Whether you prefer a simple cup of brewed coffee to start the day or are a coffee enthusiast who likes to savor the flavors and aromas of every cup, coffee subscriptions are a great way to save money and have fresh coffee delivered right to your door. Of course, with the ever-increasing popularity of subscription boxes, there are tons of coffee subscription options to choose from.
That being said, there is one subscription that stands out from the pack: Trade Coffee Co. Touted by coffee newbies and aficionados alike, Trade offers a wide selection of craft coffees to tantalize your senses. But does it really live up to the hype? We signed up for our own subscription to put it to the test and review it just for you!
Choosing a Coffee Subscription
First, it is essential to know what makes a coffee subscription tremendous and how to choose the best one for your taste. Coffee offers such a wide variety of flavors and brewing options, so it’s no surprise that the drinker’s preferences vary just as much. An excellent coffee subscription will naturally need to be customizable to match each customer’s individual tastes and needs.
Coffee Preferences
A good coffee subscription will offer a wide range of coffee types to best match the subscribers’ taste preferences. A great subscription will take your taste preferences and curate coffee recommendations that match your pallet while still allowing you to explore new coffees.
The next factor to consider is if you, as a coffee drinker, are adventurous or if you prefer to stick with the coffees you know and love. If you know what you want and are just looking to maintain a steady supply of coffee, a subscription plan that lets you choose your own coffee is all you’ll need.
However, if you want to explore all of the different flavors and nuances that a wide coffee variety offers, go for a subscription that will take what you like and help you explore new coffees that match your pallet while still challenging you to try something new. For the coffee explorer, a subscription that offers you coffee similar to what you already like will help you try something new every month while still making sure you’re not wasting money on coffee you won’t like at all.
Subscriber Options
One of the most important aspects of any subscription box is the ability to adjust your membership options to meet your needs and desires best. This includes how much coffee you’ll get with each shipment and how often you get a new box of flavors.
Some of us drink coffee morning, noon, and night, so we go through it fast! Having the option to either receive larger coffee batches in each shipment or to have coffee shipped more often is a must. Just the same, if you drink your coffee a little slower, you won’t want huge batches of coffee being sent too often because you’ll never consume it fast enough.
It’s vital to choose a subscription that lets you choose smaller coffee shipments sent further apart, so your beans aren’t sitting so long they lose their flavor.
Shipping Options & Pricing
We touched on the shipping options above, but it bears repeating that a good coffee subscription will allow you to adjust your shipping as needed throughout your subscription period.
A company that allows you to change your shipping as needed will make it possible for you to pause a shipment if you’ll be going on vacation or will otherwise be unable to dig into your coffee right away. The last thing you want is for your coffee package to be sitting on your stoop or in your mailbox for days on end.
Last but not least, the price of a subscription box can make all the difference in deciding which one will work for you. Some will offer a range of pricing depending on the coffee you choose, whereas others will have a set price no matter how much the bean selection changes from shipment to shipment.
In our experience, variable pricing can help you get your money’s worth in every box. When the price is determined by what coffee is included in your shipment, you are actually paying for the cost of the coffee. Conversely, a subscription with a set price may consist of coffee that doesn’t quite meet the price of the box or goes over.
Generally, the pricing evens out in the end, but it is something to keep in mind when choosing your subscription. For some subscribers, the ease of knowing that you’ll be paying exactly the same from month to month makes it worth it, while others want to know that they’re getting what they pay for.
Trade Coffee Subscription Review
Trade Coffee Co partners with craft coffee roasters from around the US and offers subscribers over 400 types of coffee to choose from. They staff tasting and testing experts to match each customer’s unique tastes to the coffee that suits them best. Most importantly, all coffees are roasted to order, so Trade ensures each subscriber gets only the freshest coffee.
Additionally, the company prides itself on sustainable and ecological practices, and they vet each roaster to ensure their coffee is ethically sourced. They even offer compostable cold brew bags to maintain eco-friendly practices from start to finish.
How it Works
When you get started with Trade, you take a quiz that meticulously breaks down your preferred coffee pallet. You’ll be asked a wide range of questions, including your favorite flavors, boldness level, brewing methods, and even how you like to drink your coffee with added creamer flavors and temperature differences.
Once you’ve finished the quiz, Trade gives you their recommendation for the coffee that best fits your tastes. You can choose one or multiple types of coffee from their curated list. Then it will let you choose your subscription package.
Our favorite part of the signup process is that they let you choose to buy a bag of the recommended coffee in a one time purchase if you’re not ready to commit to a subscription!
