If there’s one thing that Roasty Coffee loves to research and talk about, it’s coffee subscription services. We’ve looked at so many different ones, and there are honestly so many great options.
The search for the right one for you, though, can be hard. That’s why we’ve taken the time to break down the similarities and differences between a few. Trade Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee are two subscriptions that we just had to compare.
Both services have awesome features, it really just depends on what your coffee preferences are. So, stick around and find out if one of these coffee subscriptions is your next cup of joe!
What is Trade Coffee?
TRADE COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION
Fresh, ethically-sourced coffee from local roasters. Free and fast delivery. Pause or cancel at any time.
Trade Coffee is a subscription service that allows you access to over 400 different blends of coffee. Not only that but each bag of ground or whole-bean coffee is roasted to order from top-rated small roasteries across the country.
You could say that Trade acts as a kind of middle-man for these roasteries, delivering great coffee to you and supporting the smaller businesses.
When you begin to sign up for the subscription, Trade initiates a short quiz that allows you to choose your roast preferences, flavor profiles, and whether you want coffee for cold brew, espresso, or more.
Through this, Trade can then suggest which bag of coffee you might want to be sent to you. Of course, you can always change these preferences and pick which coffee you want for yourself.
Another cool feature is that they also offer brewing equipment, merch, and accessories on their website!
What is Blue Bottle Coffee?
BLUE BOTTLE SUBSCRIPTION
We source great coffees, roast them to perfection, and get them to you fresh. Try your first coffee bag on us!
With the subscription service from Blue Bottle Coffee, they make sure to provide their customers with the freshest professionally crafted coffee blends.
Blue Bottle’s bags of coffee are delivered to you in no more than 24 hours after they’re roasted, guaranteeing freshness. They also have many different subscription options to choose from.
The company has a special option for those who want a standard subscription of either a blend, single-origin, or espresso bag of coffee, but don’t have the tools to make their own coffee.
This option, what they call the Welcome Kit subscription, comes with three months worth of coffee, a coffee dripper, a 90-pack of coffee filters, and even a tote bag!
How Are They Similar?
Both Trade Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee pride themselves on delivering their customers only the best coffee, so you know you’re getting delicious beans that are freshly roasted to order.
The companies each have merch and accessories available, whether it’s on Trade’s site or in the Welcome Kit from Blue Bottle.
They also let you pick your preferences regarding roast and flavor profiles. However, the way they each conduct this feature is a little bit different.
How Are They Different?
With Trade Coffee, they let you take a short quiz to tell them your preferences, but Blue Bottle has many different subscriptions based on roasts and flavors.
Trade also sources their coffee from top-rated small roasters across the country, but Blue Bottle roasts their own coffee in their roasteries located around the world.
Because there are so many subscription options with Blue Bottle, there’s also a bit less customization compared to Trade.
Blue Bottle also has the option to try out free samples before you fully commit to a subscription, unlike Trade.
Trade Coffee Pricing
When considering which coffee subscription service to commit to, it’s important to look at the different price options. However, it’s important to note that these are just the prices at the time of writing this article. Since these are always subject to change, we recommend checking out their websites for accuracy.
As far as Trade Coffee goes, their costs depend on the type of subscription you buy. For their Fan Favorites subscription, which comes with some popular, delicious beans, the price would start out at about $15.75.
However, for the Trade’s Top Shelf subscription, which has a lot of very select choices for more adventurous coffee drinkers, the price would start out at about $19.50.
No matter which option you go with, you do have the ability to tell Trade how often you drink coffee, so they can then suggest how frequently you’ll receive a new bag.
One of the great things about Trade is that you can always pick directly which coffee you want and, in that case, the cost could range anywhere from $15-$30, depending on the roaster you buy from.
Regardless, the best part is that you get free shipping on your subscriptions!
Blue Bottle Coffee Pricing
Blue Bottle Coffee prices are also based on what type of subscription you get.
The company does offer new customers a free trial that allows them to choose between blend, single-origin, or espresso, but it only lasts 10 days.
Once the trial ends, you can then begin a standard Blue Bottle Coffee subscription in either the blend assortment for $13, the single-origin coffee assortment for $15, or the espresso assortment for $13.
Of course, the prices will vary depending on what size bag you choose, but shipping is always included, no matter what. Blue Bottle also has delivery frequency options that range from every week to every four weeks.
If you are interested in the Welcome Kit subscription that we mentioned earlier, which comes with not only a supply of coffee but some handy accessories and merch as well, you would be getting a $199 value set at the price of $155.
Trade Coffee vs Blue Bottle: Which is Right For You?
We hope this rundown has helped you out with the decision for a new coffee subscription box. If you’re still a little torn, worry not because we’ve also crafted a table to make it slightly easier!
| Trade Coffee | Blue Bottle Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| Roasting | Freshly roasted from local roasters around the country. | Freshly roasted and shipped in no more than 24 hours. |
| Blend or Single-Origin | Blends and single-origin. | Blends and single-origin. |
| Customization | They give you suggestions on what coffee you should get based on roast preferences. | They pick what coffee is delivered to you and when. |
| Free Samples | No. | Yes. |
| Pricing | $16-$20 plus free shipping. | Starts at $13-$15, shipping included. Welcome Kit: $155. |
Now that you’ve seen the features of both Trade Coffee and Blue Bottle Coffee, it’s up to you to decide which one’s right for your caffeine needs. We personally love these two options!
So, whether you’re looking for coffee from one great roaster or many top-rated smaller roasters, we know you’ll love the beans you receive!
Happy Caffeinating!
