PEET’S COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION REVIEW: IS IT WORTH SIGNING UP?

Check out this Peet’s coffee review to find out if subscribing is the best way to enjoy your favorite coffee!

There’s nothing more exciting for a coffee lover than opening your door to a delivery of freshly roasted coffee beans, especially ones you know will suit your taste. That’s the promise of Peet’s coffee subscription. 

For this review, I signed up for the Peet’s curated subscription box, hoping to perhaps discover a new favorite coffee. Read on for my thoughts on the experience, including everything from coffee quality to delivery details to price.

A Full Review Of Peet’s Coffee Subscription Box

Peet’s has become one of the biggest coffee companies in the world. Once known primarily for European-style dark roast blends, it has expanded its repertoire over decades while maintaining its founder’s commitment to quality (1).

So you can safely expect your coffee subscription box to include premium beans with the roast level and flavor profile you prefer. But does Peet’s have any other special tricks up its sleeve? Why should you choose this subscription over one of the dozens of other excellent options? Keep reading to find out.

Peet's Coffee Subscription Review

• Coffee Selection
• Membership Options
• Value for Money
• Overall Experience

3.9

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What Is A Peet’s Subscription?

A coffee subscription from Peet’s is an easy way to enjoy Peet’s coffee delivered directly to your door.

Peet’s offers two styles of coffee subscription, both of which I’ll discuss in much more detail below. 
The first is a curated subscription, in which you select a general theme (dark roasts, single origins, etc.), and Peet’s chooses a coffee for you to try. I sampled this style of subscription for this review. The second is a custom subscription, which makes sense if you already know your favorite coffees and just want to ensure they’re delivered on a regular schedule and at a discount.

A Coffee For Everyone

A Peet’s subscription offers exclusively coffees roasted by Peet’s – no surprise there – so you won’t have access to the hundreds or even thousands of coffees offered by subscription boxes that source from multiple coffee roasters. That said, Peet’s offers an impressive selection, including all roast levels, blends and single-origin coffees, decaf, and organic coffee. 

Coffee is available as whole beans, ground to order, or in some cases, packaged in K-Cups or espresso capsules. I’m confident you’ll find a brew that suits your taste and works with your favorite brewing method. 

Going into this review, I already knew that Peet’s excels when it comes to crowd-pleasing medium and dark roast blends, but I’ve been surprised and impressed by some of their limited-time single origin and microlot offerings as well.

How Does The Peet’s Subscription Work?

As I mentioned above, your Peets subscription can be curated or customized. I’ll start with the custom subscription option because it’s more straightforward.

Custom Subscription

The custom subscription is a good way to ensure you never run out of your favorite Peet’s coffee (or coffees) while saving yourself a bit of cash.

When you sign up, you select the coffee you want to receive, how much coffee you want, and how often you want it to arrive (every 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 weeks). You can also select whole bean coffee or pre-ground, and if you choose ground coffee, you can opt for fine (espresso), medium (drip coffee maker), or coarse (French press) depending on how you like to brew coffee.

By signing up, you receive free shipping, and discounts are available depending on your order. You save 5% on orders over $29 or 10% on orders over $49.

Curated Subscription

I chose the curated version because it seemed like a lot more fun – and a better way to see how Peet’s stacks up against their competition.

When you sign up, you start by choosing a category of coffee you enjoy: Small Batch, Dark Roast, Seasonal Essentials, Medium Roast, Single Origins, Signature Blends, or Decaf. I chose the single origin subscription, which was middle-of-the-road in terms of price (2). You can decide how many coffee bags you want to receive and whether you want whole bean or pre-ground coffee. Peet’s ships you a different coffee every month from your chosen category.

Here are the things I found a little disappointing:

• There is no introductory quiz to help you decide which category or coffee you might like – something that is pretty standard with other subscriptions. Nor is there any option to provide feedback on the coffee you receive in order to tailor your subscription to your taste.
• You can’t adjust the coffee shipment frequency. You only get coffee once a month. So if you drink two pounds a month, which is pretty common, the second pound is probably starting to get stale by the time you get to it.
• Depending on which category you select, your grind size options are limited. For example, when I checked out the dark roast coffee, the first feature coffee was Espresso Forte, but there was no option for espresso grind size. Weird!

