The Best Coffee Clubs

Saturday, September 14th

2024 Coffee Club Reviews

Trade

• Prices start at $15.75/month
• Over 450 curated coffees
• Fun quiz determines your best plan
• Decaf choices available

As a company, Trade may be young - being founded only in 2018-- but boy has it made quite the splash. As our top-ranked company selling coffee club subscriptions, Trade has a lot to offer customers, at very reasonable price points.

Partners with coffee roasters

What sets Trade apart from the competitors? Rather than roasting the coffee beans themselves and selling that as product to customers, Trade partners with hundreds of coffee roasters across the nation, from small-business specialties, to "OG cult classics”, and they always keep an eye out for up & new-comers. This partnership brokers over 450+ curated coffees to customers with so much variety, everyone is bound to find something they love.

Take the quiz

Trade's stated mission is, "Supporting local communities near and far by connecting coffee drinkers to better coffee” - and they put their money where their coffee is. Just take Trade's brief quiz, and they'll help determine which coffee club plan & type is best for you. Advertising that they pair feedback from both data scientists and coffee pros, Trade narrows down expert tasting notes, to help provide personalized coffee recommendations for each customer. Not only is this a fun and personalized approach to coffee clubs, but it also significantly increases the likelihood that you'll enjoy each and every shipment.

Choose your own coffees

Do you already know what coffees and roasters you enjoy? Trade offers to let you choose the products in your shipment (unless of course, you want to leave it up to the experts). If for any reason you're not satisfied with your shipment, Trade's customer experience team will buy your next coffee shipment for you.

2 subscription tiers

Trade offers two different subscription tiers for customers to choose from: Fan Favorites & Trade's Top Shelf.

• Standard Coffee Club, 3 or 12 months: 1 12-oz. bag of fresh-roasted Coffee of the Month. Options include whole bean or ground. You'll pay $44.99 for the 3-month plan and $149.99 for the 12-month plan.
• Native American Coffee Subscription: also for either 3 or 12 months, and whole bean or ground options. Each Coffee of the Month will be from the Native American brand line. This plan is $44.99 for the 3-month plan and $154.99 for the 12-month package.
• K-Cup Subscription: if you've got a Keurig machine, you can choose between 16- and 40-count variety samplers of either regular or flavored coffees. Each shipment includes between 3-5 different varieties, and included flavors change monthly. You'll pay $43.20 for the smaller size and $99 for the larger box, no matter whether you choose regular or flavored.
• Gourmet Coffee Bean Sampler Box: probably the most novel, customizable option offered by this retailer, this package gives you 4 2-oz. bags of single-origin coffees. As always, you can select either whole-bean or ground. Your order will be hand-selected based on your taste preferences and may include coffee from Costa Rica, Colombia, or even New Orleans! The sampler pack retails for $27, but you can get it at a 10% discount if you subscribe to auto delivery on future shipments.

With both plans, customers can choose to order a standard-sized bag of coffee (brews 17+ cups), or the 32oz bag (brews 51+ cups). You can also select to receive your order every 1 week, 1.5 weeks, or 2 weeks - and if that's too often, you can also pause your membership and/or edit your delivery frequency at any time. We also love that prices start at just $15.75 per shipment, with options to prepay for 3 or 6 bags at a time, earning customers discounts on their future products-- and free shipping on deliveries.

Caffeine-free options

Because Trade is able to offer such a vast inventory to customers, there are plenty of decaf coffee options for those living the caffeine-free lifestyle - a feature that some of Trade's competitors are either unable to offer, or only offer in limited variety. Additionally, some of Trade's top competitors, while very high quality, are limited to single-origin coffees; we like how Trade offers both 200+ options of single-origins, and 200+ options of blends. Trade even packages their products in all compostable packaging, going the extra mile to respect our planet and the delicious coffee it produces.

