We have three ways to get Missing Bean coffee on repeat. If you know what you like, a Single Coffee Subscription sends your favourite on repeat, with up to 10% off. If you'd rather explore, the MB Premium Subscription sends a different coffee each time, picked by our head roaster. If it's a present, a Gift Coffee Subscription covers 3, 6 or 12 months up front, with free delivery.
There's no lock-in on any of them. Here's how each one works, what it costs and who it suits.
Our subscription options
| Single Coffee Subscription | MB Premium Subscription | Gift Coffee Subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who picks the coffee | You | Our head roaster | Our head roaster |
| Coffees | The Original, The Remake, Colombia El Calapo, Mexico Finca Hamburgo, Half-Caff or Decaf Mexico Sueño | A different coffee from across our range each delivery | A different coffee each month |
| Bag size | 250g, 500g or 1kg | 250g, 500g or 1kg | 250g |
| Grind | Whole bean or ground for your brewer | Whole bean or ground for your brewer | Recipient chooses when they activate it |
| How often | Weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly or monthly | Weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly or monthly | Monthly |
| Price | From £10.50 per 250g, with up to 10% off (see below) | £11 per 250g, £20 per 500g, £36 per 1kg | £36 (3 months), £72 (6 months), £144 (12 months) |
| Delivery | Free on orders of £33 or more, or 1kg+; otherwise from £3.95 | Free on orders of £33 or more, or 1kg+; otherwise from £3.95 | Free UK standard delivery |
| Commitment | Rolling, cancel anytime | Rolling, cancel anytime | Prepaid; ends automatically |
| Best for | Creatures of habit and espresso drinkers | Curious drinkers who like variety | Presents for coffee lovers |
Single subscription discounts depend on how often you have coffee delivered: 10% off weekly, 5% off fortnightly, 2% off three-weekly and 1% off monthly. Premium Subscription prices stay the same whatever the frequency.
Roaster's choice: how the Premium rotation works
With the MB Premium Subscription, our head roaster, Brian, chooses the coffee for every delivery. Our packing team keeps track of what you've had, so you work your way through our whole range rather than getting the same bag twice in a row.
The rotation draws on everything we roast. That includes chocolatey espresso coffees like Colombia El Calapo and Peru Chilchos Valley, house blends like The Original, and brighter, fruitier coffees like our Ethiopian and Kenyan single origins. So you'll get a mix of comforting everyday coffees and more unusual ones, such as our anaerobic-processed Kenya.
You don't choose the individual coffees, but you do control the bag size, grind and frequency. If you find one you love, you can order more of it from the shop, or switch to a Single Coffee Subscription if it's in that range.
For filter and pour-over drinkers
If you brew V60, AeroPress or batch filter every day, the Premium Subscription is the better fit. It's the only way to get our lighter, fruitier filter coffees on repeat. Our single subscription range is built around espresso-friendly coffees and blends.
These are the filter coffees that can turn up in the Premium rotation right now:
| Coffee | Origin | Variety | Process | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia Banko Gotiti | Ethiopia, 1900–2100m | Heirloom | Washed | Apricot, lime, floral |
| Ethiopia Echemo | Ethiopia, 2100m | Heirloom | Natural | Strawberry, grapefruit, caramel |
| Kenya Gloria Natural | Kenya, 1800m | Batian | Natural | Blueberry, grapefruit, tamarind |
| Kenya Gloria Anaerobic | Kenya, 1800m | SL28, Ruiru 11, Batian | Anaerobic natural | Pineapple, lychee |
If you'd rather subscribe to one coffee for filter, Colombia El Calapo (milk chocolate, orange zest, crème brûlée) makes a lovely, balanced pour-over.
A starting V60 recipe: 15g of coffee to 250ml of water (about 1:16), a medium grind like table salt, water at 92–96°C and a total brew time of 3–4 minutes. Our V60 brew guide walks through every step.
If your cup tastes flat or dull: grind a little finer, use slightly hotter water, or check your beans aren't past their best. If it tastes sour, grind finer. If it's bitter or drains slowly, go coarser. Ordering whole bean and grinding just before brewing makes the biggest difference of all.
Roasting, dispatch and freshness
We roast every weekday at our East Oxford Roastery, and every bag carries its roast date. Your beans will usually have a roast date within two weeks of your order.
- Dispatch: subscription orders follow the same schedule as the rest of the shop. Orders placed by 11am, Monday to Friday, leave the roastery the same day.
- Arrival: dispatch isn't the same as delivery. Standard UK delivery is Royal Mail 2nd Class, so allow up to 4 working days. Next working day delivery is £6.55, or free on orders of 2kg or more.
- Oxford: local eco-friendly delivery to OX1–OX4 is £2.40 for next working day delivery. You can also click and collect from any of our cafés, and orders of 1kg or more come with a free drink.
