Coffee enthusiasts just know that store-bought coffee just doesn’t bring the same satisfaction or boost of energy to get you through your daily routine. However, achieving the perfect brew is still an option for those of you playing at home. Monthly coffee subscription boxes will deliver fresh-roasted beans straight to your doorstep.
Bringing a sense of normality back into your routine with a coffee subscription might just be the thing you need to perk you back up. Allowing you to get a taste of the best beans from around the world without having to leave your kitchen, these are the best coffee subscription boxes around.
What is a Coffee Subscription Service?
The best coffee subscription box services will see you with coffee delivered straight to your door on a weekly, monthly, or pre-determined basis. The coffee will be sent to you directly from either the coffee roaster of the subscription’s curator.
Many monthly coffee subscription boxes will be sent at the beginning of each month, usually at the same time for all subscribers. Some, however, will ship coffee to their customers depending on your custom schedules.
Coffee subscriptions can be broken down into two categories – single roaster subscriptions and multi-roaster subscriptions.
Single roaster subscriptions are coffee subscription boxes provided to people by a single coffee roaster. They’re your go-to coffee club subscription if you have a particular preference for a certain coffee roaster brand.
This option is excellent as it allows you to support local coffee roasters, which is meaningful especially right now during COVID-19.
Multi-roaster coffee subscriptions are more about bringing you coffee from various roasters in a specific region. A coffee subscription also allows you to help micro-roasters reach a wider market around the nation as well as internationally.
Why You Need a Coffee Subscription Service
Convenience
Let’s face it – now is not the best time to go out to your favorite café for a coffee. And quite frankly, you probably can’t. On the bright side, there is something to be said for having freshly roasted coffee delivered straight to your doorstep.
Not only does it feel like you’re stepping back in time, but it feels so good knowing that you will never be out of coffee again.
It also helps to know that you won’t have to make trips to stop off somewhere to get your hot brew. Will there be a huge lineup? Will they be out of your favorite order? What will the traffic be like on the way over?
None of these questions are relevant if you’re making the perfect cup at home.
You will be saving time in your regular routine on your way to work with a monthly coffee subscription box and let’s not forget that if your favorite barista isn’t working, the chances of your coffee turning out great are not so hot.
Variety
One of the key benefits of having a monthly coffee subscription box delivered to your home is that you can get a taste of what is available out there. You will be able to get a taste of the best brews from famous roasting houses each month.
Another great highlight is that you will get to know different brewing methods such as espresso, immersion brewers or pour-over brewing, and also be able to understand what impact each type of brew has over the coffee you get.
Uncover Unique Blends
Receiving different coffee blends in your coffee delivery subscription will afford you the luxury of tasting different blends outside of your normal coffee drinking routine.
You will be able to taste and read about why a certain coffee house has combined two blends, such as Brazil and Sumatra. If that doesn’t convince you to go on a coffee club subscription, then maybe the next point will.
Excellent Gift Idea
It’s incredibly difficult to buy people personalized gifts these days, especially as virtually all things are available to most people online.
If you know a person that loves a great cup of coffee, you now have a gift option that will definitely warm their heart.
Their coffee subscription gift will be tailor-made to suit their taste profile, which you can tailor either online or by contacting the roaster directly. Not only that, but the coffee subscription gift is also one that keeps on giving, way past their birthday, anniversary, or whichever special occasion you decided to commemorate.
Monthly Coffee Subscription Boxes are Fresher than the Supermarket Alternatives
For anyone that doesn’t live near a local roaster, the easiest option until now might have been to purchase coffee from the supermarket.
Your coffee delivery subscription will be better quality and much more fresh than anything you buy in the supermarket. But, you might be thinking are coffee subscriptions worth it?
It’s simple math. Just jot down what you’re spending on a monthly basis at your local coffee shop and how much money and time you’re spending getting there. Then compare that to the price of a coffee delivery subscription.
It is more than likely that the best coffee subscription services will also turn out to be much cheaper on your pocket.
Coffee isn’t the only thing you can get delivered straight to your door. Some of the best meal delivery services are in hot demand right now, especially with families avoiding grocery stores.
These meal delivery services include options for specific diets such as low-carb, but also meat delivery services, farm box, bone broth, and even wine subscription boxes. Your options are truly endless.
What is the Best Coffee Subscription Box
Now, that you’ve decided to invest in great coffee, you might be thinking, what is the best coffee subscription? Is there a coffee of the month club available?
You’ll find the answers to these questions just below.
Trade Coffee
This is one of the best options you can find when it comes to variety, particularly if you’re interested in domestic brews. Trade covers more than 50 roasters all over the United States. Every roaster that works with Trade must take the Roaster Pledge meaning that it agrees to certain standards on sourcing, quality, and sustainability.
Trade has a serious commitment to ethical business which is visible in its shipping material as well as the eco-friendly packaging.
You can choose from over 400 types of coffee all of which are shipped within 24 hours and shipping is free.
Upon signing up you are guided through a short quiz that looks at your preferred taste and brewing methods with the end result being a suggested bag for you to buy.
According to GQ magazine,
“Supporting a company like Trade indirectly helps the coffee industry at large—and the company is currently donating $2 from every coffee bag sale to a fund for roaster employees.”
Atlas Coffee Club
Atlas Coffee Club has a coffee subscription plan offering single-origin, sustainably-sourced coffee from more than 50 countries worldwide. If you choose Atlas Coffee Club, you will receive coffee from a different country every month. It comes with a lovely bag, designed by international landscapes and textiles.
Adorably, each delivery is accompanied by a postcard that features the country where the coffee comes from. You will also have information as to how to coffee was processed, flavor notes as well as brewing tips.
