I’ve tried a couple dozen coffee subscriptions over the past couple of years. That’s why I can say, for sure, that the six subscription coffee boxes I review here are the best coffee subscriptions.
Here’s my list of the best coffee subscriptions:
- Best Inexpensive Coffee Subscription – Craft Coffee
- Best Entry-Level Coffee Subscription – Blue Bottle Coffee
- Best Coffee Subscription for Coffee Nerds – Driftaway Coffee
- Best Unique Coffee Subscription – Quintal Coffee
- Best Coffee Subscription for Cold Brew Drinkers – La Colombe
- Best Overall Coffee Subscription – Atlas Coffee Club
How to Pick a Coffee Subscription
The coffee subscription space is crowded. You have lots of choice. It’s fun to look through all the options, but it can be daunting to pick just one.
At the same time, there’s something cool about having coffee brought right to your door. It beats braving the crowd at Walmart for coffee.
I think the answers to the following four questions can help you figure out which coffee subscription is right for you:
1. What kinds of coffee do you drink regularly?
It’s important to match your coffee subscription to your coffee habits. Some coffee subscription services are tailored for a specific consumption method. If you primarily use Nespresso pods or K-cups, you can find coffee subscriptions tailored for you. Other services deliver simple ground coffee. Still others will ship roast (or even green) coffee beans right to your door.
2. How much does the subscription’s cost matter to you?
Like any product, there are levels to subscription coffee shipments. You can pay as little as $7.99 a month (for lower-end subscriptions) or many times that for the higher-end stuff. Consider your coffee budgets as you try to find your ideal coffee subscription.
3. Do you want a lot of variety or the same coffee over and over?
Lots of coffee drinkers want the same stuff over and over. I’m not like that – I like variety. I enjoy trying different blends, single-origin coffees, and even different brewing methods. My wife likes to find a brand and stick with it until she gets sick of it. Figure out which one of us you’re like before you sign up.
4. How much coffee are you expecting?
Check the amount of coffee you’re signing up for. Some services send small 12-ounce bags which are good for about 16 cups of coffee total. Put another way, if you drink two cups a day, you’ll need one of these bags a week. You can find subscriptions that send even less – as little as six ounces at a time. You can also find subscriptions that ship larger amounts. Check before you sign up.
Best Inexpensive Coffee Subscription – Craft Coffee
Among all the subscriptions that I’d recommend to people, the most affordable coffee in 2022 is Craft Coffee. You can sign up for as little as $7.99 a month. If you buy four or more bags, you’ll pay what Craft calls “wholesale price,” or about 30-40% off retail.
None of that matters if the coffee isn’t any good. I’m happy to report that Craft is shipping out amazing gourmet coffees, fresh and available in 11 varieties. Their Fascination blend is sweet, complex, and even a bit tart on the finish. It’s roasted in small batches. The roast beans fill the room with an intoxicating chocolate and cherry aroma.
I also appreciate the user interface, which asked me for the name of my favorite coffee and suggested a bunch of different Craft products. Their focus on price points is clear – Craft suggested a $7.99 blend, a $10.99 blend, a single-origin at $11.99, and even a decaf at $7.99.
Best Entry-Level Coffee Subscription – Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle offers both blends and single-origin coffees. That’s perfect for my household – we can both get what we want. You can order whole bean and grind it yourself or have it delivered pre-ground in single-serving packets. Whether you prefer convenience or a true hands-on coffee experience, you can have that with Blue Bottle.
I also love that Blue Bottle doesn’t roast your coffee until it’s been ordered. That ensures freshness, but it also means that each cup I brew tastes as good as it possibly can.
You can pick from 19 different coffees or order a combination box for a mix of different coffees.
I call it the “best entry-level coffee subscription” because it has all the bells and whistles but doesn’t ask too much of you, the consumer.
Best Coffee Subscription for Coffee Nerds – Driftaway Coffee
Here’s why Driftaway is my pick for the best coffee subscription for true coffee obsessives:
- 100% of their coffees are single-origin beans, no blends or budget products here.
- Driftaway invests heavily in their partner coffee farmers.
