{"id":1975739,"date":"2024-03-29T13:21:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T18:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1975739"},"modified":"2024-03-29T13:21:42","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T18:21:42","slug":"trade-coffee-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/trade-coffee-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade Coffee Review: This Subscription Is the Little Treat I Look Forward to Every Morning"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Trade\r\n\r\nAs a \"zillennial\" (AKA a late 90s baby caught between the crosshairs of two generations), I\u2019m influenced by my fair share of TikTok trends. I\u2019ve caught myself making girl dinner<\/a> a few too many times and adding viral products<\/a> to my Amazon cart. But my all-time favorite craze? Little treat culture.\r\n\r\nYep, there\u2019s a whole generation on the internet who feels the need to reward themselves after the slightest inconvenience or discomfort. Long work meeting? Excuse me while I grab a cookie after. Went to a dentist appointment? Well, I\u2019m stopping for flowers on the way home. In short, these little treats are a way to make the mundane rituals of life a little more rewarding.\r\n\r\nIn my home, my latest little treat obsession is a quality cup of coffee every. single. day. No more waiting for special occasions to splurge on the good stuff.\r\n\r\nAs Taste Recipes\u2019s<\/em> Senior Shopping Editor, I\u2019ve had the privilege of testing and reviewing all sorts of gear and gadgets, from coffee gift baskets<\/a> to my ride-or-die Burr grinder<\/a>. But at the end of the day, the most crucial component is the coffee itself<\/a>\u2014and that\u2019s where a Trade subscription<\/a> comes in.\r\n

What is Trade Coffee?<\/h2>\r\n\"Coffee\r\n\r\nTrade<\/a> is an online coffee marketplace that matches coffee enthusiasts with fresh beans from across the country. You can buy bags one at a time or opt for a subscription. It\u2019s a great way to try independent brands with a single account. I enjoyed coffees from Michigan, Virginia, Kansas, Tennessee, Massachusetts and New York. I even spotted some local roasters from my neck of the woods in Wisconsin\u2014shout out to Anodyne<\/a>!\r\n\r\nTrade also makes it easy to identify your flavor preferences and choose the perfect grind for your brew method (or opt for whole bean, of course). They also sell coffee tools and gift boxes.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT superlative=\"We Tried It\" product_name=\"Trade Coffee Subscription\" short_description=\"Get ready to explore the wide world of coffee! Enjoy fresh beans delivered straight to your door.\" image=\"1975968\" image_credit=\"VIA MERCHANT\" pr_name=\"Trade Coffee\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/www.drinktrade.com\/pages\/quiz\" pr_display_text=\"Subscribe to Trade Coffee\" \/]\r\n

How We Tested It<\/h2>\r\nTo see if Trade is worth its salt\u2026err, grounds, I tested a subscription over the course of two months. I sampled six bags in total, delivered bi-weekly.\r\n

Introductory Quiz<\/h3>\r\nBefore you reach for your French press<\/a>, you have to make a Trade account. This process sets up your initial flavor and brewing needs, so don't breeze through it. (Of course, you can always amend your preferences later, if desired).\r\n\r\nThe quiz starts with a lot of the usual suspect questions: How do you take your coffee? What roasts do you typically buy? Do you want whole bean or ground coffee? You'll then get into slightly nicher asks, like how adventurous you are with coffee flavors. The quiz closes with selections around bag size, shipment frequency and whether you'd like to pre-pay or pay as you go.\r\n\r\nIt's definitely one of the lengthier coffee quizzes I've encountered, but the thorough process sets you up for success with your very first shipment. And, if for some reason you don't love that first pick, Trade offers a \"first match guarantee\" that sends a second bag for free if you're not happy.\r\n

Delivery and Freshness<\/h3>\r\n\"A\r\n\r\nSoon after ordering, my Trade coffee arrived in my mailbox in a bright red bag. After opening, I did a double-take at the roast date\u2014it was just a few days prior! As someone who typically buys grocery store beans or organic coffee<\/a> from Amazon, I was impressed. Typically, I'm checking that the expiration<\/em> date isn't coming up soon! I was very happy to know that the beans hadn't been roasted and stashed in a warehouse for weeks (or even months) before showing up at my door.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nNow, while researching, I had read some reviews saying Trade coffee bags can be a little skimpy, so I measured each bag on my coffee scale. In my experience, each bag weighed in right around 11 ounces, which matches the 10.93-ounce standard bag size Trade advertises.\r\n

Brewing and Taste<\/h3>\r\n\"Black\r\n\r\nI was matched with Sparrows High Five Blend<\/a> for my first order. Followed by Red Rooster El Salvador Finca Hungria<\/a>, PT's Flatlander Signature Blend<\/a>, Common Voice Heirloom<\/a>, Broadsheet Line Street Blend<\/a> and Joe Amsterdam<\/a>. All six bags fit the \"classic, smooth medium roasts\" identified via the onboarding quiz.\r\n\r\nTo prep, I tried each bag using my go-to methods: Pour-over and French press. I also made a carafe in the Keurig K-Duo I'm testing for our best Keurigs<\/a>\u00a0lineup.\r\n\r\nEvery bag of beans lived up to my expectations. The freshness really made a difference, and I appreciated that the selections were tailored to my taste. Of the six, PT's and Joe's were my favorite. While I did have to supplement with additional coffee between deliveries, I loved knowing that I could bump up my cadence whenever I wanted.\r\n\r\nThat said, the one downside to Trade (that I could find, at least) was that there wasn't an obvious option to add decaf selections into your subscription. Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find a way to mix caff and decaf bags, which would have been helpful as my husband is trying to cut down on his caffeine intake.\r\n

Pros<\/h3>\r\n