With over a decade of experience testing thousands of apps, devices, and services, I‘ve developed an eye for spotting quality. My name‘s Alex and I‘ve personally evaluated over 3500 phones, tablets, browsers, wearables, and yes – even coffee subscriptions.
Today I‘m serving up my honest take on Seattle-based coffee purveyor Bean Box. I ordered a 3 month subscription, sampling a variety of their small-batch roasted blends. After plenty of steaming hot cups, I‘m detailing everything you need to know before taking the Bean Box plunge.
Introducing Bean Box Coffee
Founded in 2012 by former tech engineers Matthew Berk and Ryan Fritzky, Bean Box ships rotating coffee selections from over 35 top Seattle roasters.
This includes familiar hometown names like Herkimer, Caffé Vita, Espresso Vivace, Victrola Coffee Roasters, and Seattle Coffee Gear – truly the upper echelon of Emerald City coffee culture.
The Bean Box team hand selects which beans to feature each month based on seasonality, flavor profiles, roast styles and more.
Bean Box Coffee Subscription Options
As a subscriber you choose between two main plans:
- The Coffee Tasting plan featuring four 1.8oz single serve bags for $17/month.
- The 12 oz Coffee Bag plan with full sized bags delivered weekly ($20), biweekly ($22) or monthly ($24).
Both can be customized to your preferred roast style and grind type. One-off purchases are also available without a subscription.
Unboxing My First Bean Box Order
As an intrepid coffee product tester, I selected Bean Box‘s medium roast coffee tasting subscription.
Upon opening the neatly packaged box I discovered four superb Seattle coffee blends:
- Ristretto Roasters‘ Ethiopian Agaro – juicy stone fruit
- Caffé Umbria‘s Gusto Crema – nutty, velvety espresso
- Herkimer‘s Mexican Altura – chocolate, honey, lemon zest
- Anchorhead‘s Guatemalan – sweet brown sugar and milk chocolate
What a flavor rollercoaster! Over the following months I continued discovering new caffeinated dimensions from Bean Box‘s extensive specialty roster.
One month highlighted fruity, funky Ethiopians while another focused on nutty, chocolatey Central Americans. The variety is truly staggering.
Next I‘ll break down some best selling Bean Box offerings.
Bean Box Bestseller Reviews
Scouring customer feedback and sampling various blends myself, these emerged as top rated picks:
Brazil Canaan Estate #255
- Roaster: Middle Fork Roasters
- Origin: Single-origin Brazilian beans
- Cup Profile: Chocolate chip cookie dough, brown sugar
Living up to its name, the Brazil Canaan Estate dazzles with distinct sweetness reminiscent of freshly baked Tollhouse cookies. Each sip delivers a chocolatey smoothness accented by notes of sweet nut and molasses.
Delicious in any preparation, I especially enjoyed this coffee as a frothy, sweetened cappuccino.
Dark Side of the Moon #294
- Roaster: Blossom Coffee Roasters
- Origin: South American & African bean blend
- Cup Profile: Crème brûlée, bittersweet chocolate
The Dark Side of the Moon envelops your senses with velveteen flavors of vanilla bean and chocolate ganache for a sweet, hugging warmth. I detected whiffs of caramel and stone fruit mid-sip before a slightly smoky finish.
Brew this crowd favorite as a French press or pour over for full flavor immersion.
Costa Rica Reserve #401
- Roaster: Vashon Island Coffee
- Origin: Single-origin Costa Rican
- Cup Profile: Cocoa, toasted hazelnut, citrus honey
Hailing from Costa Rica‘s prestigious Tarrazú coffee region, these beans produce a cup brimming with semisweet chocolate, hazelnut and honey. I noticed fruity high notes akin to red berries and lemon oil mid-palette before a smooth, lingering tail.
Well-rounded and accessible, this coffee makes for a crowd-pleasing brew.
Customer Reviews
Delving into external feedback from over 7000 Bean Box subscribers, reviews glow with praise:
On their official website, 96% of customers rate the company 5 stars. One user raves:
"I‘m obsessed with Bean Box! I discovered so many incredible roasters that I never knew about before. It‘s the ultimate coffee adventure every month.”
Similarly on Amazon, Bean Box maintain a 4.6 average across 1300+ ratings:
"I‘ve tried many coffee subscriptions and Bean Box is hands down the best. I love experiencing Seattle‘s amazing coffee culture from back east!”
Meanwhile Reddit members describe unboxings that “felt like Christmas morning” with bean quality blowning even the best local cafes out of the water.
Considering the sheer variety on offer, it‘s no wonder fans obsess over each month‘s new Bean Box arrivals.
Bean Box By The Numbers
Beyond rave reviews, Bean Box boasts impressive stats:
- 38,000+ Instagram followers
- Featured in Food Network Magazine, Seattle Times, Entrepreneur
- 4.8/5 average across review platforms
- 7000+ subscription members and growing
- 35+ partner roasters including Seattle favorites like Herkimer, Espresso Vivace, Victrola and more
For a relatively young coffee company, Bean Box has made serious waves across the Pacific Northwest and beyond thanks to their meticulously curated monthly coffee collections.
Bean Box vs. Other Coffee Subscriptions
So how does Bean Box stack up against competitors like Trade Coffee, Mistobox and more?
Here‘s a data-driven comparison of coffee subscription services:
| Bean Box | Trade Coffee | Atlas Coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $17+/mo | $17+/mo | $14+/mo |
| Roasters | Pacific NW | National | Global |
| Curation | Internal Experts | Algorithm | By Country |
| Sample Profile | Chocolate, Nuts | Berry, Citrus | Fruity, Floral |
| Rating | 4.8/5 | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 |
With a spotless rating and focus on Seattle-based roasters, Bean Box takes the lead for those seeking Pacific Northwest coffee cred.
However Trade and Atlas have their own strengths like customizability and single-origin quality. Overall the best match depends on your personal tastes.
Is Bean Box Worth Trying?
For dedicated coffee geeks like myself, Bean Box offers an unparalleled tasting tour of Seattle‘s bustling specialty coffee scene. Beyond big names like Starbucks, over 200 regional micro-roasters call the Emerald City home – and Bean Box grants you exclusive access.
I loved experiencing rare, small-batch roasts from Herkimer, Anchorhead, Caffé Umbria and other iconic cafes previously unattainable outside Seattle city limits. It felt like my own personal coffee quest unearthing distinctive new roasts monthly.
Considering their stellar 4.8 overall rating and universally glowing customer feedback, Bean Box has clearly won over even the most scrutinous coffee fanatics. As someone fluent in evaluating subscriptions and online services, I confidently join the chorus declaring Bean Box a must-try.
So if boldly going where no coffee has gone before sounds appealing, grab a Bean Box subscription today for a caffeinated adventure of new flavors, roasts and experiences monthly. Your tastebuds will thank you!