- They are all about sustainability, from packaging to price transparency.
- Their collection of coffees is fantastic, well-curated and representing a variety of tastes and styles.
I’ll highlight the coffee that stood out to me after a recent taste test – Honduras Marcala COMSA Co-op. It has that kind of midnight extra bold character that tells you you’re about to taste something special. To call it a dark roast almost does it a disservice.
This coffee blew me away mainly because of a strong salty note. Sounds weird, right? But it works to highlight the dark cocoa, caramel, and peanut butter notes brought out originally by that heavy roast.
Think of the salt in this bean as like the salt in a chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes the sweet stuff taste even more sweet.
You’re going to pay a bit more for this subscription than others on this list – as much as $40 a month for two pounds of coffee. But the science behind the beans, and their amazing presentation and freshness, are well worth it for people who like single-origin coffees.
Best Unique Coffee Subscription – Quintal Coffee
Looking for something unique in a crowded industry? Check out Quintal Coffee.
Quintal Coffee ships origin-roasted coffee. That’s right; coffee beans roasted at their origin in the style of the people who grow and know them. Their slogan is, “When the coffee’s alive, the flavor’s alive.”
The implication is that the time between the production and shipping of green coffee beans and their eventual roasting in a converted church in Brooklyn or whatever impacts a coffee’s flavor in a negative way.
I never thought this was a problem, but after sampling some Quintal Coffee a few months ago, I started wondering if I needed to look deeper into this problem.
For $20 a month, you get a 10 ounce resealable bag of single-origin whole bean coffee roast right where it was grown. This recently harvested coffee is much fresher than beans shipped a few months ago and stored somewhere in plastic packaging.
They change their offerings frequently. When I tried it, it was a natural honey processed Guatemalan with a velvety mouthfeel and a long note of maple on this finish. Even at a medium roast, it’s a great coffee for any time of day, and I wish I still had some in the pantry right now.
Best Coffee Subscription for Cold Brew Drinkers – La Colombe
My wife would be proud to call herself an “iced coffee enthusiast.” I’m pretty sure she hasn’t had a hot cup of coffee since college. To try to hook her up with something in a subscription box, I ordered her a monthly delivery of La Colombe cold brew.
I’m pretty sure it’s the best gift I’ve ever given her.
La Colombe uses a rotating list of dark roast Brazilian single-origin beans to make this perfect cold brew. It’s consistent, smooth, with a strong base note and just enough acid to carry flavors through a long finish.
Most importantly, it fits right in the fridge and dispenses a shot or two of perfect cold brew coffee every time she needs it. Which is pretty frequently.
I’d say this is by far the most convenient of our coffee subscriptions, since it just slides right into the fridge when the other box is empty.
$30 or so a month is well worth a happy coffee-drinking partner.
Best Overall Coffee Subscription – Atlas Coffee Club
It seems like Atlas Coffee Club is the darling of every major news outlet from WIRED to Food & Wine and everything in between.
Atlas is also my favorite overall coffee subscription to recommend to people looking for a monthly java hookup.
Atlas gets everything right – a curated list of single-origin coffees from around the world, an extensive library of tasting notes and brewing tips, and scheduled deliveries of your personal coffee preferences for a reasonable price.
The coffee obsessives at Atlas tailor your order to your brewing method (drip, French press, pour-over, pods, espresso, Aeropress, cold brew, and even multiple methods), your preferred grind type, your roast preference, and the number of bags you want per shipment.
You can also choose twice a month or once a month deliveries.
For $28 a month, you get 24 ounces of amazing single-origin beans, roast and ground to order, every month. That’s enough for 60 cups of coffee – or about $0.46 per cup.
Their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is everything it should be – bursts of bright berries alongside a velvety sweet milk chocolate base, processed naturally and roast relatively-light.
Conclusion: The Best Coffee Subscriptions
The great thing about subscription services for things like wine, food, and coffee is that you can back out of it if you decide you don’t like it. You don’t have to sign up for long periods of time and trudge your way through coffees you don’t even like.
Do you have a favorite coffee subscription service that’s not on my list? Leave a comment and let’s get the conversation going.