hopsdirect.com

[hayabusa]

I ordered 5lbs of whole leaf hops from hopsdirect.com; my first on-line hop order.

Super impressed with their customer service - when I ordered and choose paypal the lady called me and told me she could save me a few bucks if I didn't use Paypal and offered an alternate payment (they have to recover paypal fees) - shipping conditions were excellent and the look, feel and smell delicious.

I have no choice but to make a double IPA and while it is fermenting I'll be building my own "Randall the Enamel" to serve from

 

[defenestrate]

awesome. i've been itching to buy in bulk from these guys and pick up a vaccum sealer.

 

[Nablis]

FYI you can reseal those bags with an iron.

 

[defenestrate]

well, i guess i dont have anymore excuses then. do their pellet hopes come sealed like that too?

 

[the_bird]

How much do those bags weigh? I ordered a pound of Cascade and a pound of Fuggles (both leaf) a few years back, and ended up with almost four pounds of hops (still have some!) They were always known for the unadvertised "buy one pound, we'll send you two" special.

 

[BrewBrain]

well, i guess i dont have anymore excuses then. do their pellet hopes come sealed like that too?

Yes, they do.

 

[PseudoChef]

FYI you can reseal those bags with an iron.

An iron doesn't purge the bag of oxygen, however. That is the real concern, and why vacuum sealers are quite handy.

 

[hayabusa]

How much do those bags weigh? I ordered a pound of Cascade and a pound of Fuggles (both leaf) a few years back, and ended up with almost four pounds of hops (still have some!) They were always known for the unadvertised "buy one pound, we'll send you two" special.

They are a bit on the heavy side, each one had between 4-8 OZ "extra". I'll be using them again and again.

 

[Nablis]

An iron doesn't purge the bag of oxygen, however. That is the real concern, and why vacuum sealers are quite handy.

Yeah that is ideal but if you don't have one you can squeeze out most of the air.

 

[jpc]

Yeah that is ideal but if you don't have one you can squeeze out most of the air.

...or backfill with CO2 from your kegging set-up before sealing.

 

[maho]

Just got 2 x 1# Leaf hops (Amarillo & Hallertau) from hopsdirect.com
Bags weigh 1.2 and 1.3 lbs, so a little extra in there for free.

Shipping was $7.50 to Seattle.
Hommel Homebrew

 

[HSM]

I bought a lb of Cascade and it was nearly 1lb on the money.
One lb of Centenial was over by almost 10 oz's.

I broke them down into 1oz bag, and the Ziplock vacuum bags and sealer are great!
Buy Ziploc Vacuum Starter Kit Online at drugstore.com
They are selling them for $4.29 at this site... I found them at the local store for 50 cents!

 

[G-E-R-M-A-N]

Keep the pooch far away, as they will kill him.

 

[hayabusa]

Keep the pooch far away, as they will kill him.

here we go again.....

 

[MNBugeater]

Keep the pooch far away, as they will kill him.

Nothing like beating a dead horse....err....dog.

 

[conpewter]

I bought some from hopsdirect a little while back and also was over by 5 oz or so on each bag, not too bad at all!

 

[cytokine]

My "pound" of centennial pellets arrived this morning.

Definitely a generous pound.

Pound.

 

[jpc]

Hmmm... I guess they don't like me as much. I ordered four pounds of pellets, one of four varieties in one pound bags. The best I got was an extra 2 oz for one of them...

Not complaining-- the price was right, and quick delivery. I'd do it again.

 

[cytokine]

Hmmm... I guess they don't like me as much. I ordered four pounds of pellets, one of four varieties in one pound bags. The best I got was an extra 2 oz for one of them...

Not complaining-- the price was right, and quick delivery. I'd do it again.

This is an interesting problem. From a customer service perspective, if a company consistently does something beyond what customers expect but then fails to do so on occasion, how SHOULD the customers who don't get that "little extra" feel?

I would think that despite the ability to provide extra hops on occasion they would almost run less risk of disappointing by being more careful with their weights and giving everyone the same deal.

Am I working this idea too hard?

