monopoly rather than quality has long been a traditional way of doing business.
Until baggage weight became an issue, my wife and I would carry ten lbs or so of Sweet Marias in our bags. The security searched the bags pretty thoroughly a couple times, but were, in the end, amused.
The best solution I found was a roaster in Berlin, Germany called Rohkaffeebohnen, click here. They have a discounted fixed shipping rate which is low if you buy maybe 10 + kilos at a time. If I recall, it was about 16 euro. The beans came in a week. Rohkaffeebohnen don't take charge cards, though they take bank transfers, which is much better with all the internet hacking going on. Its cheap, especially, if you have an account in Spain, or know someone who does. After you order they send an email to tell you with the account number to use for the transfer. You need to follow their instructions because, as I recall, they have a commercial relationship with a particular bank, which allows them cheaper transactions.
The site is in German, but they read English and will answer emails in English if you ask them too. Very good natured, reliable people. I have ordered maybe 25 kilos in 2 shipments and have not been disappointed. Their prices are comparable to Sweetmarias'.
If readers learn of another comparable source (the Dutch places are good, but very expensive), please let me know.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 