New research reveals Britons spend an average of £530 annually on takeaway coffees. For those looking to trim this expense, brewing a quality cup at home presents a significant saving opportunity. The solution? A coffee subscription service, which delivers fresh, exciting beans or pods directly to your door, transforming your daily ritual and potentially curbing that costly café habit.
Our Top Picks for UK Coffee Subscriptions
Our team conducted extensive testing over several weeks, replacing our usual morning espresso or cappuccino with a variety of subscription offerings. We evaluated each based on taste, aroma, price, variety, and the quality of information provided about the coffee's origin. Extra credit was given for environmental credentials and engaging storytelling.
1. Best Overall: Rave Coffee Subscription
Price: From £8.95 per month. Rave Coffee's subscription stood out as our top choice. We tested the Discovery box, which delivered a monthly batch of a different single-origin coffee, such as the medium-roasted Honduras Cafesmo with notes of strawberry and cocoa. The presentation was exceptional, with fun packaging that felt like a gift. Detailed cards explained the production process, tasting notes, and producer background, all without needing to go online. The coffee arrives in resealable, compostable bags, and the brand donates 1% of sales to environmental causes.
2. Best for Coffee Enthusiasts: Monmouth Coffee Subscription
Price: From £8.25 per month. A stalwart of the London coffee scene, Monmouth offers a serious subscription for connoisseurs. You can tailor your plan by brew method, roast profile, bag size, and frequency. We sampled the Thiriku Kenya medium roast, with its outstanding fruity notes of redcurrant and plum jam. The coffee comes in biodegradable bags, and the 250g option fits through your letterbox. It's a premium product that supports small-holding farmers in Kenya.
3. Best for Celebrating Female Roasters: Caravan Coffee Roasters
Price: From £8.50 per delivery. Caravan's 'No Boundaries Brew' subscription is part of its female producer programme, sourcing a third of its coffee from women producers. The coffee itself delivered delicious vanilla and forest fruit flavours. While there's no subscription discount, the prices are reasonable, and you can easily try different roasts. New subscribers to the pod discovery pack sometimes receive a themed gift box with products from other brands.
4. Best for Your Daily Cuppa: Tambia Coffee Subscription
Price: From £6.75 per delivery. Ideal for those who know what they like, Tambia offers consistent deliveries of your favourite roast. There's no discovery box, but you can order 50g samples first. We were impressed by the Pink Bourbon natural light roast, with its complex tropical fruit and caramel notes. The brand uses carbon-neutral pouches and mailing packages made from 65% recycled paper.
5. Best for Discovering New Flavours: Hasbean Subscription
Price: £10.50 per delivery. Hasbean's 'Get In My Cup' service is incredibly versatile, sending a different single-origin coffee from around the world each delivery. Each batch comes with a detailed information page and a tasting video. We tried a honey-processed coffee from Honduras with notes of plum and almond. This B-Corp uses compostable pouches, making it a great choice for the adventurous drinker.
Specialist and Sustainable Choices
The list also includes innovative and eco-conscious options. London Nootropics (£12/month) offers mushroom and CBD-based 'coffee' sachets for a caffeine-free energy boost. Balance Coffee (£30) provides 'healthy coffee' tested for mould and toxins, including a popular lion's mane mushroom blend. For style, Grind (£10) delivers its signature Shoreditch blend in chic, compostable pods.
Eco-warriors should consider Odd Coffee (£22), which rescues rejected pods and beans from premium roasters, preventing waste. Their 'Lucky Dip' pod box was a favourite. Finally, for Italian-style coffee from a Nespresso machine, Rave's Italian Blend pods (£16) subscription is a superb choice.
The Final Verdict on Coffee Subscriptions
Every subscription we tested delivered a treat, but Rave Coffee earned the top spot for its complete package of excellent coffee, engaging information, and sustainable ethos. The concept from Odd Coffee also deserves high praise for its innovative approach to reducing food waste.
Ultimately, investing in a coffee subscription is a savvy way to enhance your morning routine, discover a world of flavours, and potentially save hundreds of pounds each year compared to a daily takeaway habit. With options for every taste and machine, there's never been a better time to become your own barista.