Catching the buzz

Despite lacking a BBB affiliation or rating, Trade has the internet buzzing with plenty of third-party reviewers singing its praises and vouching for their credibility. Mentions in Forbes, Vogue, The New York Times, GQ, Eater, & Fast Company, are just to name a few of Trade's many admirers. Trade has several gifting options for their clubs, and even corporate gifting is available too.

Top rating

Overall we were very impressed with Trade's coffee club membership. Between Trade's ambition to personalize the coffee club experience, their provision of a vast inventory for customers, and their fair prices, it's a no brainer - Trade earns Top Consumer Review's superior ranking.

Driftaway

• Prices start at $14.40/month
• Fun "Explorer” mystery box
• Works to ensure sustainability for both their farmers and their coffee
• Thoughtful and quality company

Driftaway is a very close runner-up on our list of ranked coffee clubs. Founded in 2013, this company exudes passion for quality coffee, quality experience, and has particular devotion to eco-friendly solutions. Driftaway has also received numerous praise from 3rd party reviewers appreciating their dedication to excellence.

Impressive coffee journey

In addition to impressive coffee clubs, customers can browse their inventory for single bags, cold brew coffee options, coffee gear/accessories, explorer kits, and even private, virtual tasting parties led by a World Brewer Champion, James McCarthy. In every thoughtful touch to the website, the customer experience, and even their partnered farmer experiences, it's clear that Driftaway takes you on a coffee journey like no other.

Fun mystery box

A particularly neat feature in Driftaway's coffee club membership is how the company game-ifies the coffee tasting experience for consumers. Coffee beans are gathered from farms all over the world and roasted in Brooklyn. When customers make their coffee club subscription choice, they can select the "Coffee Explorer Box” for their first shipment and receive five 2oz, unlabeled, fresh-roasted, single origin coffees. The Explorer box infuses fun, as the coffees received are unlabeled or a "mystery”. This allows customers to taste each brew without preconceived assumptions or biases. Customers are also able to note their preferences from this blind taste-test-- which can be self-guided or led by James McCarthy in weekly zoom meetings - and future coffee shipments will then be tailored to the customer's true tastes.

Straight to the coffees

Shoppers also have the option to skip the first-shipment explorer box, and go straight to receiving their choice of an 8oz, 12oz, 1lb, or 2lb bag. Customers can even choose the shipping frequency of their club to be either every week, every two weeks, or every four weeks. If all of that wasn't enough flexibility, you can also prepay your orders at 6 month and/or 12-month increments. Pausing or canceling shipments is also very easy in the account management profile.

Wide variety of coffees

Driftaway offers over 91 coffees from 26 countries around the world, and incorporates new coffees each month. Not only do they provide beans from the most popular coffee-growing regions, but they also seek to expand the customer's horizons by sending products from lesser known regions such as India, the Congo, Myanmar, and Vietnam. This ensures you can enjoy flavors that you've never tasted or even heard of before.

Information sheet included with each delivery

Along with the coffee, customers also receive a thoughtful print-out describing the farmers that grow, harvest, and process each delivered product. Driftaway's appreciation for the farmers who make such exceptional coffee is evident, as the company commits to paying farmers well above the fair-trade price for beans, in order to ensure sustainability for both the farmers and the product. We admire Driftaway's dedication to ethical processes, and the 100% honesty in their noted Transparency Pledge - a joint project amongst coffee companies, made to establish a common code for transparency reporting in the industry.

Eco friendly

With such a fun, premium experience for customers, and high commitment to ethical practices (in what can often be described as an exploitative industry), Driftaway establishes themselves as a top tier option for coffee lovers. Their additional dedication to green and eco-friendly practices further punctuates the positive legacy Driftaway makes on the market. All packaging at Driftaway is 100% compostable, form fitting, and waste free; and they work hard to minimize their carbon footprint by facilitating carbon neutral operations.

Top shelf quality

If we were to pick one word to describe Driftaway, it would have to be "thoughtful”. From website design, to the coffee club mystery tasting experience, to their treatment of coffee bean farmers and the environment, Driftaway pours thoughtfulness into every aspect of their business. Prices are a bit higher than some competitors, but their targeted audience is the coffee lover willing to pay a little more for premium coffee, to know that everyone in the coffee production chain is being treated equitably-- including the environment.

