Bean Box Coffee Subscription vs Volcanica Coffee Club

The verdict

Volcanica Coffee Club is the better buy on our scoring, 8.3 to Bean Box Coffee Subscription's 7.6. It leads on cost per bag, and per kilo and freshness & roast dates.

Who each one suits

Bean Box Coffee Subscription

Rotating through 64 named American roasters without picking one, at a lower price per kilo than Trade

Scores higher on cancelling, skipping & getting out, choice & personalisation.

Volcanica Coffee Club

A flat monthly rate for three or six coffees, with shipping and oat milk included

Scores higher on cost per bag, and per kilo, freshness & roast dates, what actually arrives.

How they score, criterion by criterion

Both are scored the same way against the rest of their category, from what their makers publish. The weight is how much each criterion moves the total. How the score works

CriterionWeightBean Box Coffee SubscriptionVolcanica Coffee Club
Cancelling, Skipping & Getting Out24%10.09.1
Cost Per Bag, and Per Kilo22%6.38.6
Freshness & Roast Dates16%5.010.0
Choice & Personalisation16%8.85.3
What Actually Arrives12%8.510.0
Delivery & Straight Answers10%5.08.0

What each one costs

Price$19.50Not publicly stated

Where they differ

Every specification the two makers publish differently. Everything they match on is in the full table below.

Bean Box Coffee SubscriptionVolcanica Coffee Club
Price$19.50—
Best forRotating through 64 named American roasters without picking one, at a lower price per kilo than TradeA flat monthly rate for three or six coffees, with shipping and oat milk included
Bag Size340 g227 g
Cancel Online✓✓
Cost per Bag19.50 USD12.67 USD
Decaf in the range✓—
Delivery FrequencyEvery 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks—
First Box Discount✓✓
Frequency Options—Monthly, delivered on your schedule
Gift Option✓—
Grind Options✓—
Min Commitment Deliveries1—
Pause Subscription✓✓
Price per kg57.32 USD55.81 USD
Pricing Published Upfront—✓
Quiz or Matching✓—
Roast Choice—Twenty coffees to choose from, mixed and matched per box
Roasted to Order—✓
Roasters641
Roasters Named—✓
Shipping Included✕✓
Single Origin Available✓✓
Skip Delivery✓✓
Specialty Grade✓✓
Subscription TypeStandalone curatorRoaster's own
Subscription URLhttps://beanbox.com/coffee-subscriptionhttps://volcanicacoffee.com/pages/coffee-club

Pros and cons

From each full review, written from the same published facts as the scores above.

Bean Box Coffee Subscription
  • +Publishes a roaster count, 64, where Trade states none
  • +Cheaper per kilo than Trade: $46.30 on the Office Duo against Trade's $70.94
  • +Pause, skip and cancel are all self-service, with no notice period or minimum
  • +Eight tasting plans including decaf, espresso, cold brew and single origin
  • +A free bag when you join
  • −Subscription shipping is a flat rate Bean Box does not publish anywhere
  • −Not stated as roasted to order, coffee is packed in Seattle, not shipped by the roaster
  • −No roast date policy published
  • −The single 12oz bag at $57.32 a kilo is poor value against the 2lb plans
Full Bean Box Coffee Subscription review →
Volcanica Coffee Club
  • +$12.67 a coffee on the three-count box, about $56 a kilo, cheaper per kilo than Trade or Blue Bottle.
  • +Coffee is roasted fresh before each shipment, stated on the Coffee Club page.
  • +Pause or cancel your membership anytime, and skip a delivery, from Volcanica's own pages.
  • +Free shipping on every box, against a $60 threshold or a $6.95 flat rate on ordinary orders.
  • +Twenty coffees to mix and match each month, plus oat milk with every order and 20% off the first subscription order.
  • −Each coffee is an 8 oz box, smaller than the 12 oz bag most roasters sell, so the per-bag price flatters it.
  • −One roaster, so the twenty coffees are all Volcanica's own.
  • −A flat rate means a cheap coffee and an expensive one cost you the same, which suits the roaster more than the buyer.
  • −No number of days between roasting and despatch is given.
Full Volcanica Coffee Club review →

Every specification, side by side

Bean Box Coffee SubscriptionVolcanica Coffee Club
Price
Price$19.50—
Who it suits
Best forRotating through 64 named American roasters without picking one, at a lower price per kilo than TradeA flat monthly rate for three or six coffees, with shipping and oat milk included
Specifications
Bag Size340 g227 g
Cancel Online✓✓
Cost per Bag19.50 USD12.67 USD
Decaf in the range✓—
Delivery FrequencyEvery 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks—
First Box Discount✓✓
Frequency Options—Monthly, delivered on your schedule
Gift Option✓—
Grind Options✓—
Min Commitment Deliveries1—
Pause Subscription✓✓
Price per kg57.32 USD55.81 USD
Pricing Published Upfront—✓
Quiz or Matching✓—
Roast Choice—Twenty coffees to choose from, mixed and matched per box
Roasted to Order—✓
Roaster CountryUnited StatesUnited States
Roasters641
Roasters Named—✓
Shipping Included✕✓
Single Origin Available✓✓
Skip Delivery✓✓
Specialty Grade✓✓
Subscription TypeStandalone curatorRoaster's own
Subscription URLhttps://beanbox.com/coffee-subscriptionhttps://volcanicacoffee.com/pages/coffee-club

Bean Box Coffee Subscription vs Volcanica Coffee Club: common questions

Which is better, Bean Box Coffee Subscription or Volcanica Coffee Club?

Volcanica Coffee Club scores 8.3 against 7.6, both computed from published specifications rather than opinion. Bean Box Coffee Subscription is still ahead on cancelling, skipping & getting out.

Is Bean Box Coffee Subscription or Volcanica Coffee Club cheaper?

Bean Box Coffee Subscription starts at $19.50, and Volcanica Coffee Club at Not publicly stated.

Who is Bean Box Coffee Subscription for?

Rotating through 64 named American roasters without picking one, at a lower price per kilo than Trade

Who is Volcanica Coffee Club for?

A flat monthly rate for three or six coffees, with shipping and oat milk included

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