Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription vs Stumptown Coffee Club

The verdict

Stumptown 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

Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription

A Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to order

Scores higher on freshness & roast dates.

Stumptown Coffee Club

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

CriterionWeightIntelligentsia Coffee SubscriptionStumptown Coffee Club
Cancelling, Skipping & Getting Out24%10.010.0
Cost Per Bag, and Per Kilo22%7.87.8
Freshness & Roast Dates16%10.05.0
Choice & Personalisation16%5.37.6
What Actually Arrives12%10.010.0
Delivery & Straight Answers10%6.58.0

What each one costs

PriceNot publicly statedNot publicly stated

Where they differ

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

Intelligentsia Coffee SubscriptionStumptown Coffee Club
Best forA Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to orderThe widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks
Cancel Online✓✓
Cost per Bag18.00 USD20.00 USD
First Box Discount✓✓
Frequency OptionsYes, chosen at signup and changeable afterwardsEvery 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 weeks
Gift Option✓✓
Grind Options—whole bean or pre-ground
Pause Subscription✓✓
Price per kg52.94 USD58.82 USD
Pricing Published Upfront—✓
Quiz or Matching—✓
Roast ChoiceFour subscription types - Intelligentsia's Choice, Intelligentsia Classics, Seasonal Select and the Black Cat Project espresso - or any favourite blend or espressoRoaster's Pick and Blend Shuffle rotating options, or any blend or single origin on repeat
Roasted to OrderYes, always roasted to orderShipped directly from the roastery for peak freshness
Roasters Named✓✓
Shipping Included✓✓
Single Origin Available✓✓
Skip Delivery✓✓
Specialty Grade✓✓
Subscription URLhttps://www.intelligentsia.com/pages/subscriptionhttps://www.stumptowncoffee.com/pages/subscribe

Pros and cons

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

Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription
  • +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.
Full Intelligentsia Coffee Subscription review →
Stumptown Coffee Club
  • +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.
Full Stumptown Coffee Club review →

Every specification, side by side

Intelligentsia Coffee SubscriptionStumptown Coffee Club
Who it suits
Best forA Chicago roaster's own rotating single origins, shipped free and roasted to orderThe widest choice of delivery intervals of any subscription here, from weekly to every eight weeks
Specifications
Bag Size340 g340 g
Cancel Online✓✓
Cost per Bag18.00 USD20.00 USD
First Box Discount✓✓
Frequency OptionsYes, chosen at signup and changeable afterwardsEvery 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 weeks
Gift Option✓✓
Grind Options—whole bean or pre-ground
Min Commitment Deliveries11
Pause Subscription✓✓
Price per kg52.94 USD58.82 USD
Pricing Published Upfront—✓
Quiz or Matching—✓
Roast ChoiceFour subscription types - Intelligentsia's Choice, Intelligentsia Classics, Seasonal Select and the Black Cat Project espresso - or any favourite blend or espressoRoaster's Pick and Blend Shuffle rotating options, or any blend or single origin on repeat
Roasted to OrderYes, always roasted to orderShipped directly from the roastery for peak freshness
Roaster CountryUnited StatesUnited States
Roasters11
Roasters Named✓✓
Shipping Included✓✓
Single Origin Available✓✓
Skip Delivery✓✓
Specialty Grade✓✓
Subscription TypeRoaster's ownRoaster's own
Subscription URLhttps://www.intelligentsia.com/pages/subscriptionhttps://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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