Impressive for the connoisseur

As Driftaway is marketed for coffee connoisseurs, they only provide single-origin coffees and keep all roasting in house. Folks looking for coffee blends, or the ability to experience a variety of roasters, may not find what they're looking for at Driftaway. However if you decide to join their membership plan, we're confident you'll be quite impressed.

Bean Box

• Prices start at $20/month
• Trusted reputation
• Award winning coffee curators
• Choose from 6 tasting experiences

Bean Box is a great choice for customers, especially those who may be a bit newer to the coffee world. Located in Seattle's tech scene, Bean Box's founders transitioned away from the world of business and technology, and since 2014 have sought to leverage their expertise to advance their passion - connecting every-day folks with small-batch, locally-roasted beans, and spreading the love and joy of coffee. Bean Box has an A+ BBB rating, and boasts many positive endorsements from 3rd party reviewers.

Award winning coffee curators

Bean Box's team of award-winning, and competition judging, coffee curators taste thousands of brews from the nation's top roasters, and help broker only the best quality to buyers. We love that customers have the ability to tailor their coffee club experience to their own personal tastes, and with Bean Box's team of experts at the helm, we can trust each shipment to be deliciously good.

6 experiences to choose from

When signing up for their coffee club subscription, customers first select their grind preference (whole bean vs freshly ground), and then have their choice of 6 tasting experiences:

• Curator's Choice - their team's seasonal favorites, including a well-rounded variety of new and classic coffees
• Medium & Cozy - containing notes of chocolate, toasted nuts, & "easy vibes”
• Espresso - a selection of micro lots and blends
• Light & Bright - with crisp acidity, delicate florals, and bright fruit forward flavors
• Dark & Toasty - focusing on bold and dark roast coffees (perfect for a French press)
• Decaf - provision of fine, artisan decaf selections

Easy to choose your club options

With Bean Box, customers can choose between receiving one or two 12oz bags in their shipments, and can select their order to be delivered every week, every 2 weeks, or every month. We appreciate how easy it is to navigate their website, making it simple for folks to mark preferred roasts, pause shipments, customize orders, or cancel shipments, all online.

Priced higher, but shipping is included

Prices can be a bit higher than some competitors, but are not prohibitive, and free shipping is built into the product cost. Other coffee club membership perks include: exclusive savings, 5% back in credits on every purchase, members-only promotions, early access to roasts, and surprise gifts. Aside from their esteemed coffee subscription, Bean Box also sells best-selling coffee gifts, subscription gifts, coffee gift baskets, last-minute gifts, & even corporate gifts.

Value commitment

We appreciate the transparency of Bean Box's listed values: commitment to diversity in their team, reflective of their served community; giving back to others-- whether by featuring roasters who engage in direct trade with farmers, by donations to nonprofits, or by their dedication to fair compensation and benefits for their employee base. Bean Box also encourages shoppers to reach out to customer service regarding refund inquiries, standing by their goal for customer satisfaction.

Great choice

Overall, we think many customers interested in a coffee club experience will find themselves fully satisfied with Bean Box. Keep in mind that their subscription plans do auto-renew-- but we're willing to bet that the majority of Bean Box's coffee-lovers will be so pleased, they won't even mind.

Angels Cup

• Prices start at $9.99/month
• Freshness is a priority
• Comparative tasting opportunities
• More options would be nice

Angels' Cup coffee club is good subscription for coffee newbies and experts alike, particularly for those seeking variety in their coffee shipments. Founded in 2014, Angels' Cup seeks to create frequent opportunities for comparative tasting of roasts, while also building a community of people who are all trying the same coffees at the same time, via their Angels' Cup app.

Calibrate your experience

Rather than relying on a single expert, or even a team, to tell you which coffees are worthwhile, customers can decide for themselves how something tastes, and then calibrate the experience by comparing their blind tasting notes with others. Angels' Cup's mission is to help you develop a better sense of taste; and the publishers at GQ, USA Today, Eater, TrendHunter, Uncrate, and many more, attest to the company's success in this endeavor.

