The Best Coffee Club Subscriptions for Gifts

If you know someone who just can’t go without their morning cup of coffee, you’ve already stumbled across a great gift idea. Instead of just buying them a mug or a single bag of high-end coffee, consider a coffee club subscription. This gives them multiple months of coffee delivery straight to their door. You control exactly how much you want to spend by purchasing a set number of months at an affordable price. There’s no need to be a coffee drinker yourself since the club will do the hard work of selecting the right beans based on the preferences of the recipient. Before you commit to gifting a coffee club subscription, find out how they work and which companies offer the best ones.

How Do Coffee Subscriptions Work?

As the name suggests, coffee subscriptions work the same as any other monthly or weekly delivery club. You choose a delivery frequency, the amount of coffee delivered, and other details. The company offering the subscription handles the rest. Instead of shipping grounds that have sat around for weeks and lost their freshness, most of today’s top coffee club companies roast and grind right before shipping. This ensures freshness and will delight the gift recipient, especially if they’re used to grocery store coffee grounds that can spend months in storage. You can usually find flexible terms that allow you to purchase one, three, six, or 12 months of delivery at a time. Other clubs allow you to sign up and end the subscription as you please, letting you control the cost and size of the gift.

Who Might Enjoy the Gift of Monthly Coffee?

Monthly coffee club subscriptions make great gifts for practically anyone in your life who enjoys a daily cup of coffee. If you know someone who doesn’t currently drink coffee but has expressed an interest in it, many of these subscriptions include a starter kit that eases the gift recipient into the brewing process. Consider sending a monthly coffee gift to:

• Your parents to thank them for getting up early to cook you breakfast all those years
• Your boss for recognition of their hard-working attitude
• Your co-workers that you don’t know well beyond their visits to the office coffee maker
• Your far-flung family members who would love to receive monthly care packages
• Your mentor or teacher that could always use a pick-me-up
• Your coffee shop obsessed friends that haven’t quite nailed the art of brewing up a perfect cup at home.

What to Look for in a Subscription Service

First, consider whether the gift recipient might prefer whole beans or ground coffee. Many companies offer options for either, but some only specialize in one or the other. If you’re going to send ground coffee as a gift, make sure the company only grinds it when the order is ready to go out.

Second, look for a coffee club that gives the recipient control over the roast level and grind texture. Some allow you to pick when selecting a subscription, while other services will contact the recipient and build a profile based on their preferences. Consider how much you know about the person’s preferences and go with a company that will contact them if that makes the gifting process easier for you.

Next, consider more than just the monthly price of the subscription. Check out how much coffee you’re sending for the price. Some gifts may include as little as 6 to 8 ounces of coffee at the lowest level. Most companies start out with a 12-ounce package and offer more from there. Working out the cost per ounce of coffee will help you find a subscription that provides the most bang for your buck.

Moving on, pick a good frequency for the gift subscription. If you’re sending the gift to someone who drinks a lot of coffee, weekly or bi-monthly deliveries make sense. For beginners and those who only have a cup in the morning, a monthly delivery is probably plenty. You don’t have to replace every cup they drink either just to give them a taste of high-end coffee beans from around the world.

Speaking of quality, decide whether your gift recipient will prefer a single-origin bean or a blend made by a master roaster. Blends tend to have a more balanced flavor with less distinct acidity, but they don’t always have the unique flavors that can be found in single-origin coffee. Many coffee clubs include both so you don’t always have to make this choice beforehand.

Finally, consider if ethical sourcing and environmental growing methods are a priority for the person who will be drinking the coffee. Many subscriptions focus on fair trade and ethically sourced beans to better support both the planet and the people responsible for growing and harvesting the coffee.

Gifts to Give Along with Coffee Club Membership

If you’re planning to send a monthly coffee club subscription to someone who is new to coffee, you may want to gift them a coffee maker of some kind as well. A countertop drip machine is the standard option, but a French Press or Moka Pot is often more stylish and may even cost less. At the very least, consider a special mug or a customized set of stirring spoons. Gift recipients who have a sweet tooth will appreciate a package of special infused sugars and creamers to round out the coffee they brew up. For coffee lovers who rely solely on pod or pack-based machines, a cleaning kit may make the perfect accessory gift.

Tips for Presenting the Membership as a Gift

The ongoing nature of the coffee delivery gift makes it a little tricky to wrap up and put under a tree. Some of the subscription services listed below have starter kits or gift boxes that make for the perfect initial gift. You can add in a printout or card explaining the ongoing subscription part of the gift. If you want to keep the focus on the monthly subscription, consider making your own gift card or ordering a special card with custom printing. This will make your recipient admire your effort to add a personal touch, especially if you include a photo of them enjoying their favorite coffee-based drink as the card art.

