[September Coffee] Enhance subscription value proposition

Subscriptions are super important for small coffee roasters. They give roasters some financial security and allow them to make bigger bets on buying harder to get, more expensive greens. I also feel the best way to really get to know a roaster is to become a subscriber. Trying a bag or two is one thing, even a few bags a year, but if you consistently get their roasts month after month, you really get to know them - and you dial in how to best brew their style of roast. With the above said - I’d love to hear what roaster(s) you’re subbed to, and how you’d rate the subscription. I’ll go first. 1. Luminous - 10/10. Mason was always a solid roaster, but ever since he moved over to Typhoon roasters (he’s the US distributor as well) he has been cranking out nothing but bangers. The technology in them is very unique and all of his roasts now are SUB 5 minutes! I particularly like how he also provides meaningful instructions. He has diagrams explaining the profile of the roast, he provides a specific card for each coffee telling you how many days from roast to start drinking it and when it finish it by, and he actually provides brewing instructions that are specific/exact/unique to each coffee and so far they’ve always been bang on. If you follow his instructions - as long as you don’t completely flub the grind (anything around 650 micron has been great for me) you get an absolute banger from the first cup. I also appreciate how unique his offerings are - he brings something unique to a very saturated market, and I look forward to his deliveries more than any other. I didn’t like processed coffees before Luminous and was a pretty “washed or die” loyalist, but he absolutely took me to the dark side. If you haven’t tried his beans, or you haven’t tried them since he shifted over to 100% typhoon roasts - you’re missing out. He’s got a Cold Ferment Ecuador Sidra right now that is absolutely knocking my dad-gummed socks off and the Pink Champagne Washed Columbian Catiope he just ran out of - might be my coffee of the year, and is the only coffee I can recall that I rebought from a roaster… multiple times. I also appreciate that he considers his customers extended family - and when they hit key milestones (personal and professional) he not only shares it with his customers - but he often includes substantial freebies/gifts which make you feel like you’re part of the celebration, and hey - who doesn’t like extra stuff? 2. Flower Child - 9.5/10. Absolutely rock solid washed coffees that honor the terroir. As stupid as it sounds - his beans tend to taste a lot like Sey - but with a bit more soul. Prestin’s style tends to offer a bit more fidelity and complexity over the more clinical Sey - and I’ve found his roasts to be more consistently satisfying. When you pair his beans with a high clarity grinder that has somebody to it, like for instance a Pietro - it makes for an incredibly unctuous experience. He’s the cask strength scotch of third wave washed coffee roasters. The subs are a solid value (especially the 4 bagger) and if you ever shoot him any questions - he’s an incredibly nice and authentic guy. 3. September - 5/10. They get a full points for their coffee, which has been exceptional in my experience - but the actual subscription is entirely pointless. The price of the sub is about the price of the beans they send - the only benefits were 1. Free shipping (which you get anyway if you spend $65+) 2. A 10% discount on squall bags - which if you buy are sent in the next months sub if you want free shipping (unless you’re buying over $65 worth after discount) 3. A custom third wave water packet formula. Now #1 is kind of a “who cares?” since they offer free shipping with only a $19 greater spend than the cost of the sub (and you get more coffee, you get what you want, and you can buy discounted garage sale bags). #2 is fine, but not super compelling - if you get 1 or 2 extra bags a month you’re looking at $3-6 in savings on those. #3 was pretty low value, as a full strength TWW packet is ~$1.41 a piece and even if we assume their half strength mix is worth the same - it’s moot. Why? Well - I just got this months sub in the mail yesterday - and no TWW packet. Reading their “monthly magazine” I was shocked to read they’re no longer including them, due to cost. This month’s bags cost $43 if bought a la carte, and the sub cost is $46 - so the math doesn’t math, and now you don’t even get a water packet? I cancelled my sub. I’ll now cherry pick their coffees when it suits me, but I see no value/reason to subscribe. I replaced their sub, with the Prodigal Premium Sub - so we’ll see how that goes, but I’ve been getting 1-2 bags of their premium roasts almost even month this year, and they’ve all been exceptional. 4. Rogue Wave - 9/10. I’m only one month in, so take this with a grain of salt, but I got some of their coffee with my Femobook A4Z and was quite impressed, ordered some more - and was even more impressed, signed up for the sub, got the first months coffee’s and the “impressed” trend escalated yet again - and now I’ve ordered some of their Panama Gesha. All 7 coffees I’ve had from them so far have been extremely good, and frankly the math doesn’t really math given their value. $36 shipped for 24oz (two 340gr bags) of premium coffee - plus an extra 40gr sample, and you can “build your own” subscription and outline what styles of coffee you want. With the low price - you expect it to be good, but assume it will be a step down from the ultra premo hyped up roasters - but so far in my experience it has been anything but. In fact, I find their roasts better and more consistent than some of the most expensive roasters here in the US. These guys are a head scratcher for me, they’ve been around for 10 years, so they’re not new to the scene, but I’m a little surprised folks aren’t talking them up non-stop on here. The only reason they didn’t get a 10, is I’m new to them and perhaps they’re just having an amazing run right now - but if they keep up this level of quality and value - they’ll be my “S-tier” pick. I’m not afraid of spending top dollar on good beans… but if someone is putting out as good or better product for a literal fraction of the cost - only a fool wouldn’t jump on that train. For a mere $36 - it’s pretty hard not to jump on board in my opinion. TBD - Prodigal Premium. As I mentioned I just signed up for them (replacing September) but they’ve been killing it with all the premium Gesha’s and COE winners I’ve had from them this year. I have noticed - some of their roasts have taken awhile to come alive (one took two months) but with time they’ve all been bangers - so they’re getting tapped in. Would love to hear any current subscribers thoughts here. So what are your subs, and how would you rate them?