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.
Review updated on 11/14/20 to adjust expired coupon code.
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 $32.00.
Peet's Coffee Single Origin Series October 2020
Since Peet's requires separate sign-ups for its three different subscriptions, you know when you've narrowed your choice down to the Single Origins Series that you'll be receiving a specific region's flavor with each delivery. So, when you sign up, you'll only have to answer two questions: How much coffee you'd like to receive per delivery—and, of course, there are discounts for higher volumes—and then 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. My family makes our coffee pour-over-style, which isn't indicated here, so I opted for whole beans that we could grind ourselves.
Note: if you're not sure where to begin, you might want to start by taking their 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!
Here's the packing slip that arrived inside my box alongside my first bag of coffee. It's straightforward and simply indicates the type of coffee I was sent. No price is listed since every bag is sold at $17 at the 1-bag subscription tier.
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Peet's New Guinea Highlands Dark Roast Grounds (16 oz.) - Retail $17.95
My first bag is this New Guinea Highlands bean from Papua New Guinea, which is north of Australia. The bag gives a brief history of Peet's, and is affixed with a sticker that gives the roast date—always a good sign of a freshly roasted delivery! There's a bit of geographical history about this particular coffee on its product page (here). I always like to know the details of my single-origin coffees and found myself craving more specifics than were provided in the short paragraph—like, maybe about the farm and farmers who grew and harvested these beans.
I'm a fan of medium-to-dark roasts and fruity notes, and this coffee is a dark roast with what Peet's deems a "spicy/complex" flavor category. The description is, "Rich and mellow, yet aromatically complex. Full-bodied with broad flavors." I was hopeful going in, and a whiff even of the outside of the bag setup expectations of rich flavor.
I mentioned above that I requested whole beans, but it turns out I was sent grounds. They were rather course, but they worked just fine in my pour-over cone. I suppose when it comes down to it I mainly chose whole beans because pour-over wasn't an option for grind settings, but it does save me a step not having to grind the beans myself. (Apologies to the true coffee snobs out there—I know going the pre-ground route is a sacrifice to freshness!)
Note: the Peet's team mailed me a new bag of whole bean coffee when they learned about this fulfillment error.
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In recent years I've taken to always reading the instructions on the side of coffee bags before making my first cup—I figure I may as well optimize my experience by brewing as intended. This bag suggested 2 Tablespoons per 6 oz. of water. Woah! I was brewing a 12 oz. cup, which meant I would need 4 Tbs. of grounds, and as I was scooping it out it just started to feel like a really intense volume of coffee. I still have a lot to learn about coffee, but I wondered if that many scoops are more appropriate for a drip coffee maker. I trusted my gut and toned it down to 3 Tbs., which in the end was the right call for me. The coffee tasted dark, rich, smoky, and bitter. A serious, no-nonsense cup of coffee! Admittedly it was a little much for me. I really enjoyed the first few sips, then had to drink some water. My husband sometimes takes his coffee with heavy cream in it (no-nonsense of a different breed), which might have been the move here, although he ended up finishing my cup black. He enjoyed it but agreed it had a deep bitterness to it.
Verdict: My first impression of the Peet's Coffee Single Origin Series is that this coffee is not for the faint of heart! That's only based on my having tried one bag, of course. I'll be eager to see what Peet's sends me next month, and hopeful that it's something a little better suited to my everyday drinking preferences. Concerning the issue of receiving grounds instead of beans as requested, that wasn't too much of a turn-off to me, though I can see it being a bummer for some. Nothing a quick email to customer service can't fix for next time. 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. But if you are a known fan of Peet's (or perhaps have a lot of coffee-drinkers in your household) and decide to sign up for additional bags per delivery, you'll save even more—2 bags per delivery costs $32 (save $2) and 3 bags per delivery costs $45 (save $6). While this box doesn't provide high-value month-to-month, that's often typical 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.
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Have you tried Peet's Coffee? What's your favorite brew?
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