Once hooked, it is pretty hard to kick the green bean habit.
Same day delivery and precise control over your blends and SOs (Single Origins) can spoil you very quickly. You control the roast level, the bean varieties that you use and the exact quantities you need. Fresh roast always available on demand.
Many home roasters claim that their product is better than many commercial roasters. True enough in some cases - anyone care to taste a commercial Spanish roasted Yirg???!!! Badly done roasts done on any type of equipment, commercial or not, is just bad.
Do not dismiss the commercial roasters so easily though. We amateurs can produce some very fine 3 oz batches indeed and sometimes can create an occasional god-roast. However experiencing a top notch roast from a great commercial roaster can truly be a humbling experience. So, don't get too smug.
Here are some green bean retailers in Eastern Canada that I have found on the web. There are undoubtedly many more that I missed. Some I have tried, others I have not. Note, there are some very large price differences between the retailers.
High price does not mean a commensurate increase in quality, so shop carefully and try to buy in small quantities at first. If you find a bean you love, load up because when that crop is gone, it's gone.
Greenbeanery ( http://www.greenbeanery.ca ) – this relative newcomer is making a major splash. They have lots of beans and a growing inventory of espresso and coffee making equipment. They have a very good green bean selection however, the shipping charges looked suspiciously expensive when I was checking out my order. It didn't look right as I had ordered at the greenbeanery before. I left my order in the cart. An email inquiry later revealed that the shipping cost was correct but had gone up due to the higher costs of fuel, etc. True, however that did not account for shipping charges that were a few bucks higher than the actual shipping cost. Sometimes it is the small things....
Hasbeans ( http://www.hasbeans.ca ) – a small selection but covers most of the bases, prices are very good. My order got waylaid thanks to their ISP problems, however it got sorted out and they apologized profusely for the two week delay. Note to web retailers: if you screw up an order, even if it is not your fault, put a note in the package. Something like this: “We are very sorry for the delay. As an apology, we have enclosed an extra lb of xxxx. We promise to do a better job next time. Here is a coupon for $5 off your next order.” Please shop again at our store.” Was that so hard? Sometimes it is the small things...
Terra cafe ( http://www.terracaf.ca ) – a great bean selection and reasonable prices. I have ordered a couple times there and the bean quality was way above average. Great actually. And free parcel post shipping to boot! Unfortunately, they have recently changed their minimum quantity from 454 grams ( 1 lb) to 2 kilos! ( approx 4.4 lbs) A minimum order of say, four different bean varieties is going to cost you well in excess of $100. You'd better like those beans.
Andrews green beans ( http://www.andrewsgreenbeans.com ) - well known alt.coffee personality, Craig Andrews has started his own green bean mail order business. He knows his stuff except for maybe...being a webmaster. let's freshen up those web pages Craig :-) Prices are very good and shipping is at cost.
Here's a list of other green bean links you may want to check out:
http://www.birdsandbeans.ca
http://www.greencoffee.ca
http://www.merchantsofgreencoffee.com
http://www.theultimatebean.com
http://www.equator.ca
http://www.espressoplanet.com
