FAQ

Shipping and Returns

Do you ship your coffees internationally? If so, how?

We ship to anywhere in the world, except for Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. You can choose between delivery via DHL (cheaper but slower) and FedEx (faster but more expensive).

If you live in a region we are unable to provide shipping to, and have the ability to set up your own shipment through a shipping courier, get in touch with us. You will need to set up the shipment process, and the package would have to be picked up from our roastery, but we're happy to assist you in the process.

How do you ship your coffee locally?

Local Berlin and German customers will receive their packages via DHL - it's fast, reliable and inexpensive.

How much does shipping cost?

It depends on where you live and the total weight of your order. Shipping costs are automatically calculated at checkout.

From 15 August onwards, free shipping will automatically be applied to all retail coffee orders, with a value above €49, within Germany (mainland). 

Can I pick up the coffee at one of your stores?

Customers in Berlin who’d like to pick up their orders themselves can do it from our Kreuzberg café. Simply choose the option of Cafe pick-up when making your subscription.

What is your return policy?

Due to the nature of the product, we cannot accept returns of coffee products.

For anything else, in accordance to European trade laws, all products can be returned within 14 days of shipment, if they are in their original packaging.

I own a business and I’d like to serve your coffee to my customers. Do you have wholesale offers?

 We sure do! Head over to our wholesale section, leave us your details through the registration form, and we’ll get back to you with more information.

Subscriptions

What happens if I move or change my address? Do I need to change my subscription?

Just let us know and we’ll make sure to update your address in our system. No need to do anything else.

How can I pay for my subscription? 

You can pay for your subscription via credit card or PayPal.

What kind of coffees will I get? Will they all be different all the time? Can I choose which coffees I’d like to receive?

We choose two different filters and two different espressos each month for our subscription customers, based on seasonal availability, uniqueness, and quality. Our roasting philosophy aims to present the different qualities of each coffee, so they all taste different. 

We will roast the monthly subscription coffee on the 24th of every month and dispatch on the last week of the month.

Customers who subscribe for 3-bag subscriptions, will receive two bags of the same coffee. 

Do I have to commit to a period of time in advance?

Yes, the minimum commitment period is two orders.

Can I order more than 3 retail bags each time?

Yes! If you’d like to subscribe to larger quantities of coffee, consider our wholesale/office subscription offer.

Coffee

How do you proceed with my coffee order?

We currently roast on Mondays and Thursdays and dispatch the next day.
We recommend you to place the order before 7:00am on Monday / Thursday to receive your coffee as soon as possible. 

Is it possible to get the coffee ground?

Due to the longer periods of delivery time some of the international subscriptions experience, we do not offer ground coffees, in order to not damage their freshness.

How long do you recommend I use the coffee for?

The recommended shelf life for all of our coffees is three months. However, the coffee would still be perfectly fine for use up to six months after roasting — it will, however, start losing some of its characteristics after the first three months.

For all espressos, we recommend to only start using them two weeks after roasting. This is necessary for the coffee to de-gas and the flavors to stabilize. For our filter roasts, we recommend to only start using them five days after roasting.

How should I store my coffee?

Keep the coffee in a sealed container, in a cool and dark place, in its original packaging if possible. Our bags have a special valve that lets gasses out and prevents air from penetrating the bag.

How should I brew my coffee? Any tips?

Sure, we have plenty of advice to give. All first-time orders get detailed brewing instructions included in their package, and you can also consult our current brews page here, where our staff continuously updates the best recipes for each of the coffees we currently offer.

Why isn’t your coffee marked as Fair Trade? Do you source your coffee ethically?

We believe that the Fair Trade label is somewhat limited, and does not always serve producers in the ways its advocates claim it does. Applying for certification is expensive, and many smaller farms simply cannot afford it.

But yes, we source all of your coffees in a way that we fully believe is responsible and appreciative of the people who produce the lots we purchase. We pay, on average, more than twice per a kilogram of coffee than what Fair Trade exporters pay, but more importantly, we work hard on building a close relationship with the people we do business with - our partners at origin. And we make an effort to buy coffees from them year after year, so they are less vulnerable to the wild fluctuations of agriculture markets. 

We feel that the term that best describes our sourcing philosophy is Direct Trade. 

Our Cafés

So where can I find one of your cafés?

You can find a list of all of our cafès, their addresses and opening hours on our homepage. Or see page here. 

Do you have wi-fi in your shops?

At the moment, no, our shops do not have wi-fi. You can work with your laptop at our Kreuzberg café in one of the designated tables for it, but only during weekdays.

Where can I try your coffees overseas? Do you have a wholesale partners list?

We’re working on one! In the meantime, shoot us an email at answers@fiveelephant.com, and we’ll guide you to your nearest Five Elephant dealer.

Do you sell whole cheesecakes? Can they be delivered?

Berlin customers - you can now order our whole Cheesecake online. At the moment, the cakes are only available in Berlin, and only for pick-ups from our Kreuzberg Cafe. You can order from here. 

Have any other questions? Just want to say hello? Puzzled about our name? Drop us a line at answers@fiveelephant.com. We look forward to hearing from you.