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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.
Are you a coffee adventurer? Would you like to try coffees from all over the world but don't know where to start? If yes, you should check out Atlas Coffee Club. It gives you a curated tour of the world of coffee, one single-origin coffee at a time.
Atlas Coffee Club takes the guesswork out of trying new single origin coffees. The experts there search the globe looking for the best single origins micro-lots. They import it to their facility in Austin, TX, for roasting. Once they find the right roast profile to complement the bean, they ship it directly to their subscribers. Because Atlas roasts all its own coffee, it can guarantee freshness. The freshly roasted coffee often ships the same day that it has been in a coffee roaster.
Signing up is easy. You select how much coffee you want and how often you want it delivered. You also choose if you prefer lighter or darker roasted coffee. You can also choose "All Roasts." With this last selection, Atlas chooses which roast they think better highlights that particular single origin coffee bean. You can choose coffee beans in either whole or pre-ground coffee. Ground coffee only comes as a regular grind suitable for drip coffee makers.
Atlas Coffee Club has an option for a decaf coffee box. Note that the decaf coffee changes seasonally instead of monthly. That means you will likely have the same type of coffee for a few deliveries before it changes.
Each shipment from Atlas Coffee Club is also a cultural and educational experience. The beans come in a bag decorated with a motif that reflects the origin's culture. You also get a postcard with an iconic picture of the locale. The postcard has details about the country in general. An additional information card accompanies the coffee. It highlights the history of coffee in that region and specifics about the region the coffee came from. On the other side, it has tasting notes and a recommended brew method.
A service's biggest strength can also be a weakness. You don't choose which type of coffee you will receive. This is great when you want to truly explore origins and flavor profiles you might not normally try. You might surprise yourself and find a new favorite. But if have a strong preference for a specific flavor profile, you might not always be pleased with what you get.
Because Atlas Coffee Club chooses micro-lots, they won't always carry certifications you expect from a high-end specialty coffee. Certifications like USDA Organic, FairTrade, and Smithsonian Bird Friendly can be expensive. For small farmers, even when they would meet all the requirements, it might not be worth it to jump through the hoops. Atlas is committed to only buying sustainably produced and harvested beans and paying above the market rate.
A Trade Coffee subscription brings you the best of small, specialty coffee roasters across the country. Trade features more than 400 roasted coffee beans from over 50 different roasters. All the coffee from Trade Coffee is roasted to order. You can also go on their website and buy any coffee at any time, but the savings kick in when you sign up for a subscription.
This coffee subscription service lets you try a new coffee each month. A unique feature of Trade Coffee is the feedback element. For each coffee, you can provide feedback about your experience and enjoyment of it. That information is used to further define your preferences and more accurately give recommendations that you're likely to love.
The sign-up process is relatively simple. First, you answer what your level of experience with coffee is. Then, indicate the brew method you usually use. You'll indicate if you want coffee beans as whole or ground and if you want regular or decaf.
You'll also select how you take your coffee. Then, after choosing your preferred roast level, you come to the question, "How do you like your coffee to taste?" Options include answers like, "I like coffee that tastes like coffee" and "Take me on an adventure." After you click Subscribe, you choose how much and how often you want coffee delivered.
You can also buy bags of coffee at Trade Coffee's website. You can look for coffee based on how you take it or your taste preference. And Trade Coffee does more than just sell coffee. They also sell a huge variety of equipment, including coffee makers, grinders, and kettles.
Overall, a Trade Coffee subscription allows you to try a variety of coffees and continually hone in on what you like in your cup of coffee.
It seems like the Pacific Northwest is synonymous with great coffee and great coffee roasters. And that's the focus of Bean Box. It specializes in making micro-roasters from the Seattle and Portland area accessible to all. It also helps you expand your horizons when it comes to coffee.
The founders worked in the Seattle tech industry. That's where they developed their love of coffee. They especially grew to appreciate the local, artisan coffee roasters. Their tech background enabled them to build an easy, customizable service that provides endless variety to their subscribers.
