FAQ Frequently asked questions and answers
I placed an order but haven't received a shipping email
The roasting lab's business days are listed at the top of the page as a shipping schedule. Click on it to see an image.
We aim to ship beans and equipment from our lab within three business days of receiving your order, but if there is a large number of orders, especially for beans, shipping may be delayed. If there is a slight delay, we will notify you of the expected shipping date in advance.
— The coffee beans are shipped from the Kanto region. Are they grown in Nagano?
Hatte Co., Ltd., which operates our shop, has offices for its members in Tokyo and Chiba in addition to Nagano Prefecture. This is because when members travel to the Kanto region, they sometimes bring the beans with them. For this reason, we are able to ship on Saturdays regardless of the shop's business calendar.
In Nagano, this system is in place to avoid leaving beans in the mailbox, especially during the cold nights.
— What are the criteria for free shipping?
There are two main types.
- Both roasted and raw coffee beans are free
- Free shipping on books shipped from the lab
We do not offer free shipping based on the amount of your purchase.
Is there a way to find out in advance how much shipping will cost?
Due to system limitations, we cannot calculate the final shipping cost unless you enter the shipping address. The shipping cost will be displayed on the screen before payment, so please check it.
- A screen for selecting shipping costs appears
I have it set so that it doesn't appear, but it seems to appear sometimes. Just choose the "lucky" and cheaper option.
— Shipping is expensive
Sorry. There's nothing we can do about this. We're trying to make it as cheap as possible (such as by making it a comprehensive contract).
- Sent with postage paid
Starting with orders received on June 1, 2023, Yamato will begin charging the fee for the section when the destination is changed . The payment method is cash on delivery, so customers should have agreed to Yamato's question in advance about whether or not a fee will be charged. Please contact Yamato for more information.
We will never send products with cash on delivery without prior notice. Also, we currently use Yu-Pack, so this does not apply to this case .
- I wish they'd stop sending it via Yu-Pack.
Since the nearest post office to our store is a post office, we send items by Yu-Pack, taking various circumstances into consideration . If you absolutely need to send it via Yamato or other carriers, please contact us in advance. However, shipping costs will be charged at actual cost.
I want to specify the date and time
If you enter your desired date and time in the comments section when placing your order, we will do our best to accommodate your request. However, Click Post, which is used to send coffee beans, does not allow you to specify a delivery time. Also, if the shipping date falls on a holiday, we may not be able to accommodate your request.
For Yu-Pack, we will choose a location as close as possible to the specified date and time.
- Do you accept cash on delivery or bank transfer?
To ensure the safety of our customers, we do not accept cash on delivery. If you receive a product from a company claiming to be our store and paying by cash on delivery without prior notification, please do not accept it as it is a scam .
Payment is generally by credit card, but we also accept bank transfers on an individual basis. If you are picking up the product in person, cash is also acceptable (please prepare exact change).
— 90g beans are more expensive than 180g beans
To be honest, even if you order 90g, the amount of beans to roast is the same as when you order 180g. This is because the roasting process changes depending on the amount of beans you add. We don't throw away any leftover beans, but make good use of them.
— Is the weight of the coffee beans before or after roasting?
This is the weight after roasting. This means that dark roasts are more cost-effective in terms of cost ratio. Although it is only a small difference. I think that weighing before roasting only benefits the store.
— The beans I received contain beans I didn't order.
These are extra beans. They contain a fair amount of test beans or beans offered for tasting at the same time. The extra beans are easy to identify as they are 30-45g in volume. In rare cases, for customers who order a large quantity, 90g or 100g of extra beans may be included.
— I want to know the standard for roasting level
Basically, we judge by color. Temperature can vary by more than 10°C depending on the variety, so we don't have a clear standard like a certain temperature.
I usually decide it like this:
Medium (M): 225/250g, 1 crack included. High (H): 220/250g, 1 crack peak. City (C): 215/250g, end of 1 crack to 2 cracks, around 214°C. Full City (FC): 210/250g, 2 crack peaks. French (F): 200/250g, end of 2 cracks, 230°C.
If the roast level of the beans delivered is different from your standards, please let us know in the comments section and we can adjust it for your next order.
— Where is the bean importer?
These include US Foods, Wataru, TYPICA, and Origin.
— What are your criteria for selecting beans?
I refer to the cupping notes of the supplier. For direct trade beans, I take a cupping test and purchase the beans I like.
- What roaster do you use?
This is Fuji Royal's COFFEE DISCOVERY, Aillio. We have also introduced a hand-cranked roaster, also made by Fuji Royal, but we are not yet selling any products using it.
— What made you decide to choose Fuji Royal?
The deciding factors were that it has the same emergency stop and fail-safe functions as larger roasters (this is really important), and that it is made in Japan.
— Are there any roasters other than Fuji Royal that you're interested in?
LORING and PROBAT. First, I need to find a property suitable for a roasting factory where I can put these.
— Why did you choose Aillio?
The place I moved into had a HI heater installed, and I thought, "Wow! With this, I can fit a larger roaster in without any construction work!" In the end, construction work was required, so I got certified as an electrician.
— Have the green beans been picked?
When dividing the beans, we remove any beans that we find questionable, but since the extent to which defective beans are removed varies from person to person, we keep picking to a minimum.
- What beans, varieties, roast levels, and recipes do you like?
They come from Central America, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. I don't have any particular preference for the variety; there are so many varieties these days that any one is fine. The one I like the most is the Pacamara variety, because they're big.
The roast level is darker than City, which makes for a delicious espresso. However, if you use light roasts to make espresso, it can be surprisingly delicious if brewed well, so I make it occasionally.
My favorite coffee is cafe latte.
— Why do you sell tea drippers?
We have quite a few people who don't like coffee, but whose partners love it, and we sell tea drippers for those who want to spend the same time together in a different way. There should be many different ways to enjoy coffee, but we also want to cherish the desire to "spend time together with someone."
Well, the manager is mostly alone in the roasting lab.
— I heard that you can use coffee grounds as a deodorizer, so I tried it, but it ended up getting really moldy. Do you have any tips?
If you use used tea leaves as a deodorizer, they may get moldy, depending on where you store them. Before using them as a deodorizer, make sure to dry them thoroughly as quickly as possible. Drying them in the sun is recommended.
— I heard that coffee grounds can be used as fertilizer. Is that true?
It is sold as fertilizer under the name "coffee grounds." Its uses seem to be quite limited, so please research it carefully before using it. (It is also used as a herbicide.)
— Don't you turn coffee grounds into soap or something?
Personally, I would like to avoid exposing food products directly to bare skin, so we don't do this at our store.
— Can I have the beans you're going to throw away?
We will provide it to you if you promise not to drink it. Please let us know how you intend to use it when you inquire.
— I heard you're donating coffee beans.
As part of our social contribution efforts, we donate or sell at cost any surplus beans that are inevitably produced during production to non-profit organizations.
If you are donating only the beans, that is fine, but if you are processing them into drip bags etc., we will charge you 150 yen per bag, which covers the cost of the materials and processing.
If you are interested, please specify that you are inquiring about a donation and provide the following information:
Name of organization (if you have legal status, please include that as well)
Name and email address of the person in charge of the organization's activities (we cannot handle phone calls due to the high cost involved)
Use of donated beans