Pact Coffee

Hand-Roasted Coffee By Post.

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My Coffee Rituals: An Interview with Tim of Coffee Birmingham

In this series, we’re asking the Pact community about their coffee rituals, if you’d like to be featured, you can find out more here!

What’s your name and Twitter handle?

Tim Wilson @timmy666 or @coffeebrum

How long have you been with Pact?

Since the Summer.

What’s your favourite brew method?

Hario Drip Pot.

What’s your favourite time of day to make a coffee, and why?

Mid-morning. A few hours into my work, there's nothing better than to get up and get a coffee on the go.

Who introduced you to coffee?

I introduced myself really! Just got a flavour for it, then really started to immerse myself in the experience - going to indie coffee shops, roasters, baristas, brew methods - the whole thing!

On what day does your coffee taste best, and why?

At the weekend, sharing espressos/piccolos and brews with my girlfriend each Saturday and Sunday morning. It's a romantic thing!

What album goes best with a good cup of coffee?

I like to rock out with my Rok Espresso Machine but I'm not overly specific.

Who would be your favourite celebrity, dead or alive, to make a coffee for?

I don't have a favourite celebrity as such. Saying that, I'd love to make a coffee for Roger Taylor of Queen as he's the guy that got me into drumming! :)

What problem can be solved with coffee?

When you're feeling down or having a hard time, there's nothing quite like a good coffee.

If coffee could give you a superpower, what would it be?

I think coffee is a super fuel. It gives me a lot of the powers I need. Are they super? I'll leave that to others to decide. Pact Coffee is a super power all of its own though :)

Thank you Tim for sharing your coffee rituals, if you’d like to be interviewed for our series, you can find more info here. You can also find out more about Coffee Birmingham on their website.

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The Joy of Six

Introduce your friends to Pact and they’ll get their first bag for just £1

If we can find 1,000 new customers this week we’ll be able to add an extra special sixth coffee to our range

Everyone’s a winner.

Here’s the thing

Here at Pact we like to think we have something of a symbiotic relationship with our community. You’ve told us you want a sixth coffee added to the Pact selection but we’re going to need your help to do so. You see, to add another coffee we need to grow in size a little - and fast - which is where you come in….

Spread the joy

Know someone who would enjoy Pact’s fresh roasted coffee, delivered right to their door? Then tell them about us and they’ll get their first bag for just £1:

Send them to www.pactcoffee.com, armed with the voucher code ‘#joyofsix’.

After they’ve received their first £1 bag, each 250g bag will be £6.95 and delivered according to their needs - weekly, fortnightly or on dates they specify.

Why will 1,000 news customers make a difference?

Quite a lot of work goes into sourcing and preparing a new coffee for the Pact line-up:

The work begins with our Head of Coffee, Gabi, who needs to find the green bean of choice then put it through some rigorous QA taste tests.

Once the new star has been chosen and shipped over to us it needs to be roasted to perfection by our team in London.

Then, once it’s roasted and ready, it needs to be ground to your specification and packed up for next day delivery, which is no mean feat!

So, the more people we’re doing this for, the more economical the whole process will be. We’re only a relatively small team after all!

No time like the present!

Where coffee is concerned it’s good to strike while the iron is hot. So if we can add 1,000 new customers within a week we’ll be able to get our brand new coffee up and running in line with our next big bean shipment and before the Christmas rush strikes. No pressure or anything...

Feel like going above and beyond?

Tweet something like: "Try a bag of delicious, fresh roasted @PactCoffee, delivered to your door for just £1 when you use the code #joyofsix."

Pop something similar on Facebook: "Try a bag of delicious, fresh roasted @PactCoffee, delivered to your door for just £1. Simply visit pactcoffee.com, enter the code #joyofsix and fall in love with coffee all over again" - Share it!

Tell the person sitting next to you right now.

Email your boss about it. It’ll make you look savvy and thoughtful.

A final thought about symbiotic relationships...

In the wild ostriches and zebras are pretty much BFFs. The zebra has an excellent sense of smell but can’t see that well, while the ostrich has a pretty poor sense of smell but really good eyesight. As a result these guys hang out together and help to warn each other about predators and stuff. So, let’s all take a leaf out of their book, except instead of helping each other escape predators we’ll be helping each other enjoy better, fresher coffee.

