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By
Bryan Huynh
Key Takeaways
Brewing your own coffee at home can save you a lot of money while giving you more control over each cup. However, you might get bored using the same beans every time. Get a rotating selection like you’d find at the coffee shop by signing up with a coffee club subscription service known for its variety. Coffee clubs are subscriptions that send beans or grounds directly to your door on a monthly or weekly basis. It’s easy to get outside of your comfort zone and find new coffees from all over the world with one of these subscriptions. But which of them is best?
Joining a coffee club is a great way to receive high-quality, freshly roasted beans at home. There’s no need to try and find the freshest brand at the grocery store or remember to pick up more coffee the next time you’re out. It’s the most convenient way to stay stocked up on the best coffee from a wide variety of roasters. Speaking of variety, a coffee club subscription will constantly expose you to new blends and single-origin roasts you might never try on your own. You’ll find plenty of new favorites to order in larger quantities to keep on hand. Each month or week will offer a chance to discover unique flavors. That experience alone makes it worth signing up for a varied coffee club subscription for most of the people who are considering it.
Finding the right coffee club requires more than just a cursory glance at the variety they offer. You also want to find out what real customers say about the quality of the coffee. The pricing details also matter since each company may provide a different amount of coffee for the monthly or weekly price. Compare the roasting and customization details between companies to find the subscription that’s right for you.
Look for a company specializing in only the finest coffee beans from various sources around the world. They should outline how they keep their products fresh, such as roasting just before shipping and air-tight packages. Try to find reviews from real subscribers to ensure you can expect a quality product each month. Coffee clubs that offer blends aren’t necessarily sending lower quality packages than those that specialize in single-origin products, but they should list plenty of background information on the origin and quality of the beans that go into the blend.
Life can change at a moment’s notice, so your coffee club should offer flexibility to help you adapt. At the very least, look for a plan that allows you to change where the coffee is delivered and to pause deliveries for a few months at a time if you’re traveling. This is especially true if you’re giving the subscription as a gift to someone else.
When choosing a coffee subscription based on your budget, consider more than just the base cost of the plan. Determine how many ounces of coffee in total you’ll receive each month and how many shipments are included of those packages. Divide the total number of ounces into the monthly cost to get a better idea of the real price. Lower-cost plans may come with only a small amount of coffee, which works well for those who only drink a few cups a month. Make sure you’re getting deliveries on a frequency that fits your coffee consumption habits so you don’t run out.
Coffee loses flavor when it sits for weeks or months after roasting and before being consumed. That’s why most of the coffee at your local grocery store just can’t compete with fresher beans. The best coffee clubs will explain how they only roast and grind coffee beans right before your monthly or weekly package is shipped out. This ensures you receive the freshest possible grounds.
Some coffee clubs go the extra mile to throw in extra perks with their subscriptions. Educational content about brewing coffee and handling coffee beans is a good start. Others offer brewing and grinding equipment at a discount for subscribers. If nothing else, you should choose a coffee club that throws in free artwork on the packaging for the coffee to brighten up your kitchen.
The best monthly coffee subscriptions give you lots of control over the details of the deliveries. You should be able to set your preferred roast levels so you don’t end up with a lot of dark roasts when you prefer blondes. Since grounds need to match the brewing method you prefer, your coffee club should let you adjust whether you’re getting fine or coarse grounds as needed. Many subscriptions also allow you to stick with a single standard delivery per month or increase the frequency.
There are hundreds of coffee clubs to choose from, but not all of them offer a wide variety of beans from roasters around the world. These are the top four options if variety is a priority for you.
If you want coffees from every part of the world where the plant grows, Atlas Coffee Club is the best choice for you. It’s also one of the most affordable subscriptions available. That makes it a great choice for newcomers to the world of coffee who aren’t sure they need a few pounds of beans every month just yet. Aside from sending you rare Peruvian coffee beans or a unique Indian blend, Atlas also wins points for putting beautiful and unique art on each bag.
