Recently I have been pursuing my coffee addiction and my social media apps have definitely noticed. I am given adverts for many different coffee subscription plans and having the weak mental resistance meant that I saw a plan with a ‘Free v60’ and thought ‘I’ve got to try this’ – you win this time advertisers…
As I’m writing a blog post about it, that makes up for the lack of self control… I hope. So here is my review of Pact Coffee and the Free v60. I hope this helps you decide about whether you want to sign up for Pact coffee with this welcome offer – or without it.
Cost?
Pact has three different subscription plans. One plan – the cheaper – is for their house blend coffees. The other is for their ‘select’ blend coffees which is slightly more expensive and have a ‘higher quality’. The final type is their ‘micro-lot’ which are their most expensive type and the ‘best quality’. The house coffee plan does not vary seasonally but the other two plan have a menu that does change throughout the year, so there are definitely lots of flavours for you to try with these.
For each bag (250g) you will pay:
– house plans – £6.95/bag
– select – £7.95/bag
– micro-lot – £9.95/bag
This does make it significantly more expensive then the coffee you’d get in a supermarket, but for the quality it may be worth it.
Plus if you want to test the flavour and quality you can get a free v60 brewer included in your first delivery which makes it much closer to the average cost of everyday coffee.
If you are already used to buying more premium blends and types of coffee, then the prices won’t be so significant to you or may even seem on the low end.
What?
A free v60 can be gained when you set up a coffee ‘subscription plan’ though this can be immediately cancelled after the first delivery, so as to effectively make a ‘single’ order.
I set up a subscription plan to allow me to get the free v60 and then cancelled the reoccurring delivery until I had decided whether I would want to keep getting the coffee. I decided the coffee was ‘too expensive’ for me – relative to my normal expenditure – for the current moment but depending on how much you are willing to spend it might be worth it for you.
I did enjoy it so it would be my first choice if I was looking for a regular delivery of coffee, but for my current preferences and financial standpoint the everyday value coffee that I can find in Tesco or Co-op suits me just fine. I drink a lot of coffee so if I was purchasing this, the extra cost would add up fast.
About the v60?
The Hario V60 is a conical (funnel) shaped device in which you can insert a filter. It utilises the ‘drip’ brewing method of coffee it needs ‘medium’-grind coffee. You can read more about the best grinds of coffee for different brewing techniques here.
The name for this device comes from the V shaped nature of the device and the 60º angles. When you get the v60 for free from Pact it comes with filters so you can get brewing straight off. It is only a basic plastic version so if you want the best v60 brewing experience with the best thermal conductivity, i.e copper, you will have to buy your own separately. For an everyday brew the plastic version is definitely sufficient.
What I love about the v60 is how easy it is to clean. I brew my coffee, take out the filter and dispose of it including the grounds and all the v60 requires is a quick rinse. In comparison to my AeroPress, although the brewing experience in my opinion is slower, the v60 is much easier to clean and dry.
About the Coffee?
I chose the house coffee blend for my first order and was happy with the flavour. I thought the coffee had a nice depth to it. It wasn’t too strong and was smooth so would likely suit any average coffee consumer. Pact coffee do offer multiple different flavours so if you are interested, Pact have an article about how to choose the right coffee for you?
It comes in a 250g paper (with a lining) bag and is recommended to be consumed within 6 weeks of the roasting date. The roasting date is generally a few days before it is delivered, so you can keep the bag for a while before consumption.
However, for most consumers the shelf life of this should not be a problem as it is positioned to be a subscription, delivered when you are in need of a new bag. It should be delivered at regular enough intervals so you never run out but also so that it doesn’t start stacking up on your shelf.
Final thoughts.
I really enjoyed my experience with the Pact coffee and also the v60. The coffee that I brewed was in my opinion better then the regular bags of coffee that I pick up from the supermarket, but this would be expected with the price increase. I would note that some of this price increase pays for delivery.
I can imagine utilising a subscription plan like this in the future, and if given the expendable income would likely upgrade onto one of the varying menu plans to expand the types of coffee that get delivered to me. The delivery time and experience was excellent. It fit straight through my letter box (the v60 will not fit through the letter box so will either get left outside the door or you may get a knock at your door depending on the delivery person).
If you do not drink coffee for the flavour (just for the caffeine) or are on a tighter budget then I would not recommend using Pact coffee. It is You can get a similar coffee ‘product’ for a lower price and although the experience may not offer as much ease, i.e no regularly delivery, this isn’t too much of a hassle. You are likely to be shopping anyway so picking up a bag of coffee from the shops won’t be too much extra effort.
I would however recommend to those tentative, on-the-edge people who are not sure whether to go for Pact or not, that trialing it while receiving a Free v60 is quite a good option. On top of this, after I had trialed the coffee and cancelled my plan, Pact did send me a £5 discount to start my plan again so I managed to acquire another bag of coffee for only around £3 which is the value I’d generally find coffee for at the supermarket.