The Best Coffee Club Subscriptions to Give as a Gift

There are hundreds of companies that promise to send top-quality coffee to anyone you specify. However, not all of them live up to their claims about freshness, prompt shipping, or the origins of the coffee. You can trust that all five of the following subscription companies go the extra mile to provide a great experience. They’re all verified to offer the best single-origin and blended coffee, and each one offers a number of extras to help differentiate it from the pack. Pick a gift subscription from any of the following sources and you’re sure to make the day of your recipient.

Atlas Coffee Club

Topping many lists of the best coffee clubs, Atlas shines by providing top quality combined with surprisingly affordable options. This makes them ideal for gifting to busy students, young professionals, and coffee beginners. Each package of coffee features beautiful and unique art, making it a gift every month when it arrives. The selection draws from mostly single-source beans that come from over 50 locations. Your recipient will love the postcard that’s included which shows off the origin location for that month’s coffee. Best of all, the cheapest monthly subscription is only a little over $1 per ounce of coffee.

Peace Coffee

The flexibility of Peace Coffee's subscription service makes it one of the most popular options out there for gifting to others. There’s a quick quiz you can fill out to customize the deliveries to the preferences of your recipient. If you’re not sure of the answers, wait to have them fill it out until after you’ve given the gift. There is a wide range of single-origin and blended roasts available, and the person receiving the coffee can adjust the grind texture as needed. The company is dedicated to supporting small farmers around the world and has a wide range of extra accessories available to fill out the gift. Their subscriptions tend to cost a little more per month than other options, but the coffee quality is worth the price.

Peet's Coffee

Few names are better known in the coffee world than Peet’s, so a subscription to their best beans is a great way to please a dedicated fan of the drink. Peet’s Coffee specializes in roasting all of its beans in-house and only grinding them right before the packages go out for delivery. You can pick a delivery of the recipient’s favorite blend on a regular basis, or choose a variety subscription for single-origin beans or blends. There are even options for seasonal blends if you know someone who loves flavored coffees. A delivery from Peet’s will always be a welcome gift.

Bean Box

If you want your gift recipient to start out with a tasting of many different varieties, choose Bean Box. They’ll send multiple small packages of carefully roasted and freshly ground beans to create a real experience. 50 different roasters supply this company, so there is something new in every box. However, you’ll have to select from 12-ounce bags only after the initial tasting flight. That’s not an uncommon limitation among coffee subscriptions today. The QR code on each bag makes it super easy for the recipient to order another bag of anything they love without having to remember the origin and blend name. The package is minimalist in design and easy to read, making it appealing to display while it’s being enjoyed.

Driftaway Coffee

Like Bean Box, Driftaway Coffee offers an Explorer’s Coffee Kit that is perfect for sending someone new to good coffee. Five bags of beans will give them a well-rounded introduction to the world of fresh grounds. Your gift recipient then fills out a simple quiz to build a profile of their tastes, or they can hop on a Zoom call to discuss their palette with a pro. No coffee subscription goes further to customize what they send out as your gift. Four-ounce and eight-ounce bags help you gift coffee to those who rarely drink much of it. This highly customizable subscription service sends a message that you really care to whoever receives it.

Summary

Keep your gift giving going for months after the holiday or birthday has passed with a monthly coffee club subscription. There are companies that can deliver small volumes, multiple varieties, or multiple packages per month to make a big impact. The gift of caffeine is one that can brighten up a slow day or expand a person’s horizons. Help support the healthy expansion of sustainable agricultural around the world by choosing a company that focuses on fair trade and ethically sourced coffee as well. No matter which company you choose, you’ll be remembered as a great gift-giver.

FAQs

Which coffee subscription offers the lowest price per month?

Atlas Coffee tops the list for both the cheapest per ounce price and the cheapest options for monthly fees. Yet they also offer a high-quality product and little touches like creative packaging designs.

Which coffee club works best for newcomers and occasional coffee drinkers?

The options for small packages available at Driftaway Coffee make them the best choice for anyone who doesn’t need 12 ounces or more at a time. They also offer more customization options than most clubs.

How long of a subscription should I order? Consider how much the total cost of the monthly fees adds up and don’t forget any additional shipping costs. Most coffee clubs include shipping, but some companies may still attach an extra fee. Most people will be impressed with even three to six months of coffee deliveries, but a full 12 month subscription is always the best option.