As someone else pointed out, we have only one side of the story. I have worked with UK tabloid “journalists” in the past and it is not unusual for them to make up their own “quotes” out of thin air.

So take the article with a large grain of salt until we hear the other side.

i would hope that we give the people quoted the benefit of the doubt that they do indeed care about home roasting, and suggest the article author switch to decaf.

sheesh.

It is a terrible, condescending article. We didn’t really expect any better. Some comments riled the home roasting community though there were worse things in there on show. Not helpful, not insightful but then neither was the coffee special in the Times the other week. I think the Speciality end of coffee needs to get a lot better at engaging the media before we see better articles in major publications.

If the quote from UR was in context then it was rather an ill-thought and condescending comment. On the basis that they work on then no professional chef would produce a recipe for an “amateur” to cook to as it would not turn out as well. Why shouldn’t a home roaster be able to achieve similar quality results? This suggests that no-one who is not already in the trade can learn roasting which is nonsense. Just as there are amatuer cooks who can cook as well as pro chefs then there are home roasters who know thier stuff. Just as being an amatuer musician myself doesn’t mean I can’t play as well as or better than some “pros”

Anyway, my thoughts. Whilst I have said else where that I have had e-mails from UR to the same effect, I found the comments in the Mail, similar to what I was sent. They seem to have little regard for home roasters which is a real shame because I was told personally that they started in home roasting.

It has been said not to let your business head cross into your personal views, well I feel that is what has happend in tha article.

Coffee is all about passion and draws passionate people to it. Be it Home roasters, machine geeks or whoever. That passion is deep seated and will, in various ways manifest itself. Maybe UR passion, which is undoubtably there, manifested itself in a way that comes across as arrogant, but hey he has passion. Steves passion comes across in a way that encourages us home roasters.

I find articles like this very saddening really because it undermines the hard work of Steve and other, including UR.

Whilst some of the above post seem inflamatory, they do reflact the passion that we have inside, but being human we let it out in all the wrong ways.

I am just trying to be a moderate here for a change, even though i have strog feelings on some of the comments and the way they have been expressed.

Freedom of speech is a great gift, that includes the article. We should be able to respond in a mature and adult manner that reflects the high value we place on freedom of speech, even when we strongly disagree with what may be written. Yes disagree, agree be indifferent, but accept one anothers view for what it is, whether or not you agree.

Dimplomattic

Thanks

Steve

The Greens club is absolutely not for profit.

But yes I hold my hands up at selling some greens to people at their request. Let me see one of my “sales”

4 Kg of green beans (different varieties), 25 mile round trip to deliver them personally…total cost £10….yeah, i’m going to get rich. I think that “sale” made a loss of more than £2. Espressomatic might want to confirm that one.

let me see another “sale”…2kg of different beans free…i sure made a profit on that one.

Oh yet another…….1kg of roasted beans….free

Another 3×250g lots 66p (to cover the cost of the bags).

TMC Southern Coffee meet….cost me over £150 in equipment bench tops, food and drink that I provided….I sure had a commercial agenda at that one….made a killing, ask anyone who attended!

“Sale” of Non slip matting for the top of a coffee machine to a user in Denmark, lemme see what did I make on that one….nothing, wait a bit I posted and packed it free, didn’t charge a penny. I know I must have had an ulterior motive for future sales….because I need to keep those big? profits rolling in.

I must be making money hand over fist, the machine repairs for free, the parts I have given to people for free, the coffee I have given away…I really must open that swiss bank account

Marcy (bean believer) or whatever…..wait until you actually know something about someone, before making some quite witless remarks.

As a home roaster yourself, why you are not supporting Steve (who is supporting home roasters) is.. is… beyond words. BTW, aren’t you also trying to gather more home roasters to help fund your new roasting ventures? Or is it completely not-for-profit? No wait, didn’t you try to sell roasts to your community? Hmm… maybe I’ve just answered my original question?

You can’t find better quality and variety than at HasBeans in UK or possibly EMEA. You know it, I know it, he knows it, lots of home roasters know it.

What ever your intention was, I think the only thing you weren’t intending was getting called on.

“Whatever floats your boat”??? THAT’s what you come up with when you can’t back up your statements???