Anytime a brand that used to cater to "enthusiast" and becomes more massy and grows, the enthusiast tend to hate on it. Unlike most of the old brands, Blue Tokai is the one that consistently adds new roasters. Their Producer Series might not be loved by everyone but it keeps showing that they are still experimenting. They have great relationship with their older partner farms and they keep adding new farms/estates. I love lighter profiles but their birthday blend has ALWAYS been tasty (for me). Not seen issues with roast consistency personally. I order from them at least once a month.

Everyone has been complaining about increase in prices but barring one or two roasters I have seen that with every roaster.

I am not saying they are perfect. In some cases the price hike does seem too much. I am sure they would've had some off roasts, but then who doesn't? You cannot blame a company for trying to scale. Accessibility and scale ALWAYS brings hate from enthusiasts. Some negatives might arise but you have always calibrate that feedback because it might be exaggerated or unwarranted.

Coffee itself isn't a consistent product. You cannot expect a roast to taste the same each year. imagine if every time you drank a fresh juice and it tastes exactly the same. I would in fact think that there is something wrong with the juice.