If you have yet to catch onto the whole coffee subscription box trend, you must have been living in a yurt in some remote location for the past few years. In which case, welcome back! Also, I bet you missed coffee you didn’t have to cook yourself over an open fire. So I’ve got a coffee subscription box to tell you about that makes a fantastic gift, if only for yourself.
Not that it wouldn’t be great for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or new parents desperately in need of caffeine.
You know Mistobox is different the moment you hit the website and they you to take a quiz about your flavor profile so you can discover something new that’s still in your wheelhouse. If you don’t know all the answers (Do I like fruity? Spicy?), that’s cool too–they’ll help guide you toward the right assortment from more than 30 artisanal roasters. Then you have the option of ordering a single bag personalized for you, or playing the field with a selection of four tasters.
Related: Regular Coffee subscriptions are better than regular coffee
Here’s a hint: I think the service is best for those of you who like your coffee bold, although there are plenty of options including espresso beans and decaf.
I also like that when you send a subscription gift, you can personalize the flavor profile or let your lucky recipients take the quiz themselves. And if you want more than a subscription, Mistobox has a full shop, whether you want a high end grider, a Chemex brewer (paging Delilah), a fancy scale, or just a one-pound bag of that Nicaragua Finca La Amistad from Panther Coffee that you fell in love with from your subscription.
One thing I do have to point out–Mistobox promises “super fresh whole bean coffee” that arrives within three days of roasting, which is awesome. As a new inductee into the coffee snob club, I really notice the difference. However while the quality of the beans that I’ve tried has been quite nice, the roast date on my bags was September, for a box I received in January. That may be a factor of it being a press sample that was hanging around for a while. It also means that the Ethiopian Konga sample from Ruby Colorful Coffees that I tried and loved is no longer available by the pound. (Wah.) I assume you paying customers will have a different experience.
As for the pricing, it’s surprisingly reasonable, with most coffees around $12-18 a pound, and a few topping out at $22. One sampler box of four coffees will yield 15 cups, for just $20. No way your local hipster coffee bar can compete with that.
Visit Mistobox for coffee subscription boxes and whole bean coffees including single-origin, blends, espresso, and decaf. Use PRODUCTHUNT to get $10 off your first subscription. Or drop a hint to friends and family that you’d like one, and they’ll save 15%. And thanks to the company for providing a small sampler box for review.
