Most compostable pod boxes ask you to pick one coffee and live with it for forty cups. The Tayst Coffee Pods Variety Pack does the opposite: ten pods of each blend in the box, in four, five or six blends, so you can find out which Tayst coffee you actually like before committing to a whole box of it. This guide goes through what Tayst publishes about the pack, what you get at each size, how it compares with other pods on this site, and who it suits.
What is the Tayst Coffee Pods Variety Pack?
It is a mixed box of Tayst's compostable coffee pods for Keurig-compatible brewers. Tayst sells it on its own store as the Mixed Discovery Bundle, and describes it as a flexible discovery bundle with a curated mix of its blends in compostable pods. Each box holds 10 cups of every blend it contains, so the size of the box decides how many blends you try.
The 40-pod box has four blends: Bold & Brazen, Bold & Brilliant, Medium & Magnificent and Medium & Heroic. The 50-pod box adds Vintage Vanilla. The 60-pod box adds Mighty Mocha as well, which Tayst singles out for its rich chocolate notes. Tayst's maker prices are $41.65 for 40 pods, $52.06 for 50 and $62.47 for 60.
Tayst Coffee Pods Variety Pack specs
| Spec | As published by Tayst |
|---|---|
| Pod system | Keurig compatible single-serve pods |
| Box sizes | 40, 50 or 60 pods, 10 of each blend |
| Blends in the 40-pod box | Bold & Brazen, Bold & Brilliant, Medium & Magnificent, Medium & Heroic |
| Added in the 50-pod box | Vintage Vanilla |
| Added in the 60-pod box | Mighty Mocha |
| Maker prices | $41.65, $52.06 and $62.47 |
| Pod material | Compostable ring, mesh and lid, corn-starch based materials |
| Certifications | Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee; Biodegradable Products Institute certification for commercial composting; TUV Austria certified capsules |
| Roast | Beans roasted weekly in small batches |
Tayst does not publish the grams of coffee per pod, the cup size to brew, the countries the beans come from or a direct trade claim. It also gives no roast level for Bold & Brazen, which its store labels bold rather than dark or medium.
What is in the box: the blends
Tayst's own blend descriptions are the only guide to what each pod tastes like, and they are marketing copy, so treat them as the maker's claims rather than a tasting result. Bold & Brazen is described as rich and full-bodied with a smoky cocoa finish. Bold & Brilliant is a full-bodied blend with subtle caramel notes, and its store page carries a dark roast label. Medium & Magnificent is smooth, with soft fruity mocha notes and a light, balanced body, and it is sold as a medium roast. Medium & Heroic is a smooth medium roast with a hint of brightness.
That spread is the argument for the pack. It runs from bold and dark to medium and bright, with a vanilla and a mocha at the larger sizes, so one box covers the main stops on the Tayst range. The maker's own photo of the 50-pod box shows each blend in its own bag labeled 10 single serve coffee pods, with the line that the bag and pod are compostable.
What the pod is made of and what happens to it
Tayst says its pods are made from compostable materials including the ring, the mesh and the lid, with corn-starch based materials and no plastic in the pod. The base of the pod is a mesh, which Tayst says gives even brewing and fuller extraction. The pods are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute to break down in commercial composting facilities, and Tayst's capsules are also TUV Austria certified.
The detail that matters at home is the word commercial. Tayst says every pod and lid is designed to return to the earth within months, but the certification it publishes is for commercial composting facilities. It does not claim the pods are home compostable, so if your waste goes to landfill the compostable label does not change where the pod ends up. Check whether your area collects food waste for commercial composting before you pay a premium for the pod.
The coffee is separately certified. Tayst says it sources from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, and that it selects the top 3% of beans, roasted weekly. Those are the maker's statements, and the page does not name an origin for any blend.
Tayst Variety Pack vs Tayst Bold & Brazen
The Tayst Bold & Brazen box is $41.65 for 40 pods, which is exactly what the 40-pod variety pack costs. There is no price penalty for variety, and no discount for committing to one coffee. At 50 pods the variety pack works out at about $1.04 a pod, the same as a single-blend box. So the decision is only about what you want to drink. If you already know you like the dark, smoky cocoa pod, buy the single box. If you do not know yet, the variety box lets you find out for the same money.
The Tayst Medium & Magnificent is priced the same, $41.65 for 40 pods. The variety pack is the way to try it next to the bolder blends.
Tayst Variety Pack vs San Francisco Bay OneCUP French Roast
The San Francisco Bay OneCUP French Roast is a commercially compostable K-Cup as well, at $53.49 for 80 pods, about $0.67 a pod. The Tayst variety pack costs roughly 55% more per pod. In return you get a mix of blends and Tayst's Rainforest Alliance sourcing claim, where San Francisco Bay's box is a single dark roast at a lower price. If price per cup decides it, the OneCUP wins. If variety does, Tayst is the only one of the two that lets you rotate. See all the coffee pods for the rest of the shelf.
Is the Tayst Coffee Pods Variety Pack worth it?
At $41.65 for 40 pods the cost is about $1.04 a pod, and it stays at that level at 50 and 60 pods, so there is no saving from buying the biggest box. That is above many supermarket pods, and Tayst does not publish a dose per pod, so a price per kilo cannot be worked out. Nobody here has brewed these, so how the blends taste and how the mesh pod performs in a given brewer are not covered.
What you pay for is a compostable pod made of a certified material, coffee from certified farms and a spread of roasts in one box. That is a reasonable trade if you were already planning to buy compostable pods and are unsure which blend to settle on. It is a poor trade if the pods go to landfill and you only care about cost per cup.
Who should buy the Tayst Coffee Pods Variety Pack (and who should not)
It suits someone with a Keurig-compatible brewer who wants to try the Tayst range before choosing a favorite, a household where people prefer different roasts, and a gift buyer who wants one box that covers bold, medium and flavored coffees. It also suits anyone who has commercial composting available and wants the pod itself to count.
It does not suit buyers who watch cost per cup closely, because the price is higher than the bulk pods on this site. It does not suit anyone who wants a decaf, since none of the blends listed for the box is a decaf, although Tayst does sell Defiantly Decaf separately. And it is not for anyone who needs the roast, dose or origin published before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which blends come in the Tayst Variety Pack?
The 40-pod box has Bold & Brazen, Bold & Brilliant, Medium & Magnificent and Medium & Heroic, 10 pods each. The 50-pod box adds Vintage Vanilla, and the 60-pod box adds Mighty Mocha as well.
Do these pods fit a Keurig machine?
Tayst sells them as compostable Keurig compatible pods. They are made by Tayst, not by Keurig.
Are the pods home compostable?
Tayst publishes certification from the Biodegradable Products Institute for commercial composting facilities. It does not state that the pods are home compostable, so check for a commercial composting collection in your area.
How much does the pack cost?
Tayst lists the 40-pod box at $41.65, the 50-pod box at $52.06 and the 60-pod box at $62.47. Each works out at about $1.04 a pod.
Is there a decaf in the variety pack?
None of the blends listed for the 40, 50 or 60-pod box is a decaf. Tayst sells Defiantly Decaf pods as a separate product.
Is the coffee certified?
Tayst says its coffee is Rainforest Alliance Certified and that its capsules are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute and TUV Austria. Those are the maker's statements.