3 coffee club options

At Angels' Cup, customers have 3 coffee club options to choose from:

• All Stars - where customers receive one 12oz bag of coffee, that's been highly rated from their community
• Cupping Flight - which sends four 1oz samples of various roasts, allowing recipients to better learn what they love
• Black Box - which expounds on the Cupping Flight by sending four 2.75oz coffee samples to customers, combining variety with more product

Freshness is top priority

The coffees delivered by Angels' Cup are sourced from all over the world, and last year they shipped over 500 unique coffees to subscribers. The freshness of the beans delivered is top priority, and brews are mailed out within only a few days of roasting. With their deliveries, coffee club members can select between light, medium, or dark roasts, as well as whole bean, coarse grind, or fine grind coffee. Delivery frequency can also be set to weekly, every 2 weeks, every 3 weeks, or every 4 weeks. Not satisfied with your order? Plans can be cancelled at any time, and Angels' Cup offers a 100% guarantee or your money back, with no questions asked.

Payment options

We like that customers have the option to pay per shipment, in advance of 6 shipments, or even in advance of 12 shipments. Buyers can also gift a coffee subscription, although this only includes a one-time shipment/purchase, and then the recipient can choose to opt in for future deliveries and assume future payments.

Wish list items

We also value how Angels' Cup prioritizes variety, although we do wish there was more than the one option for a single 12oz bag, considering there are two versions of, what is essentially, the variety packs. It also seems that, despite the Angels' Cup app which allows for comparative coffee rankings and notes, these customer ratings do not influence future deliveries - leaving little choice or agency for people who might like more say in their coffee experience. They also do not provide international shipping, or shipping to Canada, at this time.

Satisfied customers

For all of the described reasons, and considering their very affordable cost, customers are overall satisfied with Angels' Cup. However, they could offer a few more coffee club features, such as increasing the number of options for greater quantities of roasts, and options for customer input on future orders. Their coffee is quality though, and their virtual community is an innovative strategy to bring coffee-lovers together.

Strong choice

The Angels' Cup website is very aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly, and personality shines through via humorous quips and comments on the website. Angels' Cup may not be the premiere coffee club subscription on our list, but if you're seeking variety in your coffee-tasting experience, they may just be the best choice for you.

Atlas Coffee Club

• Prices start at $9.50/month
• Variety of coffee club options
• Affordable pricing
• Rewards program

While Atlas Coffee Club may not have the same brand-name recognition as some of their competitors, they do offer a high-quality coffee drinking experience for customers. Founded in 2015, Atlas Coffee infuses a love of travel and exploration into their subscription experience, in everything from the website design to their delivery of coffee from a new country every month.

International coffee sourcing

Atlas Coffee Club's stated mission is "to convey the diverse tasting notes organic to the region where our coffee is farmed”, and they deliver roasts from areas such as Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, and many more. While there is no rating or affiliation from the BBB on Atlas Coffee Club, mentions in New York, BuzzFeed, Eater, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and others, all vouch for the company as a worthwhile subscription service to consider.

Grind to match your choice

With Atlas Coffee Club, each month brings your choice of one, two, three, or even four, 12oz bag(s) of freshly roasted coffee, along with flavor notes, a postcard, and brewing tips. Simply select your preferred brew method when signing up (drip machine, French press, pour over, pods, espresso, aeropress, cold brew, or multiple), and Atlas will grind the coffee beans to match.

More coffee club options

Depending on your brewing method, you can then choose between whole bean or fresh ground coffee deliveries, and you can also select roast preference-- light to medium, medium to dark, or all types. You can receive your shipments every 2 or 4 weeks, and know you are welcome to cancel your order or subscription, at any time. You can even sign up for Atlas Coffee Club's decaf coffee subscription plan, or their cold brew club, to suit your preferences and lifestyle needs.

