Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription vs Stumptown Coffee Club

AheadStumptown Coffee Club is narrowly ahead, 8.3 to Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription's 8.1. It leads on choice & personalisation and delivery & straight answers.
Who each one suits
A Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to order
Scores higher on freshness & roast dates.
The widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks
Scores higher on choice & personalisation, delivery & straight answers.
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
| Criterion | Weight in category | Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription | Stumptown Coffee Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelling, Skipping & Getting Out | 24% | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Cost Per Bag, and Per Kilo | 22% | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Freshness & Roast Dates | 16% | 10.0 | 5.0 |
| Choice & Personalisation | 16% | 5.3 | 7.6 |
| What Actually Arrives | 12% | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Delivery & Straight Answers | 10% | 6.5 | 8.0 |
What each one costs
| Price | Not publicly stated | Not publicly stated |
Where they differ
Every specification the two makers publish differently. Everything they match on is in the full table below.
| Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription | Stumptown Coffee Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to order | The widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks |
| Cancel Online | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost per Bag | 18.00 USD | 20.00 USD |
| First Box Discount | ✓ | ✓ |
| Frequency Options | Yes, chosen at signup and changeable afterwards | Every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Gift Option | ✓ | ✓ |
| Grind Options | — | whole bean or pre-ground |
| Pause Subscription | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price per kg | 52.94 USD | 58.82 USD |
| Pricing Published Upfront | — | ✓ |
| Quiz or Matching | — | ✓ |
| Roast Choice | Four subscription types - Intelligentsia's Choice, Intelligentsia Classics, Seasonal Select and the Black Cat Project espresso - or any favourite blend or espresso | Roaster's Pick and Blend Shuffle rotating options, or any blend or single origin on repeat |
| Roasted to Order | Yes, always roasted to order | Shipped directly from the roastery for peak freshness |
| Roasters Named | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shipping Included | ✓ | ✓ |
| Single Origin Available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Skip Delivery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specialty Grade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subscription URL | https://www.intelligentsia.com/pages/subscription | https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/subscribe |
Pros and cons
From each full review, written from the same published facts as the scores above.
- +Always roasted to order, stated plainly as one of three headline promises rather than implied.
- +Always free shipping on subscriptions, with no bundle or spend threshold.
- +From $18 for 12 oz on Intelligentsia Classics, about $53 a kilo.
- +Skip an order or move the next one to any future date from My Subscriptions, and gift subscriptions are sold.
- +20% off the first four orders with code 20OFFFOUR, which is a longer discount runway than most.
- −Prices sit on each subscription's own page, not on the subscriptions page that compares them.
- −One roaster, so there is no discovery beyond Intelligentsia's own range.
- −No money-back guarantee is stated.
- −Gift subscriptions cannot be paid for in full up front.
- −No shipping destinations are stated on the subscriptions page.
- +Seven delivery intervals from every week to every eight weeks, which is by some distance the widest choice in this category.
- +Free shipping on every subscription order, with no bundle or minimum spend to earn it.
- +$58.82 a kilo on the 12oz bag, cheaper than Trade and level with Atlas.
- +Skip, change, pause and cancel are all offered at any time and stated on the sales page rather than buried in a help centre.
- +Rotating Roaster's Pick and Blend Shuffle options, or any blend or single origin kept on repeat, plus a coffee quiz for anyone unsure.
- −One roaster, so there is no discovery of anyone else's coffee.
- −No roast-to-despatch figure is published, only that coffee ships directly from the roastery.
- −The advertised prices are discounted against a struck-through list price, so check what the sixth delivery costs.
- −No money-back guarantee is stated.
- −The 5lb option is priced separately and not shown alongside the standard bag, so the bulk saving needs working out at the basket.
Every specification, side by side
| Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription | Stumptown Coffee Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | ||
| Best for | A Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to order | The widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks |
| Specifications | ||
| Bag Size | 340 g | 340 g |
| Cancel Online | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost per Bag | 18.00 USD | 20.00 USD |
| First Box Discount | ✓ | ✓ |
| Frequency Options | Yes, chosen at signup and changeable afterwards | Every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Gift Option | ✓ | ✓ |
| Grind Options | — | whole bean or pre-ground |
| Min Commitment Deliveries | 1 | 1 |
| Pause Subscription | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price per kg | 52.94 USD | 58.82 USD |
| Pricing Published Upfront | — | ✓ |
| Quiz or Matching | — | ✓ |
| Roast Choice | Four subscription types - Intelligentsia's Choice, Intelligentsia Classics, Seasonal Select and the Black Cat Project espresso - or any favourite blend or espresso | Roaster's Pick and Blend Shuffle rotating options, or any blend or single origin on repeat |
| Roasted to Order | Yes, always roasted to order | Shipped directly from the roastery for peak freshness |
| Roaster Country | United States | United States |
| Roasters | 1 | 1 |
| Roasters Named | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shipping Included | ✓ | ✓ |
| Single Origin Available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Skip Delivery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specialty Grade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subscription Type | Roaster's own | Roaster's own |
| Subscription URL | https://www.intelligentsia.com/pages/subscription | https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/subscribe |
Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription vs Stumptown Coffee Club: common questions
Which is better, Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription or Stumptown Coffee Club?
Stumptown Coffee Club scores 8.3 against 8.1, both computed from published specifications rather than opinion. Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription is still ahead on freshness & roast dates.
Is Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription or Stumptown Coffee Club cheaper?
Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription starts at Not publicly stated, and Stumptown Coffee Club at Not publicly stated.
Who is Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription for?
A Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to order
Who is Stumptown Coffee Club for?
The widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks
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