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Table of Contents
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By
Ru Chen
Key Takeaways
Want to savor coffee from around the world without worrying about your wallet? Coffee clubs offer subscription services that deliver brews to your doorstep. They’re a great way to try out different kinds of coffee, but you need to know which options work best when you’re on a tight budget.
Let’s go over the benefits of coffee clubs and how to choose the best coffee club on a budget.
Coffee clubs allow you to try out different types of coffee without needing to do the shopping or research yourself. This can save you valuable time by simplifying your daily coffee ritual, which can be particularly beneficial to those with fast-paced lifestyles. You won’t need to aimlessly search for the right coffee bean as you stroll through supermarket aisles, nor will you need to dive deep into online coffee shops to find the perfect specialty brew.
There’s no doubt that coffee can be expensive, especially if you want to experiment with new flavors and roasts from around the world. Availability and shipping can prove to be great hurdles By choosing a quality coffee club, you can explore a wide range of coffee flavors and origins without emptying your wallet.
Coffee clubs often foster a sense of community, offering a place for both online discussions and in-person events. After becoming a member of a coffee club, you might be able to receive newsletters, invitations to exclusive events, and access to forums where you can chat with like-minded coffee enthusiasts.
While coffee subscriptions sound like they might give a generic selection of roasts and flavors, many coffee clubs offer features and services that help you enjoy a personalized coffee experience. For example, coffee clubs often ask you about what kind of coffee aromas, flavors, and types you enjoy. Depending on your chosen coffee club, you might be allowed to change your chosen coffees before and/or after each delivery.
If you’re operating on a budget, the price of the subscription is naturally the first thing to consider when choosing your preferred coffee club. Coffee clubs can be cheaper than a cup of coffee from Starbucks, or it could be far more expensive than your usual gourmet coffee at the supermarket.
The coffee club you choose is the main determinant of how much you will be paying for your coffee subscription. Pick the coffee club that looks the most exciting to you but still falls within your budget for coffee. Otherwise, you might end up with a cup of coffee that is tough to swallow due to its exorbitant price.
According to a study on coffee clubs in America, a [weekly coffee drinker is willing to pay $103 a month](https://www.bluecart.com/blog/coffee-subscription-trends-statistics). Consider how much you are willing to pay for coffee each month, a number that can vary greatly based on factors such as your personal tastes and income. Your budget will determine what kind of coffee club subscriptions you can afford.
How often a coffee club delivers is another factor to consider. Most coffee clubs offer a default frequency of once per month, but many offer more shipping options to choose from for increased flexibility. The more often you want to receive coffee at your doorstep, the more money you can expect to pay for your coffee club membership.
Each coffee club offers its own types of roast and coffee. They may vary in acidity, aroma, flavor, and more. Whether you’re a newcomer to the coffee community or a passionate expert, coffee clubs have something to offer everyone.
If it’s your first time trying out a coffee club’s roast, you might want to see if the coffee club offers a taste testing package. This can help you determine your flavor profile.
Coffee club customization options can enhance your coffee journey. It can be as simple as allowing you to choose between light, medium, or dark roast, or as complex as using an algorithm to personalize your weekly beans.
Coffee clubs often offer extra perks and events for their members. When choosing your desired coffee club subscription, make sure you check out whether the members receive special perks, such as exclusive coffee flavors, discounts, newsletters, and in-person event invitations. Discounts and rewards programs are attractive features for those seeking coffee on a budget.
Some coffee clubs are vague about how much their coffees and customization options cost. If you’re operating on a budget, it’s a good idea to choose a reputable coffee club with fair, transparent pricing options. This way you get a good idea of how much you will be paying for your subscription even before you click through to the checkout page.
Atlas Coffee Club offers curated single origin coffee from over 50 countries, bringing you not just a delicious brew each month, but also a special postcard from the country of origin. Each batch of coffee, hand-selected by an Atlas team of expert curators, also comes with tasting notes and brewing tips to enrich your coffee drinking experience.
Many first-time coffee club members worry about their coffee beans not being fresh. The good news is that Atlas Coffee Club roasts beans to order, which means that you will receive the freshest coffee delivered straight to your door.
For those concerned about ethical coffee sourcing, you can rest assured that Atlas Coffee Club goes above fair trade standards to pay their coffee farmers above market rate.
With all these features combined with high quality coffee, it’s no wonder that Atlas Coffee Club is one of the best coffee clubs for coffee enthusiasts.
Price: Starts at $9
Shipping frequency: Every 2 or 4 weeks
Member perks and customization: You can choose your roast preference and ideal grind
Pros:
* Get a wide variety of freshly roasted coffee from around the world
* High quality single-origin coffee beans
* You can choose your roast preference
* Gorgeous packaging and postcards
* Easy to cancel your subscription
Cons:
* Wide variety may be undesirable for picky coffee drinkers with strict flavor preferences
* Only one coffee flavor featured per month
* Can get quite expensive if you choose certain customizations and roasts
If you’re looking for affordable, ethically sourced, freshly roasted coffee, consider Driftaway Coffee. Driftaway has an exciting approach to providing personalized coffee subscriptions to its members. When you join the coffee club, you will receive a coffee tasting kit in your first box. This contains a variety of coffee for you to taste test and give feedback on, helping Driftaway Coffee personalize your future shipments. What’s wonderful is that should you desire, a friendly expert will be available to Zoom call with you and guide you through the tasting kit.