Invests in their partners

Aside from their adventurous single-origin coffee deliveries, customers can browse Atlas Coffee Club's inventory for past collections & coffee offerings, and their Atlas Tea Club is available for herbal lovers, as well. Atlas Coffee Club makes a point to pay bean farmers well above the fair-trade price, preferring to invest in their product and partners, rather than capitalize on unsustainable low costs and wages.

Affordable pricing

For customers, costs start at just $9 for a half bag of coffee, and scale up to $49 for four bags. Billing occurs on a per-order basis, in recurring fashion, at the frequency and quantity of your choosing, until you cancel. A flat shipping rate is applied to orders, although the company points out that competitors advertising free shipping, often build the cost of shipping into the product price. Atlas Coffee Club offers shipping in the U.S. and to Canada; and their rewards program lets you earn points that unlock free shipping, store credit, and more. Looking to gift the love of coffee to someone else? Shoppers can gift a coffee club subscription in 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month increments.

Good coffee club

Atlas Coffee Club is passionate, straightforward, and committed to doing their job well. They tell the story of coffee from around the world to customers, and incorporate a personal feel by providing biographies and pictures of Atlas Club team members on their website. Although Atlas Coffee Club limits their potential market by providing only single-origin brews, and limits their potential variety by roasting all the beans themselves, we think there are many coffee lovers who could easily be happy with Atlas Coffee Club.

Amazing Clubs

• Prices start at $33.95/month
• Excellent company reputation
• Hits the basics of what most people want
• Rather generic club experience

Amazing Clubs coffee club subscription is a decent option for customers. The company itself, Amazing Clubs, has an excellent reputation and an A+ BBB rating. Customer service is dependable, and in general customers can trust that the quality of the product they receive will be pleasant. While Amazing Clubs doesn't necessarily offer as premium, personal, or passionate of a coffee drinking experience for shoppers, compared to our higher ranked options, they are cost-effective and know how to achieve the basics.

Coffee choices

With the coffee club plans at Amazing Clubs, customers can choose from whole bean or freshly ground coffee. They will receive two 12oz bag selections of freshly-roasted coffees that are made with 100% Arabic beans, and which will each come from a different geographic region. Deliveries also come with a coffee-lovers newsletter, "The Daily Grind”, which provides details regarding that month's selections, coffee facts, and brewing recommendations.

Delivery options

Delivery frequency for their subscription is limited to once per month, but shoppers can choose to participate in the coffee club for durations of 3 months, seasonal, 6 months, or 12 months. You can also choose to gift Amazing Clubs coffee club to a loved one, which will provide the recipient with a personalized gift announcement that you can either send via email or with their first delivery.

Free shipping and happiness guarantee

Amazing Clubs advertises free shipping (note that this cost is likely built into the product cost), and their widely praised "They'll Love It!” guarantee, provides an easy path for unhappy customers to get their money back. Happy customers can choose to pay per shipment, or in-full and upfront. The Amazing Clubs website is user-friendly and makes it easy for customers to find detailed information and answers to any questions they may have.

Easy and affordable

In summary, those seeking a dependable and trust-worthy club company, are likely to be satisfied with Amazing Clubs. The quality of the coffee at Amazing Clubs is also likely to be decent, though may not be as premium, personalized, or thoughtfully sourced as some of our higher-ranked competitors. Amazing Clubs coffee club is an easy option, but there are coffee clubs with much more passion and enticing features elsewhere.

Cafe Britt

• Prices start at $40/month
• Limited to coffees from Costa Rica
• Most expensive option in our list
• International shipping available

Café Brit is a solid option for coffee lovers to consider in searching for an enjoyable subscription experience. Offering dependability and longevity to customers, as they were founded in 1985, Café Brit delivers premium Costa Rican coffee that is roasted in-country, and includes both classic blends and single origin brew options. While we couldn't find any BBB affiliation for Café Brit, many other reviewers indicate them as a fine coffee club to regard.

