10 Best Coffee Subscription Boxes for Java Enthusiasts
Updated: Apr. 09, 2024
Whether you're bean-obsessed or a cup-of-joe newbie, the best coffee subscription boxes deliver fresh java to your doorstep
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Have you been debating giving coffee subscription boxes a try? Maybe you’ve had to suffer one too many coffee-free mornings when you realized you were out of beans. Or perhaps you’re a coffee fanatic looking for max freshness and craft roasters. Maybe you’re just someone who wants to learn about the morning beverage of choice—like how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee, and how many different types of coffee are there? No matter your reason, coffee subscription boxes can help you explore the fan-favorite caffeinated drink.
Like most subscription services, coffee subscription boxes send beans or ground coffee directly to your door on a regular schedule and run the gamut from single-origin roasters to large, heritage brands—making them great gifts for coffee lovers. It also means there’s no one-size-fits-all coffee subscription program, and there’s likely one that will fit your needs. We’ve rounded up the best coffee subscription boxes for every type of coffee lover, from the cold brew loyalist to the dark-roast champion.
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Partners Coffee
Best for: Coffee aficionados
Cost: Starts at $15
Anyone serious about their coffee will go wild over the Brooklyn-based Partners Coffee, a company that has been roasting thoughtfully sourced beans since 2012. A perfect subscription box for men or women, it can be tailored to your tastes, with a choice of nine roasts in a variety of sizes and grinds. Plus, depending on your need for caffeine, you can set your subscription schedule for every one, two or four weeks.
Pros:
- Outstanding coffee—nothing is more important than taste, after all
- Easily manageable subscriptions via text message
- Superlative customer service allows you to text a coffee expert for recommendations, suggestions and troubleshooting
Con:
- Pre-paid subscriptions last for the duration selected (three, six and 12 months) and do not auto-renew
Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co.
Best for: Animal lovers
Cost: Starts at $17
If you’re passionate about coffee and rescue animals, Grounds & Hounds might just be the perfect blend of beans for you. Their organic Arabica coffee beans are roasted in small batches and are available in a variety of blends—just select your style (whole bean, ground or single-serve pod), choose your brew, set the frequency and quantity and you’re all set. And here’s the kicker: A portion of profits from every product on their site benefits rescue pups, providing shelter meals, toys, vaccines, microchips and more to animal rescue organizations across the country. Who would’ve thought the uses for coffee grounds would expand to include saving animals?
Pros:
- Coffee club is fully customizable—you decide the quantity and frequency of deliveries
- Easy to pause or cancel
- A wide variety of beans and blends are available to choose from
- Offered in whole beans, ground and single-serve pods
- Mission is focused on philanthropic efforts
Con:
- Single-serve pods are recyclable, but not compostable
Devoción
Best for: Freshest coffee subscription
Cost: Starts at $18
Like many meal subscription services, New York–based Colombian coffee company Devoción prides itself on freshness. Its “farm to cup” program sends single-source, sustainable coffee beans from small Colombian farms to its Brooklyn roastery, where they’re roasted, packed and sold within 10 days of being harvested. Its premium beans are mailed out twice a month through their coffee subscription box and are sure to enthrall the most discerning coffee connoisseur.
Pros:
- Freshly roasted, fair-trade beans with remarkable depth of flavor
- Sourced from Colombian micro-lot farms, meaning each producer operates a micro-mill, processing and drying their own coffee
- Free shipping over $50
Con:
- Can be expensive
Equator Coffees
Best for: The eco-conscious
Cost: Starts at $16
Thanks to its commitment to paying workers a fair wage, providing health benefits, sourcing fair-trade organic coffee beans responsibly and implementing environmentally beneficial solutions for packaging and roasting, Equator Coffees was the first B Corp–certified roaster in California, which measures their environmental and social impact.
Equator’s subscription program allows you to explore a range of single-origin coffees from around the globe, signature and seasonal bean blends, curated espressos and even decaf options. As for quality, Equator has collaborated with some of the best chefs in the world, such as Thomas Keller and Dominique Crenn, creating coffees inspired by their world-renowned restaurants—so you can trust the quality of these coffee subscription boxes.
Pros:
- High ethical standards and superb quality
- Loved by Michelin-starred chefs
- Receive 30% off your first order
Con:
- No free shipping
Trade
Best for: The coffee curious
Cost: Starts at $16
There are hundreds of small, independent coffee roasters across the country (here’s our list of the best coffee shop in every state), and chances are there’s one (or more) near you. With so many choices, how can you possibly know where to start? The answer: Sign up for a Trade‘s coffee subscription, where experts hand-pick the best of the best from across the country and deliver a freshly roasted bag straight to your doorstep. You’ll begin by answering a few questions about your java preferences (or choose the “surprise me!” option), then decide if you want your beans whole or ground and how many bags each month you’d like to fuel your caffeine habit.
