Coffee Club Comparison: Trade Vs. Mistobox

Coffee clubs are a great present idea for the coffee fan in your life but also work well as a present to yourself. Just imagine getting high-quality, designer-level coffee delivered directly to your door every month. Intrigued by the possibilities? Let’s take a look at two unique coffee clubs.

Mistobox and Trade provide many benefits that make them an interesting choice for anyone interested in a coffee club. By comparing the two in-depth here, we can help you make an intelligent decision and ensure that you get the delicious coffee that you want for your everyday needs.

Great coffee clubs like Trade or Mistobox bring tasty beans to your home.

Trade vs. Mistobox: Service Types, Pros, and Cons of Each

You deserve to know exactly what you’re getting into when choosing either Trade or Mistobox. In the following sections, we’ll break down what each service brings to the coffee club world, including their advantages and disadvantages. At the end, we’ll highlight who we think fits each of these services to ensure that you get the experience you want and don’t overspend on something you’ll never use.

Trade Coffee

Trade Coffee is a subscription-based coffee club that provides over 400 types of different coffee from 50 roasters around the United States. These options include single-origin and blended beans that you can use to make multiple brew types. For example, their beans work well for iced and hot brews.

It operates primarily on what it calls a “Match” function. This unique service lets you choose coffee based on various recommendations. However, there are other factors to consider about Trade Coffee that can help you make a smart and informed decision about your brewing needs.

Trade can bring fresh java to your home every month.

Understanding This Service

When you sign up for Trade Coffee, you can choose whatever coffees you want and set up monthly delivery services for each. There are varying prices to consider for each option, including bean and delivery expenses. However, Trade’s most popular service is undoubtedly Match.

Match asks you seven questions that create a coffee profile that hooks you up with beans that you’ll likely enjoy. Trade uses various algorithms and programs to narrow down your choices based on your answers to these questions, including topics as diverse as your:

1. Preferred Coffee-Brewing Method: Do you enjoy traditional coffee techniques, pour-over brewing, or even single-shot production? Match will carefully choose a roaster and bean type that fits into your preference to ensure you get the delicious coffee that you deserve.
2. Experience and Knowledge: Some coffee types will take a little bit more time to master than others. If you have little to no experience with specialized brewing techniques, let Trade know. They’ll find beginner-friendly options that make sense for you.
3. Favorite Roast Type: Coffee roast style is a matter of preference and may include light, medium, and dark roasts. Each provides different tastes and brewing experiences, so make sure that you know what you want and let Trade’s Match service know which you prefer.
4. Preferred Coffee Tastes: As a dedicated coffee drinker, you know that roasters and beans have variant tastes. Do you like your coffee with a nutty aftertaste or a more chocolate-style richness? Trade offers multiple options that their Match service should help you find quickly and efficiently.
5. Desire for Ground or Whole Bean: Some brewers love ground coffee simply because they don’t want to deal with grinding. Others enjoy whole beans because they love the diversity of grinding options it provides them. Whichever you choose, Trade should have options.
6. Enjoyment of Regular and Decaf: Many coffee drinkers enjoy one (or more) cups of java in the morning to get their bodies going. However, others prefer decaf or need it for health reasons. Whatever your choice, let Match know, and it’ll help you find a brew.
7. Budget: Everybody has a budget that they have to follow to stay financially solvent. Let Trade’s Match service know exactly how much you can afford, and it’ll find beans that suit you. It’ll also help you identify a subscription model that makes more sense for your coffee needs.

Once you finish your survey, Trade suggests coffee that you’ll enjoy and helps you set up a subscription model. These options include:

1. The Hookup: Pay $15-22 for a 12-ounce bag to get “surprising and unconventional” beans delivered to your door. A great option if you’re adventurous and want to try something new.
2. The Classics: You can also pay $25 to get two 12-ounce bags at the end of your payment cycle that focuses on more traditional favorites. Try this option if you enjoy a lot of coffee.
3. Auto-Reorder: If you find a great selection of beans that you want delivered to your home every month, set up auto-reorder. This option automatically bills you and sends beans to your door.

This setup makes Trade a strong option for people who want diverse beans from a myriad of vendors. Before making your choice to work with this vendor, please read about its pros and cons and make sure you compare them to Mistobox in depth to ensure you don’t make the wrong choice.

Pros of Trade Coffee

• Over 400 different coffees from 50 roasters should provide many options
• Single-origin and blends provide diverse preference types
• Diverse whole and ground bean options that should suit many tastes
• A sustainable approach designed to minimize material and bean waste
• Ethical commitment to farmers and shipping that makes it safer to use

Cons of Trade Coffee

• Trade is a broker and not a roaster, meaning costs may be a little higher
• Shipping costs are $2 per bag, which increases your prices further
• Availability and quality may vary depending on the roaster you choose

Trade may work best for people with an active, coffee-centered life.

Mistobox

Mistobox offers a pretty similar service to Trade, one that offers a broad array of coffee types from many brewers. They pair with 50 different artisan roasters to offer hundreds of varieties. These include brewers like Coava, Onyx, Verve, and Intelligentsia, among many others.

