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You might be surprised by the sheer variety of coffee subscriptions out there. Some services only offer a single coffee each month. Others let you choose from a multitude of coffee or have several types of subscriptions.
The diversity of subscriptions is a good and bad thing. The good is that you can choose a subscription to match exactly what you need. The bad is that it might be hard to weed through all the offerings. We wrote this guide to help you choose the best coffee subscription for you.
It can take a long time to go through all the different coffee subscriptions and pick out what you need.
Luckily, we did the work for you! Below are detailed descriptions of ten of our favorite services.
With this information, you can choose which coffee subscription box suits your preferences.
You can see that coffee subscriptions are not one-size-fits-all. Here we’ll explore how to decide which features are important to you and which you can do without.
First, make sure that the coffee is freshly roasted. Most coffee subscription services on our list ship a few hours to a few days after roasting. Some might be a little longer than that. But you can pretty much guarantee that any coffee you get from these services will be much fresher than what you can buy in a grocery store.
When thinking about how often you want delivery, look to see if the service charges a delivery fee for each shipment. It may not seem like a big deal, but if the service charges per shipment, you’ll end up paying much more per pound of coffee. Many of these companies offer free shipping, but if it doesn’t, you’ll want to balance freshness with how much you’re willing to pay.
Next, think realistically about how much coffee you drink. You don’t want to order too much and risk it getting stale. But worse, you don’t want to run out of coffee between shipments. Most subscriptions allow you to tailor how much coffee is delivered. And you can usually change this at any time.
Some services have a long, detailed questionnaire. Others only have one or two questions. If you’re more particular about what you want, you might want to choose a service with a detailed questionnaire. On the other hand, if your purpose is to try lots of coffee you otherwise might not even know about, a simpler signup process might be for you.
Why do they ask these questions? Let’s take a look at a few.
Some services ask how you typically brew your coffee. This is helpful because certain coffees do better with different brew methods. For instance, coffee might be amazing as a pour-over but not perform well as an espresso.
Another common question is about how you take your coffee. Some coffees stand up well with milk while with others, the milk completely masks the coffee’s flavor.
If at all possible, invest in a good burr grinder and buy whole bean coffee. Coffee loses freshness quickly after being ground. All of these subscriptions offer coffee beans Pre-Ground and Whole, while some only offer the whole bean.
But what if you really want pre-ground coffee? Some coffee subscription services offer one pre-ground option that is suitable for a drip coffee maker. Others will offer a variety, allowing for espresso, French press, or pour-over coffee. You’ll want to make sure you can get a grind that is suited to your brewing method.
Many people decide to get a coffee subscription because they want to try new coffees. Some services change their curated pick weekly, while others only rotate monthly. Also, if you want maximum variety, some coffee box companies send you several different coffees for each shipment.
If you constantly seek new tastes, a company like Angels’ Cup might be a good fit. But if you prefer to settle in and get to know a coffee, a service like Atlas might work better for you.
If you know what you like and like what you know, some of these coffee delivery services allow you to receive the same coffee every delivery. If you’re looking for a new favorite, you might want a service that offers both. You can experiment until you fall in love, then stick with that coffee for better or for worse.
When thinking about variety, you might also want to think about whether you want the company to curate the selections or if you want more control. If you are looking to expand your horizons but don’t want to spend hours thinking about it, clubs like Atlas carefully curate their coffee to only deliver the best.
Our overall best coffee subscription has to be Atlas Coffee Club. It feels like you’re experiencing the culture where the coffee is from. Even the rewards program emphasizes the theme of a world tour of coffee.
Unlike many services, Atlas roasts its own coffee and ships immediately after roasting. It is always as fresh as possible. And you can tailor both frequency and how much coffee you get in each delivery. Once you sign up, there’s nothing you need to do except enjoy each unique coffee you receive.
Another benefit of Atlas is that you will try coffees you never would have known about. The curators are spot-on for picking the finest that the world has to offer.
Whichever subscription service you choose, we wish you happy caffeinated adventures!
Many subscription services start the process with a questionnaire. This allows the company to get to know your preferences so they can provide coffees you will love.
The best coffee subscription is the one that fits your needs. We stand behind all of the delivery services on our list, but give you the details so you can make an informed decision.
With most subscription services, you can sign in to your account at any time to pause, skip a delivery, change your preferences, or cancel. Read the fine print to see if you are making a long-term commitment or can cancel at any time.