I’m a coffee snob. I’ve had beans shipped to me from tiny specks of land flung across tropical seas. I’ve brought my own ground coffee on overnight trips. And I’ve critically re-examined my relationships with people and businesses after being served instant coffee without first being warned. If I get that not-real-coffee feeling about a person or place these days, I just ask for something else to drink and then tend to keep away.
Now that doesn’t mean I’m a coffee shop snob. I’m writing here about my love of coffee, not milk and sugar. If the coffee is quality stuff I’d rather not have anything added to it. I don’t need a barista at the helm of some giant contraption drawing cutesy hearts on my drink’s frothy cap. I just need my grinder, a kettle and my trusty cafetière. All my most satisfying coffee drinking experiences have been in my own home.
So, when the folks at Kopi – an “exclusive monthly subscription coffee club that is passionate about premium taste and ethical sourcing” – dropped me a line to ask if I’d like to sample their coffee in exchange for review, I was keen … and maybe a little suspicious too. Gourmet, fair trade, luxury … these days there are so many endowments attached to the front of too otherwise straightforward words like coffee that descriptions such as “exclusive” and “premium” don’t necessarily mean anything anymore.
I was given January’s coffee of the month to taste: Java Jampit Estate UTZ Certified Arabica, an “impeccably sourced dark roast Arabica that balances sweet, spicy chocolate flavours with a light floral scent.” Halfway through the sample, I’m pleased to report that this certainly comes across as a service worthy of upmarket adjectives. It’s been happy sipping from the day it arrived at my door. No complaints.
Java Jampit is a thoughtfully selected and delicately delicious coffee. With each slurp, I get the sense that if I were to stick with Kopi (which I would be inclined to do) I might just happen upon new favourite beans at some point and that I probably would never be disappointed with any of Kopi’s monthly offerings.
Kopi subscribers receive a 250g bag of a different coffee – beans or ground – from around the world delivered each month. The coffee is roasted to order (nice touch!) with a 14 day freshness guarantee. The coffee is delivered for FREE in packaging that easily fits through a standard letterbox and is accompanied by a booklet featuring details on the coffee, tasting notes, brewing tips and more (the Java Jampit booklet came with a black coffee ice cream recipe). Kopi delivers to UK addresses only for the time being.
If you like a coffee you can order more of it along with a range of brewing equipment from the Kopi website.
A month-to-month/cancel-at-anytime subscription costs £8.95/month. Three months is £25.35 (£8.45/month). Six months is £47.70 (£7.95/month). A whole year costs £83.40 (£6.95/month). Based on my hassle-free experience enjoying a swiftly delivered package of especially tasty coffee, I reckon those are decent prices and wouldn’t mind paying them for the chance to try a different coffee every month.
A Kopi subscription seems like a smart gift idea too for any coffee snob friends as well.
Lots more info: kopi.co.uk.
