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Loving coffee is much more than just a habit— it’s a lifestyle. This may sound like an overstatement to those that don’t love coffee, but for us coffee lovers, it is our truth.

Want to boost your coffee knowledge? Let’s look at Angels Cup, a coffee-learning product.

How Does Angels Cup Work?

Angels Cup is not a coffee retailer, nor is it a coffee vendor. It is primarily a coffee-education company that brings together the coffee community and makes coffee drinking much more than just a routine activity in which people casually engage.

The company seeks to create experts out of coffee lovers by equipping them with knowledge on coffee tasting. They aim to create a community where people can share notes and network with people with shared interests.

This product works simply. You subscribe to a package of your choice, and then you are mailed several coffee cups and coffee samples.

You are then guided through preparing the coffee and advised on which machines and materials you should use. Once the coffee is ready, you are asked to put your genius into play and try to determine what type of coffee it is.

With your coffee ready and your judging done you can log on to the Angels Cup mobile app, which is available at the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, to share your notes with other members. On the app, you can compare your judgment of what type of coffee your sample is and get to learn more about coffee in general.

You are free to order more of the coffee you sample from Angels Cup anytime you like, and they will deliver it to your doorstep.

With such a simple product, you get to kill two birds with one stone; you can enjoy your coffee and learn more about it. Additionally, the mobile app allows people to connect socially with other coffee lovers.

Compared to other social media platforms that are general and not focused on any topic, this platform is solely comprised of coffee lovers. You can be sure that if you make connections on such a platform, it is with someone that has at least one of the same interests as you.

Types of Coffee Available

Angels Cup has one of the most extensive selections of coffee found in this service type. This company allows you to sample up to 208 coffee samples a year with their subscriptions. With each of these subscriptions, you get the chance to discuss the samples with awesome coffee lovers online.

You not only get to relish in the taste of the coffee but the conversation that follows as well. Probably the biggest selling point of the app is the connections people form. Angels Cup makes a real effort to bring coffee lovers together through their innovative mobile app.

Unlike other services that will focus on only one type of coffee due to retail considerations, Angels Cup diversifies. This is a primarily educational company, and its quest is to educate coffee lovers on the types of coffee available.

Angels Cup digs deep to find coffee from the best roasters anywhere. They don’t limit themselves to just the US; they cross borders to far off places such as Ethiopia to get you the best coffee strains available.

With each coffee type, you get a chance to immerse yourself in the process of preparation and coffee education. A short while after joining this program, one can be expected to become a pro at coffee tasting and probably gain enough confidence to attend formal contests.

Pricing

Angels Cup has three broad subscription plans that you can choose from depending on your immersion in the program. The three are:

The Cupping Flights

This is a $10.99 subscription plan that delivers four coffee samples to your door. Each sample is 32 grams, and you also get two cups per sample.

Each cup, in this case, costs $1.38. With this plan, you have the chance to blind taste the coffee, and you can get whole beans, coarse or fine grounds depending on your preference.

The Black Box

This is a $22.99 plan. On this plan, you are guaranteed to get 208 samples each year from more than 60 roasters. You’ll receive four 2.75-ounce samples with up to five cups per sample.

Each cup, in this case, costs $1.15. Blind tasting is available, and again you can choose from whole beans, coarse or fine grounds. For this plan and the one above, your orders will arrive on Tuesdays.

Angels’ Cup All-Stars

This is a $19.99 subscription plan that guarantees you get the best coffee shipped to you directly from the roasters within 3-5 days. Like the other plans, it is delivered on Tuesday.

Here, you will have a 12 oz. bag with up to 22 cups per bag. The cost of each cup is $0.90, but there is no blind tasting, and you get whole coffee beans only.

Company History

Angels Cup is a New York-based educational company formed by two coffee enthusiasts, Abby and Jeff.

The company started with the intention of creating a community of coffee lovers online, where they could learn and share ideas. The company connects coffee lovers with roasters from all over the world.

Alternatives

• Driftaway Coffee – A coffee roast company that aims to create sustainability by connecting coffee lovers to farmers.
• Illy Café – A Italian coffee and coffee machine company that ships to the USA.
• Atlas Coffee Club – A monthly coffee club that delivers carefully curated coffee from all over the world to its members.

Pros

• Learning – Angels Cup gives the coffee lover a chance to learn about coffee.
• Connect – With its mobile app, customers can connect online.

Cons

• No bulk – Angels Cup does not have a bulk-order feature.

Final Thoughts

Angels Cup is an innovative coffee subscription service that combines a love for coffee with learning. It is highly recommended for the coffee lover who would like to build social connections, try coffee from all over the world, and increase their knowledge in the process.