Fresh Costa Rican coffee

With Café Brit, fresh Costa Rican coffee is delivered to club members every four weeks, and can be filtered to their signature blends - including dark, light, fusion, a breakfast blend, and an afternoon blend; their single-origin coffees, such as Montecielo coffee from Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Poas, Monteverde; or deliveries can be customized to include both blends & single-origins, as well as decaf and espresso choices.

Limited quantity choice

It may be somewhat annoying for customers to only have a choice of three or six 12oz coffee bags in each shipment, particularly for those who may be new to the coffee world and aren't sure how much product they actually want or like. The choice of three or six bags also drives up costs for customers, as Café Brit is the most expensive coffee club option on our list, starting at a whopping $40+. However, we do think buyers would rather err on the side of more product than less, and Café Brit's 100% customer satisfaction guarantee provides some safety for less-than-satisfied customers to get their money back.

Not just a coffee club

On their website, and aside from the clubs, Café Brit provides an inventory for single-purchase coffees, hot cocoa options, brewing accessories, & even food (nuts & sweets). Café Brit is one of the few companies on our ranked list to provide international shipping, aside from just Canada, and there is free-shipping on all orders which contain 3 or more bags of coffee. Those who may be interested in learning more have the option to enroll in Café Brit's regular newsletter; and coffee club subscriptions can be modified at any time, or gifted to others.

Consider if you love Costa Rican coffee

While Café Brit's website may not be quite as pretty as some of their competitors, it is still user-friendly, and we appreciate the noted company values-- integrity, growth, curiosity, social awareness, and excellence. In consideration of the full picture, and the other coffee club options on our list, we find Café Brit to be a decent option to consider, even better for those who may be partial to Costa Rican roasts. However, Café Brit's coffee club plans are not particularly cost-effective, are obviously limited to only Costa Rican options, and forces first-time or uncertain customers into large amounts of product.

More impressive clubs available

If you're really interested, there's not necessarily any reason to avoid Café Brit. But there are also more impressive coffee club companies that you should consider first.

Coffee of the Month Club

• Prices start at $29.95/month
• Generic monthly club feel
• Trustworthy company
• No decaf option

Coffee of the Month club is a smaller monthly club subscription service. They carry an A+ BBB rating, so Coffee of the Month is a trustworthy option for consumers. The coffee and coffee club options themselves, however, lack in any exceptional quality or customization options.

Generic feel to their clubs

Coffee of the Month club has been around since 1994, and has established multiple other "club of the month” options (beer, wine, flowers, cigars, and more). This lends somewhat of a "generic” feel to their coffee of the month club, although it doesn't necessarily indicate poor quality or customer service.

Coffees from around the world

With Coffee of the Month, two 12oz bags of coffee are delivered to your door from international locations around the world, like Kenya, Sumatra, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and more. Packages also ship with a monthly newsletter that details your selections, provides fun coffee facts, and additional information.

Reordering is available

While all shipped coffee is pre-selected by Coffee of the Month's tasting panel, you can reorder products from their list of past selections at discounted prices. They do note occasionally added flavors to your delivered coffee, which some may find taints the purity of the coffee (though others may not mind). Customers are given the standard choice between whole bean or freshly ground coffee shipments, and can elect durations of their coffee club at 2-month, 3-month, 4-month, 6-month, and 12-month increments. Unfortunately, there are no decaf options available to customers with Coffee of the Month.

Gifting options

Coffee of the Month provides a "Happiness Guarantee”, which offers flexible subscription options, free shipping, and an easy path to get your money back. If you choose to gift someone a coffee club through Coffee of the Month, a personalized gift letter will be included in the recipient's shipment. You also have the choice to pay for your club enrollment as you go, or to prepay for the club for 1 year and receive a discount.

Better options you should consider first

Coffee of the Month club may not be a poor coffee club option for customers, but they're rather boring and lack any unique or distinct selling points. If you're making the investment with your time and resources to enroll in a coffee club subscription, or to gift one, we'd recommend first checking out one of our higher-ranked companies.