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Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

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Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#171

Post by taneq »

subpixel wrote: post #154
seizethecheese wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the questions. 1. I always forget to get one or two things when I go to the store. This removes having to remember coffee stock levels. Also, the coffee in the store isn't fresh because the distribution chain is too long. We ship straight from roaster to customer, so the coffee is really fresh. 2. Dash doesn't work because it's a new habit and people have to remember to find and press the button before run…

I think this is very clever and I wish you success but I do not buy the coffee “more than a week old is not fresh” line. Coffee is fermented - stored well it lasts a hell of a lot longer than two weeks. We stock up on our family’s favorite coffee from Colombia three or four times a year, where relatives travel long distances to collect it for us from a non-exporting roaster. Many months is a normal shelf life.

I used to keep my beans on the shelf for months. I also have a friend who owns a coffee roasting business. Let me tell you, fresh-roasted coffee tastes WAY better.

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#172

Post by drusepth »

subpixel wrote: post #154
seizethecheese wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the questions. 1. I always forget to get one or two things when I go to the store. This removes having to remember coffee stock levels. Also, the coffee in the store isn't fresh because the distribution chain is too long. We ship straight from roaster to customer, so the coffee is really fresh. 2. Dash doesn't work because it's a new habit and people have to remember to find and press the button before run…

I think this is very clever and I wish you success but I do not buy the coffee “more than a week old is not fresh” line. Coffee is fermented - stored well it lasts a hell of a lot longer than two weeks. We stock up on our family’s favorite coffee from Colombia three or four times a year, where relatives travel long distances to collect it for us from a non-exporting roaster. Many months is a normal shelf life.

When you stock up on coffee from Colombia, is it already roasted?

I think somewhere between 5-15 days is pretty generally accepted as the "fresh" period after roasting (caveat: except for espresso). Some people even freeze their beans if they don't think they'll start the bag soon enough after getting it, or if they get large bags.

You definitely _can_ make coffee with weeks-old beans (or months-old beans), but there's a distinct difference in taste when consuming shortly after roasting (after the degas but before it goes stale). According to [1] (random source among tons for a google search for "how long are coffee beans good after roasting"), beans aren't considered "stale" until around 30 days, but are definitely still usable; stale bread and flat sodas are edible too, but a lot of people prefer the better taste.

[1] https://making-nice-coffee.com/how-long-does-coffee-stay-fre...

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#173

Post by mooman219 »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #170

I think the business case with the same idea and tech, but a lot better market cap, would be providing a restocking service to businesses who are using tens of thousands of dollars of consumable shop supplies than the small audience of people who are willing to buy coffee from a subscription for $3/mo. To make the pain point that I'm familiar with on a daily basis crystal clear to you: I'm an engineer at a small, sho…

This would be killer for the workplace and tracking these incidental materials without spending people hours to do so.

At home, if this is on a per-item basis, I could see you being able to set expiration timers too, and triggering a re-order then.

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#174

Post by wtvanhest »

function_seven wrote: post #162

My initial reaction to this post was very dismissive. I was ready to jump into the comments and nod along with everyone else shitting all over it. But, I don't want to be like CmdrTaco and the iPod, or whoever thought an rsync bash script could replace Dropbox. If you prove this out with coffee, and work on making it for all "constant" foods in the home, this would be awesome. Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, soda, cereal…

You should check out his invest like the best podcast. This will likely be a big business.

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#175

Post by rorykoehler »

function_seven wrote: post #162

My initial reaction to this post was very dismissive. I was ready to jump into the comments and nod along with everyone else shitting all over it. But, I don't want to be like CmdrTaco and the iPod, or whoever thought an rsync bash script could replace Dropbox. If you prove this out with coffee, and work on making it for all "constant" foods in the home, this would be awesome. Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, soda, cereal…

I kind of like going to the supermarket. I also like variety. This sounds like it would work better for offices etc

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#176

Post by seizethecheese »

function_seven wrote: post #162

My initial reaction to this post was very dismissive. I was ready to jump into the comments and nod along with everyone else shitting all over it. But, I don't want to be like CmdrTaco and the iPod, or whoever thought an rsync bash script could replace Dropbox. If you prove this out with coffee, and work on making it for all "constant" foods in the home, this would be awesome. Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, soda, cereal…

Great comment. You hit the nail on the head with the potential for smart batching.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale

#178

Post by seizethecheese »

rorykoehler wrote: post #175
function_seven wrote: post #162

My initial reaction to this post was very dismissive. I was ready to jump into the comments and nod along with everyone else shitting all over it. But, I don't want to be like CmdrTaco and the iPod, or whoever thought an rsync bash script could replace Dropbox. If you prove this out with coffee, and work on making it for all "constant" foods in the home, this would be awesome. Milk, butter, cheese, eggs, soda, cereal…

I kind of like going to the supermarket. I also like variety. This sounds like it would work better for offices etc

Yeah love grocery shopping when I’m making a meal or shopping for something unique.

Personally, I’m not a fan of shopping for the same stuff over and over.

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