coffee society journal — honest comparisons
Blue Bottle started in Oakland and became the biggest name in Bay Area coffee. We started in Berkeley in 2023, and we're one person with a roaster. Both of us roast to order, so the real differences are size, price, and how the menu is chosen. Here's the honest version.
01how blue bottle's subscription works
Blue Bottle offers about twenty subscription options, with blends by roast level, single origin assortments, espresso, and matcha. Bags run about $22 to $35 depending on the coffee. Subscriptions ship free, and multi bag orders get up to 17% off. Coffee is roasted to order in small batches, and you can change, pause, or cancel after the first shipment.
It's a well run program from a company that has been doing this for two decades, so if you want a familiar blend every week, it delivers exactly that.
02how we're different
| at a glance | coffee society | blue bottle |
|---|---|---|
| who roasts | one roaster in Berkeley, CA | a large team, roasted to order |
| menu | 3 or 4 single origins, all 85+ | about 20 subscription options |
| price | 8 oz from $18, 16 oz $28.50 | about $22 to $35 a bag |
| matched by | your drink: americano, latte, pour over, rotating | roast level or blend |
| blends | none, single origin only | yes, many |
| shipping | free over $70 | free on subscriptions |
| flexibility | pause, skip, or cancel from your account | change, pause, cancel after first shipment |
The real difference is the menu. Blue Bottle builds blends to taste the same every time, but we buy a few lots that score 85 or higher and roast them until they're gone. You get a smaller list and a more specific cup.
03which one should you pick
04common questions
If you like their blends, yes. It's roasted to order, ships free, and is easy to manage, though it costs more per bag than most small roasters.
A local micro roaster that roasts to order and buys by cup score. Ours ships 85+ single origins from Berkeley from $18 a bag, matched to your drink.
No. Every bag is a single origin lot that cupped 85 or higher, and our latte sub gets the deepest, most chocolatey lots instead of a blend.
the small one
Four subs matched to how you brew. Every lot is 85+, roasted to order in Berkeley and shipped within 24 hours.
the coffee society coffee club vs. trade coffee vs. atlas coffee clubcoffee society · specialty micro roaster · berkeley, ca · est. 2023