Are you a coffee addict? Or maybe you’re just trying to find a gift for someone who is? Either way, a coffee subscription box might be the thing for you!
With the click of a button, you can easily have high-quality coffee shipped to your door every month. Subscription boxes are super-popular due to their convenience, which is why they also make great gifts!
So, to help you decide which subscription you need, we’ve compiled a list of the best coffee subscription boxes of this year. Keep reading to learn more.
At A Glance:
- Our Top Pick: Atlas Coffee Club
- Speedy: Driftaway Coffee
- Farm-To-Cup: Bean Box
How to Choose The Right Coffee Subscription and Not Go Wrong?
No matter what kind of coffee drinker you are, there’s a perfect coffee subscription service for you! Yet, it can be hard knowing which one to choose.
Have no fear!
We come to the rescue with this buying guide. We’ll help you navigate various coffee subscriptions. Be it their offerings from different coffee roasters, a delivery frequency or a number of coffee bags you receive, this guide focuses on all factors that come into play when you’re comparing options (1).
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Driftaway Coffee |
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Atlas Coffee Club |
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BeanBox |
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Angels’ Cup |
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MistoBox |
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Turntable Kitchen |
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JavaPresse |
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Crema.co |
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Blue Bottle Coffee |
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Trade |
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Nomad Coffee Club |
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- First order comes as a tasting kit
- 8oz – 2lb bags
- Six grind sizes available
- Comes with flavor notes, a postcard, and brewing tips
- 6oz – 24oz bags
- Choice of roast profile
- Coffee from 30 local small-batch roasters
- 4 x 1.8oz tasting bags
- Lets you skip months
- 208 coffees each year
- 1oz – 12oz bags
- Has its own app for notes
- Personalized orders from coffee curators
- 12oz bags
- Browse and adjust upcoming coffees
- Includes coffee, vinyl and a mixtape
- 12oz bags
- No options available
- All organic coffees
- 12oz bags
- Ships within 2 hours of roasting
- Coffee from independently-owned roasters
- 10oz – 5lb bags
- Choose your own coffees
- Customize for single origin, blends or espresso
- 6oz, 12oz or multiples of 12oz bags
- Shipped within 48 hours of roasting
- Access to 400+ specialty coffees
- 12oz bags
- Shipped within 24 hours of roasting
- Fair trade, sustainably sourced coffee
- 12oz bags
- Shipped within 48 hours of roasting
Type of Coffee
A lot of coffee subscription boxes offer a single type of craft coffee; some give you the choice between decaf, single-origin, blended, or espresso beans. Make sure you choose a company that offers your preferred type of coffee before you commit to a monthly subscription.
Some coffee subscription boxes also choose beans for you according to your favorite brew method – whether it’s cold brew, French Press, or others.
Roast & Grind Type
What’s your favorite coffee – light, medium, or dark roast? Or maybe you like all three! Some subscriptions offer a sampler of several varieties. Some monthly coffee clubs like Angels’ Cup only offer light roasts or medium roasts, which are pretty good if you’re making pour over coffee, so if you prefer dark roasts because they’re lower in acid or simply because of its taste you should look into other subscriptions.
Whole coffee beans will give you fresher, more flavorful coffee but if you value convenience over taste, then pre-ground coffee is the better choice for you.
Frequency & Adjustments
Do you want a weekly, every two weeks, or monthly coffee subscription? These are common shipment options offered by clubs, but some offer other choices to their customers, as well as custom frequency options. If you’re an avid traveler or not sure you want to commit to a full year of monthly subscriptions, you can also look into clubs that let you pause or cancel your order at any time.
Customizable Options
Other than the standard choices of selecting when you receive your order, the type of coffee you get, and your roast or grind type, some subscription companies provide additional customizable options.
Drinking a specialty coffee that has been produced in the right way, and with all the added value that the supply chain aggregates, is the basis of a great experience.
Matt Milletto, Water Avenue Coffee
Unique offerings include tasting notes to go with your order, size selections, coffee flights, facts about your coffee’s origins, and bonus products.
Related: Best Jamaican Blue Bottle Coffee Beans
1. Driftaway Coffee – The Speedy Subscription
Best For: The super-involved coffee drinker who wants to be able to customize every aspect of their subscription from shipping speeds to the amount of coffee per package.