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Brace yourselves, winter is coming

With the Holiday Season rapidly approaching, we wanted to give you a little heads up of how your Pact Deliveries will be affected.

Due to the disturbance to the Post Service over Christmas, we won't be dispatching any packs of coffee between the 20th December and 3rd January. This means we can't supply you with any fresh roasted coffee between these dates.

Don't Panic!

If you're an existing Pact customer, and you're due to have a bag delivered over the Christmas holidays, we'll be dispatching it on the 20th December so you'll be stocked up in time. After the 2nd, we'll put you back on your usual frequency.

If you're signing up over the break, your first bag will be shipped as soon as we start dispatching packages again on the 2nd of January.

Too Much Coffee?

If you don't want your shipments changed, just visit your account page using this link, and pick the date you'd like your next bag to arrive. 

Any other questions?

Just pop us an email at [email protected], or you can give us a call on 0207 231 2047.

(Photo Credit: Andrew_Writer)

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My Coffee Rituals: An Interview with Richard of Pact

In this series, we’re asking the Pact community about their coffee rituals, if you’d like to be featured, you can find out more here!

What’s your name and Role at Pact?

My name's Richard, and I find new customers for Pact.

How long have you been with Pact?

I joined Pact at the end of June, so 4 months.

What’s your favourite brew method?

I'm a recent convert to the wonders of the V60, a brilliant way to make coffee and something I've been recommending to everyone I meet!

What’s your favourite time of day to make a coffee, and why?

During the week, it's at about 8:30am when I arrive at Pact HQ and all is quiet. That first cup of the day has a certain magic quality which subsequent brews can't quite match. At the weekends when I am brewing at home, it moves to 9:30am and goes perfectly with my Saturday newspaper, mainly the sports section.

Who introduced you to coffee?

It's less 'who introduced me' and more 'what introduced me' - in my case,the 'what' was starting an university. Coffee seemed to increase my powers of concentration, lessen the effects of a hangover and give me a good excuse for a break.

On what day does your coffee taste best, and why?

Saturdays - a great way to start a weekend.

What album goes best with a good cup of coffee?

Given I started at Pact this year and my coffee intake increased at the same time, I'll say the new Arctic Monkeys album as it's been on repeat on my iPod.

Who would be your favourite celebrity, dead or alive, to make a coffee for?

I'm slightly obsessed with the American comedian Demetri Martin so I'll make him some coffee and he can tell me some jokes. Being American, he'll probably expect it to be from an ancient filter machine which is the mainstay of many a US police department, well, at least the ones in The Wire and Starsky and Hutch. I might have to hide my V60 if he comes round.

What problem can be solved with coffee?

I tend to find a beer is the drink of choice, when I need to solve the world's problems.

If coffee could give you a superpower, what would it be?

The ability to drink a cup at home and teleport to work, thereby eliminating the tube journey.

Thank you Richard for sharing your coffee rituals, if you’d like to be interviewed for our series, you can find more info here.

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How to look good drinking coffee

Champagne is cliche, milkshakes are too squeaky clean and fruit juice plays havoc with one’s tooth enamel. That’s why the drink of choice amongst icons in the know is none other than coffee. A good cup of java held in just the right way and sipped with just the right amount of casual panache looks really freaking cool.

So let’s look at some icons of stage and screen, to learn from them about the best way to work that cup...

James Dean: Coffee and glasses always look good together. Here, this winning combination says ‘I’m intelligent but I’m also really good looking’. The single digit hold isn’t easy to pull off but is worth working at to achieve a certain delicate nonchalance.

Audrey Hepburn & George Peppard: Unlike us mere mortals, the captivating Audrey demonstrates here that she can pull off the ‘missed my face with the cup’ look. Even if she poured that coffee down her front she’d still look terrific. As for Peppard, this snap was taken before he graduated onto cigars (as Hannibal in The A-Team) but he still looks pretty dapper thanks to his excellent handling of the saucer, which might feminise a less confident man.

Frank Sinatra: Ol’ Blue Eyes is rocking a tiny cup and a power stance here, which is no mean feat. The fact that his head is dipped down over the cup means he’s looking up from under his brows; always a flattering angle. Clever Frank.

Marilyn Monroe: A wide-brimmed coffee cup such as this may be excellent in terms of flavour but it can be a minefield for spillages. Her smart use of both hands means Marilyn will dodge the dreaded spill but also retains her sophistication thanks to the coquettish angle of her hands.