The unique feature of Bean Box is the Coffee Tasting Subscription. Each month you'll receive a curated selection of four unique coffees. Each coffee comes in a 1.8-ounce sample bag, enough to make between four and six cups of coffee. You can choose light, medium, or dark roasted coffee beans. You can also choose "all roasts" to allow the roasters to choose the perfect level for that specific bean for your cup of coffee.
The Coffee Bag Subscription sends full-size bags of coffee. You can sign up for weekly, biweekly, or monthly delivery. It also gives you a wider variety of roast levels to choose from than the Coffee Tasting Subscription. You can also choose a decaf or espresso coffee subscription.
Each of these subscription types satisfies a particular type of customer. If you crave adventure and want to explore all that the world of coffee has to offer, then Coffee Tasting Subscription is for you. If you prefer to settle into a coffee but still want variety, the Coffee Bag Subscription would be a better choice.
The huge range of add-ons makes this subscription service exciting. You can add biscotti, chocolates, granola, or teas.
Another strong point is the array of specialty coffee subscriptions and gift options. Find something you really like? A number of their popular coffees are available as an Auto-Sip & Save subscription. These are available as weekly, biweekly, or monthly deliveries.
You can buy gift coffee subscriptions for three, six, or 12 months. In addition to the sampler and full-bag options, you can purchase a Chocolate Collection Gift Box. This is available as a one-time gift or a three-month subscription. Every delivery includes a coffee-infused chocolate bark handmade at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. It will also include 2 culinary-inspired chocolates, 2 sets of seasonal truffles, and 2 chocolate truffle bars.
You'll find several gift box options. These include coffee samplers, pre-brewed iced coffee, tea gift boxes, and coffee and chocolate sets.
First and foremost, Blue Bottle Coffee is an artisan roaster. The company sources its beans directly from the farmers.
Blue Bottle Coffee Subscription service is for people who already know their beans. The majority of their subscriptions are for a specific blend, such as Opascope Espresso or Three Africas. The Blend Assortment subscription rotates between five of the most popular blends. The Espresso Assortment subscription rotates between four different coffees well suited for espresso.
If you want more variety, Blue Bottle Coffee offers a curated subscription of single origin coffee. The selection changes every two weeks. You'll get unique coffees from around the world. To preserve the characteristics of the single origin, this coffee subscription has lighter roasted coffees. Past offerings include Burundi Ngozi Bavyeyi Natural and Colombia Huila Pedro Nel Trujillo. Blue Bottle subscription gives you a chance to try micro-lot coffees that quickly sell out.
If you need help figuring out what you want, click on the Coffee Match button at the Blue Bottle Coffee website. The quiz takes a few minutes. It starts by asking how you usually brew your coffee. Then it asks you how you take your coffee.
Then the quiz asks how many cups you drink per week. That will help determine how much coffee you should get so that you won't run out and it won't get stale. The next questions are about roast level.
Then the questions delve into flavor preferences. These questions might be confusing to newbie specialty coffee drinkers. If you don't know the answers, you can click "I'm not sure. Skip." Some of the questions might seem odd, such as " Which salad dressing is your favorite?" But this helps further define your palate. You can then purchase one of the recommended coffees or, if available, subscribe to that coffee.
With all of the coffee subscriptions, you choose how much coffee you want to be delivered how often. You can choose weekly, every other week, every three weeks, or monthly.
You can also make single purchases of coffee. You can select based on coffee type, region, or processing. You'll also find granola, coffee sets, and coffee supplies like filters, coffee machines, kettles, and more.
You're probably familiar with the Peet's brand and may have seen it on the grocery store shelf. It was the precursor to Starbucks. But Peet's coffee subscription service is pretty new. And it goes way beyond typical supermarket fare.
Peet's subscription program is flexible. You can choose one of the curated coffee subscriptions or create your own. One area where you don't have a choice is the frequency of delivery. All of their curated subscriptions are only available as a once-a-month delivery. But when you subscribe to receive a specific coffee, you can choose to get your coffee every week, every two weeks, every three weeks, or every four weeks.
