You can tell a lot about a person from how they drink their coffee, and what they like to brew at home. And if you're still brewing the limited, lackluster options from the grocery store, we can tell that you could use an upgrade. Lucky for you, our editors started looking into coffee subscriptions that would send you coffee on a monthly or weekly basis.
We found the three most popular ones: Atlas Coffee Club, Trade Coffee, and Blue Bottle Coffee. Our editors put them to the test, so keep reading to find out the one coffee subscription we'd recommend to help you upgrade your coffee routine.
Key Similarities:
- All three are subscription services that deliver coffee to your door
- They all are customizable - the delivery frequency, the size of the bag, and the form of coffee (whole bean or ground)
- All allow you to skip or cancel your subscription anytime
Key Differences:
- Atlas Coffee Club sends you a rare coffee from a new country every month, while Trade and Blue Bottle send you a similar-tasting coffee every month
- Atlas Coffee Club and Blue Bottle Coffee source their own coffee from coffee farmers and importers, while Trade Coffee resells coffee from other coffee roasters.
- Both Trade Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee have quizzes designed to pick out a certain type of coffee they think you'll like, whereas Atlas Coffee Club is designed to help you discover a wide variety of coffees and flavor profiles from 50+ countries.
- Atlas Coffee Club only sources specialty grade, single-origin, sustainably grown coffees. Blue Bottle does have a single-origin subscription, but it costs extra and focuses on fruity coffees only. Trade Coffee doesn't have a single-origin subscription, though you can choose one single-origin coffee and subscribe only to that coffee.
Atlas Coffee Club Overview:
Atlas Coffee Club sends you sustainably sourced single-origin coffee from a new country each month. With 50+ countries that grow coffee, there's a lot to discover — and Atlas makes sure you enjoy the (coffee) journey with picturesque postcards and vibrant packaging inspired by local landscapes and textiles. They act as "Coffee Tour Guides", scouring the globe to source the rarest and highest quality micro-lot coffees with the mission to introduce you to the world's best coffee.
Atlas Coffee Club is subscription-based, so each month, you receive coffee from a different part of the world - Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, India, and Ecuador are just a few of the coffee countries you'll get to discover.
Once you sign up, you can select the number of bags you would like to receive, how often (every 2 or 4 weeks), the roast level you prefer - light-medium, medium-dark, or all roast types - and ground or whole bean. They also have a decaf option, if you're so inclined.
Each batch of coffee is roasted to order, so by the time it reaches your door, it's at the peak of freshness (which means peak flavor). The taste of the coffee varies naturally from country to country thanks to unique climate, soil, and more, and Atlas breaks it down by sharing tasting notes with each shipment - from grapefruit, citrus, and baker's chocolate in the Kenyan batch, to hints of Marzipan and Milk Chocolate in the Indian coffee.
Coffee from Atlas Coffee Club is always specialty grade (that's the top 1% of all coffee grown in the world!) and always single-origin, giving you the best coffee experience.
Their coffee costs $28 for a double bag which offers you around 60 cups, or $14 for a single bag which offers you around 30 cups (both work out to under $.50 a cup). They remind you before each shipment so you can make changes or move your order date, and you can always pause, skip, or cancel your subscription anytime.
Atlas Coffee Club Special Offer
Roasts From Around The World
Delivered To Your Door
Offer: Get Your First Bag Free!
Trade Coffee Overview:
Trade Coffee delivers freshly roasted coffee to your doorstep by acting as the middle man between coffee drinkers and coffee roasters. All of the roasters they work with have taken their "Roaster Pledge," saying they'll adhere to ethical and sustainable practices.
From these roasters, Trade sells over 400 coffees that have been tested by their team. Their subscription starts with a quiz where you answer questions about how you like your coffee and if you drink decaf, and their algorithm suggests matches for you. You can then customize the frequency, bean type, and how many bags you prefer.
Like Atlas Coffee Club, Trade Coffee reminds you of each upcoming order. Their prices vary depending on the quiz results and what type of coffee you prefer. You can cancel your subscription anytime.
Blue Bottle Coffee Overview:
Blue Bottle Coffee offers subscriptions or individual bags. You can choose from blends and single origin options, and all their coffees are shipped within 2 days of roasting.
Like Trade Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee focuses on coffees that match a specific flavor profile. For people who only want to receive fruity coffees, they have a single-origin subscription, and for those who don't mind a blend of beans from different places, they offer a blends subscription. They also offer a plan designed for espresso, and a decaf plan.
You then choose the size of the bag (half, standard, double or triple). Blue Bottle Coffee's prices range from $13 to $52.
If you want them to choose the coffee for you, they also have a quiz option similar to Trade Coffee's. Once you answer their 10 question quiz, they suggest coffees that they think you would enjoy.
Once you receive their recommendations, you can customize a plan based on your preferences.
Final Thoughts:
Although Blue Bottle Coffee and Trade Coffee have quizzes designed to pinpoint a specific kind of coffee to send, we can't help wondering if that's a little too close to getting the same coffee at the grocery store over and over. On the other hand, Atlas Coffee Club lets you explore a new coffee from a new country every month, so there's always something different and uniquely delicious to try.
Coffee is all about experimentation, whether you're trying out a new brew method or exploring coffees you can't find on the shelves. If you're looking to taste what the whole world of coffee has to offer, Atlas Coffee Club is your best bet. If you're a coffee expert with something very specific in mind, Blue Bottle or Trade might be right for you.
Atlas Coffee Club makes sure your coffee tastes incredibly fresh and flavorful by roasting it to order, and to your preference. With something new in each bag, our editors agree that Atlas Coffee Club has the best and most unique coffee subscription, perfect for coffee newcomers, coffee snobs, and any caffeine fiends in between.
Atlas Coffee Club is extending an exclusive SPECIAL OFFER to our readers! Follow This Link to Get Your First Bag of Atlas Coffee FREE!