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By
Bryan Huynh
Key Takeaways
Coffee subscriptions allow coffee lovers to sample a variety of globally sourced beans and roasts that they normally might not be inclined to try. These subscriptions are a way for a coffee company to put their best foot forward by introducing subscribers to their most desirable and rarest blends. The subscriptions offer various coffee options that are delivered directly to the subscribers' doors. Among the choices are single or multi-roast subscription boxes and other delicious options based on the subscribers' needs.This article looks at Driftaway and Peace Coffee clubs to determine the consumer's best bet regarding related subscriptions.
Coffee subscriptions are a worthy investment for the coffee lover, but selecting which service to go with should be an educated decision to assure the best value for the money. Both Driftaway Coffee and Peace Coffee offer subscription services for their customers, and both provide different options worthy of consideration. Choosing the best one for a particular investor can be challenging, especially if that person is passionate about drinking coffee. Fortunately, coffee subscriptions offer the opportunity to cultivate one's passion for coffee while learning more about the world of coffee beans and how the beans are cultivated, roasted, packaged and brewed.
We've taken the opportunity to review Driftaway and Peace Coffee subscriptions to help you decide which one you'd rather try. Both companies provide their customers with high-quality blends of freshly-roasted coffee beans. Both companies offer a wide variety of beans as well, but Driftaway comes out ahead, in terms of providing each customer with custom-curating options, while Peace Coffee appears to go a step further in addressing environmental issues.
Let's take a look at both subscription services and see how they measure up to one another.
Driftaway Coffee subscription rates range from $10.29 per bag to $34.00. On average, an 8 ounce bag of Driftaway Coffee begins at $14.40. Subscription prices vary according to different factors, such as the frequency of delivery, as well as the type and amount of coffee ordered. Customers are offered the option of paying per individual shipment, or can pre-pay for six-month subscriptions or year-long subscriptions. The longer the duration of the subscription, the lower the price of coffee beans.
Driftaway believes in keeping its customers abreast of the history of the coffee they drink, so it includes a printed story behind each variety of bean that it sells, and useful environmental impact statements to help consumers make more responsible choices. The story gives details about the farmers who grow the beans, the manner in which the beans are harvested and processed, their impact on the local community and other factors that may be instrumental in helping consumers make better choices about their coffee.
Driftaway Coffee is well-reputed for its expertise in the area of specialty coffee that is difficult to find elsewhere. It was founded by two coffee-passionate individuals, which resulted in the emergence of a popular source of artisanal beans that adds a fresh taste to the coffee subscription experience.
Potential subscribers begin their experience with Driftaway via an educational video chat with a coffee professional. This enables them to gain greater insight into the different varieties of coffee, and to ask questions about them. The information gained through the video chat is used to curate a personalized subscription that can be refined to match the subscriber's palate as time passes. The consultation is voluntary, and customers may elect to simply pick the blends that they want and place an order without it.
Driftaway's Explorer Box" arrives at subscribers' doorsteps with five unmarked coffees from around the globe inside. Customers can schedule their tasting session mentioned above, or can have a private tasting without professional input. The company provides a card that enables subscribers to jot down their preferred coffees and to curage the types of coffee they want to receive in the future.
In addition to the "explorer" subscription, subscribers can also purchase individual coffee varieties or buy them in bulk, wholesale. As an aside, Driftaway offers customers a chocolate and coffee pairing kit that makes a fabulous gift for chocolate and coffee-loving friends.
Driftaway encourages direct partnerships with coffee cultivators that assures fair prices in the process of creating an ecologically sustainable business. They carefully select beans from global sources using a technique called, "Farm to Cup", which guarantees that each sip repeats a narrative about where it came from and the work that went into producing it. This is a coffee company that roasts its beans in small batches and tailors its subscription choices to individual needs, with a focus on freshness and flavor.
Driftaway coffee subscriptions offer customers a vast range of fresh, flavorful, single-origin coffee from global growers. Consumers' coffee profiles are determined via use of a tasting kit which is issued with the first order, and used for subsequent coffee shipments. The coffee is attractively packaged and is personalized specifically for the customer. The plastic-free packaging is fully compostable. The coffee comes in various sizes and shipping frequencies, which are determined by the subscribers and that can be changed at will through the membership portal on their website.
Driftaway is committed to operating a sustainable coffee service, and donates a portion of their sales to coffee sustainability efforts.
Driftaway controls the quality of the beans that they provide by roasting them themselves. This enables the company to precisely control the roast levels of every batch they sell. By roasting the beans themselves, they can affect different roast profiles that highlight the various flavors inherent in the beans. Lighter roasts feature the nuances of the coffee bean itself, while the darker blends are flavor-forward with dominant tastes.
Driftaway Coffee subscriptions offer customers extra features, such as a cold brew option, which begins with a tasting kit of cold brew bags. The company also offers a gift subscription option, which contributes to the company's dedication to offering a more versatile service.
The Driftaway Coffee website is a user-friendly, well-designed site that offers easy ways for its customers to manage their subscriptions. When subscribers have questions or concerns, Driftaway provides email support. An iPhone app is also available for greater convenience.
