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Since their successful Kickstarter campaign in the Spring of 2015, I’ve been curious about Crema.co. I have heard good things about the coffee subscription service but had not gotten around to trying it. When I was given the opportunity by the Crema.co team to sample their subscription this month, I jumped at the chance to experience their take on coffee subscriptions and write a review.

I took their coffee preference survey, ordered a bag of coffee and patiently waited for my Panama Mama Cata Toña from PT’s Coffee Roasting to arrive. I was not disappointed. The service was exceptional, the coffee was delicious and I liked the little touches that differentiate Crema.co from other coffee subscriptions I have tried.

Here is an overview and review of the coffee subscription service Crema.co:

What is Crema.co

Crema.co is a coffee subscription service that focuses on telling the stories of the coffee they ship. From the farm and the region it was grown in, to the processing and who roasted it, Crema.co wants you to know the personal side of craft coffee.

Crema.co prides themselves on being storytellers. Each single origin coffee has a unique page with information on origin and processing. There is a bio on each farmer that grew a particular coffee and information on the general region the coffee is from. Each roaster has a nice write up that tells their story as well.

For those of you who want to explore and know a lot about the coffee you are drinking, Crema.co will tell you that story with each new bag you select.

Crema.co features twenty different roasters and over seventy carefully curated coffees to choose from. The available coffees can be sorted by roast level, certification, roaster or “top picks” (coffees they think you will enjoy the most).

Coffee offerings that interest you can be added to a Netflix style queue called your playlist. The next coffee on the list is ordered at a customizable frequency (monthly, weekly, every three weeks, etc). Coffee is shipped to the consumer directly from the roaster (less than 24 hours off roast).

With Crema.co, choose your first coffee, set your delivery frequency and check back in periodically to add coffees to your queue. Oh, and most importantly, learn about and enjoy the delicious coffees.

My Experience With Crema.co

After browsing the Crema.co site, I clicked the green “Get Started” button and was walked through a  couple questions to narrow down my coffee preferences a bit.

At the end of the survey (it is really short), I was offered a choice of four coffees based on how I answered. I read about each coffee and roaster and choose an interesting sounding Panama from the Mama Cata Toña Estate.

From the coffee info page I learned that the Panama I choose, a Geisha from Boquete (something that would prick the ears of a lot of craft coffee enthusiasts), was from a farm that has been around since before Panama was a country (and before Geisha was a craze). There was also information about the region of Boquete itself and the roaster, PT’s Coffee Roasting Co.

Once I was sure of my selection, I was taken to the subscription screen where I entered the pertinent shipping and payment information. I received an email letting me know the coffee was ordered the very next day.

Two days later, I received an email letting me know my coffee had shipped. On the day my coffee arrived, I received an email telling me my coffee was delivered. Included in the arrival email was all the information about the coffee (in case I had forgotten or neglected to read it the first time around).

I opened up the small brown shipping box and found, on top of the coffee, a small booklet with some great articles introducing the consumer to various aspects of craft coffee (from growing, to processing, to farming, to brew methods). I loved this little booklet—it is a fantastic idea to give one to each new subscriber. The booklet, Coffee, A Handbook, is a great introduction for those new to craft coffee and, even if you have been around craft coffee for awhile, you will probably still find it enjoyable.  This booklet adds a lot of value to the Crema.co  subscription and is a great place to start a coffee experience.

The coffee was fantastic (if you are off to sample Crema.co, I can’t recommend the Mama Cata Toña Estate enough).

The next step in the process is rating your coffee and spending a few minutes picking out your next coffee (or several coffees). Once you have rated three coffees, Crema.co uses a tool they developed called the Brew Log. This program takes your inputs and starts to build a database of what you personally enjoy and look for in a coffee. The Brew Log helps you find coffees and helps Crema.co to recommend coffees for you.

Overall, it was a great experience with Cream.co. I even picked up a gift subscription for a friend who is just starting to appreciate the joys of craft coffee.

Is Crema.co Right For You?

The first thing you see, above the crease on the Crema.co website, is the tagline “Farmer. Roaster. You. Get to know the people who grow and roast your coffee.” I think that is a great way to concisely explain the mission of Crema.co.

Giving a greater emphasis to the personal side and story of each coffee helps build more understanding about coffee as a whole. An incredible amount of work goes into a great cup of coffee— not everyone knows that. Taking a look at the personal side, the craftsmen that dedicate themselves to making the coffee you are drinking great, gives you a whole new appreciation for outstanding coffee.

If you are looking for a coffee subscription  that teaches you about craft coffee as well as delivers delicious coffee from great roasters, I’d like to encourage you to check out Crema.co. They even gave us a discount code (Ten dollars off here).

Let me know what you think. Cheers!