Canuk wrote: I'm very tempted by this Hasbean offering. It should arrive today.
Canuk, if you've bought whole beans to grind yourself, and if you also plan to try making espresso with them, I would add that I often found it quite difficult to consistantly pull good espresso drinks from the single estate Hasbean beans, not least because the beans in the subscription change each week and I would routinely struggle (with my frankly mediocre skills) to get the grinder dialled in each week, often wasting quite a bit in the process. It's not helped by the fact some single estate beans can be very intolerant of getting the grind/dose right (conversely, every so often I would get a very easy bean which would give good results almost no matter what I did). Incidentally, before using the beans to make espresso I always wait a week or so after the date of roasting to let the beans de-gas.
I stress that I think that my problems probably reflect my personal skill level: I think a lot of other people are able to dial in their grinder for the new beans each week with only one or two shots. Moreover, it's completely different using the beans in a commercial setting, where it's normal to waste a few shots to get the grind dialled in maybe once or twice a day, because after that dozens or even hundreds of drinks will be made and sold before the grinder needs adjusting again.
Congratulations on the getting the donated espresso machine.