The ‘Some Like it Hot’ star also uses the cup to mask some of her face provocatively, much as ladies would have used fans in ye olden days.

Andy Warhol: Despite the rather camp hand on hip and teeny handle, there are no pinkies on display here. The effect is neat and focussed. Warhol’s direct gaze over the brim denotes power and self-assuredness. Nice.

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Seeking that special someone...

Pact is a coffee startup run by 12 coffee-loving friends. We are passionate about making our customers’ lives better by introducing them to fresh coffee, and delighting them whenever we’re given the opportunity.

As we’ve grown, we’ve faced new challenges. We moved out of my dining room and into our first Grown-Up Office back in February, when a busy day meant sending 25 bags of coffee after a looong queue at the Post Office.

Pact is a different place today - we’re regularly shipping 1,000 packs of coffee in a day and are growing faster by the day. It’s exciting, but there is more to juggle than ever before. Previously infrequent tasks like hiring, finance, promotions and office admin are a daily occurrence, and we need the right person to help us keep up!

Working closely with the CEO, your role will be part office management, HR and PA. The best job description is to keep the business running, even when old coffee grounds hit the fan.

The ideal candidate will be bright, focussed and productive under their own steam. Not afraid to challenge the team to be better, and equally happy to be challenged. Ambitious, resilient, highly organised and more likely to focus rather than fold under pressure.

If this sounds like you we’d love to hear from you. Please send a CV and cover letter to [email protected]. (Applications from Pact members will always be read first, so be sure to send them from the email address you used to sign up!)

~ Stephen

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Ahoy, Gabi!

Hi! My name is Gabrielle, and I'm in the midst of Pact to distribute great coffee!  I'll drink coffee all day. I'm almost tempted to forsake water for it (although, a cup of coffee is 98.7% water, on average!).

My earliest memories of it are cloth filtered brews in tall steel pots on my grandmother's hob way back home in Brazil. Back then, I had no idea the coffee industry existed–and ironically enough, Brazil is the world's largest exporter of coffee!–nor that I would come to love it as I do. So much so, that my fervent wish is to make everyone love it, too! I find that coffee is a good excuse for any occasion, from social gatherings, to a moment alone, to study, to work, to not work, and mainly, for palatable enjoyment.  My background lies in graphic design, but I've chosen to find and relentlessly consume and share fantastic coffee instead.  I've got a number of odd hobbies and habits, such as playing air drums, or doing things in multiples of three. I'm on to my third (!) month at Pact, and am happy to report that I'll be ensuring your coffee is as amazing as ever. 

The world of coffee stretches far beyond the bean (but yes, it is oh so lovely), and I like the idea that we all contribute to positive effects on people across the globe with our little business, from our amazing consumers, to our fantastic producers. Thanks for being a part of our mission to improve the world a sip at a time! If there are ever any coffee related questions, or any other doubts you might have (or if you want to appreciate my drumming abilities), don't let them go unanswered, and I'll do my best to get back to you with all the information you need (and probably lots more that you didn't think you needed!). All it takes is a quick email to [email protected] (:

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My Coffee Rituals: An Interview with Jake

In this series, we’re asking the Pact community about their coffee rituals, if you’d like to be featured, you can find out more here!

What's your name and Twitter handle?

Jake Giltsoff – @designbyjake

How long have you been with Pact?

~6 months (I think?)

What's your favourite brew method?

Aeropress.

What's your favourite time of day to make a coffee, and why?

Afternoon. If I drink coffee in the morning I pretty much fall asleep in the afternoon.

Who introduced you to coffee?

Someone on twitter?

On what day does your coffee taste best, and why?

Everyday, because Pact coffee is so damn tasty.

What album goes best with a good cup of coffee?

Currently, CHVRCHES – The Bones Of What You Believe

Who would be your favourite celebrity, dead or alive, to make a coffee for?

Ryan Gosling.

What problem can be solved with coffee?

All the worlds problems can be solved with coffee. Fact.

If coffee could give you a superpower, what would it be?

The power of eternal caffeination.

Thank you Jake for sharing your coffee rituals, if you'd like to be interviewed for our series, you can find more info here.

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How Pinteresting!

