First Impressions: Driftaway Coffee

First Impressions is a series that (re)introduces and reviews new brands to My Subscription Addiction, drawing from readers' requests for an insider's first look. Interested in seeing more reviews from this brand, or have another box in mind that you'd like to see reviewed? Let us know in the comments.

Driftaway Coffee delivers high-quality, single-origin beans that are sourced from across the globe and roasted in Brooklyn, NY. When you sign up for a subscription, the first box you'll receive is The Coffee Explorer Box. The Coffee Explorer Box includes 5 undisclosed international coffees as well as a tasting form and flavor wheel plus an envelope that reveals the identity of each mystery coffee. Once you've finished sampling each of the coffees from your first box, you'll provide feedback to Driftaway and your future shipments will be better personalized to your tastes.

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The Medium Coffee Explorer Box that I received costs $40 and the Coffee & Chocolate Pairing Box costs $48. The price for an 8oz bag of coffee starts as low as $14.40 per shipment depending on your plan. Shipping is free for all orders!

This review is of Driftaway's Coffee Explorer Box and Coffee & Chocolate Pairing Box. I also got to try 4 x 12 oz bags of coffee beans and 2 x 0.5 oz Steeped Coffee Brew Bags.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).

First Impressions

Anyone here love coffee? I certainly do! 🙋‍♀️ I savor a cup in the morning when I first wake up and find myself returning to the percolator all throughout the day. While I'll drink just about any type of coffee to keep me going, I recently decided it would be fun to try out a specialty coffee subscription. So, I did some digging online, explored several different brands (including our readers' favorite coffee subscription boxes), and discovered Driftaway Coffee.

I chose Driftaway Coffee over other brands because I thought it would be cool to try out international coffee and loved that they're a sustainability-focused coffee roaster (i.e. 100% compostable and form-fitting packaging, energy efficient Loring Kestrel S35 roaster, etc.). I was given the opportunity try out 2 of their most popular coffee sets as well as several individual coffees and samples. Here's an upclose look at my experience to see what it's like to subscribe to Driftaway!

What's Inside This Box

Medium Explorer Box (5 x 4oz Bags of "Mystery" Ground Coffee)

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When you start your subscription to Driftaway Coffee, you'll first get to try out their starter kit before subscribing to individual coffee. The Explorer Box comes with 5 different types of "mystery" coffee bags, each containing 2 - 16 oz of either whole bean, fine, medium, or coarse coffee depending on what you order. The coffee information is hidden so you can taste all of the samples without any preconceptions. In addition to coffee, you'll also be provided with a tasting form and flavor wheel to record your tasting notes as well as an envelope containing coffee cards that reveal the identity of each bag. Once you determine which coffee you like best, you'll provide Driftaway with your feedback and they'll further personalize your future orders.

I really enjoyed this intro box to Driftaway and, while I won't reveal the identities of the coffee bags to prevent any spoilers, I'll say that I especially loved the colors green and pink. (Hint: both were darker roasts and had dessert-like tasting notes.) The 4 oz bags provided enough coffee for both me and my husband to try together and I highly recommend going with at least this size if you're planning on sharing the Explorer Kit with someone else.

Coffee & Chocolate Pairing Box (3 x 2 oz Bags of Whole Bean Coffee + 3 Raaka Chocolate Bars)

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While this box isn't subscription-based, it's totally worth the separate purchase! Despite being a chocoholic, I've never actually tried a coffee and chocolate pairing before so this experience was absolutely amazing.

Similar to the Explorer Kit, the coffee bags are only labeled with a color and you're supposed to try out each coffee with its assigned chocolate to determine which is best before disclosing their true identities. My favorite pairing was the pink coffee (dark roast and dessert-like tasting notes like above) with Raaka Bananas Foster chocolate. 😋

Individual Coffee Bags (4 x 12 oz Bags of Whole Bean Coffee)

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Next up was 4 different types of whole bean coffee. Each bag contained 12 oz (340g) and the types of coffee were as follows:

• Rwanda, Vunga Women Producers - Roast: Light | Coffee Profile: Fruity | Label Color: Yellow | Tasting Notes: Candied Lemon, Orange, and Brown Sugar
• Peru, Luz Gladis Martinez Lizana - Roast: Light-Medium | Coffee Profile: Balanced | Label Color: Red | Tasting Notes: Mandarin, Cherry, and Almond
• Brazil, Yuki Minami - Roast: Medium | Coffee Profile: Classic | Label Color: Blue | Tasting Notes: Nougat, Caramel, and Dark Chocolate
• Colombia, Mustafá Estate - Roast: Medium | Coffee Profile: Decaf | Label Color: N/A | Tasting Notes: Brown Sugar, Raisin, and Molasses

My favorites from this selection were the coffees by Yuki Minami (Brazil) and Mustafá Estate (Colombia). I tend to prefer coffee with medium to dark roasts and that have a chocolatey or somewhat warm flavor to them. The Brazilian coffee was perfect for the morning whereas the Colombian decaf was ideal for late nights when I had to work but still wanted to sip on my favrorite drink.

Steeped Coffee Brew Bag Samples

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Can I just say that I love the concept behind this product?! Now that I'm a mom of littles, I get what parents mean when they say they feel like they have no free time whatsoever. That totally includes those extra few minutes to get an actual pot of coffee going some mornings.

I 100% could see myself using these bags most days throughout the work week and they're an incredible alternative to K-cups and instant coffee. Despite not being brewed the standard way, they still tasted amazing and packed quite the punch without being too bitter. I also loved that both the pack and bag were compostable.

The Verdict

My first experience with Driftaway Coffee was a hit! Between the fun Explorer Kit, delicious coffee and chocolate pairings, and convenient brew bags, I was blown away at their approach to sharing speciality international coffee with subscribers. I'm now hooked on their "pink" and "green" color coffees and plan to stock my pantry with their steeped coffee brew bags for the mornings when I have literally only have a minute to grab an emergency cup of coffee.