There is the option to choose from a half bag which is 6 oz, a single bag – 12 oz or even up to four bags, 48 oz per delivery.
Your deliveries can be either every two weeks of every four weeks, and you can choose as to whether you want your beans to come ground or whole.
It costs around $14 for a full bag as well as $5 in shipping costs.
Bean Box
This Seattle-based company will deliver a selection of the city’s finest coffee every month. You have the option of receiving the coffee type that suits you personally whether it’s light and fruity, medium and chocolaty, dark and toasty, rich and creamy espresso and decaf.
Bean Box handpick from 35 of the world’s top artisan roasters and you can choose to get either the coffee of the month of the Bean Box sampler which includes four smaller bags for you to try out.
Choose from:
- Portofino Blend
- Bearded Lady
- Ethiopia Gotiti Natural
- Dark Side of the Moon
- We Got This Seattle!
- Cloud City Blend
- Bonsai Blend
- Midnight Rider
- Roaster’s Choice
- Johnson House Blend
- Brazil Canaan Estate
- Burundi Kalico Mama Buthinda
- Tuscan Blend
Angels Cup Coffee Club
If you like living on the edge, this is the coffee club you need to subscribe to. Angels Cup works by delivering you up to 208 single-origin coffees per year. The awesome thing about this coffee adventure is that all the coffees are sampled blindly. This will ultimately help you understand which tastes match your taste palate.
You can choose from three subscription options:
- The Cupping Flight has four samples of blind tastings, with each sample making two cups. You can choose from whole, coarse or finely ground coffee and will arrive 7-10 days off-roast. It costs $10.99
- The Black Box is $22.99 and is also a blind tasting with five cups per sample.
- The All-Stars option is priced at $19.99 and is shipped straight from the roasters.
Driftaway Coffee Club
This brand has a reputation for being the coffee with a conscience. This is because Driftaway strives to give you complete transparency as to where and how its beans are grown.
The Brooklyn-based company doesn’t offer as much variety as some of the other brands, but it will include many more details, including how the beans are harvested, roasted, packaged, and delivered.
You also receive information on which region the coffee was grown in as well as flavor notes, beans, and brewing tips.
For every pound of Driftaway coffee sold five cents is donated to World Coffee Research. The packaging is made from sugarcane waste and plant fiber, which blocks out moisture and oxygen to ensure the coffee maintains its freshness.
Upon signing up, Driftaway will send you a tasting kit of four mini bags of coffee. You can taste them and then share feedback regarding which were your favorites so that the company can match your future orders according to your taste.
You can choose between 12, 18, or 36 oz per order costing $19, $25, and $35 respectively. They can be delivered either weekly, twice a month, or once a month.
What to Look for in the Best Coffee Subscription Services
Since there has been a rise in demand for monthly coffee subscription boxes, there has also been an increase in the number of service providers.
Unfortunately, not all of these providers will offer you the same coffee quality, service reliability, flavor variety, and flexibility.
Let’s explore the most important elements when choosing the best coffee subscription for you.
Quality Coffee
Obviously the first thing you will need to consider when choosing your coffee subscription service is the coffee itself.
Make sure to look for coffee that is ethically sourced from all coffee regions around the globe. Some coffee enthusiasts like a bold and robust blend, while others prefer a lighter and more delicate taste. Sometimes, you won’t even know you like a particular type of coffee because you haven’t yet tried it.
Look for a selection of strengths and blends across the board, and also keep an eye out for a subscription that will let you choose a range of different types of coffee. Getting a different type of coffee delivered each month makes it much more stirring than getting the same coffee over and over.
Flexible Ordering Process
Nobody likes to be tied down. This is exactly why you need to look for a coffee delivery service that will allow you an easy and flexible ordering process.
Basically, you should be able to adjust your order from month to month, including the variety of blends of your coffee bean subscription box or the ability to increase or decrease the order to suit your changing lifestyle needs.
Prior to placing your first order, you should think about your daily, weekly, and monthly coffee consumption. There will be times when you might drink more coffee than you normally would, and you should also take into account the guests that you might be making coffee for.
The best thing to do is to play it safe and add a little more coffee than you would think necessary. Obviously, the last thing you want is to run out of coffee and have to revert to supermarket options until your next supply comes in.
Reliable Delivery Service
The best coffee subscription service is only as good as its delivery service.
Think about the frequency of delivery as well as where your coffee is coming from.
Choose a coffee bean subscription box that is based locally and will deliver at least once a month. Also, consider asking the provider what the method of delivery is, and how the coffee is kept fresh.
Remember, coffee that isn’t packaged properly will lose its quality and freshness in transit.
Excellent Customer Service
Now and again you might have a question regarding your subscription, or the coffee itself and you might want to speak to someone about it. Whether it’s a phone number, email address, or social media account, you will want to have some sort of contact available with your coffee subscription provider.
Your Coffee Machine
Lastly, you should make sure that your coffee order is compatible with your espresso machine. In reality, some coffee machines will only work with a particular type of coffee or grind.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has hit the world hard and fast, very much bringing our daily routines to a halt. In order to survive this sudden turn of events, it is recommended that we stick to our everyday habits as closely as possible without breaking safety measures.
So are coffee subscriptions worth it? Getting your daily intake of coffee from your favorite café might have seemed frivolous before, but now you can truly see the importance of it. The great news is that some of the best coffee subscription boxes will set you up with excellent, fresh coffee and deliver it straight to your door.
Not only will you save money, but you’re also probably going to enjoy better quality coffee from all over the world. So now that we have spilled the beans, all you need to do is choose your subscription service and await your perfect brew.