I've been using Pact since 2015 and have been converted ever since. I mean I like my coffee and it helped grow that appreciation to another level where I'm able to sample exquisite coffees. I was a regular at Monmouth, Allpress and Nude while I lived in London between 2010-2014 but when having to relocate for a year or so, I was desperate for good coffee. And thank god I discovered Pact when I did. Pact Coffee has become my favourite coffee subscription service – more so because it's an anti-subscription service and gives me the freedom to skip, bring forward and change coffee with ease.
I'm more won over by the ethos of Pact and their efforts at working directly with farmers and paying them their worth – more often than not paying above what Fairtrade tends to cover. That's very respectable and something I'm worth paying for my coffee, which is anyway a lot cheaper than buying at a cafe. It balances itself out very nicely. Pact are therefore able to have a rotation of coffees with different origins on the go. When it comes to selecting your for your subscription, you can choose between House, Select or Micro-Lot coffees.
I have to admit, one of my friends encouraged me to invest in getting some kit help me experience coffee in it's better tasty glory. They were a barista and therefore understood coffee far greater than me, but I appreciated the push to get a hand grinder and use the V60 drip filter process. The grinder I use is the portable Porlex hand grinder made in Japan. It has an adjustable ceramic burr grinder giving you a perfect grind while working out the arms. Since using Pact and grinding my own beans it's been a joy to have such a fresh coffee. I've even gone and got myself a swan neck kettle pourer to control the water flow as I pour. I'm not yet at the level of weighing out my coffee beans, I still like the rough nature of chucking them in and hope it's fine – although I've got a vague idea of what amount works best.
With each order you get a nice little card explaining the flavour profile and aroma. There's also sometimes introductions on the growers and the location of their plantation. The flavour profiles are rather accurate I have to say and it's been educational developing an understanding of what coffee profiles I like. You can rate your coffees, and if there are ones that you don't like you can give it a thumbs down so that the team at the grind house know to steer your next coffee in a different direction. I've had some that I don't like and done that have have since haven't had a batch I didn't like. If there's one you love then can easily just keep that as your chosen coffee.
If you're a drip filter sort of person like me, you can easily add a pack of V60 filters or any other add-ons you may need if running low.
Try Pact coffee with £5 off your first order courtesy of me.