In a nutshell? Specialty coffee without the specialty prices (or needing to buy in bulk)!
The Takoma Coffee Club is a small hyper-local wholesale buying club for specialty coffee, with the aim to offer fresh/high quality whole bean specialty coffee, sustainably and responsibly sourced (the same as you would buy a bag of at a local coffee shop) - at a dramatically better price. All done without any post-consumer waste. Delivered to your door at no additional cost.
Currently serving Takoma Park, MD and the immediately adjacent areas (e.g., Silver Spring, Hyattsville, etc.).
How does it work?
It's simple.
You first sign up for a membership, then
Order as much coffee as you want, when you want (either as one-off orders or sign up for recurring delivery - E.g., 1 pound every week, etc.)
Coffee gets dropped off at your door
You get charged for what you ordered at the end of the month (auto-billed using the card saved on file when you sign up for the membership)
Coffee comes in glass mason jars in 1/2 pound increments (to ensure maximum freshness and no post-consumer waste). If you have jars from a previous delivery, simply leave them out the night before so they can be picked up and reused for future orders.
Deliveries happen on Mondays and Thursdays.
Why a membership fee? What does it get me?
The membership gets you the following:
access to the coffee line-up
access to killer pricing on said line-up
free at-home delivery
occasional free samples of limited edition specialty roasts
The membership dues are immediately put to use to either buy more product or work on attracting more members. The more members there are, the more products & better pricing that can be made available to you.
What if I don't want to commit to a membership?
No worries. It's not for everybody. But one-off purchases are not available from the club. There are plenty of other great coffee options out there if this doesn't seem like a great fit for you.
What's your cancellation policy on the membership?
If you decide to cancel, you'll get a full refund for the current term you're in.
If you're paying monthly and want to cancel, you'll get a full refund for the current month. If you're paying for the annual plan and want to cancel, you'll get a full refund for the year.
What coffees do you offer currently and where are they from?
A light roast, a dark roast, and a decaf.
The light and dark roast are single-origin from Colombia. They are sourced from a micro-roaster in Asheville, North Carolina which has been my go-to for over 10 years. This roaster offers high quality coffees with great consistency, and they source their beans sustainably. The light roast coffee is my daily driver, and a crowd favorite amongst existing club members.
The decaf is a single-origin coffee from Mexico which is prepared using a chemical-free process known as the mountain water process (which is similar to the Swiss water process, just without the trademark). It's a medium-dark roast and is sourced from a micro-roaster just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The same place the limited edition roasts have been coming from.
Coffees are received within 2-days of roast, and immediately sealed in air-tight sanitized mason jars.
How dark is the dark roast?
The roaster bills it as a dark roast, but it's actually closer to a medium roast.
Do you plan to sell anything other than coffee?
Yes. Anything related to at-home specialty coffee is fair game as far as I’m concerned! The things which are immediately interesting are consumables related to brewing. E.g., paper filters for pour overs (like Hario V60, Chemex, etc.). If you have any other specialty coffee related items you’d like to find a better price for, let me know and I’ll see what I can do! My contact info is available in the footer of this page.
How much does it cost?
All coffees are the same price: $18 per pound for members-only (free delivery).
Membership is $5/month, or you can pay $50/year (and get two months free).
Compared to what you pay for your typical specialty coffee, this is a savings of 20-30% per pound! And it's guaranteed to be fresh, you don't need to buy in bulk to get the savings, and it comes in reusable/recyclable containers (which no other specialty coffee vendor offers).
How are you calculating this savings?
Rather than step through the maths, here's a handy comparison calculator.
Coffee Price Comparison Calculator
Can I try the coffee before I sign up?
No. But all new members get their first pound of coffee for free. With the generous cancellation policy, if you sign up and decide it's not for you, you can cancel and get a full refund.
Coffee is available in 1/2 pound increments (so you can mix and match the coffees if you want).
Who is this for?
You are a good fit if:
you make coffee at home
you enjoy/appreciate specialty coffee
you go through at least 1 pound of coffee a month
you want to spend less money on coffee without giving up the premium taste/experience
How do I sign up?
You can sign up using one of the following options (annually, or monthly):
Shortly after you’ve signed up, you’ll receive access to the order form to request coffee to be delivered.