Like Trade, Mistobox offers a useful matching system with its “Discovery Box” program. This service pairs you with multiple coffee samples that help you narrow your choices. It’s an excellent option that should work well for a variety of coffee fans, particularly those with a diverse array of preferences.

Freshly ground coffee is available from Mistobox.

Understanding This Service

Mistobox provides such a large diversity of different coffee types that it can seem overwhelming. Like with Trade, you can choose whatever varieties you want from their shop and get them delivered to your door. However, their Discover Box service is a great option if you’re still on the fence.

It works similarly to Trade’s Match option by providing you with a simple survey that you complete to get paired with coffee that suits your needs. Each box includes multiple samples that should make your choice easier. When signing up for Mistobox, they’ll help identify your preferences by asking:

• How You Take Your Coffee: Do you enjoy brewing individual cups or whole pots? Are you into pour-over coffee or other alternative methods? Similarly, do you like it hot or cold? All these preferences can dictate what kind of coffee from Mistobox makes the most sense for you.
• Your Preferred Coffee Flavors: Real coffee fans know that their favorite blends can have taste notes as diverse as chocolate, fruity, earthy, and even citrus. Letting Mistobox know which you prefer can help you choose the coffee types that make the most sense for your monthly box.
• What Type You Want: Are you a fan of single-origin beans that maintain a consistent texture and taste? Or are you more into blended coffee with varying taste notes? Or is espresso more your preference? Whatever the case, Mistobox should have an option that suits your needs.
• Grind Size and Roast Level: Lots of people enjoy whole-bean coffee because they love grinding it to their preferred level. Mistobox can pair you with grounded or whole-bean coffee, as well as roast levels from light, medium, and dark, all of which provide different taste notes and benefits.
• An Ideal Delivery Schedule: Mistobox lets you set up whatever delivery schedule makes the most sense for your needs. Are you someone who wants monthly coffee? Or are you more into buying every 2-4 months? You can easily tweak your options here to get the approach you want.
• Your Tier Preference: Mistobox offers basic or deluxe subscription models that can change your experience considerably. For example, deluxe typically provides you with more coffee from specialized brewers but is also more costly. Consider these important details before buying any java.

After you’ve made your selections, you will start getting coffee pretty quickly after your order. Remember that you can choose from 1-4 week delivery models with this provider. You can also pay for individual bags if you prefer, though the costs will definitely increase with this model.

Pros of Mistobox

• Carefully sealed bags that ensure freshness and keep your coffee delicious
• User-friendly site that you can easily navigate and use even from your phone
• Roast-of-the-month options that provide you with a new and unexpected flavor
• Personalized coffee curator who helps you find roasts that make the most sense for you
• Alexa-sync ordering that makes this process even faster and more efficient for you

Cons of Mistobox

• You can only order one bag size, though samples are available in the Discovery Box
• All shipments come with a $5 fee that can greatly increase how much you pay
• Costs between $17-23 per bag, which might seem a little high for some people

Whole-bean coffee is a popular option for many java fans.

Making a Choice

Now that you understand how Trade and Mistobox work let’s help you make a choice here. Honestly, both vendors are excellent and probably work well for just about anybody. However, the data below can give you a little more information to work on and streamline your buying process.

Diversity

Both Trade and Mistobox offer hundreds of coffee options from over 50 vendors. In fact, they share a few vendors, so keep that in mind while shopping. But which is more diverse? Honestly, it’s basically a tie: both work with about 50 vendors and offer hundreds of coffees. Mistobox may have a little bit more than Trade, but the differences between the two vendors’ many options are fairly minor.

Cost

Trade is slightly less costly than Mistobox, costing about $15-22 per bag. By contrast, Mistobox costs between $17-23 per bag. Furthermore, Mistobox has a slightly higher delivery cost of $5 as opposed to Trade’s $2 delivery fee. Ultimately, the differences here are quite minor. That said, people on a tighter budget may need all the help they can get, so every dollar saved is important to consider.

Quality

When it comes to quality, Mistobox may have a slight edge on Trade. Both pair with excellent vendors, but Mistobox’s higher-end coffee is better than Trade’s. That doesn’t mean that Trade offers low-quality options. However, it’s hard to deny that there are a few blends and roasters on Trade’s roster that don’t hit the same quality standards. A little experimentation is necessary here.

Shipping Options

Trade offers several different delivery speeds, depending on your subscription. For example, The Hookup or The Classic has 14, 21, and 28-day cycles. Auto-Reorder includes 7, 14, and 21 days. By contrast, Mistobox provides delivery schedules of 1-4 weeks, depending on your preference. That simpler timetable may be preferable for those who may feel confused by Trade’s options.

You Deserve Great Coffee

No matter whether you choose Trade or Mistobox, you deserve the best coffee in the world! By carefully examining your subscription options and reading through this review, you’re one step closer to achieving that goal. So make sure you pick wisely to keep yourself happy.

Just as importantly, don’t forget to think of the long-term benefits of your coffee subscription. Picking an option that you’ll enjoy for years can ensure quality coffee for a long time. That’s a major advantage that any java fan simply can’t ignore, especially if your taste is a bit more specific than others.