If you’re a coffee fanatic like me, then coffee subscription services probably aren't a novel concept. In pursuit of finding the best one out there, I tried two coffee subscription brands that the internet has been raving about: Cometeer and Blue Bottle.
At first glance, they both seem like your average cup of joe, but after trying each of them, I definitely have some thoughts…
Taste: Cometeer Wins By A Mile
My morning coffee plays a major role in whether I start my day off on a good or a bad note, so I value a tasty cup of coffee. If I have to drown it with creamer or question the quality of the roast, I don't want it.
Cometeer blows Blue Bottle out of the water in the taste department. To be honest, at first I was worried the Cometeer frozen pucks were going to leave me with grainy, watered-down coffee, but I could not have been more incorrect.
Cometeer coffee extract is brewed and flash-frozen, so you’re left with a flavorful cup of coffee, sans coffee grounds (and therefore no grainy texture). Also, each roast contains a complex and unique combination of flavors: from sweet citrus to bold hints of chocolate, I find myself savoring every sip.
As for Blue Bottle, it was honestly nothing special – it tasted like any other store-bought coffee, and I could barely taste the differences between roasts, unlike Cometeer.
Convenience: Cometeer, Easy!
I have a habit of running out of the door on my way to work in the morning, so I can't waste time waiting for my coffee to brew. Cometeer’s convenience is a major plus: all you have to do is peel back the lid of the aluminum capsule, drop it in the mug, and add some water. No machine, no coffee grounds, no mess.
Also, there are tons of ways to prepare Cometeer – if you’re into hot coffee, all you have to do is drop a frozen ‘puck’ into a cup of hot water and stir until it dissolves. If you're into iced coffee, store your Cometeer in the fridge, pour the liquid into a glass of water or milk with ice, and you’re ready to run out the door.
As for Blue Bottle, it’s just your standard bag of coffee, so unfortunately, you’ll have to continue to use your coffee maker to brew a cup (which is extra time I just don’t have in the morning).
Price: Blue Bottle, But Value Easily Goes To Cometeer
This is probably the only area where I’d say Blue Bottle has a slight advantage over Cometeer, but as we all know, you get what you pay for. Blue Bottle’s standard bag of coffee comes to approximately $1.50 a cup, while Cometeer sits closer to $2 a cup.
In my opinion, the slight price difference wasn't enough to sway me against Cometeer. Though you save fifty cents per cup with Blue Bottle, you lose time brewing your own coffee. Less than a dollar more for a higher-quality cup of joe from Cometeer was an easy choice for me.
Variety: Cometeer, Yet Again
Blue Bottle’s Blend Assortment box includes three whole-bean coffee blends per box, meaning you have to grind the beans yourself. I appreciate that Blue Bottle offers a variety of subscription options like the Single Origin Assortment or the Espresso Assortment, but the roast options are more limited than Cometeer. Additionally, Blue Bottle’s flavors rotate each week, so there isn’t a chance to try something new until your next shipment arrives.
I went for Cometeer’s Mixed Roast Box to try a little bit of everything they had to offer. The box came with 32 cups of coffee from 4 different roasters, and a range of roasts from light to dark. As someone who likes to change it up, this was the perfect box for me!
Cometeer also offers a variety of flavors for each box, with new roasts delivered every month! If you prefer light and fruity coffee, I recommend the Light Roast Box. If you prefer bolder flavors, the Dark Roast Box is filled with deep, rich, chocolate flavors. If you land somewhere in the middle, the Medium Roast Box has an assortment of smooth, versatile flavors that can be paired with anything! If you’re not a fan of the jitters, try the Half-Caff Box or the Decaf Box.
The Verdict… It’s Cometeer!
To be honest, I thought it was going to be much more difficult to decide on which coffee subscription was better. Between taste, variety and convenience, it’s clear that Cometeer is the winner here.
As someone who likes to dabble in different flavors and roasts throughout the week, Cometeer has become a staple in my morning routine. Flash-frozen at peak flavor, each cup of Cometeer is filled with a complex set of flavors that will leave you savoring each sip.