 

[magnj]

This is an interesting problem. From a customer service perspective, if a company consistently does something beyond what customers expect but then fails to do so on occasion, how SHOULD the customers who don't get that "little extra" feel?

I would think that despite the ability to provide extra hops on occasion they would almost run less risk of disappointing by being more careful with their weights and giving everyone the same deal.

Am I working this idea too hard?

I think you have to go into it assuming your going to get what you pay for and if you end up with a bonus so be it. I think as long as the price/$ is right they will continue to get business and giving some people a little extra will only add incentive to choose them. On that note this thread definitely has me thinking about bulk hops purchases and I know who I'm going to go to...

 

[jpc]

Am I working this idea too hard?

Yes, much too hard... but to indulge you:

I bet there are some people out there who would be butt-sore over the fact that they only got 0.01 oz extra while someone else got 0.02 oz more. I tend to dissociate myself from those types of people. Life is too short to get worked up over petty BS like that. As magnj said (paraphrased), if you got what you paid for, you have no grounds to complain.

I guessed (after typing it) that it was possible for someone to take my post as serious, which is why I put the disclaimer in.

Carry on.

 

[conpewter]

It seems they are very close on pellets, they are over on leaf hops as far as I've patched the pattern together.

 

[BrewBrain]

It seems they are very close on pellets, they are over on leaf hops as far as I've patched the pattern together.

my pellet pound was over by what the bag probably weighs, so right on.

I loved getting the big bag of hops. The first of the pellets will go into production this weekend. I can't wait to place another order with them. Very good experience.

 

[cytokine]

Fair enough. I agree that a) I'm working the idea too hard; and b) you should be happy if you get what you pay for.

There is nothing quite as empowering to a homebrewer as a pound of hops on your doorstep when you get home from work.

 

[sleepystevenson]

Kinda -

How are Hopsdirects shipping charges?
(I am in Western Pa)

 

[BrewBrain]

Kinda -

How are Hopsdirects shipping charges?
(I am in Western Pa)

Not sure about PA, but 1lb to CA was 7.95 if I remember. It worked out to about $2/oz, which is $1/oz less than my LHBS.

 

[JPicasso]

I got two pounds of pellets from them and they were not over by any measurable amounts. I certainly don't feel cheated, and it was a decent price. I would guess that it's easier to automate and measure filing orders with pellets than with whole hops. must take less time and save money to only have to stuff a bag once by hand, rather than add a little, measure, take some out, measure, etc. etc.

I don't like dealing with leaf hops, but if I didn't care either way, whole hops are the way to go with them.

 

[beesy]

ordered 5 lbs this past fall, 2# cascade, 2# centenntial, 1# amarillo. all were within 2.75oz of 1#, counting the bag weight, so nothing really extra at all. I don't feel disappointed i didn't get 5-10oz extra in a bag. Having said that, I guess i feel that i was ripped in that i paid a lot more for the hops when ordered in late sept/early oct and now the price of the exact same thing is $9-$11 cheaper per #. That, my friends, is way worse than the huge weight discrepancies per bag. I think next year I may try freshhops.

 

[chenwood]

wow didn't realize the price break ordering in bulk was that awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm going to order a few pounds and repackage into 1oz

 

[mcjake]

I just ordered a bog of hop tea from them and I have to say I was very disappointed.

First: The tea was horrible. Totally undrinkable. I know it was a crazy product that I ordered and that it was a 50/50 chance that it would be good or bad. But yeah horrible.

Second: The shipping cost just about as much the product: $4.74. They charged me for a pound and I have to say the box and the tea itself barely weighed half a pound.

Third: When I checked out they never gave me a shipping quote. They then billed me for the order and the shipping never telling me what the cost of the shipping was. If I had known the cost of shipping a box of tea up front I would not have made the purchase.

The thing is, I want to order hops from them. Because the cost is such a great saving to my LHBS. But I'm worried about the quality of the hops and the shipping costs of a couple pounds of hops. Can anyone assure me of the quality of the hops? How about shipping charges to the west coast? Anyone have them shipped to northern nevada? Was it a reasonable cost?

Thanks to anyone that can fill me in.