5 Tips For Selecting A Coffee Of The Month Club

Article by Ray Forrest

Coffee of the Month Clubs are a great way to experience high quality, specialty coffees from all around the world at an affordable price. The recent demand in popularity for “coffee of the month” clubs has opened up a new channel for local coffee shops to showcase their flavorful blends on the internet. Most organic and fair trade coffee is roasted by local shops or micro-roasters that import beans from different regions globally. These coffee producers focus on roasting beans that are mostly organic, fair trade and shade grown to produce high quality, gourmet coffees that are rich in flavor with a mild touch on the palette that lacks the bitterness associated with lower grade coffees.

Demand for organic and fair trade products coupled with growth in online shopping means it makes good business sense for the savvy owner of a coffee shop to create a new sales channel using the web to distribute their specialty coffee products on a global basis. Today more than ever, establishing an e-commerce presence is a relatively easy task and the benefits of getting product online make it a worthwhile effort.

What does this mean for coffee lovers you might be asking? Now instead of having to settle for the “usual suspects” or big brand coffee producers, consumers have a wide variety or high quality, specialty coffees to choose from. Coffees of the Month Clubs are designed to offer shoppers the opportunity to experience a variety of specialty coffees on a monthly basis at an affordable price. As you start your search for a Coffee of the Month Club here are several tips on what to look for and how to find the best deal for yourself.

1. How much should I pay? Most organic and fair trade coffees range in price from .99 to per pound. This excludes ultra premium coffees such as Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain. These two particular coffees range in price between and per pound.

2. Quality – Look for products that are certified organic and fair trade. These coffees are produced based on high quality standards that are free from harmful herbicides and pesticides and promote ethical and financial practices that support the local farmers and surrounding communities.

3. How to find? – Coffee producers big and small have moved onto the internet. You can find a variety of options available by doing a web search. Type in words and phrases such as – “coffee of the month club”, “coffee club”, or “organic coffee club” and you will find plenty of companies to choose from.

4. What should I buy? – Most companies offer a subscription to their coffee clubs ranging from 3-12 months in duration with orders shipping 1-2 times per month depending on when you make your purchase. If you can, purchase whole bean since it preserves freshness better than ground coffee.

5. How much should I buy? – Most two person households go through about 2lbs per month.

Once you’ve narrowed down your search make sure that the website you decide to purchase from looks credible and displays logos ensuring secure transactions. You can take it one step further and call the contact number on the website to validate their identity and protect yourself against fraud.

For all of you coffee lovers out there, there is nothing quite like the anticipation of receiving that special package in the mail every month and experiencing a new flavorful blend of coffee.