Here at Pact HQ we love everything coffee related, from favourite mugs to prints and quotes. We've decided to set up a Pinterest page, where we'll share our fantastic findings. If you're Pinterested in seeing some of them, visit our page here!

We've also got a selection of our favourite pins so far below....

Pin it!

Pin it!

Pin it!

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My Coffee Rituals: An Interview with Stéphane of Pact

In this series, we’re asking the Pact community about their coffee rituals, if you’d like to be featured, you can find out more here!

What's your name and Twitter handle?

The name is Maniaci, Stéphane Maniaci. (@stephane__)

How long have you been with Pact?

It's been 6 months already

What's your favourite brew method?

At home I make cafetière. At Pact HQ I live on espressos.

What's your favourite time of day to make a coffee, and why?

I really love making my cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Not just because it means I managed to woke up, but also because the house is quiet, my thoughts are quiet, it's a very precious and personal moment.

Who introduced you to coffee?

Nespresso... but you know, I had just moved to Paris for my first job, people were always having their little capsules in the morning. But I got to know the art of coffee (and the actual taste) at Pact for sure.

On what day does your coffee taste best, and why?

A good cup of coffee is your best ally on Mondays.

What album goes best with a good cup of coffee?

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson ; it's a very interesting album, quiet at some points, loud at others, with some very sophisticated tracks and Serge Gainsbourg always whispering the storyline in a deep, calm voice. It's a little tricky to last the cup for 27 minutes, but I manage.

Who would be your favourite celebrity, dead or alive, to make a coffee for?

Stephen Rapoport! Or Pierre Desproges. Either way, my coffee-making skills are not good enough yet, but I practice a lot

What problem can be solved with coffee?

I think it can be a remarkable brain catalyst. I read somewhere about the different creative processes of famous writers/artists, and one of them (Marcel Proust?) would just do cup on cup waking up at 4AM... And he wrote an acclaimed, classic french novel! That almost no one read. I think if you have a good relationship with your coffee you can think much better.

If coffee could give you a superpower, what would it be?

A superpower?! It keeps me awake, that's amazing enough. Flying maybe. With every sip you feel more aware, energy builds up, you start running, you outstretch your wings... and then the Overground is late.

Thank you Stéphane for sharing your coffee rituals, if you'd like to be interviewed for our series, you can find more info here.

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Pact People Power: Shipment History

About a month ago, we launched our Pact Feedback Forum, where we encourage you to ‘spill the beans’ on ways you’d like us to improve the Pact service. Well, you spoke and we listened and as a result we’ve got something exciting to share with you today…

(see it bigger)

Shipment History!

It has been the most popular idea on UserVoice, so we hope you find it useful. On the order history page, you’ll see your last 5 shipments (for now) with some tasting notes and buttons to rate your coffees.

Take a look on your account page here.

This is only version 1, and we’re going to be improving on it over the coming weeks. If you’ve got any ideas of improvements you’d like to see in the next version, add your voice to this page here!

Thank you to all of the voters that helped to make this idea a reality. If you’ve got a suggestion for how we can make Pact even better, we’d love to hear about it…

Have your say >

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The Coffee Run

Coffee and Exercise have always been a great combination, but this week we decided to look a little further into why exactly a cup of joe makes such a great workout companion.

More than ⅔ of olympic athletes are using caffeine to boost their performance. Here’s 3 reasons you might want to reach for a coffee next time you’re hitting the gym or pounding the pavements!

1. You’ll work out harder

A study at Coventry University has shown that a cup of caffeine before a workout can help you work harder and for longer by fighting fatigue.

2. It’s packed with mood boosting Antioxidants

Our bodies absorb more antioxidants from coffee than anything else, including fruit and vegetables. Those antioxidants can also make you feel happier, it only takes a few cups to get you in the right frame of mind for a workout

3. It gives you grit

When you’re struggling to push through that tricky part of your workout, your friend coffee will be there again helping you power through. A study published in The Journal of Applied Physiology, has shown that caffeine can reduce mental and muscle fatigue.

So next time you need that extra edge for your workout, reach for a cup of coffee!

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The Pact Slow Cooker #1 - Lamb and Coffee Tagine

With winter approaching and the weather worsening, Stephen has invested in a slow cooker for the office. First on the menu is his delicious Lamb and Coffee Tagine. Keep on reading for the recipe!

