Coffee Club Comparison: Bean Box Vs. Peace Coffee

Some people drink coffee for its caffeine stimulation. Others have made the exploration of different flavors and appreciation of unique aromas a sport.

Whatever your reason for keeping coffee on hand, you may do well with a subscription coffee service. Which one, though?It’s okay if you’re not yet sure which provider to use. The answer will come to you in time. Don’t worry.

Today, we’re going to explore the differences between Bean Box and Peace Coffee subscription services. If anything, this will at least give you an idea of what to expect when you decide to have coffee shipped to you on a repeat schedule.

The Bean Box Subscription Coffee Service

Bean Box coffee costs a little more than $20 per 12-ounce bag on average. It seems fitting that you would want to order from this provider. After all, they’re located in Seattle, a city known around the world for its cultural relationship to the coffee bean.Bean Box shipped their first order in 2014. Since then, they’ve grown into a company that does more than just sell novelty coffee gifts and single products.

How the Bean Box Coffee Subscription Works

When you sign up, you first choose whether you want the whole-bean or the freshly ground beans. Then, you choose your roast profile, from the very light to the darkest you can find. Other choices include decaf, espresso and seasonal favorites.Next, you decide if you want one 12-ounce or two 12-ounce bags. Afterward, you choose how many times per month you want your product. You also can decide to pay annually instead of “as you go” and save about $3.00 per order.

You do have other subscription options. We will explain as we describe to you the Bean Box coffee experience.

The Bean Box Coffee Experience

You can make the most of your Bean Box tasting experience if you choose subscriptions that offer you a variety. For instance, you can sign up for the Coffee of the Month Club, the Coffee Around The World Sampler, or the U.S. Road Trip plan.

If you choose the Coffee of The Month subscription, you will receive one 12-ounce package of coffee every month. You can choose the 3-month, 6-month or yearly upfront payment option.

It’s possible to also order additional quantities of coffee, at least up to 30 per order. The roasts in the Coffee of The Month collection represent places all over the USA.On the other hand, the World Coffee Tour focuses on providing you with an international selection. The coffees in this sampler collection are not just from the United States, in other words.

World Coffee Tour selections include chocolate-toned dark coffee like what you might find in Latin America. Other choices include African blends that have a fruity essence, and the Sumatran roasts featuring an earthy taste.

Bean Box Pros

• Assistance offered if you don’t like a specific ground or whole bean coffee you don’t like
• Free shipping except for some expedited deliveries and one-time purchases
• Delivery frequency choices from once a week, once every two weeks, to once a month
• Sampler coffees to taste without buying an entire bag
• Auto-shipping for a specific coffee according to your preferred delivery frequency
• Coffee sent to you within one to two weeks of roasting

Bean Box Cons

• The randomness of not being able to choose a specific coffee blend
• Category choices allowed (ex: light, dark or medium roast profiles) but no other customizations allowed
• Not as many delivery frequency options as Peace Coffee
• No control over the grind level (ex: coarse or fine)
• No bulk coffee options, such as the 5-lb choice offered by Peace

Peace Coffee Subscription Service

The Peace Coffee subscription service costs about $20 for each 12-ounce bag, give or take $3-$4 during special promotions. Otherwise, you can purchase five-pound bags ranging from $75-$90 each, depending on quality and available promotions.By the way, Peace Coffee has roots in fair trade practices, and the non-profit group IATP owns it. After 1996, they began the ethical import of locally grown beans from places such as Guatemala and Mexico.

How the Peace Coffee Subscription Works

All you need to do to have Peace Coffee sent to you is choose your delivery frequency. Now, this can range from as little time to every two weeks to once every three months.If you’re not sure how much coffee you need, you can view the “help me decide” chart. It’s located on the Build Your Own subscription coffee information and order page.In case you’re curious, a 12-ounce bag of coffee at about one cup per day would last one person about three weeks. This company has a 20-ounce package option for some varieties, which may last at least a month for one person drinking a cup per day.

The Peace Coffee Experience

Since Peace Coffee is built on a non-profit, “do-good” premise, you can feel right about drinking it. You have the added bonus of receiving beans from organic sources too.You will notice that the Build Your Own coffee experience offers a straightforward order system. You can receive the coffees you know you like every month, and you can choose the quantity and grind of each type

Peace Coffee chooses several bean options. These include coarse, extra coarse, fine, pods and whole for many of their products.Your conscience may feel clear when ordering pods (single-serving coffee) from Peace too. They’re made from compostable cups.Peace Coffee also provides gift subscriptions. In addition, they make suggestions on roasts and grinds according to what’s most popular to help you in the selection process.

Peace Coffee Pros

• A “matchmaker” quiz to solidify your coffee choices
• Choice of roasting profile and grind of popular coffees
• A build-your-own subscription option for more choice control
• Chemical-free decaf coffees
• A variety of bean grinds --whole, coarse, finely ground, etc.
• A multitude of coffee delivery options from two weeks to three months–more delivery frequency choices than Bean Box.
• Environmentally responsible production practices, such as compostable single-serving pods

Peace Coffee Cons

• Not always free shipping (but for orders $40 or more)
• Shipping may take longer, depending on coffee source

How to Choose The Right Coffees For You

Before you can make a choice between the Bean Box or Peace subscription, you must consider what are the right coffees for you. So how do you make a decision from so many varieties?