Specifications
First order comes as a tasting kit
- 8oz – 2lb bags
- Six grind sizes available
How it works: Choose from whole bean, ground, or whole bean mystery kit (which won’t list the origin or tasting notes). The next step allows you to choose both size and frequency so that don’t get more beans than you need. Sizes range from 8oz to 2lbs, with shipping everyone week, two weeks or once per month. You also have the chance to upgrade from free First Class shipping to Priority shipping if you want your beans at peak freshness. Priority shipping is automatically included on some subscriptions.
Pricing: With so many subscription options available, prices vary significantly. If you’re buying an 8oz bag with no ongoing subscription, you’ll be paying $32.00 per pound. If you’re buying 2lb bags and pay a year in advance, your price per pound comes down to $18.00.
What Makes It Stand Out? Can choose your shipping speed and even get same-day orders.
2. Atlas Coffee Club – The Globe-Trotter Subscription
Best For: Adventurous coffee lovers who want to take a trip across the globe with every sip of their coffee.
Specifications
Comes with flavor notes, a postcard, and brewing tips
- 6oz – 24oz bags
- Choice of roast profile
How it works: Select your shipment size from 6oz, 12oz of 24oz. The 24oz option ships as two 12oz bags to keep your coffee fresher, longer. If you need more, you can get more 12oz bags added. If you have a roast preference you can choose from light/medium or medium/dark, or opt for all roast profiles. You get the choice of whole beans or ground, but no choice of grind size, which isn’t going to work for everyone.
Pricing: It’s simple and based purely on the amount you buy, with no options to save by paying advance. 6oz will cost you $9, 12oz is $14 and any number of 12oz bags will be added at the same price.
What Makes It Stand Out? Coffee comes with flavor notes, a postcard, and brewing tips.
3. Bean Box – The Farm-To-Cup Subscription
Best For: Small-batch roasting fans that want a little variety in their subscription by being able to sample an assortment of their favorite beans.
Specifications
Coffee from 30 local small-batch roasters
- 4 x 1.8oz tasting bags
- Lets you skip months
How it works: Each month you’ll receive taster packs of four different coffees. The only thing you need to choose is your roast profile and whether you want whole beans or ground coffee.
Pricing: A simple $16.50 with free shipping.
What Makes It Stand Out? They work exclusively with 30 of Seattle and Portland’s top-rated, small-batch roasters that strictly promote farm-to-cup sourcing and hand-roasting techniques (3).
4. Angels’ Cup – The Coffee-Knowledge Class Subscription
Best For: Binge coffee drinkers who want to try literally everything and develop their palate.
Specifications
Best for binge coffee drinkers
- Has its own app that lets you make notes on the coffees you get
- Also sends you blind tastings
How it works: You’ll get a choice of beans or ground (with two grind sizes, shipping frequency and roast profile. Though the idea is that your never get the same coffee twice, dark and medium roasts are rotated less often, so if you get a weekly subscription, you will see repeats.
Pricing: Costs start at $9.99 for the Cupping Flight option, up to $17.99 for the Black Box. Shipping is extra.
What Makes It Stand Out? Has its own app that lets you make notes on the coffees you receive and then compare those to taste notes made by a roastmaster to help you develop your coffee knowledge.
5. MistoBox – The Hand-Holding Subscription
Best For: People who like a lot of options when it comes to their coffee order but want help from an expert to help select the best coffees for you.
Specifications
Personalized orders from coffee curators
- 12oz bags
- Browse and adjust upcoming coffees
How it works: Though you do end up with a personalized selection, you start off with the basic subscription choices: whole or ground, roast and frequency, plus a couple of other choices you don’t see so much, such as single origin/blend and whether you take your coffee black, with cream or with sugar.
Pricing: It starts at $10.95 plus shipping if you opt in for a 12-month subscription.
What Makes It Stand Out? Matches you with a coffee curator to personally select coffees just for you.
6. Turntable Kitchen – The Musically-Inclined Subscription
Best For: Coffee drinkers who like their cup of coffee paired with a side of sweet vinyl.
Specifications
Includes coffee, vinyl and a mixtape
- 12oz bags
- No options available
Music-loving coffee addicts beware – Turntable Kitchen’s great coffee and vinyl pairings are coming for you. Although this coffee subscription service has limited options when it comes to customizing your order, this monthly subscription comes with 12 oz of craft coffee, tasting notes, a 7” record featuring an upcoming artist, AND a digital mixtape.
Not a bad deal, right?
How it works: There’s nothing to do but click “subscribe” here. All of your choices, from the beans to the bands, are in the hands of Turntable Kitchen.
Pricing: Only $30 per month, plus $5 shipping.
