A cup of coffee in the morning is not just about the caffeine (though that's certainly important). It's the ritual that starts the day. There's the sound of beans grinding, the toasted smell of brewing coffee—even waiting for your brew to finish is a part of the fun. It's a way to let yourself know that it's time to start creeping toward wakefulness, like the sun peeking over the horizon in an old-timey Folgers commercial—all fuzzy and warm and full of promise. Unless, that is, you're out of coffee. Then it's dull, gray, and cold. One way to protect yourself from this desolation is to pick up a coffee subscription.

We've tested several coffee subscription services over the past couple of years, and they're a great way to keep yourself stocked up. Like the Netflix of old that sent DVDs, these companies mail you coffee beans at regular intervals. Some specialize in highlighting small roasters, while others source and roast their own beans. Below, we've listed what we like and dislike about each.

Updated January 2023: We've added Marigold Coffee.

• Best Overall: Trade Coffee
• Bridging the Gender Gap: Bean & Bean
• Ethically Sourced Beans: Grit Coffee
• Great for Gifting: Mistobox
• Woman-Owned, Portland Roasted: Marigold
• Café Quality, No Machine Necessary: Cometeer Pods
• Focus on Central and South American Flavors: Quintal
• For Single-Origin Specialists: Atlas Coffee Club
• Best for Blind Taste Testing: Angel's Cup
• For the Fastest, Freshest Delivery: Blue Bottle
• For Animal Lovers (Yep): Grounds and Hounds
• Great Coffee for Reducing Heartburn: Trücup
• Coffee Help

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Photograph: Trade Coffee

Trade Coffee Subscription

$16 at Trade (10 Oz)

Trade Coffee's specialty is bringing coffee from small roasters to the forefront. The company doesn't roast its own beans; it partners with roasters and makes it simple for you to get beans from boutique roasters around the US.

Trade Coffee has everything you want from a coffee subscription, including a simple questionnaire to help match your tastes to its coffees, and a helpful website to browse new coffee and make notes about coffees you like (or don't). Trade's selection is huge, too. At the time of writing, there are more than 400 possibilities to choose from (this is why the smart questionnaire is so helpful), and the selection is split pretty evenly between blends and single-origin options. Trade also has a decaf option, which makes it one of the few subscription services to offer it—an important step toward being more inclusive. 

Delivery options: One, two, three, four, or six weeks

Photograph: Bean and Bean

Bean & Bean Coffee Subscription

$19 at Bean & Bean (12 oz)

Bean & Bean coffee roasts one of my all-time favorite coffees: the Guatemala MWP Decaf. It’s rich and chocolatey, with delightfully fruity notes. Honestly, you’d never know it’s decaf. And I can say that with absolute certainty because more than once I’ve mistaken a full-caff coffee for it and only noticed once my knee started bouncing.

Bean & Bean is owned by a mother-daughter team who went into business together for two reasons: to roast great coffee and to improve the working conditions for women in the coffee industry. From farm to roaster, women earn significantly less than men. They’re not offered the same business opportunities or training that small coffee farms owned by men are often offered by big coffee buyers. Rachel and Jiyoon at Bean & Bean saw this and decided they needed to do something. You can read more about how they ensure their coffees are ethically sourced and uplift women all over the world here.