Selection
Trade Coffee Co works with only the top roasters in the country to ensure they’re providing top of the line coffee in every shipment. Their coffee selection includes 200+ craft blends, as well as over 200 single origin coffees. They even have an inventory of cold brew and decaf coffees to create a completely cold brew or decaf subscription.
One big downside we found in their selection is that the inventory available is based on each roaster’s supply. If a roaster is no longer supplied with specific beans, a craft coffee that you may have fallen in love with might not be available ever again.
Subscription Options
As mentioned before, Trade Coffee does let you purchase coffee, equipment, and accessories without committing to a subscription. They also offer three different subscription options depending on what you want.
The Classics
The Classics option includes a single bag of coffee based on your calibrated match. Once you have a chance to test out the first bag they send, you will get the option to review the coffee and decide if you want to continue with that flavor or try a new one. If you choose to stick with a specific bag, they will auto-send two bags of the coffee at your chosen shipping interval.
This plan lets you choose between a 14, 21, or 28-day cycle, and you can adjust your shipping timeline at any time.
The Hookup
The Hookup sends you a set of beans selected based on your pallet match for the more adventurous subscribers. After you try your new coffee, you can rate them on how well they match your tastes, and the next batch will be adjusted based on your rating. This is the perfect subscription for coffee lovers looking to expand their coffee experience!
Like the Classics, this subscription option lets you choose from the 14, 21, or 28-day cycle. Most importantly, if you absolutely fall in love with one type of coffee, you can change your plan at any time to auto-reorder, so you just get that coffee in future shipments.
Auto-Reorder
This option is ideal if you know exactly which beans you want. You can go through the taste quiz to choose your coffee or browse their expansive inventory of roasts to choose which one you want a steady supply of. You can select as many or as few different types of coffee you want and decide from a 7, 14, or 28-day shipment cycle.
Customer Experience
Trade Coffee Co strives to create the best experience for customers starting with the taste quiz, throughout the entire subscription proves. The incredibly detailed quiz is easy to take and expertly narrows down your coffee preferences. Even for two subscribers with similar tastes, the slightest changes in the quiz answers will tweak the coffee suggestion to give you the best flavor possible.
After you’ve received your coffee, Trade allows you to rate the flavor based on how well it matches your preferences. Depending on your answer, they’ll give you a new suggestion to further refine your coffees. If you absolutely loved the coffee they sent, you can easily change your subscription to keep getting that same coffee for the duration of your subscription.
Most importantly, they show how much they value their customers with sign-on deals, exclusive subscriber discounts, and free shipping for all subscription plans. Each coffee bag also includes detailed information about the coffee, the roaster, and the best way to brew it to maximize flavor.
Pricing
There is a range of pricing depending on the type of coffee you choose, and it can sometimes change the amount you pay from shipment to shipment. The per bag price is anywhere from $15-$30, covering the mid to high price range of craft coffees.
However, Trade offers free shipping on all subscriptions, which does make up for the fluctuation in coffee price. Our favorite thing about their shipping deals is that any order made within 15 days of your last shipping or orders of $30 or more also have free shipping. This means that you can still order extra accessories and equipment between subscription shipments while still capitalizing on that free shipping.
Add-ons & Accessories
As a perfect addition for coffee newbies or someone looking to explore different brewing methods, Trade Coffee offers all the equipment and accessories you need to make that perfect cup of coffee! From coffee makers and French-presses to filters, cold brew bags, and kettles, they have everything you’ll need to enjoy your coffee the minute it’s delivered.
They even cycle various drinkware in their inventory! Right now, Trade is offering the Yeti Rambler that holds 20 oz of coffee and keeps it at the perfect temperature while you’re on the go.
The Verdict
Pros:
Cons:
Trade Coffee is a genuinely fantastic coffee subscription for coffee lovers who know what they like and want to stick to it, as well as for those who want a little adventure in their coffee supply. Their completely customizable subscription plans will meet the needs of every individual, and the ability to pause your subscription or change it at any time makes them really stand out.
While their variable pricing and changing coffee inventory can be a downside for some subscribers, we’ve found that it lets us explore more coffee options than we would have thought possible. Finally, their detailed product description, roaster information, and brewing instructions provide more than enough information for those who are just beginning their coffee journey and could even help widen the perspective of coffee veterans.
We highly recommend a Trade Coffee subscription to anyone looking for a quality coffee subscription. If you have tried Trade Coffee we would love to hear from you! What Trade Coffee Subscription did you opt for? How well did the Coffee quiz match you to your coffee? What are your favorite coffee roasters?
Happy Buying!
