Peet's Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster based in San Francisco, but you've probably seen their coffee on the shelves of your local grocery store, or you may even have a café in your area. In addition to the cups of joe and grounds you can buy locally, Peet's also offers a coffee subscription.
They offer three different subscriptions: The Signature Blend Series, the Single Origin Series, and the Small Batch Series.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This is a review of the Single Origin Series, for $17 per month + free U.S. shipping.
About Peet's Coffee
The Subscription Box: Peet's Coffee Single Origin Series
The Price: Starts at $17 per month + free U.S. shipping for one 16 oz. bag. Save with higher volumes per delivery.
The Products: High-quality single-origin coffee that has been responsibly sourced from top farmers around the globe.
Ships to: The U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii, and PO boxes) for free, Canada starting at $20.25, and internationally starting at $32
Peet's Coffee Single Origin Series December 2020
If you like exploring coffees from specific regions around the world, the Single Origin Series is a great way to sample what Peet's has to offer. Each of the three different subscriptions has its own sign-up page, so once you're in the checkout funnel, you'll only have to answer two questions: how much coffee you'd like to receive per delivery and whether you'd like to receive whole beans or grounds. If you opt for grounds, you'll indicate whether you brew your coffee in a drip coffee maker or in a French press or percolator. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to freshness, so I always opt for whole beans that I can grind myself.
Note: if you're not sure where to begin, you might want to start by taking Peet's 5-question Coffee Finder quiz. The quiz matches you with specific coffees rather than a recommended subscription, but your coffee match might be a good indicator of which subscription could be a good fit for you!
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Peet's Sumatra Dark Roast, Whole Bean (16 oz.) - Retail $17.95
This month's single-origin coffee is an Indo-Pacific bean that's described as "rustic and earthy, with a hefty body, complex sweetness, and herbal nuances." The flavor is categorized as "earthy" and "herbal," and the beans are darkly roasted. I always love learning a little bit about where coffee comes from, and this one has a great backstory. The beans are cultivated in small gardens and then hand-processed using traditional methods. Peet's goes on to describe the process of collecting beans from farmer-operated growing lots:
Because each lot might include the beans of 100 different farmers, great Sumatra relies on strong relationships and sharp tasting skills. We sample exhaustively for every lot we select, looking for the most exceptional body and sweet herbal nuances to coax out with our signature Peet's roast. The result is a gutsy, glorious coffee that brews a richly seductive cup.
When I'm picking out coffee, I tend to seek out beans that are lightly roasted. I prefer to drink my coffee black, and my favorite coffees are bright, light, and citrusy. That's not really what Peet's is all about. (A look at the current coffees available for sale on their website shows that the great majority are darkly roasted.) I knew that going into this review, and I wanted to mention my own personal tastes at the start of the review in the spirit of full disclosure. But here's the truth: while Peet's may not specialize in my preferred style of coffee, I'm actually a really big fan! I used to live around the corner from one of their shops, and I have fond memories of long days working from a back corner table while sipping giant iced coffees. When my first shipment from Peet's arrived, I wasn't surprised to see they'd sent a dark roast coffee from Sumatra. It's a coffee I've had several times before in their café!
As soon as I ripped off the packing tape and opened up the box, the strong and heady aroma hit me. Freshly roasted beans always smell the best, and— sure enough— the date on the side of the package revealed they'd been roasted only a week before they landed on my doorstep.
Peet's provides brewing recommendations for their beans, and for this Sumatra, they suggest using a French press or a drip pot. I'm something of a coffee paraphernalia collector. (I have a cabinet that's kind of embarrassingly filled to the brim with French presses, a Chemex, a vintage percolator, pour-over drippers, and a stovetop brewer.) But despite this crazy collection, 99% of the time I use my handy old drip brewer that's so broken-in the labels are worn off the buttons. (I swear it makes the best coffee.) Since Peet's gave these beans the thumbs up for drip brewing, I relied on old faithful for my taste test.
In the cup, this coffee is dark, bold, and earthy. The flavor is smooth on the front end, and it leaves a roasty toastiness; it's an easy-drinking coffee that's complex enough not to be forgettable. (My husband, who is a self-proclaimed coffee snob and tried this coffee along with me, insisted I tell you all that it tastes like "toasted Brasil nut." Le sigh.) After a few sips of black coffee, I added a splash of milk into my mug, and the creaminess nicely balanced out the bold flavors. I actually think this coffee would be excellent over ice, and I'm contemplating grinding some of the beans and using them to make refrigerator cold brew.
Verdict: This is my first taste of Peet's Coffee Single Origin Series, and I enjoyed my first shipment. The beans I received are a solid representation of what I've come to expect from Peet's, and brewing them up at home hit me with a wave of nostalgia for the days when I used to work from my local Peet's café. I couldn't have asked for more freshly roasted beans, and I'm looking forward to enjoying this Sumatra in the days to come.
Value-wise, a 1-bag subscription costs $17 + free shipping. You're saving yourself $0.95 per bag of coffee + the cost of shipping when you sign up for a Peet's 1-bag subscription. If you are a known fan of Peet's, have more than 1-2 coffee-drinkers in your house, or perhaps if you're using a standard coffee maker every day, you might want to consider signing up for additional bags per delivery. 2 bags per delivery costs $32 (save $2) and 3 bags per delivery costs $45 (save $6). This box doesn't provide a particularly high-value month-to-month experience, but that's not uncommon with food and drink subscriptions. To save the most, consider the 3 bag option and use the coupon below to maximize your savings on your first month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Given their subscription model, your items may vary based on your survey responses.
Value Breakdown: The cost of one 16 oz. bag of Peet's coffee bought as a one-time purchase is $17.95 + $5 shipping to the continental U.S.*, whereas a single bag purchased through the Single Origin Series subscription costs $17 + free shipping. That means you save $5.95+ when you buy coffee through a Peet's subscription and are paying about $0.94 per ounce of coffee.
*Non-subscription shipping costs $5 to the continental U.S., $10 to Alaska, Hawaii, and PO Boxes, $23.50+ to Canada, and $32+ to the rest of the world.
Check out all of our Peet's Coffee reviews and for more coffee subscriptions visit our Coffee Subscription Box Directory!
Have you tried Peet's Coffee? What's your favorite brew?
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