Having been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Food Network, and more, Driftaway Coffee has a long history of providing its members with high quality coffee. Driftaway Coffee provides eco-friendly, plastic-free, and compostable packaging.
However, compared to other coffee clubs, the cost of a Driftaway Coffee membership can get expensive as you add different roasts and customization choices to your monthly or biweekly subscription. You can expect to receive an 11 oz. bag of coffee for $17, which may go above your budget for coffee.
Price: Starts at $16 Shipping frequency: Monthly or biweekly Member perks and customization: An expert-guided coffee tasting and private virtual tastings every week led by World Brewer’s Champion, James McCarthy Pros:
* Single origin coffee beans
* Tasting kit to help you find your flavor profile
* Ships internationally
* Uses compostable packaging
* In-house roasting uses energy efficient roasters
* Great for those new to drinking coffee
Cons:
* Less variety of coffee due to all roasting being in house
* No decaf options
* May have a more complex starting process
* Less flexibility in shipping frequency
* Tasting kit may not help those who already know their preferences
Not only does Peace Coffee offer quality coffee at affordable prices, but the company also has a long history of supporting small-scale coffee farmers. Peace Coffee has prioritized sustainability, organic, fair trade, and community passion since 1996. The coffee club offers smooth coffee with rich flavor, making it a favorite for many coffee enthusiasts.
While Peace Coffee offers affordable coffee options, certain flavors and customization options can quickly raise the price of a single delivery. The lack of free shipping, unless you reach $40 on your order, can also put Peace Coffee out of your budget range.
In addition, if you want to give a gift, Peace Coffee offers gifting options so you can build a gift box of coffee that is perfect for your recipient.
Price: Starts at $12.75 Shipping frequency: Every two weeks to three months Member perks and customization: Free shipping on orders over $40 Pros:
* Ethical practices
* Fair trade organic coffees
* Supportive of small scale farmers
* LGBTQ+ Friendly
Cons:
* Limited sources of coffee
* Relatively fewer member perks
* No free delivery unless you reach $40 on your order
Bean Box prides itself as an excellent guide to specialty coffee. Every coffee is curated by the Cup of Excellence Coffee Competition Judge, Maryna Gray. When you join the coffee club, you can personalize your coffee experience while receiving high quality coffee brews. You can opt for either curated sampler boxes or regular sized bags if you already know your taste preferences.
Bean Box has been featured by Forbes, Esquire, Reader’s Digest, Today, Cosmopolitan, and more. The coffee club is known for providing coffees with nuanced, rich flavors. Even if you don’t love a flavor in a sampler box, it’s still going to be high quality and worth the try.
Another reason we love Bean Box when on a budget is that it offers a free tasting box worth $24 when you first join the coffee club. This helps you get a great idea of what to expect from Bean Box. Members get free shipping, which could make the difference between choosing Bean Box versus a different coffee club.
Unfortunately, the base price of a Bean Box subscription starts at $24, making it more expensive than other popular coffee clubs. This money is a substantial investment for a relatively small amount of coffee. If you’re on a budget, carefully consider whether the exclusive and curated coffee options are worth the higher price. Bean Box is considered more of a luxurious coffee club option when compared to other coffee clubs with cheaper roasts.
Price: Starts at $24 Shipping frequency: Monthly or biweekly Member perks and customization: Free tasting box, free shipping, and exclusive access to award-winning coffees Pros:
* Variety of coffee choices
* Top U.S. coffee roasters
* FREE coffee tasting box worth $24 for members
* Plenty of member perks
Cons:
* More expensive than other budget coffee clubs
* Relatively small amount of coffee in each shipment
* You can buy several times more coffee elsewhere for the same cost
Coffee clubs can be a great way to try out brews from different countries around the world even when you’re working on a tighter budget. Make sure you understand the shipping and membership costs before joining the coffee club so you aren’t caught off guard by any charges.
Some of the top coffee clubs that offer high quality, affordable coffee include:
* Bean Box
Ru Chen
Content Writer
Ru Chen is a content writer with several years of experience in creating engaging and well-researched articles. She mostly writes about coffee, business, digital marketing, and law. In her free time, she can be found watching horror movies and playing board games with her partner in Brooklyn.
Ru Chen is a content writer with several years of experience in creating engaging and well-researched articles. She mostly writes about coffee, business, digital marketing, and law. In her free time, she can be found watching horror movies and playing board games with her partner in Brooklyn.
Edited by:
Bryan Huynh
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Product Tester & Writer