Throw the following into a slow cooker for 3 hours:

- 500g lamb shoulder, neck and breast

- 2 x diced sweet potatoes

- 2 x chopped red onions

- 15ish x dried apricots

- 1 little bag of pinenuts

- 3 x cinnamon sticks

- a fistful of mint and corriander stalks, finely chopped

- 2 x stock pots (if you're feeling lazy, as I am this morning...)

- 1 x heaped table spoon of Fazenda Passeio

20 minutes before it's ready, throw in a handful of basmati rice, then when it's ready serve it straight out of the cooker. Delicious!

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Pact People Power: Smaller Packaging

About a month ago, we launched our Pact Feedback Forum, where we encourage you to ‘spill the beans’ on ways you’d like us to improve the Pact service. Well, you spoke and we listened and as a result we’ve got something exciting to share with you today…

Smaller Packaging!

Our new packaging is 15mm thinner than it was before, meaning it should fit through even the tightest of letterboxes. It can also be squeezed down thinner, so your Postie has no excuses!

Easier to Open!

Our new packaging features a nice big rip tab, saving you valuable seconds as you go to brew that first delicious cup of fresh roasted coffee.

No more fiddling about with tricky rip tabs.

Hooray!

We're really excited about our new packaging, and hopefully making life easier for those of you having problems getting your coffee delivered.

This Pact People Power project was brought to you by:

Tony, Tim, Dale, Lee, Martin, Caroline, Barry, Marie, David, Paul, Nathan and another 14 anonymous users.

All of you helped to make this idea a reality. So, if you’ve got a suggestion for how we can make Pact even better, we’d love to hear about it…

Have your say >

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Top 5 Chaff Creations

One of our packers Anneliese has been getting creative with our chaff this week while grinding your coffee, here are her top 5 creations...

A coffee mug made of coffee! 

Grabbing a Pact to go?

Who doesn't?!

The original chaff creation

Our favourite creation in the Pact office.

BONUS: A Pact boat by @karinovsky

Have you got creative with your coffee? We'd love to see!

Tweet us @pactcoffee

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Bean to Cup: Meet Our Growers

Meet Will, he's a Coffee Hunter at Mercanta, and helps us hunt out the best green coffees in the world.

He recently visited some of our growers in Finca San Antonio, and made a video of his experience (above).

If you'd like to try some of the Finca San Antonio coffee you can see being grown above by clicking this link, while stocks last!

Below is a picture of Stephane, holding one of the bags that our green coffee is shipped in, when full they weigh 60kg (almost as much as he does!)

In the next part of this series, we’ll show you what happens when we get our hands on the green coffee beans, so stay tuned.

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Pact People Power: The Coffee Randomiser

A couple of weeks ago, we launched our Pact Feedback Forum, where we encourage you to ‘spill the beans’ on ways you’d like us to improve the Pact service. Well, you spoke and we listened and as a result we’re introducing a brand new feature today…

Avoid a coffee rut!

Part of the beauty of the Pact service is that you get to try terrific new coffees, safe in the knowledge that they’re all of the highest quality. But for lots of you that wasn’t happening; you were stuck in a coffee rut...

Before: You picked one coffee when you signed up and we sent it to you for each delivery until we ran out of that coffee and replaced it with an alternative.

Now: If you opt in to our Coffee Randomiser we’ll switch your coffee for each delivery, allowing you to try our whole selection.

Yes - We’ll always send your coffee - ground or otherwise - for your preferred brew method.

Yes - If the Coffee Randomiser introduces you to a coffee you fall in love with, you can switch to receive that one for every delivery.

Yes - You do have to opt in to use the Coffee Randomiser feature.

How to get random If you’d like to activate the Coffee Randomiser on your account, simply:

- visit your Pact account page and look for the coffee preferences section

- where it says ‘Would you like to receive a different coffee every time?’ select ‘Yes’

- save your preferences.

Job done.

This Pact People Power project was brought to you by:

Carole, Paul, Sarah, Anthony, Angela, Matt, Russell, Harry, Martin, Penny, Sarah, Wendy, Phillip, Eoghan, Dale, Tony, Helen and another 15 anonymous users

All of you helped to make this idea a reality. So, if you’ve got a suggestion for how we can make Pact even better, we’d love to hear about it…

Have your say >