If you’re not sure, turning to a subscription coffee that provides sampling options would benefit you. However, taking in as much information as possible based on your previous experiences with coffee will help you choose what sampling selections to focus on first.

Assuming you have already tried at least a few types of coffee in your lifetime, think about how you felt when trying them. Did you like the taste or smell, for instance?

Factors Affecting Your Coffee Choice

Sometimes, you just have to take a chance. If you don’t like it, there’s a good chance you can always request a replacement for the blend, roast or grind you picked. Still, you can better your chances of receiving coffee you’re happy with if you consider these factors.

How The Beans are Roasted

Some coffees come out as a dark roast, usually associated with a “bitter” taste. It’s also sometimes described as coffee with a bold and smoky flavor. Others may say it has a rich, robust and full-bodied taste.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the light roast. This type has a delicate and bright flavor, usually with a hint of acidity. It may have some floral or citrus notes, and it may just “feel lighter” as you swallow it.

The medium roast has some of the bitterness of the dark roast but the smoothness of the light roast. It’s a compromise for someone who prefers some of the best of what both dark and light roasts offer.

By the way, a medium-roast coffee might have a nutty taste. It also might measure at a little less acidic than a light-roast coffee.

Keep in mind, however, there are also plenty of variations within each roast level. For instance, some dark roasts may have more chocolate intonations than others.

The Specific Bean Grind

How finely or how coarsely the beans are ground applies to the way you prepare your coffee. For instance, you want to consider a coarse bean grind for French-press brewed coffee. Otherwise, choose a fine grind for making espresso.

The Bean Origin of Your Coffee

Coffee from different regions has distinct characteristics. For instance, the arabica coffee you find in Ethiopia might taste different from the kinds originating from Colombia, or Costa Rica.

Coffee Bean Freshness

You can make sure your beans are stored properly in an airtight container once you receive them. That will maintain their flavor. However, it also helps if your coffee is shipped as soon as it is processed.

You’re going to get better quality coffee if you choose the coffee roasts made within a couple of weeks or less. That’s a fact that will not change no matter what online coffee subscription provider you choose.This doesn’t mean that your six-month supply will “go bad” quickly. Just keep in mind that the aroma may dwindle a little bit, and so might the unique flavor tones. Choose as short of a delivery time as you think is practical for your situation.

More Coffee Choice Information

As you examine all the facts about Bean Box and Peace Coffee, remember to consider your brewing preference. It also helps to know what type of brewing methods either of these providers would recommend before making your final decision on specific roasts, grinds and subscriptions.

You also do get a brewing guide with each type of coffee and subscription you join. This will help you prepare the tastiest coffee possible, no matter what you end up selecting. Now, we’ll get on with telling you the different ways that either Bean Box or Peace Coffee could be better for you.

Bean Box Vs Peace Coffee: Which is Better?

If you want to simplify the coffee delivery process, you would do well with Bean Box. You’re just sent the next bean on the list chosen by the company according to your roast profile. There’s no complication with choosing, as expert tasters curate the selections for you.

Bean Box will also work for you if you’re curious about new beans and roasts. It’s also the right choice if you’re not particularly choosy about the type of coffee you drink. Use this service if you’re inclined to say “I need the coffee, so just send it to me already!”

You may feel limited by Bean Box, however. They do have selections from around the world, but it does seem like Peace Coffee has the advantage in this.It's either that or the Peace Coffee website is organized better than the Bean Box one. Overall, Peace Coffee seems to make it apparent exactly what you will receive in your delivery packages, and it doesn't seem as clear for Bean Box.

If you only like specific blends and want control over the types of beans sent, choose Peace Coffee. This service offers customizations via their “Build-Your-Own” program, so you will get specific coffees similar to what your palette is used to.

On the other hand, Bean Box does have gifting and sampling options. Still, they don’t seem to provide as many choices as Peace Coffee. Bean Box also doesn't appear to allow as much control over your selections.

When using Bean Box, you rely more heavily on the experts tasting the coffees for you. However, that may be alright for you if you're a "beginner" coffee connoisseur.

Further Considerations

When comparing Bean Box and Peace Coffee, let’s look at some additional considerations. As far as pricing, they’re both comparable for what you receive.

Peace Coffee seems to offer more delivery frequencies as Bean Box, in that Peace offers the two-four weeks, monthly, six weeks, or two-three month delivery frequencies.On the other hand, Bean Box provides delivery frequencies in as little time as once a week. This, for sure, could guarantee the freshness of roasts they have available.

If making sure you have a plentiful supply is more important, however, Peace Coffee would be better. After all, several blends and roasts come in the largest package of five pounds.If you still don’t know, why not try a subscription for both? Otherwise, create multiple orders offering you different grinds, roasts and blends. Do that until you’ve established a solid subscription routine based on yours or other people’s preferences.