Frequently Asked
Questions


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES


Your Account

I can't log into my account?

Normally this can be sorted by resetting your password. Just head to the my account section of our website, enter your email and click on the 'forgot password?' link. If this doesn’t do the trick, please just give us a ring.

If you didn't set up your account after your first purchase with us you can still do this using the email your order is placed under to access past orders and account information.

Remember to check your email junk folder for account-related emails.

I can't find my order in my account?

No problem, it may be that you accidentally checked out as a guest or with a different email. Just head over to your order confirmation email, and there'll be a link there where you can find out exactly what's happening with your order. If you're still having problems, just drop us an email.

email: hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk

Are my account details safe?

We only store essential account information retained for order history purposes including name and address. As we use a PCI compliant system, payment details are never saved when entered by the customer and we only use secure systems such as stripe payments, paypal, google pay and apple pay based on customer preference.

To ensure your basic information is secure, always try to use a unique password including at least 8 characters and a mixture of upper case, lower case, letters and numbers.

For further peace of mind feel free to contact us any time at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk.


Deliveries

Where is my order?

Depending on the delivery service you’ve selected, you may be able to track your order by looking at the tracking number on your shipping confirmation email with either dpd or royal mail. Services are experiencing delays due to the covid-19 pandemic especially in urban areas and in some cases delays can be up to 10 days. If you still think you should have received your coffee, then please just get in contact with your order number and we’ll get you sorted.

How do I change my shipping address?

Simply log into your coaltown account and here you have the ability to apply a different delivery address, billing address and payment card details.

Please note that if you have ordered a subscription-based product then you will need to change the details in your subscription admin page as this is managed by a separate system.

If you require further assistance with this, feel free to contact us at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk

If you're having issues accessing your account please refer to the 'my account' section above.

WHere is my tracking number?

Depending on the delivery service you’ve selected, you should be able to track your order by looking at the tracking number on your shipping confirmation email with either APC or royal mail. If you can't find this email please remember to check your junk folder, and if you're still having issues, contact us for help.

email: hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk

My order is incorrect or damaged?

If you’re not happy with your order for any reason or your package has arrived in an unacceptable condition, we sincerely apologise for this inconvenience. Get in contact with us straight away. We pride ourselves on delivering only the highest standards of coffee and service, so if anything’s wrong or not up to scratch, then we’ll do our best to resolve it.

email: hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk

Do you offer a pickup service?

Yes we offer a pickup service at our roastery in Ammanford. Simply select the Pickup option as you begin your checkout and we will send you an email when it is ready to be collected.


Subscriptions

HOW do I log into my subscription?

You can access your subscriptions via the 'Subscription' button on your account landing page.

If you can't access your account, you may not have completed the setup via email when this was taken out. Simply create an account here with the email you used for your order and this will give you access.

Remember to check your junk folder for activation and account-related emails.

how do I change my delivery / billing address or card details?

you will be required to change shipping, delivery, and card details in 2 locations as our subscription system is separate from our retail website.

1. log into your coaltown account to apply a different delivery address, billing address and payment card details.

2. while still logged into your account, select subscriptions to change these details to match any changes you have made to your coaltown account.

We appreciate this is not currently the easiest solution so If you require further assistance with this, feel free to contact us at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk and we will happily make these changes for you.

If you're having issues accessing your account, please refer to the question above.

How do I change my subscription frequency?

Simply log into your Coaltown account, select subscriptions and you can then change your subscription frequency and quantity. Please note that when you change your subscription frequency, the next order date will remain the same unless you also manually change this. Our subscription system registers the change of frequency from the next order date, not from the date of a previous order that has already been processed. Please make sure to check the next order date is correct after you make any changes to the subscription frequency. If you require further assistance with this feel free to contact us at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk 
 
If you're having issues accessing your account, please refer to the question above on how to log into your subscription.

How do I skip a subscription fulfilment?

You can skip particular order dates on your online account. Simply log in to your Coaltown account, select Subscriptions then under the Manage Upcoming Orders tab you can select to skip any of your upcoming orders. You can also pause your subscription indefinitely. However, if you wish to change the product on your subscription, then we would have to make that change for you. If you require further assistance with this feel free to contact us at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk 
 
If you're having issues accessing your account, please refer to the question above on how to log into your subscription.

HOW DO I CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION?

Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time by contacting our customer services team at hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk. 

Please check your next fulfilment dates in case an order has just been processed as, once processed, we cannot cancel or refund this order.

If you're having issues accessing your account, please refer to the question above on how to log into your subscription.


Our Coffee

When will my coffee be roasted?

All of our coffee is roasted daily (excluding weekends) on site at our hq and roastery in Ammanford, South Wales. After placing your coffee order we aim to get this shipped within the degassing window of 10 days after the coffee has been roasted to ensure it is ready to drink when you receive it. Roast dates are displayed on the base of your bag.

When is my coffee ready for drinking after roasting?

Immediately after your coffee is roasted it will begin releasing co2; this is known as the degassing phase. Degassing varies depending on the type of coffee and roast, and it can take up to 10 days until the coffee is ready to brew. Some rules of thumb:

The first 24 hours is when a bulk (approximately 40%) of CO2 leaves the bean.

