Review – Kopi Gourmet Coffee

Added by on October 24, 2011
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Gourmet Coffee I love getting parcels through the post, and I love my coffee, so when I was offered the chance to review this gourmet coffee club by Sarah, I didn’t hesitate.

Mind, most of what I care about in coffee is that it contains caffeine, so I wasn’t altogether sure how I’d go about reviewing it. I’m rubbish at making coffee too – if it’s down to me it’s instant, and Ryan makes proper coffee, but generally just picks up whatever looks good at the supermarket. We always buy Fairtrade, and I guess it often says “Gourmet” on the packet, but it’s not something that we get terribly excited about. So long as it contains caffeine!

The parcel arrived and as promised, it did fit through my letterbox. The packaging was perfect too – the re-sealable foil package actually worked well, unlike some I’ve tried in the past. And the leaflet too was well designed and produced.

All of this adds to the pleasure of the experience, of course. I think it was in Seth Godin’s book, All Marketers are Liars, that I read about experiments that showed that expensive crystal wine glasses make cheap plonk taste delicious.

So in the interests of giving the coffee a fair test, I invited some coffee loving guests, persuaded Ryan to man the cafetiere, and took a few notes on what everyone said.  And I used our tatty old mugs.

Two drank the coffee strong and black. Both enjoyed it, and were especially impressed that the coffee as smooth and had no hint of bitterness. I had mine milky, and it was richly flavoured and definitely contained caffeine.

Then I read the tasting notes, to general hilarity. Although we all loved our coffee, I don’t think we are really cut out to be gourmet coffee reviewers…

Gourmet CoffeeGuatemala : Finca Santa Clara : Genuine Antigua

We discovered where Guatemala was, on a map of the world – I wasn’t too far out, although my geographical knowledge is abysmal. We discovered that coffee beans need to be grown at a high altitude, to achieve SHB grading. SHB stands for super hard bean, apparently. And we quickly exhausted our knowledge about volcanos…

So none of us came up with dark chocolate, almonds or vanilla when we were searching for ways to describe the coffee, but we were unanimous that it was delicious.

I do think the Kopi coffee has a lot to recommend it, and would make a perfect gift for a coffee loving friend, or for yourself. The company advertises it as an affordable luxury, and that is exactly what it is. Check out their website here, and read more about the subscription options.

My only reservation is that I would much prefer to buy Fairtrade.

Ann

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About Ann Godridge
Ann Godridge has just completed her first crime novel, The Mermaid's Shroud, and has started work on the sequel. Her story the Tree of Knowledge was shortlisted for the Asham Award. She writes about writing and sometimes about textile arts at her blogStraw into Gold. You can find out more about her here - About Ann G.
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15 Responses to Review – Kopi Gourmet Coffee

  1. Ann I have to ask… do you think if you used bone china coffee cups that the vanilla etc would have been tasted? ;)

    Thanks for the review- will check it out for my coffee loving husband.
    Sarah Arrow recently posted..The secret to stress free movingMy Profile

    Sarah Arrow October 24, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    • In the interests of scientific research, I will have to persuade Ryan to make me another coffee right away :-)

      Ann Godridge October 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm

  2. ooh sounds rather nice Ann :)

    I do love the whole proper coffee moment. There is something about the preparation, with the smell wrapping around your senses, as you wait for the perfect time to drink it. I love using my special china mugs and sharing with good friends.

    Shame I can’t have one with you and Sarah right now, I’m just in the mood :)
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    Anita Hunt October 24, 2011 at 1:39 pm

  3. Nice review – well delivered. Complete and with humour.

    I am a HUGE coffee fan. I’d have no problems taking it IV and I would be a “target” for Kopi but I am afraid that this Kopi Gourmet fails down to me in several ways

    1) Coffee club? I buy coffee when I want it/when I need it (often!). I don’t need a Readers Digest Style “Book of the Month”

    2) The price….I can get GREAT coffee, coffee that I LOVE for a fraction of that price

    3) Guys, if you are trying to market a gourmet, deluxe, exclusive, VIP products/services at top dollar you MUST have a website that reflects it. I will ignore the ultra-basic look for a second but comment on the clip art! Nononono – not in 2011 on a deluxe product site. Sorry but #fail

    Glad you enjoyed the coffee but I don’t see me “Joining the club”

    Steve
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    Steve Hall October 24, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    • I agree it is expensive, Steve, although not too much for a treat I think, and comparable to buying a special bottle of wine. And the postage is included. It certainly wouldn’t be a good way to buy a non stop caffeine supply, but I do see an attraction to having someone else choose a different coffee every month to try out new varieties.

      I don’t know that my tastebuds are so refined as to require artisan single estate coffee though :-)

      Ann Godridge October 24, 2011 at 3:28 pm

      • Sorry, I see no attraction in having somebody else choose the “drink of the gods” on my behalf. Part of the fun for me is going into a specialist coffee shop and viewing, sampling the delicacies!
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        Steve Hall October 24, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    • Hi Steve. It’s not really meant to cater for aficionados to be honest. We’re trying to open up the world of coffee to a whole new group of people who normally would only buy things off the supermarket shelves. These are people who appreciate someone curating the world and helping them discover something new and exciting each month.

      When you factor in postage, the price really does become very reasonable, especially as a lot of people take the 12 month package and thus get it for £7 / month delivered.

      Lastly, the site reflects usability and simplicity above all else, backed by what we hope is amazing customer service. It’s not meant to be deluxe / VIP – as that would be exclusive and limiting. We aim to give the impression of quality and friendliness at the same time. A challenge I admit.

      Anyway – thanks for reading the review and commenting. Sorry it’s not for you but just wanted to point out that a lot of other people can see value in it.

      Philip Wilkinson October 24, 2011 at 8:22 pm

  4. Mmm, I did not know I was going to have to justify myself to the company. No sweat

    OK – you think it is value. I don’t. That’s a matter of opinion and we are both entitled to our own.

    I buy coffee regularly (very regularly) and choose to buy from retail outlets. My choice and others may well prefer your option. I LIKE option/choice ….that is what you are offering and many will accept your offer. Good luck.

    As for the website – the image you are portraying to me is NOT gourmet. You use the words, “affordable luxury”. I am sorry but your branding does not reflect that. Deluxe/vip in no way needs to be exclusive or limiting. I mean quality professional photos on each page. I mean getting rid of the 1990s clip art,

    You talk about “amazing customer service” ….mmmm! There is not a phone number on the site, there is no virtual assistant …….only an email address. #fail, in my book. Your blog is limited with only four articles ever posted.

    I wish you every success – I have no reason not to – and trust that you will consider these points as constructive.

    Steve
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    Steve Hall October 25, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    • Of course Steve – thank you.

      We answer emails within 4 hours maximum.

      Also – we only “just” launched a few weeks ago. There is so much more to come, including phone support, but as you probably know, you can’t build everything in one go!

      Philip Wilkinson October 25, 2011 at 12:58 pm

      • I wish you every success and like your attitude. I have a UK website that you might like to link to – send me a 125×125 banner and I can add you to a site with 2,200 UK retailers shortly to launch. (All the “big boys” and other “friends”). No cost to you at all.
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        Steve Hall October 25, 2011 at 1:03 pm

  5. Oh – and thank you Ann for a great review. Much appreciated

    Philip Wilkinson October 25, 2011 at 12:13 pm

  6. So you like milky coffee, eh? :) Your write up was entertaining!

    Olga Hartman November 6, 2011 at 4:19 pm
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