My morning can’t start until after my first cup of coffee, I know many of you will be the same. Whether it’s relaxing with the morning news, in a travel mug on the way to work or once you’ve got to the office; I need that first cup. I’m also a sucker for a fresh coffee, nothing wrong with instant, but you can’t beat fresh coffee, which is why when Blue Coffee Box asked if I’d like to give one of their boxes a try I couldn’t say no.
Table of Contents
What Is Blue Coffee Box?
Blue Coffee Box is a coffee subscription service delivering some of the world’s finest coffee straight to your door. All their coffee is ethically sourced directly from the farmers so not only are you getting a high-quality coffee, your subscription is contributing towards these farmers being fairly paid for their hard work – a big tick in my book!
Like with any subscription service, you get to tailor it to your needs so you only get the coffee you want, when you want it.
Blue Coffee Box Subscription
Firstly, you get the choice of whether you want a single bag or a box which contains two bags of coffee in a presentation box – makes a great gift, which is actually the next option.
After you’ve decided whether you want a bag or a box and whether it’s for yourself or a gift, you get to customise the type of coffee you get sent. You can select how you brew your coffee; whether it’s full beans, cafetiere, dripper, Aeropress or espresso machine. Please note, this is a FRESH COFFEE subscription, there is no option for instant coffee so you will need a way to brew your own.
Once you’ve selected how you make your coffee you can choose the roast. The options are light, medium or dark roast with the option of a surprise – their most popular option. They also give you the choice to have decaf or a bag of each (if you choose the box). If you choose beans that need to be ground then they grind them to the recommended coarseness for your selection. The date they’re ground is then recorded on the bag.
Then you select your delivery frequency and payment plan. The most popular option is to have it delivered once a month but you can go as often as fortnightly or a less frequent as bi-monthly. You also get the option of how you pay for it either on a month by month basis or in advance. The longer you pay for in advance, the cheaper it gets so paying for a full year of monthly deliveries is cheaper than paying for one bag each month. However, that’s down to your preference.
How Much is the Blue Coffee Box Subscription?
As I’ve said, the longer you pay for it (in advance) the cheaper it gets but a single delivered bag is £8.99, which reduces to £7.99 per bag if purchasing a 12-month subscription. Each bag contains 227g of coffee, which is about the average size bag you buy in the supermarket. In the UK delivery is included, however, there is a shipping fee to other parts of the world – they deliver worldwide. Selecting the two bag box option is £16.99 for a single box, which is discounted to £15.49 per box if you opt to pay for 12 months in advance.
If you just want to try one bag or one box then you can, cancelling your subscription is easy but make sure you do it in plenty of time so not to get charged.
My Blue Coffee Box Review
Blue Coffee Box sent me a box to review for you, in which I received two bags of coffee for my cafetiere. I ordered the “Surprise Me” roast because I’m happy to give anything a whirl.
The two coffees I received were:
Ceiba: Mission Coffee Works – A coffee from Guatemala that is named after the country’s national tree. A rich, floral coffee with notes of cherry, apricot, cream and chocolate. This coffee is a community coffee so it benefits a large group of producers.
Hutwe: Craft House Coffee – From the Kivu province in Africa. This coffee boasts notes of nectarine, jam and chocolate. This coffee is grown along the Congo River so feeds into the basin.
Overall I’m delighted with what I received. It was something different and a product that both the husband and I were able to enjoy. I really liked the little information cards that which were supplied and told you about each coffee and the places the beans are grown. I try to opt for as many sustainable options as I can and a real positive of this coffee supplier is that they select the most sustainable, yet luxury, options they can. Often visiting the plantations to meet the farmers and producers.
The £8.99 bag cost is on the pricier side of fresh coffee, however, it really is aimed at those who love their coffee and would enjoy the fact they get to try a different coffee (or coffees) every month. It is much more expensive than the supermarket’s own Fair Trade options but the sustainability of the product and its uniqueness is worth that extra cost. Plus, if you compare it to a grab and go coffee shop every day, it’s much cheaper – I’d rather put my money into this smaller ethical business than a multinational corporation who doesn’t really need it.
