Drink Trade Review 2024: A Win for Coffee Lovers?

Overview

Drink Trade is a coffee subscription service that delivers fresh coffee to your doorstep. But is it worth the hype? In this Drink Trade review, I’ll take a closer look at the service, its features, and what you can expect.

I’ve checked out the company to see what it’s all about. I’ve looked at what’s on the menu, the unboxing experience, where it ships to, prices, and various other aspects. I also wanted to test out how the pre-sales support team would handle my questions.

Overall, Drink Trade offers a wide selection of coffee blends from various small roasters across the country. It allows you to customize your subscription based on your taste preferences and brewing method. You can choose between whole bean or ground coffee – but does Drink Trade live up to its promises? Let's find out!

What's On Offer?

Drink Trade has a few coffee options for you to choose from. It also has coffee accessories like grinders, coffee makers, kettles, and more.

Overall, Drink Trade offers over 450 craft coffee options, including single-origin, blends, espresso, and decaf. You can choose between light, medium, and dark roast, and you can even select the origin of the coffee.

Some of the origins available include Ethiopia, Colombia, and Guatemala. Only around 50 coffees are Fairtrade International certified. I would have preferred to see most (if not all!) coffees to have the Fairtrade International certification, especially considering the large number of offerings.

Subscription Plans

Drink Trade offers 2 subscription plans: a Trade Subscription and a Trade Plus Subscription. The regular Trade Subscription mainly caters to medium and dark roast fans. These coffees are mostly blends and have a lot of familiar and comforting flavor profiles.

The Trade Plus subscription has unlimited access to all of Drink Trade’s queueable single-origin coffees, which are more bright, fruity, and expressive. These are mostly light roasts, with varying processing methods. I’d say that these are more suited to more adventurous coffee drinkers.

For instance, the Trade Subscription offers ethically sourced coffee from local roasters with the flexibility to pause or cancel at any time. On the other hand, the Trade Plus Subscription provides a wider selection of exclusive roasts and benefits such as 15% off reorders and free shipping on all orders.

Both of those plans come with free shipping for subscribers. Learn more about how much Drink Trade costs in my pricing section below.

And with Drink Trade, you can customize your subscription to fit your preferences. You can choose between whole bean or ground coffee, and you can even select the grind size. You can set your subscription to place an order every 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 weeks.

Drink Trade also offers some extras, including coffee equipment and gifts. Some of the equipment available includes coffee grinders, pour-over sets, and French presses. You can also purchase gift subscriptions for your friends and family.

If you prefer to order coffee on an individual basis, you can do so with Drink Trade. Simply browse the selection of coffees and select the ones you want to try. You can choose between 12 oz. and 2 lb. bags, and you can select the grind size.

Unboxing

You can expect a neatly packaged box to arrive at your doorstep. The box is made from recyclable materials, so you can feel good about your carbon footprint.

Upon opening the box, you'll find the coffee bags neatly arranged with a card that provides information about each bag. The card includes the name of the roaster, the type of coffee, the roast level, and tasting notes. This information helps you determine which coffee to try first.

The coffee bags are clearly labeled with the name of the roaster and the type of coffee. The bags are resealable, so you can easily store your coffee and keep it fresh. The storage instructions are clear and easy to follow, so you don't have to worry about your coffee going stale.

Overall, the unboxing experience with Drink Trade is straightforward and informative. You get all the information you need to make an informed decision about which coffee to try first, and the packaging is environmentally friendly.

Shortlist of My Favorite Coffees

Here’s a short list of my favorite coffees:

Verve – Sermon

• Origin: Ethiopia

• Roast: Light

• Tasting notes: Blueberry, jasmine, lemon

Verve Coffee Roasters' Sermon is a light roast coffee from Ethiopia that has a distinct blueberry flavor with notes of jasmine and lemon. It’s a great choice for those who prefer a fruity and floral taste in their coffee. The beans are responsibly sourced and roasted to perfection, making it a must-try for coffee connoisseurs.

Alma Coffee – Belen Gualcho

• Origin: Honduras

• Roast: Light-Medium

• Tasting notes: Honey, walnuts, graham crackers, green grapes, milk chocolate

Alma Coffee's Belen Gualcho from Honduras offers a light-medium roast with a unique flavor profile, including hints of honey and walnuts. This coffee presents a balanced acidity with a blend of fruity and chocolatey notes, making it a delightful choice for those who appreciate complexity in their coffee.

Highwire – Darkroom

• Origin: Blend of coffees from Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Indonesia

• Roast: Dark

• Tasting notes: Rich, syrupy body with a balanced flavor and bittersweet chocolatey aftertaste

Highwire's Darkroom coffee blend offers a complex flavor profile with a combination of roasty sweetness and a syrupy body, making it an enticing choice for those who enjoy a bold and flavorful cup of coffee.

