Subscribe to perfect mornings

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By subscribing to Mistobox, you can start each morning with a cup of your favourite coffee, letting it leave its mark on the day ahead.

»This is the ABSOLUTE BEST Ethiopian coffee I’ve had to date! It quite literally tastes like I’m drinking juice! Amazing!« Is what Sean has to say about his experience with a MistoBox brew. He is not alone in his enthusiasm.

The company, which was founded in 2012, with the help of micro-investors on Kickstarter, delivered about a million cups worth of coffee to its users only three years later. 

Photo: MistoBox

The motto the founders of MistoBox, Americans Samantha Meis and Connor Riley, used to pave their way to success, was that we shouldn’t start our mornings with »just« a coffee but with a truly tasty and freshly ground brew. And since coffee is what most people, at least in the West, choose to wake up to, the founders decided to make sure that kitchen cupboards will never be without it. How could you have a good start to the day if you unexpectedly ran out of coffee?

MistoBox is an online store selling over 500 varieties of proven-quality coffee that customers can also subscribe to. Of course they’re subscribing to the »raw material«, either ground or in bean form, and not to pre-brewed cups of coffee. You can order it for yourself or as a gift, the recipient of which can either choose which coffee they would like to receive, or you make the selection for them. 

A three-week supply of your morning coffee from MistoBox, costs between 12 and 19 dollars or more, which does not include the 5 dollars for shipping.

Because the selection can prove too extensive for some – and we must admit that it is enormous – you can choose to simply state your basic preferences. Your »coffee curator« will take care of the rest. Depending on your stated wishes, an expert will choose the coffee best suited to your tastes and needs. Of course, you can also purchase exactly the coffee you choose.

The coffee comes in 340-gram bags. If you drink about a cup a day, it should be enough for just over three weeks, which will cost a minimum of 12 dollars. Plans are divided into three price tiers: the basic will cost between 14 and 16 dollars on average, deluxe ranges from 16 to 19 dollars, and the exclusive costs 19 dollars or more. Following the principles of life per month, you can further modify your selection, for example by changing how often you want to receive the coffee.

And what exactly is MistoBox offering? Samantha and Connor try to include the best products in their selection, coming from the best producers and roasters. The coffees you can choose from come from all over the world: from the traditional coffee countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala, Honduras, or Columbia, as well as from more »exotic« ones, such as East Timor. They also offer a range of organic coffees; and if you happen to be one of those who are not fans of the stimulating effects of the dark brew, there is also a selection of caffeine-free coffees.

Each type of coffee they sell is meticulously described: you will know which flavours are dominant (for example, Ethiopia Bokasso features the flavours of lemon and jasmine, and Typhoon Express tastes of dark chocolate, vanilla, and nuts), which country it comes from, even the region and altitude at which it was produced, as well as the type of processing (how the beans are washed) and the name of the producer. You can choose if the coffee should be shipped ground or as beans, as well as the roast level: light, medium, or dark.

Photo: Shutterstock

The fact that their coffee is always freshly roasted is one of the main obstacles preventing MistoBox from expanding. In order to ensure freshness, their coffee is currently only available in the USA.

At the same time, this is also one of its key added values. The reason MistoBox is so extraordinary is that they follow the golden three-step rule with every order: in the first step, the customer selects the coffee, or an expert does so, based on the customer’s preferences; in the second step, the fresh coffee beans are roasted by one of the 50+ roasters who work with MistoBox (the company maintains that the coffee is never roasted in advance or for stock); and in the third step, the coffee is packaged and shipped to your doorstep.

That is how they make sure that each of your mornings begins with that excitingly attractive smell of freshly brewed coffee.