Pros
- Really tasty coffee
- It’s fresh, either as a whole bean to grind yourself or ground just before shipping – the date it was ground is on the bag
- Information about the coffee’s flavour and where it comes from
- Highly customisable subscription – you can choose everything from how regular it’s delivered to the roast and machine type
- Sustainability and directly supporting the farmers/producers
- You get to try coffees from all over the world
- A really well-presented box which would make a perfect gift, either as a one-off or a regular subscription, for any coffee lover
Cons
- It is expensive when you compare it to bags in the supermarket
- If you like a particular coffee you can’t opt to receive it next time, there is a chance you will get it again but it’s not guaranteed
Ready to Buy Your Own?
I have good news! If my review has convinced you to give this subscription a try then I have a £3 off code for Blue Coffee Box which can be used against any product on their website. Simply head over to BlueCoffeeBox.com and enter the code “CIRL3” when you checkout. Make sure to let me know all about the coffee you receive in the comments!
Be sure to follow Blue Coffee Box on social media to keep up to date with them, they love to see your morning coffee picture. They’re on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Extras You Might Need with this Product
As mentioned earlier, this subscription doesn’t have an instant granules option so you will need a device to brew the coffee in. This doesn’t have to be expensive, a cafetiere can be picked up for under £10 but you do need to make sure you select the right product for the machine you have. If you have a cafetiere then you can’t select whole beans unless you have something to grind them with – such as a blender with an appropriate blade or a bean grinder. Below I have included a list with suggested extras if you do want to give this product a go but not sure what you need.
Glass Cafetiere, 3 Cup (350ml)
A cafetiere, or French Press, is a manual and cheap way to enjoy fresh coffee. You simply add your ground coffee beans and hot water then allow it to brew. Push the plunger down in order to filter out the grinds and pour. For this item, you need to select cafetiere when choosing how you life your coffee prepared.
Pour Over Coffee Filter Reusable Coffee Dripper
A coffee dripper allows your coffee to brew slowly as it drips into the cup, hence the name. It's a pretty cheap way of preparing coffee however, some drippers to require a fresh filter applying each time. The one I've selected here doesn't. You'll need to select dripper when choosing how you like your coffee prepared.
AeroPress Coffee Maker
An AeroPress is similar to a cafetiere in the fact it's a manual plunge way of preparing coffee. This device is great for those people who live to go camping or want fresh coffee wherever they are. It's a bit pricier than the other options and requires filters but if it suits your lifestyle then it's a worthwhile purchase. Obviously, select AeroPress when choosing how you like your coffee to be prepared.
VonShef Espresso Machine
There is a huge range of coffee machines on the market, all varying in price. I've picked this one purely because it's a brand I've used before and has a good range of functions. Most require pre-ground coffee but check as the more expensive ones will allow you to use whole beans. When selecting how you life your coffee prepared select Espresso unless your machine accommodates whole beans.
Manual Coffee Grinder
There is nothing like freshly ground coffee on a morning - it's why most coffee shop coffees taste so good. If your coffee machine doesn't have a grind option or, like me, you use a manual coffee brewer then you can always grab yourself a coffee grinder. This one is manual but you can get electric ones or if you have a blender that comes with a grinding blade, then you can use that. This is for whole beans only!
Coffee Measuring Scoop with Bag Sealing Clip
Yes, you can just use a regular teaspoon to measure your coffee but why not complete your fresh coffee experience with a proper coffee measuring spoon? I love this one, and have bought it myself, as it also comes with a sealing clip - up until now I've been using a washing peg!
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I WISH I liked coffee. I love the smell and they always look great, especially frothy coffees with chococolate sprinkles, but I just can’t make myself like it. My parents, however, love a coffee or two each day. I bought them a coffee grinder and an electric coffee maker and a stainless steel pot (can’t remember the brand name now) for the hob. A subscription box is an excellent idea for getting a little surprise each month and the chance to try a brand and flavour you likely wouldn’t have tried otherwise.
I wouldn’t mind gifting this for my parents (and maybe trying the tea one you’re reviewing soon for myself!) My folks certainly need perking up with caffeine and a treat after they’re still shielding since March. We’re all starting to lose the plot! Great review. Good luck to everyone entering the giveaway too.