The Best Coffee Clubs for Students

Coffee has a long history of being used by students as a tool for studying long into the night. Just because you need caffeine for a practical reason doesn’t mean you have to settle for any old beans you can find. Affordable coffee clubs, or monthly coffee subscription plans, help you sample some of the finest coffee beans from around the world. It’s a great option if you’re just getting into coffee and want a wide range of experiences to help you decide what best fits your personal tastes. Yet not all coffee clubs offer the same value for students in particular. For the best fit for your budget and lifestyle, you’ll want a subscription service with flexible terms and low cost starter options. Consider these following coffee clubs that are all a great fit for students and young professionals alike.

Why Choose a Coffee Club?

Between all the brands you’ll find at the local grocery store and everything sold online, you’ll often find it overwhelming to get started drinking coffee. Instant granules or low cost grounds can leave you with the wrong impression of this globally popular drink. Many students are shocked at what coffee can taste like when they first try quality beans from Ethiopia or Colombia. Monthly coffee clubs take all the hard work out of finding quality coffee beans or grounds. They’ll deliver a new variety each month so you can sample a wide range of coffee without a lot of effort. You only have to receive your package and brew up a fresh cup to experience a world of flavor. If you order a generous amount of coffee per month, it’s a great way to make new friends and share your passions with students in your dorm or campus housing unit. You might even decide to go in on a subscription with your roommate to save money while getting a greater variety of coffee than you’d drink alone.

What Features Work Best for Students?

College students need a different type of coffee club than the average professional or parent. Subscriptions that adapt to your demanding course load work best. Look for a coffee subscription that you can increase as desired. You’ll be able to enjoy more cups of coffee without any effort when it’s time for midterms or final exams. You may also want the ability to pause or cancel your subscription as needed when you’re traveling. At the very least, look for a coffee club that will let you change your address so you can continue receiving your shipments while at home with your parents. Look for coffee clubs that offer high quality products at an affordable monthly price. Even if you’re getting a smaller amount of coffee at once, you’ll be able to afford it no matter how your monthly budget fluctuates. Finally, consider subscriptions that include fun extras like postcards, fancy flavored sugars, and other items that make the most of your coffee drinking experience.

Comparing the Top Coffee Club Options

When shopping around for the best deal on monthly coffee deliveries, consider more than just the amount you’re paying per month. Look at the exact amount you’ll receive as well, and how often you’ll receive it. Break down the per ounce rate for each option to truly compare them on equal footing. For example, it could be a better deal to receive 8 ounces of coffee twice per month for $20 than 12 ounces of coffee once per month for $16. Of course, price can’t be the only deciding factor. Consider the quality of the beans and the frequency of the packages, along with flexibility. You may decide that spending a few extra dollars per month is well worth getting a higher grade of coffee or having the right to cancel whenever you wish. Only you can decide what’s most important in a coffee club subscription based on your particular lifestyle.

Atlas Coffee Club

The top pick for adventurous students who want to try coffee from around the world is the Atlas Coffee Club. The brand primarily focuses on single origin beans that allow you to get a true experience of what coffee is like in places like Tanzania and Costa Rica. There’s also no need to shell out a lot of money with options starting under $10 per month. You’ll get extras like brewing tips customized to the bean and postcards from the sources of the coffee. You choose the roast types included so you’re never shipped anything too dark or light for your personal tastes. Atlas Coffee Club even allows you to pick the grind based on the type of coffee maker you prefer.

This subscription service offers free shipping on select membership levels. Over 50 different coffee growing sources are rotated from month to month so you can have a new experience every time. There are regular sales and offers that include a free month of coffee delivery or extras like a pour-over brewing device. Even the colorful bag designs will help liven up your kitchen once you become a subscriber.

Peace Coffee

If the background of your coffee beans matters as much as the flavor, you’ll want to choose Peace Coffee. This ethical and fair-trade supplier allows you to choose the single origin and blends you like the most and offers all the grind options you could want. You can adjust the deliveries to weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly to fit your coffee consumption habits. Adjust the deliveries as you like to meet your changing schedule. All orders over $40 receive free shipping, while freshness is guaranteed for every batch. The company only roasts and grinds the beans right before they’re shipped to you. By the time you finish out a shipment, you’ll have a fresh supply on the way from a company that supports the high standards for workers and the environment.