They have a number of subscription options starting at a single 6-ounce half bag for $9 per month. That’s enough for around 15 cups of coffee. Or choose a subscription for one 12-ounce bag per month, or between two and four bags if you’re a big drinker. At most, you’ll spend $49 a month for around 120 cups of coffee, a major savings over what you’ll spend at a coffee shop for similar quality.
Roasting is done daily and only for orders going out that day. Your beans are roasted only hours to minutes before the package is on its way to you. You can set your preference for the roast level from four options, ensuring you don’t get anything that is too light or dark for your tastes.
While their standard subscriptions involve a monthly delivery, you can also set up deliveries every two weeks or every other month in your account settings.
You can cancel your subscription at any time or pause it for a few months while you’re away from home. For each month you’re subscribed, you’ll earn points based on the coffee you receive that you can use to get store credit and free shipping.
Start a subscription with Bean Box and you’ll get a Coffee Tasting Flight box with four different varieties to introduce you to the world of fresh beans. This coffee club focuses specifically on small-batch roasters in the United States only, ensuring you learn about sources for coffee you may want to order from directly. A coffee competition judge curates the selections so you can trust they’ll be great month after month.
The subscriptions from Bean Box start at $24 per month, with discounts for signing up for at least six months at a time. Both whole beans and fresh grounds are available. You receive 12 ounces of coffee at a time in a durable resealable bag. Tasting notes and brewing tips are included in each package.
When ordering, you select from one of five roasting preferences, including decaf. Bean Box roasts their coffee beans about 1 to 2 weeks before shipping. This isn’t the shortest time frame, so customers who are looking for only the freshest beans may want to choose a different company.
Bean Box only offers a monthly delivery option. They can ship more often if you want to order from their regular selection of products, but the coffee club option is a monthly delivery.
As a member of the Bean Box team, you’ll earn 5% back on all purchases and get members-only coupons and special deals. The subscriptions also include free shipping and may qualify you for free gifts on future orders.
If fair trade agreements and ecological farming are priorities for you, you’ll appreciate that they’re the main focus of Peace Coffee. The coffee club from the company also boasts a surprising variety of single-origin and bean blends from interesting locations. It’s an affordable option with lots of customization and control over the roast level.
You can choose a subscription to a single type of coffee if you have a favorite, but you’ll need to commit to receiving a bulk-sized 5 pound bag once a month. For more flexibility, try the company’s Build Your Own subscription option. You choose the delivery frequency, the number of varieties to include in the rotation, and even the amount you receive. Monthly prices start at $12.75 for a single 8-ounce bag.
Coffee is roasted daily and is only roasted between one to three days before each package is shipped. That ensures freshness without any delay in delivery.
Peace Coffee can deliver as often as once every two weeks or as infrequently as once every three months. It’s all up to you.
Subscription members earn seasonal discounts on their favorite blends and receive coupons regularly to thank them for their dedication. You can customize the plan at any time to fit your changing needs.
With free shipping and modern packaging with a colorful twist, Driftaway Coffee is a hip choice for monthly deliveries. The shipping package is designed with eco-friendliness in mind, but the coffee itself is top-notch. This subscription focuses largely on blended beans so you can experience the best of what the coffee world has to offer.
It’s only $14.40 for a single 8-ounce bag of coffee per month. That includes free shipping, making it one of the more affordable coffee clubs available today. The best variety comes from the Explorer Box, which is $36 and includes 4 ounces each of 5 different coffees.
Driftaway Coffee roasts the beans right before shipping for maximum freshness. You can request a specific roast level to fit your preferences.
The Driftaway Coffee Club primarily delivers once per month, although you can switch to deliveries every other month after signing up.
Choose from grounds, whole beans, cold brew varieties, and decaf options. You can access Zoom meetings with coffee experts to learn more about your own tastes and get recommendations tailored to your profile.
Consider trying out a few of the coffee clubs listed above to find your favorite. If nothing else, you’ll try plenty of new coffees and just might find a beloved variety or region.
Bryan Huynh
Product Tester & Writer
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Edited by:
Bryan Huynh
•
Product Tester & Writer