I don’t want to sound overly negative, because as I said, I was consistently impressed by the quality and flavor of coffee I received. And I own a nice burr grinder, so the grind size thing was a non-issue for me. But I do feel like Peet’s has some room for improvement.

How Do I Cancel A Peet’s Subscription?

It’s easy to cancel a Peet’s subscription by logging into your account, navigating to the “Subscriptions” tab, and clicking “Cancel Subscription.” But if you just need a short hiatus, it’s equally easy to skip or reschedule a coffee delivery, which maintains access to your Peet’s dashboard and associated benefits.

Is A Peet’s Subscription Worth It?

If you’re a fan of Peet’s coffee, a subscription is absolutely worth it. The level of commitment is low, and you’ll enjoy free shipping and discounted prices on the freshest coffee you already know and love (3). Plus, there are member-exclusive benefits like early access to rare coffees or special sales. It’s a no-brainer.

On the other hand, if you’re not sure what you like, I think there are subscriptions that do a better job of uncovering your tastes and then catering to them – like, for example, Crema.co or Driftaway.

The exception, in my opinion, is if you know you’re a fan of coffee blends. Peet’s is one of the best in the industry at crafting balanced and complex blends that are more than the sum of their parts. I would definitely recommend the curated Signature Blends option as one of the best coffee subscriptions for blend-loving coffee drinkers.

How much does a Peet’s subscription cost?

Peet’s is quite affordable, particularly when you note that they sell their coffee by the pound – something increasingly rare in specialty coffee. Be wary when you see a subscription advertisement that claims super low prices; you’re probably getting a tiny bag of coffee.

Peet’s curated 1-bag subscription costs between $18.95 to $22.95 per month, depending on the beans you choose. The Seasonal Essentials are the most expensive, and the Blends are the cheapest. 

If you want something even more affordable, check out Craft Coffee, which offers the lowest prices I’ve encountered. However, they don’t match Peets for selection or quality.

Peet’s ships almost worldwide, but the free shipping only applies within the US. International shipping varies by country and weight, but international subscribers enjoy a nice $5 shipping discount.

Don’t Choose The Peet’s Subscription If…

• You’re only interested in single origins: Peet’s offers a reasonable selection of single origin coffee from around the world, but I think the Atlas Coffee Club is a better introduction to the wide world of coffee. Atlas deals exclusively in single-origin coffee beans from farms in the world’s best coffee-growing regions. And every coffee comes with a beautiful postcard with details about the farmer, origin, and beans.

• You want a bigger coffee variety: If you want a huge selection of coffees (and the knowledge to help you find your favorites) opt for one of the subscription boxes that work with multiple roasters. Trade, Mistobox, and Crema each have over 500 coffees available, and all three offer a coffee quiz and advice to help you choose the best new coffee to try. 

• You prefer light roasts: Peet’s has some excellent light roasts available, but they’re certainly not the brand’s specialty, and they don’t have an exclusively light roast subscription. If brightly acidic coffee floats your boat, I suggest you look into the Moustache Coffee Club.

• You want a coffee experience: A great coffee subscription service can be about more than just getting fresh coffee shipped on a schedule. It can help you expand your knowledge of coffee. Companies like Angel’s Cup and Driftaway offer complete blind-tasting experiences that are as fun as they are educational. 

The Verdict

The Peet’s subscription is a fantastic option for anyone who already knows and loves Peet’s coffee. It provides the premium coffee you enjoy in a more convenient and affordable package – with a few little bonus perks, to boot. 

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I’d also recommend it to anyone with a taste for well-crafted medium or dark roast blends, as Peet’s continues to be one of the best on the coffee market for that style. You’ll enjoy premium freshly roasted coffee delivered right to your door with no shipping fees and, depending on your order size, a nice little discount.