Found Rocks in My ALDI Lazzio Honduras Coffee Beans?

Lca1ypso on 30/08/2020 - 11:18
Last edited 30/08/2020 - 11:18

I bought a bag of the ALDI Lazzio Honduras SO yesterday and was eager to try it out this morning. After grinding it I found several shards of rocks in my grounds, I'm 99% sure that they were from the bag, but who knows - they could've flown in or something. It bothers me that there were rocks in the bag and I'd be pretty mad if I had used my proper burr grinder and damaged my equipment - luckily this was only done with a blade grinder that was bought for like $20, 5 years ago, so no harm done really.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? What should I do?

image
p.s. The image makes the rocks look quite a bit bigger than they actually were, but I didn't catch a glimpse of them before I ground the beans.

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Comments

  • Ughhh on 30/08/2020 - 11:20
    +15

    What should I do?

    Umm maybe contact Aldi?????????? So they can investigate and recall if needed???

    • ca1ypso on 30/08/2020 - 13:19
      -1

      Ye that'd be smart… I'll probably email or call them tomorrow morning. Has anyone gone through this process before?

      • Ughhh on 30/08/2020 - 13:39
        +11

        Has anyone gone through this process before?

        Of picking up the phone or sending an Email?

        I think you're over thinking. Just take a picture of the rocks in the bag and send it to them. Unless you're planning on going full Karen, it's not a complicated process on your part….

      • Ughhh on 30/08/2020 - 13:41
        +2

        Also, if you ever have a problem with a product or service, the retailer or manufacturer are the people you contact first.

      • thriftysach on 30/08/2020 - 20:31
        +2

        OP, please go full Karen and keep us updated with the results.

    • whooah1979 on 30/08/2020 - 13:43
      +6

      Ughhh, you know better than that. The first thing to do is to ask ozbargain what to do.

      • avgbowlofpho on 30/08/2020 - 14:49
        +1

        second step ACCC

        • edumacation on 30/08/2020 - 18:25

          third step get today tonight invovled or 60 minutes, they'll make a great story out of this

  • pencilman on 30/08/2020 - 11:25
    +1

    That's terrible!
    I've recently got the Aldi Hondurean coffee too and have been enjoying it.
    Haven't noticed any stones in it, but will now check!

  • try2bhelpful on 30/08/2020 - 11:31

    Firstly, make sure you empty everything out of the packet and check the contents carefully to make sure there isn’t other debris. If there are it makes your story more credible when you take the packet back to Aldi. I would be taking it back. Don’t make a fuss just say you want a refund/replacement.

    • keejoonc on 30/08/2020 - 11:53
      +6

      Why does the OP need to make his claim more credible? Who in their right mind will claim there are rocks in the coffee they bought just to get 12-13 dollars refunded?

      Dont waste time emptying it. Just take it back.
      Rocks in coffee beans isn't ideal but not something that hasn't been witnessed before.
      I would have been very pissed off if I ground those beans in my grinder.

      • try2bhelpful on 30/08/2020 - 12:41

        The problem is there are people who adulterate food then look for a payout. I’m just saying what I think is a good approach.

    • ca1ypso on 30/08/2020 - 13:24

      I had a brief look at the rest of the beans, dosen't look like there's any other stones. I'll have to look through my bin to see if I even have the bag anymore as I split it up into a bunch of ziplocks last night for freezing.

  • Ocker on 30/08/2020 - 12:10
    +5

    Notify Consumer Affairs/Health Dept in your state for such a serious issue
    If you just return the bag to Aldi the clerk will probably just throw it in the bin and the issue will go unexplored.

    • Blue Cat on 30/08/2020 - 13:44

      If you just return the bag to Aldi the clerk will probably just throw it in the bin and the issue will go unexplored.

      I think that is exactly why ALDI has "return if you are not satisfied for 100% refund" policy on most products.
      They probably measures that it is cheaper to just refund the money for customer than ignore them and tell them to go through the courts if they are not happy lol

  • [Deactivated] on 30/08/2020 - 12:23
    +5

    Theyre called coffee stones, adds essential minerals to brew

    • [Deactivated] on 04/09/2020 - 14:34

      Actually the things you call coffee beans are actually coffee stones. They're not beans - coffee is a berry!

  • dscott85 on 30/08/2020 - 12:49

    I’d imagine that could damage your coffee grinder. You would hope Aldi would thank you for bringing it them, that’s pretty poor quality control & they don’t want to become known for that.

    Edit: Also I agree with Ocker, don’t just bring it back to the store they’re unlikely to do anything about it. I’d contact someone from Aldi customer relations & explain the situation to them, you’d be more likely to get a proper response; rather than just a refund.

  • brokenglish on 30/08/2020 - 12:54
    +1

    They need to know the product batch number to investigate. Probably issues from production line.

  • pencilman on 30/08/2020 - 13:09

    I presume it is roasted in Melbourne like the regular Lazzio coffee.
    No stones in mine that I've found so far.

  • contrafibularities on 30/08/2020 - 13:12
    +6

    There is no excuse for stones in coffee because any roasting business should run roasted beans through a destoner to ensure that any rocks are sorted out before packaging. What can sometimes happen is that after the de stoning process green beans accidentally find their way into a roasted batch because of poor factory handling processes. Green beans look like and are almost as hard as actual rocks.

    I found a green bean in a batch of artisan coffee but luckily I spotted it as I was putting the beans into the grinder. I always check beans before grinding now.

