Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Trade Coffee Co. is the online matchmaker for coffee lovers and their coffee.
From run-of-the-mill "coffee that tastes like coffee" to "hints of something different" and downright "surprising and unconventional," Trade offers lovingly grown and roasted beans for all.
Trade also offers equipment from coffee pots and cold brew kits to filters and scales - basically everything you need to make the perfect cup of coffee.
With subscriptions starting at $15 a month, it's a step up in price from what you might find at big-box stores. But if you enjoy your morning cup, there's nothing more precious and empowering than dialing it in perfectly each and every morning.
"Put your mug's fate in our hands with over 2,000,000 happy coffee matches - and counting!" may reek of gimmick, but we tried Trade Coffee Co.'s matchmaking service, and I, for one, have nothing but good things to say for the brand. Why? Never has a coffee buying experience ever led me through six web pages of consultative questions in order to pair me with a bag of coffee. After the folks (or algorithm) at Trade presented me with a suggestion, I took it. Now, here I sit, feet up, sipping from a soupcon that is surely delivering me ever closer - with each shot - to a time and place where I can confidently claim that I am, indeed, living my very best life.
Okay, I might be taking you for a bit of a ride here, but if you want to learn how to profile your ideal cuppa (and maybe self, while you're at it), there may be no better way than with the help of Trade Coffee. Depending on your profile, Trade may match you with The Classics, which is their best value plan at $25 for two 12-ounce bags. Then there's The Hookup for those seeking a "surprising and unconventional" $15 to $22 12-ounce bag.
The process, intimidating at the outset, perhaps, is so thoroughly yet tidily detailed that it's a breeze.
What we like most about the selection and customization process is how unassuming it is. You don't feel like you're diving in headfirst with a sommelier who's just out to make you feel uninformed. Instead, you get a clean page layout with four options to identify your level of java snob-hood: from newbie to nerd.
Then it's on to your preferred brewing method, which, depending on how much you care, could dictate the roast level and/or type of bean you want to be buying and why that might matter. And if you're using a pod machine, a support team is ready to chat whether you use a Keurig, Nespresso, or apparently, any other type of pod machine.
Then there's your preferred roast level. This is a common question, of course, but again, like wine, maybe something we don't all necessarily understand. Trade also offers a little explainer about roast levels and how each roasting brand uses its own "scale" while Trade scores all coffees on their own scale so that there's no confusion within their service.
Do you buy ground, whole bean coffee, or both? This is fairly self-explanatory, though Trade makes a point to push grinding your own coffee for the best brew you can get, and we're with them. If we can offer a single piece of conjecture, to you, dear reader, let it be this: If you're going to invest in good coffee, grind it yourself or you are missing the point of luxuriating in this splurge altogether.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
Some of us on the team tried coffee; others tried equipment. Below is a short roundup of what each of us tried along with our findings and/or tasting notes respective of what we tried.
I rarely go a day without coffee but typically settle for the brew in our office. The Gimme! Leftist Espresso was a nice change to my routine and provided a strong and sweet batch of coffee. I received the whole bean bag and decided to grind it into medium grounds to use with my French press. Since it's a light-medium roast, it was smooth and had a higher level of caffeine — meaning that I only had to have one cup to get through my morning to-do list. The actual coffee was a treat, plus I felt like it was made especially for me after using the "get matched" quiz on the Trade website. — Megan Foster, Insider Picks intern
I went for the "surprising and unconventional" choice because you only live once, as they say. I'm rarely able to place undertones within things like coffee, wine, or beer. "Enjoyable" and "not enjoyable" are my usual descriptors, and to each our own, I always believe, but this was something I could savor, and did I ever. A bitter, velvety dark chocolate tone was punctuated by hints of red stonefruit (cherry, I suppose) as vividly as any beverage ever delivered flavor to my palate. Okay, maybe it wasn't all that distinct (at least not for me), but it was different, and each and every morning, while the bag lasted, the thought of that thick crema greeting my tongue was enough for me to peel off the sheets and (almost) make it to work on time. Now that's something. I'd be happy to wake with this sensation every morning for the rest of my life, and therein am seriously considering one of these subscriptions for myself. My benevolent overlords might appreciate this motion, too, should it continue to deliver me to work on time. — Owen Burke, Insider Picks senior reporter
Typically, I use this cheap, utility-first plastic cold brew bottle to make a quart of cold brew at home. But on the go, one reusable Trade Cold Brew Bag can make up to five batches per 12 ounce bag of coffee (and $7.50 gets you 20 bags). Pretty much all you need is the Trade cold brew bag, some coffee, and a glass on hand (the company notes that mason jars work well, and I'd agree). You'll still have to wait 12 to 18 hours for your cold brew, but it's easy, mobile, and the bags are blessedly compostable, made from corn-based fiber. — Mara Leighton, Insider Picks reporter
I've been using this French Press for about a month, and I'm really enjoying it, but I figure I should get this out of the way now: It's really only made for one or two cups of coffee, so if you're looking for a family-sized carafe, this is not it.
If a small French press is what you're looking for, this one is solid, though not perfect. The superfine mesh filter does a great job of straining grounds, provided you have the top mechanism properly nestled on before you press the plunger down. But the grounds get caught between the mesh and the metal pieces that hold it into place, making it hard to clean.
That said, there are a few other pros and cons. The base is rubberized, so it's hard to spill. Big pro in my house. But there are plastic parts to the press, which I don't love (though they are BPA-free). The metal handle and base come off in one piece for easy cleaning, another pro.
Overall, I really like this French press. Is it the absolute best one you can buy? Probably not. Will it work and be relatively easy to clean and take care of? Absolutely. — Sally Kaplan, Insider Picks editor
If you're already spending $10 to $15 on a 12-ounce bag of coffee, if you want to learn how to pull a better shot of espresso, brew cold brew, make a better pour-over, or just learn a bit (or a lot) more about making coffee in general, then Trade Coffee might be for you. But if you don't reeeaaally love coffee, and coffee is just a utilitarian pick-me-up, then stick with your Folgers or your Maxwell House.
Coffee subscription services like this one are either for snobs and snobs-to-be or academics. And whether it's the cheap pre-ground stuff off the shelf at Walmart or the award-winning $17-a-bag, Fair-Trade-certified, all-organic beans from Trade or Atlas or Driftaway, we're just trying to help you find the best way to keep doing you.