What Makes It Stand Out? You get a vinyl record and digital mixtape with your monthly package of coffee.
7. JavaPresse – The Tree-Hugger Subscription
Best For: Nature-loving coffee drinkers who like to know where their beans are coming from, how they’re grown, and that they’re environmentally friendly.
Specifications
All organic coffees
- 12oz bags
- Ships within 2 hours of roasting
JavaPresse values providing its customers with ethically-sourced, organic coffee from sustainable family-owned farms. This is one of the more globe-conscious subscriptions that only ships out all-natural, additive-free, specialty-grade coffee—so you know it’s the good stuff.
Another bonus is that they ship out within 2 hours from roasting and your order arrives in a quick 48 hours straight to your door.
How it works: There’s no option for ground coffee here, only whole beans. But you will get to choose your roast preference – or select “Brewer’s Choice” to get a roast that’s tailored to the particular bean. Shipping is done either every two weeks or once a month.
Pricing: A single bag subscription costs $18.99 per shipment.
What Makes It Stand Out? Sends you organic, non-GMO coffee with no additives and sourced from family-owned farms.
8. Crema.co – The Whole-Body Experience Subscription
Best For: People who like to use all their senses to take in their coffee.
Specifications
Coffee from independently-owned roasters
- 10oz – 5lb bags
- Choose your own coffees
If you rely on more than just your taste buds to pick out your coffee, Crema.co’s subscription is the choice for you (6). You get to create your very own coffee playlist based on your favorite flavors, roast types, and more. Subscriptions conveniently come in every five days, two weeks, monthly, or you can even pick your own package frequency.
Tate wanted to illustrate the excitement of coffee’s origin by including photos of bean farmers, farm history, and the nuances of specific coffee regions.
Jimmy Sherfey, Eater.com
Crema.co also only sends you coffee from small-batch artisan coffee roasters and lets you learn about the people who grew your beans on their website. Other perks include free shipping to customers located in the United States and the option to pause your subscription whenever needed.
How it works: The experience starts with a quiz to get to know about how you like your coffee, with everything from brewing method to adventurousness and tasting notes. Rather than Crema sending you coffees based on this profile, the quiz presents you with a list of coffees you can select from.
Pricing: You pay for the exact coffee that you select, with prices starting at $15.99 per 10/12oz bag.
What Makes It Stand Out? Get to create your very own coffee playlist based on your personalized preferences in flavor, coffee type, tasting notes, and roast type.
9. Blue Bottle Coffee – The Super-Fresh Subscription
Best For: Those who want to receive a bag of coffee at its peak of freshness.
Specifications
Customize for single origin, blends or espresso
- 6oz, 12oz or multiples of 12oz bags
- Shipped within 48 hours of roasting
With a roasting facility and more than one coffee shop in Oakland (and a lot more around the world, this coffee subscription company has a unique niche. They let you choose your subscription plan based on whether you prefer blended, single-origin, or espresso beans—all of which come from sustainable farms and are sourced by hand (8). Every one of your packages is roasted to order and shipped within 48 hours.
Blue Bottle is helping lead a caffeinated charge that first gathered momentum on the West Coast, in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle
Michael Copeland, Fortune
You also can choose to have your subscription sent every week, two weeks, three weeks, or month. Unlike a lot of other coffee subscriptions, this one also gives you the option to be sent decaf coffee beans if you like the flavor of coffee but not all the caffeine.
How it works: Just as with Crema.co, you’ll need to take a quiz to find your ideal “coffee match”. The questions here include the brew method, how dark you like your coffee, and even what kind of salad dressing you like! Again, you’ll be presented with a list of coffees to choose from.
Pricing: A 6oz bag is $13, while the standard 12oz bag will cost you $22. Shipping is included.
What Makes It Stand Out? This subscription offers certified organic coffee shipped within 48 hours of roasting.
10. Trade Coffee – The Educational Subscription
Best For: Newbie, intermediate, or expert-level coffee drinkers who want to be able to choose their involvement level in the selection process.
Specifications
Access to 400+ specialty coffees
- 12oz bags
- Shipped within 24 hours of roasting
Instead of grouping their subscribers into one big category, Trade Coffee knows that no two coffee drinkers are the same and we’re all at different stages when it comes to coffee knowledge.
How it works: The Trade subscription is yet another that works by using a quiz to match the customer with a coffee from their 400+ coffees. You choose whether you want to receive more of the same, or get a new coffee every time.
Pricing: Gift subscriptions cost $20 per bag (minimum 2), but regular subscribers pay depending on the coffee type. Shipping is free.
