Making coffee is crucial to many morning routines, whether you drink it black or with milk, as an espresso or as a pour-over. I spent five weeks testing and trying eight subscriptions to get my best coffee subscription review before listing it Coffee trade as the best coffee subscription overall. Trade stood out because it offers access to a vast portfolio of roasters — more than 55 at the time of publication — and styles. It’s also affordable and effective, with an easier-to-navigate website than most other services I tested.
Trade Coffee Subscription Features
Taste coffee from all over the country
Working with over 55 coffee roasters in the US, Coffee trade offers a subscription that lets you choose from the most specialized coffee roasters I’ve seen on any subscription service I’ve tested. Trade was one of the first versions of the multi-roastery subscription models that gained popularity in the U.S. and are still going mighty. I’m the type of coffee drinker who likes to try fresh, thrilling coffees, and Trade Coffee gave me the opportunity to enjoy something fresh every week. The company offers suggestions based on your orders to facilitate match coffees with a profile you might like next time. The ability to select coffees for delivery in future weeks was a feature I really liked about this coffee subscription service.
The Trade Coffee subscription offers a selection of coffees from over 55 US-based roasters.
The coffees I tested from Trade Coffee offered a wide range of flavor profiles and roast levels, including both blends and single-origin coffees. The standout for me was the Ethiopian coffee from Coffee is essential in Pennsylvania, which brewed well in my Chemex and offered a affluent and sweet flavor. I was also pleasantly surprised by the decaf coffee from Colombia that I received Methodical in South Carolina, and it was one of the most enjoyable decaf coffees I can remember.
If you’re looking to gift someone in your life a coffee subscription, Trade Coffee is a great option because it offers a variety of options in one place. Trade caters to both cool brew lovers and espresso connoisseurs, so discovering different coffees is an ongoing experience rather than a routine. Trade Coffee also provides a range of informative educational materials and brewing tips on its website, where you can also order additional coffee equipment if needed.
Great customization options
In addition to determining choices by smoker, Coffee trade It also lets users sort their coffees by roast profile (from featherlight to shadowy) and origin (like Ethiopia or Colombia). Using a few filters made choosing from over 500 coffees quite straightforward and gave me fresh ideas for what to try next. I also like the quiz that Trade Coffee asks you to fill out when you sign up. Based on your answers, Trade Coffee will suggest a profile that matches your tastes and even choose a coffee for you if you want to leave it to the algorithm — you can always change your preferences in the future. Of all the subscription sites I’ve looked at, Trade Coffee has the best balance of customization options and ease of apply.
I also liked the fact that I could choose from a range of quirky coffees. I could choose from quirky natural process coffees or ‘experimental’ anaerobic fermented coffees, either for my own pleasure or if I knew I had guests who liked something a bit more off-kilter. I enjoy both espresso and drip coffee, and with Trade Coffee I could do both on the same subscription. I also ordered a decaf for a guest who is sensitive to caffeine.
Ever Meister, a longtime coffee industry veteran, also used Trade Coffee to find the right decaf: “When I was looking for a decaf subscription, I wanted to make sure the service matched my preferences to the profile of coffees,” they say. “Decaffeinated coffee is particularly tricky because a lot of people assume they’re all the same (and that they’re all bad). I wanted to make sure the roasters I was buying from were doing a good, ethical job of sourcing, that the decaffeination wasn’t typically chemically processed. And of course, I wanted the coffee itself to taste good.” Trade Coffee ticked all the boxes.
Trade Coffee has an extensive blog and informational resources, with sections on brewing guides, coffee knowledge, and even city guides to facilitate you find great coffee on the go. I liked that these resources were available: They balanced the instructional content (“How to Make the Best Coffee with a Piston Maker”) with a thoughtful discussion, e.g. in the case of an article about critical certificates such as Fair trade AND organic.
Hassle-free ordering and delivery
The key feature of a coffee subscription goes beyond the cup, into the realm of service and user interaction. Coffee trade the site is intuitive to apply, and subscription management is clear and precise. If, like me, you don’t know exactly how much coffee you drink each week, you might find yourself over-subscribing a few weeks later, or worse, under-served. Trade Coffee offers elementary subscription tools to manage the frequency and quantity of your deliveries to make sure you’re getting your Goldilocks coffee. This can also be great if you need a break from your vacation or want to buy coffee on the go.
No matter who ships the coffee, Trade Coffee subscriptions always arrive in a elementary, red, compostable envelope that easily fits through most standard mailboxes and is delivered quickly by USPS. This was critical to me in a place where everything larger than my mailbox gets held up at the post office. With Trade Coffee deliveries, the coffee was always waiting for me in the mailbox and always arrived on time.
How does a Trade Coffee subscription compare to others?
How I Tested the Trade Coffee Subscription
I spent a month with my Coffee trade box subscription, both by choosing my coffee online and by letting Trade Coffee’s algorithm choose for me. Testing Trade Coffee was part of testing eight coffee subscriptions, evaluating how straightforward they were to apply, the quality of the cup when I brewed it, and any extra features they might have. I brewed each coffee in a Chemex and a coffee maker, and enjoyed everything in my favorite mug in the morning over the course of a month of testing.
Each coffee subscription offers a slightly different model or approach to home delivery of coffee. Some focus on variety, some focus on bonus features and extra materials, and some try to compete on the quality of the cups. I looked at each of these features separately, also assessing the user experience of ordering and delivery, cost, and whether I received the right amount. I also paid direct attention to the service element of each coffee subscription.
My expertise
What should I do if I don’t like the coffee I receive in exchange?
Trade Coffee offers customers a special service called the “First Match Guarantee.” If, after completing the personalization quiz, you don’t like the coffee you’ve chosen, Trade Coffee will talk to you about your taste preferences and send you a replacement free of charge. Remember: after this initial exchange, Trade Coffee will not send any more exchanges. You can customize future orders by rating the coffees you receive or by chatting with Trade Coffee on the website to fine-tune the coffee profile that best suits your needs.
Is Trade Coffee good for decaf drinkers?
Not everyone can handle the caffeine regimen that comes with a subscription box, and fortunately, Trade Coffee’s roasting partners often offer decaf. I was surprised by the variety of decaf options available at Trade Coffee — a decaf drinker will definitely find enough options and variety over the course of their subscription to keep them interested. I also liked that Trade Coffee differentiates between water-processed and chemically-processed decaf, which shows consideration for decaf drinkers that other brands often overlook.
What is the best way to brew coffee with my subscription?
Part of the fun of a coffee subscription can come from brewing coffee in fresh ways and exploring the possibilities of the coffee world beyond beans. Trade Coffee has a few educational resources on its website that you can check out to start learning the basics of coffee brewing. To test this out, I brewed all of my coffees on a Chemex drip coffee maker, using a Fellow Ode Brew Grinder and a gooseneck kettle. I’m very careful with the brewing parameters. I apply a scale to get the best coffee-to-water ratio, and I recommend investing in a scale and some YouTube to find a recipe that works for you.