    • KSMLJ on 30/08/2020 - 14:56

      Not a coffee drinker. What happens when you grind a green bean?

      • contrafibularities on 30/08/2020 - 15:05
        +3

        They damage the burrs on a coffee grinder because they’re so hard, while roasted beans are soft. Burr’s can be replaced but they might even do more damage to the burr housing which might make the whole thing unrepairable.

        • KSMLJ on 30/08/2020 - 20:09

          Cheers for that, learnt something new!

      • JIMB0 on 30/08/2020 - 20:50

        The grinder jammed up when I tried grinding beans that weren't fully roasted.

  • bongom on 30/08/2020 - 15:50

    Any chance a housemate attempted to play a practical joke on you?

  • ihavok on 30/08/2020 - 16:57
    +1

    Haven't had this happen to me but I've heard of it.

    It's a known defect in coffee beans:
    http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/scaaclass.htm

    Coffee beans are normally graded based on absence of defects. So if you go with a higher grade of coffee you are less likely to run into such trouble.

    It's a bit of effort and I don't expect everyone would want to do this. But I typically keep by coffee grinder hopper empty. When I am about to make coffee, I weigh by beans and grind on demand. I get to have a cursory glance at the coffee beans I'm about to grind. Sometimes I manage to pick out unwanted items (husks/hulls, or anything that looks out of place like the odd bean that looks its likes been over-roasted).

    Have you checked your grinder for possible damage?

  • kiitos on 30/08/2020 - 17:00

    Never thought about this, but it makes sense that stones could find their way into a batch.

    Some bags of dried pulses have a warning to pick through the contents to remove any stones, twigs and other debris as they're often dried on the ground in the open.

  • glasswire on 30/08/2020 - 17:43

    I've had this happen to me on my Breville BES880 with the Lazzio Medium roast. There was a loud bang and since then it takes over 6 seconds longer to fill the double basket. I've sent the machine to two different repair centres and direct to Breville under warranty and no one can work out why it's happening and have told me there isn't an issue…

    • NoCodeMonkey on 31/08/2020 - 00:19

      Had the same thing on my BES878. Had to adjust to compensate as the burr got damaged. Second time it go stuck on something that looked more like a green bean. From memory the replacement inner burr assembly was approx 70$.

  • GaryG on 30/08/2020 - 20:10

    Just take the coffee back for a refund

  • OzHunterNSW on 31/08/2020 - 10:25

    I don't think they are going to kill you

  • dimitryp on 31/08/2020 - 10:51

    i buy green beans in 2.5kg bags (not from ALDI) and on the odd occasion find similar stones in there. But usually only 2-3 per that large bag. I assume its because they dry the beans on the ground?
    I spot the stones and take them out during my roasting process (roast myself), so not a big deal for me. Def looks like more stones than usual in your batch?

  • Grunntt on 31/08/2020 - 11:10

    Worthwhile reporting it firstly here

    https://nswfoodauthority.transactcentral.com/contactcentre/l…

    Then notify Aldi (include the fact that it has been reported to NSW Food Authority).

    I had something (not Aldi) similar a while back (broken plastic pieces in muesli) and the Food Authority sent someone to my house to collect the food and plastic.
    The company asked for the sample back but the Food Authority liaised with them - took about two weeks and then I received feedback from both the Authority and the retailer (along with replacement products).

    https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/help/complaints-about-f…

  • goody on 31/08/2020 - 15:20
    +1

    Hence the term "ground coffee"

  • brad1-8tsi on 31/08/2020 - 18:59

    etain the remainder of the beans for inspection. Complain to Aldi. Ask for a replacement grinder.

    The process is that you phone them and tell them you have a faulty product… /shakes head

  • mincemeat on 01/09/2020 - 13:22

    Got a pack of those myself and they were all broken up and crushed, dont know how.. but chucked them out because I got stung once before not knowing that bean shards would clog up my machine , a lucky escape from a very expensive repair

  • petry on 04/09/2020 - 14:36

    not all states have an active food authority

    • Grunntt on 05/09/2020 - 09:49

      Maybe not but the OP is listed as in NSW and there is one there.

      In VIC it tends to be via the local council environmental health officers

      In WA it is through Environmental Health Services in the local government area where the food business is located

      In SA contact the local council where the business is located and speak to an environmental health officer.

      In NT "call the Northern Territory Food Safety Hotline…
      Environmental Health officers investigate all complaints about food safety."

      In ACT "Health Protection Service is responsible for food safety in the ACT"

      In QLD -

      "Contact your local council about:
      food safety and hygiene issues at a retail food business (e.g. takeaway food and restaurants)
      foreign matter in food (e.g. insect, Band-Aid)"

      In TAS "Investigations of food complaints are initially undertaken by the local council in whose municipal areathe food was bought. "

  • petry on 05/09/2020 - 12:40

    in WA local government does nothing about food complaints because its a state matter… ie by design

  • drex on 02/12/2020 - 07:04

    Just had a rock from Aldi Honduras stuff my grinder and have stumbled across this thread. Not cool at all. Will be contacting Aldi today.

    • Loopholio on 02/12/2020 - 23:59

      Surely stones weigh more than coffee beans so I doubt they could be of the same density.

  • Furman2021 on 17/02/2021 - 08:15

    Hi I also found a stone in the Lazzio Colombia beans sad part is it jammed up my burr grinder slightly annoying.

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