We find that coffee subscriptions create value in a few ways beyond convenience. They also curate, in that they have someone with an expert palate evaluate each roast and make sure that it is up to the standards they want to hold for their subscribers. Coffee subscriptions also provide attunement in that some of them help you evaluate and choose a coffee that will taste great with cream and sugar or when brewed with a particular device like a Chemex. Finally, many people enjoy the tasting experience, trying something new and learning to sense all the complexity and the novelty, trying coffees roasted in different ways from all over the world. When you choose any of our top 5 best coffee subscriptions, you or a gift recipient can enjoy all the services that are packed into these tasty shipments. While each company offers common options, like offering light, medium, and dark roasts as well as decaf, these five distinguish themselves in areas like reliable quality, sustainability, giftability, or tasting variety. Must read:
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Wide variety of options for making the subscription your own.100,000+ satisfied customers and lots of customer reviews.More than 450 individual coffees available.
Trade Coffee has become the go-to subscription for those who want to try different kinds of coffee that fits their profile of coffee style, all while supporting great roasters all over the United States. Their system has cataloged whether any of the 450+ coffees they can access will be best with cream and sugar or best as espresso taken black, and they quickly ship coffee to you from their roaster network in a compostable bag that keeps waste packaging to a minimum while delivering highly fresh coffee. The quality is consistent enough and the flavors attuned enough to literally get them 100,000 subscribers over time. Pros:
High customer satisfaction via their many reviews.Many options for roasters and coffee types.Simple, compostable packaging minimizes waste and gets you coffee while it’s fresh.
Cons:
One of the simpler packages/designs, making it a little less gift-like than other subscriptions we feature.
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Best known for their effective questionnaire to pair you with coffeeClassy, simple packaging for strong giftability60+ roasters means you get long-term variety
There’s a trend in subscription boxes of all kinds to make it truly personalized to your tastes, be it a wine club or a shampoo and conditioner subscription. MistoBox is the coffee subscription for the person in your life who loves an extremely specific kind of coffee, brewed one way, and served at their exacting specifications. The reviews show that this box’s questionnaire does a good job connecting to particular coffees, and they adjust the algorithm if you don’t actually like a coffee, helping to narrow down your preferences. Between that and the classy packaging, you’re sure to please your own palate and maybe even discover a new favorite. Pros:
Highly-attuned questionnaire for finding your preferencesRecyclable packaging60+ award winning roasters supplying the beans
Cons:
When you see the prices on the site, factor in a $5 per shipment shipping cost
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Worker-owned coffee collective with strong focus on sourcing ethical beans24+ roast optionsSimple subscription options at affordable price point
While many roasters are committed to fair sourcing and getting everyone in the supply chain a fair deal, Just Coffee Co-Op has really taken their motto, “justice from the grounds up,” to heart. You can read about the farmers they work with on their website, and they source both for quality and taste as well as to make sure that their chosen farmers make a just living from the coffee. The roastery in Madison, Wisconsin is owned by its workers, so there’s no upper-level admin getting rich off your roasts, and as a result, their subscription cost is one of the lowest on our list. They have roasts from light to dark and decaf, and with a subscription, it’s easy to fill your coffee pot every day and feel great about it. Pros:
Ethical sourcing from farmer all the way to the people who work to pack your subscription.Highly-regarded roasts in a variety of flavor profiles.Affordable price point makes for great daily coffee use.
Cons:
Single roaster subscription, so variety is a little lower on this one.
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Each box arrives with blind tasting samples to tryApp allows you to guess the tasting notes then learn about the coffeeSourced from hundreds of roasters for endless variety
Angels’ Cup boasts the highest variety of roasters of all of the coffee subscriptions we feature, and they claim to be trying thousands of coffees a year, trying to find new tasty blends to use in their tasting flights. Their core product is a box that contains four unmarked coffees, each one with a unique number code that you can input into the free Angels’ Cup app. This app allows you to brew the coffee and submit things like flavor notes and roasting profile, trying to evaluate the coffee’s full subtlety. After you submit your evaluation, you can see how close you got, learn more about the coffee and read other reviews and leave your own review. Angels’ Cup makes any coffee break into a combination of a wine tasting class and a party game, which makes it a unique and fun concept that can make coffee fun for everything from advanced coffee brewers to newbies who just like the caffeine and novelty. Pros:
Blind tasting app makes coffee a fun game or conversation starterHundreds of roasters featured for wide-ranging options12 ounce bag delivery option if you find a new favorite
Cons:
One of the more expensive services per coffee serving
Shipments available of small samples and large bags in varying quantitiesCoffee and sweets pairings for the sweet tooth in your lifePortland and Seattle roaster focus
Bean Box has a variety of subscriptions, from the coffee of the month to sampler packs that help people find their new favorite coffee from the many high-end coffee roasters in Seattle and Portland. The thoughtful touches make this subscription: Bean Box coffee comes lovingly nestled in a box with tissue paper and, in some cases, a little vanilla caramel or other treat added with the coffee. Sourcing treats from high-end bakeries and candy makers; Bean Box makes some great biscotti and coffee or chocolate and coffee treat boxes, creating a gift box that goes beyond the typical delivery of coffee. Pros:
Small and large coffee bagsHigh-end, high-quality beans from Seattle and Portland roastersVariety packs with biscotti, candies, and more available
Cons:
One of the most expensive options on our list.Less sustainable than buying local if you’re living far from Seattle/Portland.
Unique product offerings, like Angels’ Cup’s tasting flights that have a blind tasting option with an app to evaluate your coffee tasting notes, also were factored in, and product reviews that mentioned that a service like MistoBox really was able to figure out their coffee taste and send great-fit coffee were also considered. Finally, we made sure that the coffee subscriptions had an option in the $14-$30 price range, making them comparable to buying a bag of high-quality coffee at a coffee shop, rather than selecting only bargain coffees or highly-selective, high-priced coffees. In every case, you’ll pay less for a serving of coffee than you’d pay in most coffee shops, all while getting the same kind of quality, variety, and freshness that characterizes a coffee shop experience.