Many coffee lovers are solitary people. Unfortunately, this can result in a lack of exploration with regard to the wide world of coffee varieties available.

So, how can you expand your caffeinated horizons right from your couch? Atlas Coffee—touted to be one of the best social clubs for coffee lovers.

How Does Atlas Coffee Club Work?

Atlas Coffee is a coffee delivery company that lets you join a community of coffee enthusiasts enjoying the privilege of sampling coffee from all over the world. With an active subscription, each month, you will have the chance to taste coffee from a different coffee-growing region.

To get started, you need to register on their website. The registration process is quite simple and will not take that much of your time. Click on the “Get Started” button on the website’s homepage. Once you have done this, you will be redirected to the next page where you can choose between two broad categories. On the one hand, you have the option to join the monthly club, and on the other hand, you can browse previous collections.

Since we are reviewing this service with a focus on its monthly program, let’s discuss that. Once you have selected this option, the next page will have questions that help you choose the right subscription plan. The first question is how many bags you would like shipped to you each month. You can choose from half bag (6 ounces), whole bag (12 ounces), double bag (24 ounces), triple bag (36 ounces), or four bags (48 ounces). If you for some reason need more than that, Atlas also offers custom plans.

Question two asks about the frequency. Here, the company delivers either every two weeks or monthly. Again, the choice you choose will largely be dependent on how much coffee you consume and how fast. You can adjust this setting whenever you like, so it’s okay if you’re unsure exactly how much you want.

The third option is your roast preference. Atlas understands that not everyone likes their coffee the same and allows you to select your favorite roast from the three options: light to medium, medium to dark, or all roast types. Again, you can change this selection at any time so long as it is before your package has shipped.

The final choice is whether you want whole beans or ground coffee. If you choose ground coffee, keep in mind that you don’t get to choose whether that’s a fine, medium, or coarse grind. The options are simply whole or ground, so if you have a machine that works best with a certain grind consistency, you’ll want to order whole beans and purchase a good home bean grinder.

With all the above steps followed, you can then proceed to checkout. Fill in the necessary details and enter a discount coupon if you have one. You can then proceed to pay and wait for your package to be delivered.

Types of Coffee Available

What Atlas Coffee does is help you become a coffee explorer and improve your coffee-tasting skills. Thus, the company does not stock a specific coffee variety. This club curates rich-tasting coffee from different coffee-growing regions in the world.

The company aims to help you taste all 800+ variants available. The result of this is that you become a professional when it comes to coffee tasting. This feature also means that if you are the type that loves to stick to one kind of coffee, for example, Arabica, this service will not be the most suitable for you. Variety is a major selling point of this company.

Pricing

The pricing on most of the products is relatively affordable, especially keeping in mind the grade of coffee that you will be receiving. Atlas primarily prices its products based on the bag size you choose. For reference, a half bag will make about 15 cups of coffee, whereas the four-pack will make about 120.

• Half bag: $9
• Whole bag: $14
• Double-bag: $28
• Triple-pack: $42
• Four-pack: $56

There is also a gift section where you can order subscriptions for family or friends, anonymously or with a gift card. Each order includes coffee (in the bag number of your choice), a taste profile, brewing recommendations, and a postcard from the country of origin.

Atlas also has a reward program that allows you to earn towards bonus discounts, such as free shipping and store credit. You are automatically signed up for this program when you order and earn automatically as you continue to order.

The company is also semi-well-known for adding little surprise gifts in their boxes like coffee samples or gear. Though, obviously, as this is a surprise, you shouldn’t count on it every shipment.

Company History

Atlas Coffee was founded in 1998. It is a company that was formed to connect farmers and coffee drinkers. This company has held true to its intention by curating coffee from coffee-growing areas of the world and delivering it to customers. Additionally, the company improves this bond between growers and drinkers by sharing information about the source with an informational card and a postage stamp from the area.

Alternatives

• Illy Café – an Italian coffee distributor and a coffee machine and accessories retail company.
• Angels Cup – A coffee club that gives you the chance to sample up to 208 coffee varieties in a year through its plans.
• Blue Bottle Coffee – A coffee-roasting and subscription service that delivers freshly roasted coffee to its members.

Pros

• Beautiful packaging – The coffee is packaged in stunning packs.
• Variety – With Atlas you get to test coffee from a different country each month.

Cons

• Don’t know what to expect – You can’t be sure the coffee you’re getting will suit your preferences, but then that’s the nature of subscription boxes.

Final Thoughts

For the adventurous coffee lover, Atlas is the best chance to sample coffee from all over the world. With this company, you will get to sharpen your coffee-tasting skills while enjoying some great coffee.

For coffee lovers, it is hard finding a brick-and-mortar coffee shop that also serves the function of a coffee subscription service.