Darker roasts usually degas faster than lighter roasts.

The fresher your coffee, the more degassing you will experience during your brew. This is why it’s important to bloom your coffee when brewing with a filter process (pre-wet and let sit for around 30 seconds) in order to release rapidly escaping CO2. However, if your coffee is too fresh, regardless of how you brew your coffee, the extraction will still be uneven due to the overwhelming amount of CO2 escaping during the entire brewing process.

Is Coaltown's Coffee Sustainable and ethical?

Coaltown has become one of the first b-Corp certified coffee companies in the UK. we are now morally and legally committed to prioritising responsibility to the environment and society, from the experts who produce our coffee at our roastery to the baristas and front of house teams based in our cafes. Certified B Corporations meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Find Out more about B-corp here.

How do i dispose of my coffee bag?

as part of Coaltown's dedication to sustainability we have partnered up with Pacific bag inc and weber packaging to introduce biotre™ compostable bags to our entire coffee range. These bags represent the latest innovation in coffee packaging sustainability, and we are extremely proud to include biotre™ in our effort to tackle climate change.

Our Coffee Bag are made compostable by following the steps in our guide here.

How do i store my coffee?

Keep your coffee tasting fresh by storing it at room temperature or a cooler environment in an airtight container.

freezing coffee can be a very effective means for storing your beans or ground coffee without compromising quality, but only if you make sure that it is packed in a completely moisture free environment. If you don't have any means of vacuum storage, we don't recommend you try this at home.

How do I brew your coffee with my brewing method?

It's not easy mastering a brew method, but we are here to help you on your educational journey with our brew guides available here.


Our Coffee Pods

What Machines are Coaltown pods compatible with?

Coaltown pods are compatible with all original & drop down Nespresso® machines, plus the opal one Nespresso® compatible machine. Our pods are unfortunately not compatible with commercial or subsidiary brand and models, including Miele, Gemini, magimix and Vertuoline.

Subsidiary pod machines require a extra gas layer within the pod to help extraction, but this also makes them non recyclable and compromises coffee quality.

Non-Nespresso brands such as Vertuo /Vertuoline, Tassimo, Dolce Gusto, Keurig & Senseo are also not designed for original Nespresso® pods.

Our pods have been specifically designed to produce the best possible cup from the specialty grade coffee they contain, which is why the extraction flow is slower than some commercial and supermarket brands.

The machine we recommend for specialty grade coffee pods is the Opal One Machine, specifically designed for high grade coffee.

If you are unsure about compatibility, we recommend trying a single box before committing to larger quantities or subscriptions. For more information or queries please contact hello@coaltowncoffee.co.uk.

How do I recycle my Coaltown pods?

Our pods can be easily recycled by following a few easy steps.

  • Peel the foil lid open on your used pod and empty the coffee granules with a teaspoon.
  • Rinse the pod so the interior is completely clean.
  • Stack the pods into one another until they are larger than a drinks can and press together. This ensures they are accepted during the sorting process.
  • Your waste coffee can be placed in your food recycling or sprinkled on your garden soil as a natural pesticide.
  • All outer packaging is made from card so this can  be place in your card recycling.

Most UK recycling facilities are currently unable to recycle materials that contain food waste, so be sure to empty and rinse your pods before disposal to ensure they are accepted. For more information on recycling where you live, contact your local council.

How long do Coaltown pods last?

The technology we use to manufacture our pods expose the coffee to less than 1% of oxygen and Our pods are also flushed with nitrogen to extend the lifetime even further. The life cycle of our pods is 12 months from manufacture, retaining freshness from the day the coffee was roasted. Check the bottom of your box for the best before date.

My pods are extracting slow / won’t extract at all?

Coaltown pods are specifically designed to produce the best cup from specialty grade coffee. This means that they extract at a slower rate than supermarket brand pods to achieve the correct brew from the roast profile and varietals they contain.

If you are having extraction issues introducing our pods to your machine there are a few simple tricks to get them working correctly.

  • Run a short extraction before inserting our pods. This will flush away old coffee residue and warm up your system correctly.
  • when applying your pod to your machine you may notice it sits at an angle within the chamber. Do not try to align the pod as this could damage it. your lever system will align the pod for you as you lock it in place.
  • Store your pods at room temperature. If you're trying to brew straight after they are posted they may be cold which will affect the extraction.
  • Agitate your pod. Simply give your pod a few flicks and a little shake so the coffee is released from its sitting position before placing in your machine.
  • If your pod machine has temperature controls we recommend trying a higher temperature as this will increase the extraction flow.
  • If you are still struggling to get an extraction, you machine could have an issue piercing the surface of our pods which can occur with machine age. A simple trick to fix this is, after a failed extraction, lift your machine's paddle up and down three times at about 20 degrees so your pod doesn’t drop into the waste basket. This will fold away any aluminium that could be restricting your extraction.

CONTACT US FOR ANYTHING ELSE

Our customer service team are here to answer any other specific questions you may have.