Peet's offers four curated subscriptions: Break up with Carbon, Be on the Cutting Edge, Experience the World, and Taste the Peet's Classics. With the Break up with Carbon subscriptions, part of the fee for each delivery goes toward Peet's mangrove trees project. Mangrove trees absorb more carbon than rainforest trees. With each package of coffee, you'll get the exact coordinates of the trees that you helped sponsor. You get great coffee and help reduce your carbon footprint with every sip. Past offerings include New Guinea Highlands
The Be on the Cutting Edge is a small batch series that focuses on rare micro-lots of exceptional coffee. These coffees come from small farms in the major coffee-growing regions. This coffee subscription is for the coffee curious, those who love to experience rare coffees. Each month, you'll receive a limited-edition coffee that was selected by the experts at Peet's coffee. The roasters develop a roasting profile to bring out the best quality of the bean. Past offerings include New Guinea Highlands, Burundi Turashobora, and Ethiopia Hambela Farm Organic.
Experience the World is a single-origin series that gives you a tour of the world's best coffees. Each month, the curators pick a new single-origin coffee that is ethically sourced. Many have certifications such as Smithsonian Bird Friendly, Rainforest Friendly, and USDA Organic. Past offerings include Guatemala San Sebastián, Yosemite Dos Sierras Organic, and Kenya Auction Lot.
Taste the Peet's Classics is a signature blend series. Each month, you'll receive a masterfully crafted blend that complements and enhances the flavor, complexity, and aroma. Past offerings include Baridi Blend, Café Domingo, and Gaia Organic Blend.
If you want to create your own coffee subscription, you can pick from dozens of different coffees, including several decaf options. Peet's also offers subscriptions for K-Cups. If you're not sure which coffee you want, you can use the Find Your Match quiz. Depending on your answers, the results might suggest a curated subscription, a specific coffee, or both.
If your goal is to learn more about the art and science of coffee tasting, then Driftaway Coffee may be a good place to start. This is a small company that wants to personalize your experience.
Unless you're already a coffee aficionado and know exactly what you want, start your subscription with the Coffee Explorer Kit. You'll receive four 1-ounce bags of coffee, each representing a different tasting profile. You rate the coffees using as much or as little detail as you like. You can choose to make it a mystery box where the bags are not labeled. That way, you're not biased and will truly learn what you like, not what you think you like.
Based on your answers, Driftaway Coffee will send you a different coffee each month. You can choose to receive a shipment every week, every two weeks, or monthly.
Here's the truly unique part of Driftaway Coffee. Every week, someone from Driftaway Coffee hosts an Instagram Live virtual tasting. They'll explain how to taste coffee comparatively as they guide you through the tasting process. You follow along with the coffees from your Explorer Kit.
After your Explorer Kit, you can continue to rate each coffee you receive and store it in your online account. You'll learn more about what you like and don't like with every shipment.
Driftaway Coffee is also big on sustainability. The packaging for the coffee is compostable. The company constantly measures its carbon imprint and seeks ways to reduce that. It has a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2022.
Sustainability for that planet is important, but so is sustainability for the farmers. These relationships are important, and Driftaway Coffee lets you send your feedback to the farmers. The company is committed to helping improve the lives of the growers. With Price Transparency, you can see the actual price the farmer received and how it compares to the Fair-Trade price and C-market.
With a MistoBox subscription, you can learn more about artisan roasters and the coffees they offer. MistoBox offers almost 600 coffees from 53 roasters.
To start a new subscription, begin with a simple questionnaire. It covers things like how you take your coffee, what roast profile you prefer, and if you prefer single-origin, blends, or espresso. For the last two questions, you can answer Not Sure. It also offers a space to check if you want decaf.
Then it asks how often you want your coffee. Note that it does not ask how much coffee you want with each delivery. A major drawback of MistoBox is that it only ships a single 12-ounce bag at a time. If you drink more coffee, then you choose to get delivery every week or two. If you drink less coffee, choose to get coffee every three or four weeks.
An interesting feature is you choose which Tier you want. Tiers are based on the price of the coffee you'll get. If you're in it just for the effects, then choose Tier 1 which is less expensive. If you're a coffee connoisseur, choose the more expensive Tier 2.
You can choose to just pay for a single bag at a time. But you can save money by paying for multiple bags at a time. You can purchase up to 12 bags at a time, which gives you about $2/bag savings. The bags will be delivered at the rate you choose, so you're always getting fresh coffee.