What Makes It Stand Out? You can choose your experience level and brew method when making coffee selections.
12. Nomad Coffee Club – The Nomad’s Subscription
Best For: Those who want to try different single origins from fair trade, sustainable farms across the globe.
Specifications
Fair trade, sustainably sourced coffee
- 12oz bags
- Shipped within 48 hours of roasting
You can always look forward to super fresh coffee from the Nomad Coffee Club because they guarantee you’ll receive it no more than 4 or 5 days after roasting. You can also choose between blended, single-origin, or espresso coffee beans depending on your personal preferences. Each coffee is ethically-sourced and your order always arrives according to your schedule.
Additionally, if you ever need to modify or cancel your subscription, you can do so easily online. Another unique benefit of ordering from Nomad Coffee Club is that they offer longer subscriptions if you don’t want to receive your order as frequently as some similar clubs.
How it works: All you need to do here is choose how long you want your subscription to be. But if you do sign up for more than a month, you will have the option to adjust your delivery schedule.
Pricing: $19 for a single month, with discounts for locking in longer subscriptions.
What Makes It Stand Out? You get a different whole bean coffee every month from a fair trade sustainable farm and your order is shipped out shortly after being roasted.
The Verdict
Atlas Coffee Club is by far our top choice for the best coffee subscription based on its huge popularity and many customizable options. This crowd favorite is sure to please any coffee addict whether they’re new to the coffee game or an expert barista. Rather than just serving you a product, Atlas Coffee Club also creatively offers you an experience by transporting you across the globe to learn about the origins of your coffee as well as different flavor profiles.
This subscription is also very affordable considering the level of personal touches it offers and won’t empty your pockets if you’re looking for something with a little more value without the huge price tag. If you want something even cheaper, consider Bottomless Coffee.
FAQs
The best coffee to buy online, in terms of flavor, depends on your roast, brand, and price preferences but it’s best to buy whole bean bags of freshly roasted coffee. By getting fresh whole beans and grinding them yourself, you’ll get the maximum flavor from your coffee and be able to choose your ideal grind.
The healthiest coffee you can buy will be made with Arabica USDA certified organic beans. These types of dark roasted beans have lower levels of acrylamide which is a substance that has been linked to DNA mutations and increased cancer risks.
The best selling coffee brand on our list is Blue Bottle Coffee. Not only is this subscription top-rated by coffee lovers everywhere, but it also offers coffee sourced by hand.
The best club, in our opinion, is the Atlas Coffee Club. Their subscription provides you with 12 ounces of fresh coffee each month along with several other goodies including flavor notes, brewing tips, and a postcard from the country where your coffee was sent.
The best ground coffee to get varies depending on your flavor preferences but a crowd favorite is the ground coffee sold by Death Wish Coffee Co. This ground coffee is considered to be the world’s strongest coffee which justifies its huge popularity among coffee drinkers across the globe. Just don’t go drinking the whole bag at once!
- What Is “Third Wave Coffee”, & How Is It Different to Specialty? (2018, October 8). Retrieved from https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/04/third-wave-coffee-different-specialty/
- Nice Package: Atlas Coffee Club. (2017, September 8). Retrieved from https://www.geekwire.com/2014/bean-box/
- Soper, T. (2014, October 16). Bean Box: A collection of coffee from Seattle roasters, delivered to your door each month. Retrieved from https://www.geekwire.com/2014/bean-box/
- Chantal, N. (2017, July 30). Angels’ Cup connects coffee and technology. Retrieved from https://rollingout.com/2017/07/30/angels-cup-connects-coffee-technology/
- Levitt, S. (2015, August 6). How MistoBox Survived the ‘Shark Tank’. Retrieved from https://www.success.com/how-mistobox-survived-the-shark-tank/
- Sherfey, J. (2016, February 16). Review: The 4 Best Online Coffee Subscription Services. Retrieved from https://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/2/16/11011314/best-online-coffee-delivery-subscription-mistobox-angels-cup-crema-craft
- Copeland, M. V. (2014, July 30). Blue Bottle: The best coffee you may ever drink. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2011/09/23/blue-bottle-the-best-coffee-you-may-ever-drink/
Coffee expert and industry insider, I’ve dedicated years to mastering the art and science of coffee making. From scrutinizing particle fineness to evaluating burr shapes, I delve into the minutiae that elevate coffee from good to exceptional. Whether it’s a complex pour-over or a robust espresso, my insights cater to those who don’t just drink coffee, but experience it.