What is Trade Coffee Subscription?
Trade is a matchmaking service, not a roaster. It asks what you like, picks coffee from independent American roasters to suit, and has them roast it to order and post it to you.
The mechanism is a quiz. You answer questions about how you brew and what you drink, Trade matches you to three coffees, and you set a delivery schedule. Each bag is then roasted by the roaster who owns it and shipped from their own facility, which is why two coffees ordered together from different roasters arrive as two parcels rather than one.
The Premium tier carries over 450 single origins and blends. Trade also sells the same coffees a la carte without a subscription, from a collection it describes as more than 500 specialty coffees.
One number Trade does not publish is how many roasters that is. The site talks about small and independent roasters throughout and never states a count, so the size of the roster you are actually choosing between is unknown. Misto, its closest competitor, publishes 60.
What you get, and what it costs
$21.99 buys a 310g bag on the Premium tier, which works out at $70.94 a kilo. The two-pound bag at $49.99 is the cheaper way to buy the same coffee.
Bag sizes across the catalogue run from 10 ounces to 5 pounds, but Trade states the majority are 310g, or around 11 ounces, and that is the size the headline price refers to. You can take one or two bags per order, and two bags means two of the same coffee rather than two different ones.
Shipping is the part the price does not include. Free delivery is unlocked by paying in advance, in bundles of three, six or twelve bags, and every 2lb subscription ships free regardless. A pay-per-shipment subscription pays for postage on each order. That is a real cost and it is not in the $21.99.
The first bag is free on the Discovery Trial, which is the honest way to test whether the matching works for you before committing to a bundle.
How fresh is the coffee?
Roasted to order by the roaster who owns the coffee, and shipped from their facility rather than a central warehouse. This is the strongest thing Trade does.
Because each roaster works to its own roasting schedule, the gap between the order and the roast varies by roaster, and Trade does not publish a maximum. It does publish the mechanism, which is the part that matters: nothing is picked off a shelf, and the parcel comes from the people who roasted it.
Trade does not state whether a roast date is printed on the bag. Most specialty roasters print one, but it is the roaster's decision rather than Trade's, and with 450 coffees from an unstated number of roasters there is no single answer to give. We have not scored it either way.
Can you cancel it?
Yes, from your own dashboard, at any time, with no phone call and no email. This is the question this site cares most about, and Trade answers it well.
Cancelling is done under My Subscription on the account dashboard: click Cancel Subscription, answer a few questions about why, and it is done. There is no minimum number of deliveries and no notice period to serve. Any order already in progress will still be roasted and shipped, which is a consequence of coffee being roasted for you rather than a retention tactic.
Three softer exits sit in front of the hard one, and all three are self-service. You can pause the subscription from the same page. You can push the next order date back if you are simply drinking it slower than you thought. And you can change frequency, grind, bag count and address whenever you like. The only timing rule is that changes must be in by 12pm Eastern the day before an order, and address changes need a full 24 hours.
The one thing to know is the guarantee. Trade's First Bag Guarantee applies to the first coffee in a subscription only, it is a replacement or a better match rather than money back, and you have to contact their customer team to use it. A negative rating on its own does not trigger it.
Trade vs Misto
Both are quiz-matched curators of independent American roasters. Misto includes shipping and publishes its roaster count; Trade has the deeper catalogue and the better exit.
Misto states 60 roasters and 600+ coffees, and puts free shipping on every plan from $20 a bag. Trade states 450+ coffees on Premium at $21.99 for 310g, and charges for shipping unless you prepay or take the 2lb plan. On the sticker that is close; once postage is in, Misto is cheaper for anyone not buying in bundles.
Where Trade wins is depth and flexibility of the queue. Where Misto wins is that you can see the size of the roster before you sign up, and that its Reschedule lets you push a shipment up to 90 days out while keeping your queue, which is a pause in all but name.
Neither locks you in. Both cancel from a dashboard in a couple of clicks, which is more than can be said for much of this market.
Is Trade Coffee worth it?
Worth it for range and freshness. Not worth it as a way to spend less on coffee.
$70.94 a kilo is a specialty price, and you should read it as one. Atlas Coffee Club is $58.82 a kilo for a 340g bag of single origin, and a supermarket specialty bag is well under both. What the money buys at Trade is access to roasters you would otherwise have to find one at a time, a coffee roasted after you ordered it, and the ability to stop at any moment without asking anyone.
The 2lb subscription changes the arithmetic considerably: $49.99 for two pounds is $55.06 a kilo, it ships free, and it is the best value Trade offers. If you drink enough coffee to get through 907g while it is still fresh, that is the plan to be on.
Who should subscribe (and who should not)
Subscribe if you want to be introduced to roasters. Do not subscribe if you already know which coffee you want every month.
Good fit: someone who enjoys drinking something different each time and does not want to research it; a household getting through a two-pound bag in a few weeks, where the plan is cheapest and ships free; somebody who has been burned by a subscription that was hard to leave.
Poor fit: anyone outside the United States, since Trade ships nowhere else. Anyone loyal to one coffee, who will pay a curation premium for a service whose whole value is variety. And anyone buying on price, who should look at the per-kilo figure rather than the per-bag one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Trade Coffee a month?
It depends on frequency rather than being a flat monthly fee. The Premium tier is $21.99 per 310g bag or $49.99 per two-pound bag, and you choose how often a bag arrives, so a fortnightly 310g subscription is about $44 a month before shipping.
Is shipping free with Trade Coffee?
Only on prepaid subscriptions of three, six or twelve bags, and on every 2lb subscription. Pay-per-shipment subscriptions pay for delivery on each order.
Can I cancel Trade Coffee at any time?
Yes. Cancel from the dashboard under My Subscription, with no notice period and no minimum number of deliveries. An order already being roasted will still be shipped.
Does Trade Coffee ship to Canada?
No. Trade ships within the United States only, to all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii, and not to Canada, Puerto Rico, other US territories, or APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
Can I choose the grind?
Yes, and you can change it whenever you like from the dashboard, as long as the change is in by 12pm Eastern the day before your order.
What happens if I do not like the coffee?
The First Bag Guarantee covers the first coffee in a subscription. Contact their customer team and they will find you a better match. It is a replacement rather than a refund, and it does not apply to later bags.