Make all the adjustments you need to address changes and frequency as needed. It’s a very adaptable service that’s ideal for students due to the amount of control over the types of coffee you receive. You can opt out of certain blends or roasts you know you don’t enjoy to focus more on what interests you.

Peet's Coffee

Peet’s is one of the top selling brands of coffee in general, and their subscriptions are a great choice for most students. Deep discounts and free shipping allow you to save on your favorite blends from the company. Choose from a wide range of curated collections that cost as little as $10 a month. Even K-cups are available in coffee club format from this company, making it a great choice for busy students with no time for old-fashioned brewing. You get high quality, freshly ground coffee no matter the monthly package you choose. Stick with the single origin series for the highest quality beans, or try the decaf collection to avoid the jitters. Other collections are based on the roast level or seasonal flavors. There’s really something for everyone from Peet’s Coffee.

This coffee club also makes it easy to send gift subscriptions to anyone you care about. It’s a great way to thank your parents for their support or celebrate a mentor’s help. Students will also love how Peet’s includes limited edition swag and a free pin with every new signup for a Curated experience. You choose the schedule and can cancel when needed with the right plan. If you decide to pay in advance, you’ll save even more and guarantee coffee delivered for six months to a year at a time.

Bean Box

Interested in whole beans for grinding yourself? Bean Box has just what you need in an affordable coffee club subscription. Each batch is hand-picked by coffee experts, which has won the brand praise for offering some of the highest quality coffee. If you prefer to receive pre-ground beans, they can help with that as well. Sign up for the free trial offer to try out the coffee before committing to a subscription. You’ll taste the difference from the very first cup.

While you can choose between whole and ground beans with Bean Box, you won’t have as much control over the exact grind, roast, or single source vs blend options. However, you’ll get ethically sourced coffee from around the world with free shipping for orders over $30. The subscription options are flexible and easy to adjust as needed to work around your schedule. With over 30 roasters represented in this company’s roster, you’ll get to enjoy the hard work of people from around the world. Depending on the plan you choose, you could spend just over 50 cents per cup of coffee. If you can’t stop hitting up the campus coffee shop, choosing a Bean Box subscription could save you a lot of money in the long run while rewarding you with a higher quality cup.

Driftaway Coffee

Focusing on single origin coffee over all other options? Look for coffee club subscriptions from Driftaway Coffee. This more recent addition to the coffee scene is based in Brooklyn, but they’re far from following a fad. They focus on roasting the beans only six hours before each shipment goes out. Vacuum sealing ensures the aroma is just as intense when the package lands on your doorstep. Students who are just learning about coffee will love the starter kit that arrives with five different samples. You’ll give your feedback on the samples and the team will build a custom profile for you based on your preferences. This ensures that you get great results and enjoy every bag of beans you open. Keep rating the coffee you receive and you’ll fine-tune the next selection even further.

Aside from a high level of personalization and communication, Driftaway offers many shipping locations so your beans arrive quickly. This preserves the quality and ensures you don’t have to go without your favorite source of caffeine. Adjust your subscription as needed to adapt to your traveling plans or the end of a semester. It’s all under your control with this coffee club.

Summary

Coffee shops and physical coffee clubs on college campuses are more than just public cafes. They’re also gathering points that stimulate the social and intellectual life of the students. When you can’t make it to your local coffee shop in person, a monthly coffee club that delivers right to your dorm room or home is a great alternative. You can transform your own place into a hangout space for you and your friends. Choose any of the best coffee clubs for students and you’re sure to find new types of coffee you’ll come to love.

FAQs

Do any coffee clubs offer flexible subscriptions?

All of the coffee clubs listed above offer some amount of control over your subscription. Bean Box and Peace Coffee offer the most flexibility to fit the needs of students, followed by the Atlas Coffee Club.

How much coffee can I receive per month?

Many of the coffee subscriptions allow you to set up weekly or twice a month deliveries. Monthly deliveries are standard, but other options are also available. Peet’s and other companies allow you to order coffee at a certain volume depending on how much you drink per day.

Are coffee clubs a good deal?

Coffee clubs often provide top quality beans at a price that is 10% to 50% lower than it would be if ordered by the pound.

Do I need special equipment for brewing the coffee?

You can brew most pre-ground coffee club deliveries in any device you prefer. Choose a K-Cups subscription from Peet’s Coffee if that’s your preferred brewing method.