How much do you pay for a proper coffee, and what is the cost to those who produce it for you? Coffee is woven into the fabric of our days as a relatively affordable luxury used to break up a working day, kickstart the day’s proceedings or provide a comforting ritual with which to disrupt a morning.
As with many things though, we don’t always put as much due diligence into our every day staples as we might as convenience distracts us from the wider picture. The ethical message is one that’s ripe for spreading though and is one of the key pillars on which The Proper Coffee Co is built.
All the right noises about sourcing and ethics don’t make a compelling product by themselves though so we grabbed a couple of bags to sample and check that their claims stood up.
The Proper Coffee Co supplies of some of the world’s most bespoke, high-quality coffee served with a strong focus on ethical trade practices and sourcing the best possible beans from a selection of countries, including Myanmar and Colombia, which I was to sample.
I sampled the Colombian Finca Villa Betulia first, finding that it delivered on the tasting note’s promise of exotic fruits and rewarded careful tasting to let it breathe and express itself.
Myanmar Ywangan similarly served up its promised dark berry and citrus notes and created a bit of a sense of occasion with each cup, as well it should with an eye-catchingly high 87/100 score in a Specialty Coffee Association cupping competition.
Prices are affordable too considering the quality, starting from around £12 for a 150g pack and topping out around £37 for a 1kg box.
Also on offer is a Specialty Coffee Club which allows you to sample a new speciality coffee every week or month, on which you save 15%. The variety of coffees includes their regular selection as well as The Proper Coffee Co.’s limited micro-lots. Plus, users have full control to suit their needs as and when, meaning you can pause, amend, cancel, or restart your subscription as you wish.
The Proper Coffee Co. also supply a range of top-quality coffee accessories including drippers, grinders, storage containers, and more. As every coffee enthusiast knows, a truly exceptional coffee is highly dependent on not only a finely tuned brew method but also on the tools and brewing accessories.
This is undoubtedly a premium offering that sits in a segment of the market demanding refinement in all areas, something that is delivered upon here. These prices demand a compelling narrative, branding that draws one in and no fuss with the mechanics of ordering as well as a top-notch product.
With companies such as Pact offering a consistent product at a fair price, this is a service that is likely to appeal to a more selective audience than the mainstream, but the audience it does find will surely be engaged with and appreciative of the stories told of the quality coffees on offer from.
The price might be higher than your average supermarket bag of beans but you can be assured that while the value is fair on this side, the cost isn’t too great at the other end of the supply chain.
Ben Thorpe
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