Blue Bottle Coffee, however, performs both roles perfectly well. So, what sets it apart from all others?

How Does Blue Bottle Coffee Work?

Like all other subscription services, you will need to register your details for an account on Blue Bottle Coffee. This company even goes above and beyond offering new members a trial offer.

Your first bag is free. If you choose not to continue your subscription, all you have to do is cancel within ten days of your order shipment. You can also pause or change your order in this period. If you do nothing, you’ll continue to receive the subscription you tried during the trial and will be charged.

While signing up for the trial or a regular subscription, you can select some options based on factors such as your coffee-drinking habits, your budget, and how frequently you would like to have the coffee delivered.

The first choice is the plan type. You can choose single-origin (coffee from one location), blend (a variety of coffee types and sources), or espresso varieties. Once you pick a plan type, you’ll be asked how many bags you want per shipment ranging from a 6-ounce half bag to 36-ounce triple bag.

After that’s settled, choose the frequency with which you would like to have the coffee delivered. The plans include a weekly arrangement, bi-weekly, or monthly plan. Whichever the case, Blue Bottle will provide freshly roasted coffee to your door. You can even select the day of the week your order will arrive.

For the weekly arrangement, your shipment will arrive within 48 hours. This is a rare find, and it places this service miles ahead of its competitors. Blue Bottle Coffee also, in addition to its regular subscription plan, has a gift subscription plan. This requires members to subscribe for a particular period. This plan gives the recipient access to some great deals offered under the gift section of their website.

The Blue Bottle service also includes informative details about the coffee varieties they send to make you better suited to test and understand coffee. They have a dedicated section on their website to help you learn as well.

This coffee subscription service provides excellent coffee according to the preferences you choose at your registration. If you find a coffee you like, in most cases, you will have the option to order more from your dashboard.

Types of Coffee Available

Blue Bottle is a company that aims to be the go-to coffee subscription service for its customers. With this in mind, the service works hard to make available several types of coffees. From Blue Bottle, you can get espressos, blends, light to dark roasts, as well as single-origin coffee.

The single-origin coffee option is one of the best to have with this subscription service. The main selling point of this club is that it allows you to sample coffee from all over the world. This is especially important if you are looking to improve your coffee-testing skills. Each week, you will receive a package with a single-origin coffee from a different country. If you remain on this subscription service for a while, you will have tasted over 800+ varieties of coffee that exist today.

With each Blue Bottle Coffee delivery, you will get a customized preparation plan for that particular coffee variety. This helps to ensure that the coffee you receive tastes just as intended. This allows you to relish in the wholesome taste of the particular variety that has been delivered to you.

Pricing

Blue Bottle Coffee is one of the most competitively priced coffee subscription services. The six-ounce half bag in the blend or espresso varieties is only $8. A twelve-ounce whole bag goes for $15. The single-origin assortment half bag is going for $9.50, and the entire bag $18.

Ordering in larger quantities of any plan type will reduce your cost. For example, the largest option, three bags (36 ounces) is $40 for the blend and espresso plan or around $6.66 per half bag vs. $8.

Aside from these great prices, Blue Bottle Coffee allows you to enjoy even more savings through its gift option. As a gift subscriber, you are eligible for some great offers—but only after committing to the platform. There are two options: the two-month subscription or the six-month subscription. Blue Bottle only requires that you fulfill the two-month commitment, and you will be ready to go.

Company History

Blue Bottle is a cross-generation, coffee-roasting company that has been passed down through generations. The company was primarily a brick-and-mortar café but later grew to include a coffee subscription service. This has seen the company catapult to great heights. Blue Bottle’s coffee club has been operational since 2000.

Alternatives

• Atlas Coffee Club –  A monthly coffee club that delivers carefully curated coffee from all over the world to its members.
• Angels Cup – A coffee club that gives you the chance to sample up to 208 coffee varieties in a year through its plans.
• DriftAway Coffee – A coffee subscription service that prides itself in the creation of links between coffee farmers and coffee drinkers to create sustainability.

Pros

• Quick delivery – Blue Bottle Coffee makes their deliveries within 48 hours of roasting them.
• Freshness – The quick delivery feature by this company contributes to the delivery of fresh coffee to their userbase.
• Wide variety – There is a wide selection of coffee to choose from depending on your preferences.
• Free sample – Your first bag is free.

Cons

• Exotic – For some palates, the coffee that Blue Bottle Coffee provides can be too exotic or bold.

Final Thoughts

Blue Bottle Coffee is an excellent pick for anyone looking to subscribe to a coffee club that also gives you a touch of the old school brick-and-mortar coffee shops feel. With its presence in multiple states, Blue Bottle Coffee is a household name in the coffee industry.