Once you're signed up, you get control over what coffees you get. You can browse your Brew Crew and make changes at any time.
One more interesting thing about MistoBox: it's tech-friendly. You can use Alexa to control your deliveries and order coffee.
Angel's Cup is best for people who get bored easily and want a constantly changing variety of coffee. You get to sample a wide variety of coffee and learn what they truly enjoy. If you order light roast with weekly delivery, you can taste 208 different coffees a year!
Angels' Cup is very picky about the coffee they offer its subscribers. In a year, the tasters at Angels' Cup sample thousands of coffees and choose the best to offer their customers. Their tasters are constantly on the lookout for new artisan roasters to try.
You have three choices when it comes to subscriptions: The Cupping Flight, The Black Box, and All-Stars. With The Cupping Flight, you receive four 1-ounce samples with each delivery. With The Black Box, you get four 2.75-ounce bags per delivery. For both of these subscriptions, you choose whole or coarse, or fine ground coffee. Only a number and roast date are on the bags.
After tasting, you can record your notes in their free app. You can try to detect those subtle notes like jasmine, honey, or apple. You can submit your answers to the Angels' Cup community. When done tasting, use the card included in the box to find out what each coffee was. Compare your experience to the roasting experts' opinions!
If you're more interested in drinking coffee than tasting tons of coffees, you can choose the All-Stars coffee subscription. The curators at Angels' Cup choose the highest-rated coffees from the Angels' Cup community to send to All-Stars subscribers.
Different roast types rotate on different schedules. The light roast coffee changes every week. The medium roast rotates every two weeks. The dark roast rotates every four weeks.
This coffee subscription service is for budget-minded coffee drinkers. The prices are equivalent to grocery stores, but the coffee is fresher and of higher quality.
To start your subscription, you're presented with a quiz. First, they ask what coffee you usually drink. Craft Coffee will try to match the flavor profile to one of its coffees. Then you choose from whole bean or three grind options.
When choosing how much coffee how often, you're first given two options: Two bags every four weeks or one bag every two weeks. But you can also choose to create a custom delivery schedule. With that, you can choose between one and six bags per delivery, and have it sent every two weeks or in weekly increments up to one shipment every 12 weeks. Of course, we don't recommend getting coffee every 12 weeks. Fresh is the name of the game!
If you want something a little different, when signing up, you can click "See Other Options." Here, you can choose an upgraded coffee for a few extra dollars per bag. You can also select to receive single-origin coffee. This is a roaster's choice and may change from month to month. You can also select the three-roast sampler coffee subscription. Each delivery, you'll receive 4-ounce bags of three different coffees. There's also a decaf option.
Crema has a fun attitude and a unique quiz to get you started on a coffee subscription. It starts straightforward enough by choosing your brew method. Then it goes to roast level and shows pictures of toast to help you decide.
Then it asks how adventurous you are. You can click a picture of Ross from Friends with the label "The Basics." Or you can click a picture of Ben Stiller's "The Magnum" look in Zoolander for "Kinda Funky." For the most adventurous, click on Indiana Jones for "Really Out There." If you're not sure, just click on the Minion. You'll find equally entertaining choices for aspects of the tasting profile. This is definitely the most enjoyable coffee quiz I have ever taken!
The amount and frequency of delivery are equally unique. You have two choices for the amount. The smaller is listed as "10oz/12oz." This would vary depending on the coffee being shipped at that time. The other option is a 5-pound bag. For frequency, choose from every three days, five days, week, 10 days, two weeks, or monthly. You can also choose decaf or regular coffee.
After completing the quiz, Crema will offer several suggestions. Crema organizes their deliveries by a Playlist. There you can see what coffee will be shipping next, and you can make changes to your Playlist. Overall, it’s a fresh approach to the world of coffee subscriptions.
And the coffee is always freshly roasted. Your coffee ships directly from the roaster instead of traveling to Crema and then being shipped to you. They work with a number of well-known artisan roasters as well as underground small-batch roasters.
Crema also sells coffee by the bag. If you're not sure, you can order a sample pack. You can also send a sample pack as a gift.
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.