Prices for a Peace Coffee subscription vary depending on the variety, amount and frequency of shipping. The company offers new subscribers a 30% discount and free shipping on their first orders. They also offer a 15% discount and free shipping on their bulk coffee subscriptions.
Peace Coffee offers free standard shipping for all orders over $40, whether for individual orders or subscriptions. Otherwise, standard shipping rates apply. The company's most popular bulk blend costs $72.25 for five pounds.As a company, Peace Coffee got the ball rolling as a small operation.
However, their dedication to quality and high ethical standards catapulted them to prominence in the world of coffee beans as their reputation for excellence became better known.
Today, Peace Coffee prides itself on selling coffee beans that are not just consumer products. These beans make a prominent statement about the company's commitment to ethical sourcing, care for the environment, and support from their community. The ripple effect that the company has had on the industry has inspired others to follow in Peace Coffee's footsteps to prioritize their workers, farmers, customers and staff, as well as to honor the planet while still turning a profit.
Above all, Peace Coffee focuses on quality. From the types of beans that are planted, to the methods used in their cultivation, Peace Coffee meticulously chooses each bean and takes care to bring out its unique flavors and aromas. They offer everything from light, fruity coffees to dark, chocolate undertones that satisfy a more knowledgeable palate.
Peace Coffee is a better subscription option for coffee lovers who are familiar with various beans and blends, and who understand what they like and want to have. A Peace Coffee subscription enables subscribers to select the coffee varieties they prefer and to custom-build each order. However, those customers who aren't familiar with the beans and aren't sure what to select will still need to make choices, because Peace does not curate subscribers' boxes as Driftaway does. However, they make it as easy as possible for customers to choose by offering extensive information about each of its 14 bean varieties.
Like Driftaway, Peace Coffee hand-selects and roasts its own coffee blends and offers a wide selection of beans from which to choose. The brand is exclusive to Peace Coffee, which does not sell beans from different brands or growers.
One of the first things that Peace Coffee subscribers notice upon arrival of their coffee is the complex and comforting aroma of the beans. This is because Peace carefully selects and crafts their coffee from ethically sources and roasts each bean to perfection according to the company's standards of commitment to sustainability and highest quality.
Customers are provided options for selecting beans that range from light roasts to dark. Several decaffeinated options are offered as well. They don't have to stick to one kind of coffee, as Peace enables them to select more than one blend at a time. The beans are available as whole beans or ground beans in coffee pods. Customers are also allowed to choose the amount of coffee they want, up to five pounds, as well as how often they want to receive it. Shipments may be paused for up to three months, if desired.
The company also offers a seasonal subscription offer, which focuses on the current roast for a given season. This option does not allow customization, and it rotates all year long.
The goal for Peace Coffee is not a narrative that focuses on great tasting coffee. This is a company that attempts to make a difference to the planet. With each bag of coffee that is sold, coffee-farming communities are empowered by the support of the fair trade practices to which Peace Coffee adheres. Each cup not only tastes good, it does good for the world.
Peace Coffee not only produces delicious, high-quality coffee. The company is a high-scoring B Corp company, which is a for-profit entity certified by B Lab, a non-profit organization that is in the business of certifying businesses that meet specific, high standards of environmental performance, social responsibility, transparency to consumers and that is accountable for its actions as a business. This is a distinguished honor that is very difficult to achieve in the coffee business. It begins with an intensive impact assessment that must attain a score of at least 80. The average score for this assessment is 50.9. Peace Coffee scored 118.7, which is over double the average score.
Both Driftaway and Peace Coffee offer high quality, house-roasted coffee beans at lower subscription rates.
Both Driftaway Coffee and Peace Coffee address sustainability, but Peace Coffee attained the prestigious B Lab certification documenting its high standards, while Driftaway donates a portion of its sales to long-term coffee sustainability. Driftaway also offers the opportunity for customers to send notes directly to the very farmers who grew their coffee.
Driftaway offers a custom video chat tasting experience with a professional coffee expert and uses the information to custom curate their subscription boxes.
Peace Coffee does not offer custom curation, but provides ample information to help customers curate their own coffee experiences.
Both Driftaway and Peace Coffee offer competitive pricing that can include free shipping under specific circumstances, but Peace Coffee stresses bulk purchases.
Driftaway Coffee places emphasis on offering varieties of coffee beans that are rare or difficult to find, while Peace Coffee offers greater variety and stresses the importance of its connection with the earth and helping business be more sustainable.
Driftaway focuses more on small batch varieties of coffee and lets customers chose between self-guided or professionally-guided tastings.Peace Coffee offers more varieties of beans, but Driftaway offers more options for forms, such as decaffeinated blends, coffee pods and sachets that are similar to tea bags.
Both Peace Coffee and Driftaway offer cold brew subscription options, but Driftaway offers optional mesh bags with theirs.Both Driftaway Coffee and Peace Coffee offer excellent customer service options and subscription options that enable the customers to control the frequency, variety, costs and other options.
Bryan Huynh
Product Tester & Writer
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.
Edited by:
Bryan Huynh
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Product Tester & Writer