Pros:
- Lots of variety
- Supports small, domestic businesses
- Helps you discover new brands
Con:
- Deliveries only once a month
Driftaway
Best for: Palate expanding
Price: Starts at $19
Each Driftaway subscription starts with a box of five “mystery” coffees from around the world, so you can conduct your very own self-guided blind taste test (you can also taste test alongside one of Driftaway’s expert coffee roasters over Zoom). Once you’ve identified the notes and flavors you prefer, you can customize the details of the coffee subscription boxes, including type and frequency. Perfect for the coffee trivia elite and beginners alike, Driftaway releases new coffees every month that fit in with your favorite flavor profile, so you’ll be able to explore new beans you’re guaranteed to enjoy!
Pros:
- Explore new coffees within your comfort zone
- Company is transparent about their wages and ethical sourcing practices
- Packaging is 100% compostable
Con:
- Coffee changes every month
Tayst
Best for: Keurig users
Cost: Starts at $23
If you love the convenience of your Keurig but hate their environmental impact, you’ll love the sustainable, compostable coffee pods from Tayst. From harvesting beans to packaging, every step of Tayst’s production process focuses on sustainability. All coffee is ethically sourced from small, Rainforest Alliance–certified shareholder farms. But the most compelling part of this coffee subscription service is the eco-friendly single-serve pods. The lids are made from biomaterials and water-based ink; the ring is made from compressed cornstarch; and the mesh is made from compostable bio-resin.
Pros:
- Pods available for either Keurig or Nespresso machines
- Cups can be purchased in increments of 10, from 30 to 150
- Monthly subscriptions of 40-plus pods come with a free mug
Con:
- Not available in small quantities
Copper Cow Coffee
Best for: Flavor
Cost: Starts at $16
Fans of Vietnamese lattes, rejoice! There’s a coffee subscription service just for you. Copper Cow Coffee sources all their coffee from Vietnam, paying small farmers twice the market rate. The company packages it in single-serve filters that take 90 seconds to brew. To make your latte, just perch the filter atop your favorite mug, slowly pour in hot water and give it some time to drip through the coffee grounds. Once brewed, stir in a packet of sweetened condensed milk (available in plain, hazelnut and mocha) and enjoy. If sweetened coffee isn’t your thing, Copper Cow also offers subscriptions of ground coffee, great for drip, French press, cold brew, pour over and more.
Pros:
- Ground coffee available in four flavors: classic black, churro, vanilla and salted caramel
- Lattes available in eight flavors: classic black, churro, vanilla, salted caramel, mocha, rosemary, lavender and hazelnut
- Subscribers get free samples in every delivery
- Subscriptions can be managed easily through the website
Con:
- A lot of disposable packaging for a single cup of coffee
Atlas
Best for: World travelers
Cost: Starts at $9
A classic coffee-of-the-month subscription service, Atlas Coffee Club curates exceptional single-origin coffees from around the world. Every month, subscribers get a 12-ounce bag of freshly roasted coffee, accompanied by a postcard from the region where it’s grown, brewing tips and flavor notes. But what makes this subscription extra special? All coffees are grown on independently owned micro lot farms, which can only grow a limited amount of beans every year. This means the coffee you get is about as rare as can be, making Atlas as much an exclusive club as a coffee subscription service.
Pros:
- Some of the rarest coffees on the market
- Available in ground, whole beans or recyclable pods
- Beans can be custom ground for drip coffee makers, French presses, pour over filters, espresso, AeroPress brewers or cold brew
- Delivery available every two or four weeks
Con:
- You may not like some coffees you get
Big Island Coffee Roasters
Best for: Hawaiian beans
Cost: Starts at $38
Hawaii is home to more than 900 small coffee farms, and the only way to access many of them is through coffee subscription boxes from Big Island Coffee Roasters. Working exclusively with independent farmers across the islands, Big Island reserves its smallest harvests for coffee club members. There are subscription levels that send you one, two, three or four Hawaiian-grown, milled and roasted coffees every month. There’s also a special barrel-aged Hawaiian coffee-of-the-month subscription, which delivers a 10-ounce bag of beans that have been aged in whiskey, rum or bourbon barrels.
Pros:
- You can choose the strength of roast
- Shipping is always free and on a four-week schedule
- Taste rare, small-batch coffee not available to others
Con:
- Can be expensive compared with other subscription services
Are coffee subscription services worth it?
If you drink a good amount of coffee at home and would never consider a coffee alternative as your morning beverage, a coffee subscription service has plenty of advantages. For one, it’s convenient. You won’t have to remember to buy coffee regularly. Regularly scheduled deliveries will ensure you never run out or find yourself hightailing it to your favorite roastery last minute. Coffee subscriptions can also expose you to a variety of styles, tastes, strengths, roasts and more of coffee beans. Plus, coffee subscriptions tend to be economically advantageous.
Does Starbucks have a coffee subscription?
Yes and no. While you cannot order a subscription directly from Starbucks, you can use one of the best Amazon Prime benefits, their Subscribe and Save program, to get regular deliveries of Starbucks coffee beans, ground coffee, pods and instant coffee packets.
How much do coffee subscriptions cost?
There’s no blanket cost for coffee subscription programs; the price varies depending on the quality of beans, the size of the roastery, shipping costs and a variety of other factors. It’s important to remember that even if a bag of beans seems expensive, in the long run, it will cost less than buying coffee from a cafe every day.
