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Angels’ Cup Coffee Box Review + Coupon – October 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseOct 17, 2016 | 3 comments

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Angels' Cup
4.7 overall rating
3 Ratings | 2 Reviews

Angels' Cup is a coffee subscription box focused on single origin coffees from top roasters.

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Freshness is a top priority for Angels' Cup, and they ensure a 24 hour turnaround time between receiving freshly roasted beans, packing them, and shipping them out to subscribers.

Subscribers can choose to have their beans sent whole, coarsely ground (for French press coffee), or finely ground (for drip coffee).

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Angels' Cup ships every week, but subscribers can adjust their preferences online to receive boxes less frequently.

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 review is of The Black Box, $21.99 a month, box. 

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The Subscription Box: Angels' Cup

The Cost: Three different plans are offered:

  • The Black Box includes 4 larger samples (11 oz. total) for $21.99.
  • Cupping Flight includes 4 smaller samples (4 oz. total) for $9.99.
  • All Stars includes 1 bag of coffee (12 oz.) for $19.99.

COUPON: Save 25% off your first box with code addiction25!

The Products: Freshly roasted, single-origin coffee from top US roasters.

Ships to: Ships free to the US. Shipping to Canada is an additional charge.

Check out all of our Angels' Cup reviews and find more coffee boxes in the Drinks Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

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Angels' Cup offers a few different subscription plans, and this is a review of the Black Box, which includes four 2.75 oz. samples of coffee. (FYI- 2.75 oz. of coffee is about enough to brew a small/medium sized pot from each sample.)

I’ve previously reviewed the other Angels’ Cup subscription plans: All Stars and Cupping Flight. The Cupping Flight includes smaller samples of each coffee, and the All Stars box includes one 12 oz. bag of coffee. You can find reviews of both the All Stars box and the Cupping Flight here.

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Angels' Cup includes individual tasting cards that match up with each of the coffees they send.

To guide your tasting, you can use either the provided tasting cards or the Angels’ Cup App.

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The app is really simple and fun to use. You start by entering in the unique sample numbers that accompany each coffee, and the app guides you through the tasting by prompting you to think about and select the color of the beans, the flavors in the coffee, and its characteristics. At the end of the tasting, it compares your answers to those of experts and other tasters in the Angels’ Cup community.

It’s definitely possible to do a tasting without the App, but I think it adds a lot to the experience.

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Sample #1351: Airship Coffee Sumatra- Kerinci- $12 for 250 grams

The first coffee I received in this shipment is a Sumatran coffee from Bentonville, Arkansas’ Airship Coffee. One of my favorite things about Angels’ Cup is that they always seem to pick out interesting and unusual coffee, and this is a great example of that. This coffee is honey processed, which is rare to see in a Sumatran coffee. (FYI- honey processed coffee is somewhere between washed process coffee and natural process coffee. Coffees that are washed lose their skin, pulp, and mucilage during processing, whereas natural coffees are dried and retain all of their layers. In honey processed coffee, the skin and pulp are removed, but some of the mucilage remains. It’s easy to forget that coffee is actually a fruit and that the different layers that are left on during processing can affect the flavor of the roasted beans.) On their website, Airship explains that the honey processing adds a really interesting fruity and floral quality to this coffee that’s uncharacteristic of most Sumatran coffee. I tend to think of Sumatran coffee as being earthy and deep, and this one is certainly more vivid. In the cup, it’s bright and a little citrusy, with some chocolate and spice, too. Angels’ Cup compares these flavors to those in an oatmeal cookie, which, honestly, just makes me want to drink this coffee alongside a breakfast of cookies.

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Sample #1359: Airship Coffee Guatema- El Zapote- $11 for 250 grams

This coffee is also from Airship Coffee, and it’s another winner. It’s fruity and has a nice brightness. Angels’ Cup describes this one as having tropical fruit flavors, but I didn’t really pick up on that. Still, there’s definitely a fruity sweetness that I really like.

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Sample #1404: Brandywine Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Idido- $14 for 12 oz.

My husband and I tried all of these coffees together, and we even resisted peeking at the tasting cards until we’d sipped each one and discussed it. After tasting Brandywine’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Idido, we both kind of scrunched up our faces, looked at each other, and said, “peach?!” For me, it’s rare that a particular flavor is so vivid that it immediately jumps out at me, and I think it’s really telling that both my husband and I immediately tasted peach. The baker in me wants to whip up some peach cobbler (or maybe peach shortcake?) to eat alongside this coffee because I think it would be a really fun pairing.

Also, I have to say that I’m a sucker for great packaging, and Brandywine’s coffee bags are so cool! They even have a “Halloweenie Limited Release Blend” with a fun, hand-printed label that’s homage to Nickelodeon’s Pete & Pete! (If anyone else out there is a big fan of Pete & Pete, make sure you check out Eric’s Nick Box December Spoiler Reveal. It guest stars one of the Petes!)

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Sample #1405: Brandywine Coffee Panama Santa Teresa

This tasting card for this coffee includes a whole laundry list of flavors: cantaloupe, red grape, berry, pineapple, coconut, peanut, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup. (I mean, wow. That’s a lot of flavors!) For me, this coffee is really well balanced, nutty, and a little sweet. I can’t say I come close to picking out all of the flavors that Angels’ Cup does, but I think I can taste the peanut, berry, and cinnamon. Regardless, I definitely agree that this is a well-rounded coffee with great body. It might be my favorite this month!

Verdict: Angels' Cup sends coffee with a light or medium roast (which is my preference), and I love that they source from top roasters across the country. I’m consistently impressed with both the roasters and coffee that I receive from Angels’ Cup, and this shipment is no exception. I love every single coffee in this month’s Black Box! I like how Angels’ Cup boxes are designed to guide you through the tasting process, and I always have a lot of fun doing the blind tastings. At $21.99, this isn’t a high-value subscription, but I do think Angels’ Cup sends great coffee and provides a unique experience. If you’re interested in sampling quality coffee from top third wave roasters, I can definitely recommend this subscription.

Are you a coffee lover? Will try out your blind tasting skills with Angels' Cup?

Starting at $17.49
Subscribe Now
Angels' Cup is a coffee tasting club where subscribers blindly sample up to 208 different coffees per year, record tasting notes through our app, and then compare answers with the roastmaster. We offer two subscription options, The Cupping Flight includes four 1oz samples for $8.99, and The Black Bo... read more.
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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3 comments

Melissa

Wow, super random, Brandywine Coffee Roasters are just up the road from me. Buy their coffee all the time at Brew Ha Ha. Small world especially since I’m from a very small part of that world lol.

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Donna

I recently subscribed to Angel’s Cup and I’m looking forward to my first shipment even more after reading your great review! I wasn’t sure if I was going to do a blind testing and use the app (I’m old and not too swift when it comes technical know how:-) but I think I’m going to give it a go.

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Lindsey Morse

Thanks, Donna! I hope you have fun with your blind tasting & enjoy your coffees! 🙂

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