Prices

Drink Trade offers a variety of options to suit different budgets and preferences. You can choose between a one-time purchase or a subscription plan that delivers coffee to your doorstep regularly.

For a one-time purchase, prices start at around $18.50 for a 10.9-ounce (310 g) bag of coffee. This price may vary depending on the type of coffee you choose and the roast level. Keep in mind that shipping costs may also apply.

If you opt for a subscription plan, you can save money and enjoy a more convenient way of getting your coffee fix. Prices for subscriptions start at around $15 per bag, with discounts available for longer-term plans. You can choose how often you want your coffee delivered, from every week to every month.

Drink Trade also offers a variety of gift options, with prices starting at around $60 for a 3-month subscription. This can be a great option for coffee lovers who want to share their passion with others.

Overall, Drink Trade offers competitive pricing for high-quality coffee, with options to suit a range of budgets and preferences. Whether you're looking for a one-time purchase or a subscription plan, you can find great value with Drink Trade.

Shipping & Delivery

Drink Trade is available in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, there’s currently no international shipping or shipping to Puerto Rico.

Delivery times vary depending on your location and the shipping option you choose at checkout. However, most orders are delivered within 2 to 3 business days of being shipped. If you need to reschedule a delivery, you can easily do so through its website or by contacting its customer service team.

Drink Trade also offers a mobile app that makes the delivery process even smoother. With the app, you can track your order and receive real-time updates on its status. You can also manage your subscription, adjust your delivery schedule, and rate the coffee you receive.

How Drink Trade Works

Drink Trade lets you make one-off purchases or sign up for recurring deliveries. Here’s how it works:

How to Sign Up

1. Visit Drink Trade. Head to the homepage and hover your mouse over Shop. Then, select your favorite option. In this example, I’ll simply click All Coffee.

2. Choose your favorite product(s). You can filter the menu for various options or just browse the tremendous number of available options.

3. Find a product. Then, choose whether you want a one-time purchase of a 310 g (10.9 oz) or 2 lb bag, or subscribe for recurring deliveries.

4. Click Add To Cart. Once you’ve decided what you want to do, add the product to your cart.

5. Complete the checkout process.

Managing Your Subscription

It’s easy to manage, pause, or cancel your subscription. Log into your Trade account and click Cancel Subscription. You’ll need to answer a few quick questions before you can cancel. Any orders in progress will be roasted and shipped as your final order. You can also pause your subscription if you prefer to do that.

If you’ve purchased a Bundle, Drink Trade will send the remaining coffees that have already been paid for and then cancel the subscription promptly after that. You can also always reach out to customer support if you need any help.

Customer Support

You can contact Drink Trade in 3 different ways:

• Phone: 1 (888) 252-8691

• Email: support@drinktrade.com

• Live chat

Hours of operation for phone lines and live chat are 9 am to 5 pm EST from Monday through Friday. Keep in mind that emails can be sent anytime, and there’s an FAQ section you can access anytime.

That said, I took it upon myself to test out live chat. Overall, my experience was solid! An agent connected quickly and answered my questions right away.

The Bottom Line: Is Drink Trade Worth It?

Drink Trade could be worth considering if you’re looking for a huge selection of coffee and related products. This is especially true if you like to have recurring deliveries. The service provides subscribers with access to hundreds of different types of coffee from some of the best roasters around the country.

However, it's important to note that Drink Trade isn’t the cheapest coffee subscription service out there. While the quality of the coffee is worth the price, it may not be the best option for those on a tight budget. It also doesn’t have a very large selection of Fairtrade International-certified or organic coffees.

However, that said, if you’re a coffee lover who enjoys trying new roasts and wants to experience some of the best coffee available, Drink Trade is worth checking out.

FAQ

Are coffee subscriptions worth it?

If you’re a coffee lover who enjoys trying new blends and roasts, then coffee subscriptions like Trade Coffee can be worth it. With a subscription, you can receive freshly roasted coffee delivered straight to your door on a regular basis. This means you don't have to worry about running out of coffee or settling for stale beans.

How much does a Trade Coffee subscription cost?

Trade Coffee offers a variety of subscription options to fit your needs and budget. The cost of the subscription varies depending on the frequency of delivery, the amount of coffee you receive, and the type of coffee you choose.

Prices start at around $18 per 310 g (10.9 oz) bag of coffee and go up to $35+ per 2 lb-bag. You can also choose to add more bags of coffee to your subscription for an additional cost.

Where does Trade Coffee deliver to?

Trade Coffee delivers to all 50 states including AK + HI. However, international shipping isn’t currently available. This may change down the line, so I recommend keeping your eyes on this quickly growing company.