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Oct 17, 2023

Here’s a Subscription Service Wirecutter’s Coffee Nerd Swears By

I’m polyamorous when it comes to coffee subscriptions: I’ve spent months with

I’m polyamorous when it comes to coffee subscriptions: I’ve spent months with Trade and MistoBox, which hook you up with fresh coffee from a variety of boutique roasters, and lately I’ve been a big fan of Yes Plz, which serves up delectable weekly coffee blends.

And yet, I always find myself returning to Atlas Coffee Club, which I’ve been recommending since 2018 in our article on coffee subscriptions we love.

Atlas takes you on a world tour of coffee, with beans from a different country arriving every month. They’re ground (or not) and roasted to your liking, and you can even get decaf or K-Cups if you prefer.

The reason is simple: Atlas Coffee Club delivers satisfying coffee at a low price, with plenty of customization, and you always have something new to try. Atlas's goal is to highlight the influence of terroir on coffee, so they feature a different country each month. A subscription with Atlas Coffee Club takes you on a world tour of coffee—that's its slogan, appropriately enough—and educates your palate on what you can expect from different coffee-growing regions.

For instance, everyone with more than a passing knowledge of coffee knows that Ethiopian beans are universally beloved (and rightly so) for their bright, floral, and fruity characteristics. Colombian coffee, meanwhile, is widely appreciated for its balanced, rich flavors. But have you tried coffee from India? Did you even know India produced coffee? I hadn't before I received a bag from Atlas Coffee Club, and it opened my eyes to what the country can offer.

Like other coffee subscriptions, Atlas Coffee Club lets you choose pre-ground or whole-bean coffee, and it even offers its own Keurig-compatible pods, if you’re into that sort of thing. You can further select from eight different grind types (drip, french press, pour-over, espresso, and more) and choose a lighter or darker roast. If you’re a decaf person, they offer that, too.

And of course you have flexibility when it comes to how many 12-ounce bags you get per shipment (even 6-ounce half bags are on offer) and how often the shipments arrive. That means running out of coffee is something that never happens in my household. Coffee is a sacrosanct, inviolable daily ritual, and I’ve figured out exactly how much I need to order to get me through the month.

Have you tried coffee from India? Did you even know India produced coffee? I hadn't before I received a bag from Atlas, and it opened my eyes to what the country can offer.

Atlas's coffee is roasted to order, which ensures that it arrives in your mailbox when it's at peak freshness and tastiness. (Most experts will tell you that coffee is typically at its best a few days to a couple weeks after being roasted.) In my years of ordering from them, I’ve never had an order shipped late—the few delivery delays I’ve experienced were all caused by USPS, but even those only stalled the beans for a day or two.

Seasoned coffee nerds may notice that Atlas Coffee Club's lightest roasts aren't the tongue-punchingly acidic, fruity, and sometimes funky stuff you’d get from ultra-boutique roasters like Onyx Coffee Lab or Vibrant Coffee Roasters. You’ll get flashes of tropical fruit and floral aromas, sure, but by and large the coffee you receive will be balanced, smooth, and slightly reserved. That's by design.

Atlas's coffee is roasted to have a familiar, accessible taste yet still present enough complexities to satisfy drinkers looking for something more interesting than what you might find in your supermarket coffee aisle.

As a result, these beans are the perfect on-ramp for people who are looking for a better coffee-drinking experience, but they can just as easily make a great casual, everyday cup for deep-in-the-funnel coffee obsessives.

Atlas Coffee Club's approachability makes it a go-to recommendation for me and also makes it a great gift subscription. I got my mom hooked on it after she complained about the lack of good local roasters in our town, and I’ve directed friends to Atlas Coffee Club who were tired of getting fooled by harsh, burnt coffee from so-called upmarket brands.

Atlas Coffee Club's gift subscriptions work just like its personal subscriptions, with most of the same options, except that you pay up front for six months of deliveries. (And in my experience, get monthly thank you texts, too.)

This article was edited by Annemarie Conte and Alex Aciman.

Ben Keough

Ben Keough is the supervising editor for Wirecutter's working from home, powering, cameras, and hobbies and games coverage. He previously spent more than a decade writing about cameras, printers, and other office equipment for Wirecutter, Reviewed, USA Today, and Digital Camera HQ. After four years testing printers, he definitively confirmed that they all suck, but some suck less than others.

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