Storing your coffee: keep beans in an airtight container, away from light, heat and moisture. Don't keep them in the fridge. Whole beans stay fresh much longer than ground coffee, so if you have a grinder, order whole bean. Our MiiR storage canister pushes the air out to keep beans fresher for longer.
See our delivery information for full details.
Delivery frequency and managing your subscription
Single and Premium subscriptions can be delivered weekly, fortnightly, every three weeks or monthly. There's no minimum term and no cancellation fee. We email you before each order goes out, so you always know what's coming.
From your online account you can:
- Skip a delivery, pause, or bring the next one forward
- Change your frequency, bag size or grind
- Swap to a different coffee (single subscriptions)
- Add extra items to an order
- Update your payment details
- Cancel at any time
You don't need to contact us for any of it.
How much do you need? A 250g bag makes about 16 cups at 15g a cup. As a rough guide:
| You drink | Try |
|---|---|
| A cup most days | 250g fortnightly, or 500g monthly |
| One or two cups every day | 500g fortnightly |
| Two or more cups a day, or a household | 1kg monthly, or 500g weekly |
Espresso uses a little more coffee per drink (about 16–18g a shot), so go a size up if you're mostly making flat whites or lattes.
What it costs
Here's what a few common set-ups cost once delivery is included. We've assumed standard UK delivery (£3.95 on orders under £33) and 15g of coffee per cup.
| Set-up | Per delivery, delivered | Per 100g | Per cup (approx.) | Roughly per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift subscription, 250g monthly | £12.00 (prepaid, delivery free) | £4.80 | 72p | £12 |
| Premium, 250g monthly | £14.95 | £5.98 | 90p | £14.95 |
| Premium, 500g monthly | £23.95 | £4.79 | 72p | £23.95 |
| Premium, 1kg monthly | £36.00 (delivery free) | £3.60 | 54p | £36 |
| The Original, 250g monthly (1% off) | £14.69 | £5.88 | 88p | £14.69 |
| The Original, 500g fortnightly (5% off) | £24.57 | £4.91 | 74p | £53 |
| The Original, 1kg monthly (1% off) | £34.40 (delivery free) | £3.44 | 52p | £34.40 |
Under £30 a month? Yes. A 250g or 500g Premium Subscription, or any 250g monthly single subscription, comes in under £30 including delivery.
Getting the best value: bigger bags cost less per cup, and orders of £33 or more, or 1kg and over, ship free. Weekly single subscriptions get the biggest discount (10%). Every order also earns Missing Bean Rewards points (10 points per £1), which you can put towards free shipping, vouchers and merch.
Subscription or your local roaster?
If there's a great roaster or café near you, buying in person has real perks. You can chat to the people who roast it, taste before you buy, and skip delivery charges. A subscription makes more sense when:
- Convenience matters: coffee turns up before you run out, with no trip needed.
- You want variety: the Premium rotation takes you through coffees you might not pick yourself.
- You want a saving: single subscriptions are up to 10% cheaper than buying the same bag one-off.
- Freshness is the priority: we roast every weekday and dispatch the same day, so beans don't sit on a shelf.
If you're near Oxford, you can have both: click and collect your order from any of our cafés.
Gift subscriptions
The Gift Coffee Subscription is a prepaid present, not an ongoing subscription. You pay once, and it ends automatically when the gift runs out, so nobody gets an unexpected bill.
- Length and price: 3 months (£36), 6 months (£72) or 12 months (£144). That works out at £12 a month, including free UK standard delivery.
- What they get: a different 250g coffee each month, picked by our head roaster, showing off a range of origins, processes and flavours.
- How it reaches them: you'll receive an email with an activation code and link. Pop in the recipient's email address at checkout if you'd like it to go straight to them.
- Starting when they're ready: the recipient activates it whenever suits them and chooses their grind when they do. That means you don't need to know whether they use an espresso machine, a cafetière or a V60.
- In every bag: an origin card telling the story of the coffee: where it was grown, who grew it and what makes it special.
Want to give something they can open on the day? Our Multi-Coffee Tasting Box (six 100g coffees, £33) or an Online Shop Gift Voucher are lovely alternatives.
Origin cards and sourcing
Every Premium and Gift Subscription bag comes with an origin card. It tells you where the coffee was grown, who grew it and what makes it special, so you can learn as you drink. Our bags and shipping boxes are fully recyclable.
Direct trade. We work directly with producers in Colombia, Kenya, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Peru and Thailand, paying almost double the Fairtrade floor price. In 2024–25, 60% of our coffee came from direct-trade sources, and we're aiming for 80% by the end of 2026. Where direct trade isn't possible, we use trusted importers with full traceability. You can read about our sourcing trips on the Direct Trade blog.
Certifications are a separate thing. Direct trade describes our relationship with a farm. It isn't a certification. Some coffees also carry their own credentials, and we list them on each product page. For example, our Kenya Gloria coffees are Rainforest Alliance Certified, and El Calapo, Finca Hamburgo and Chilchos Valley are organically grown.
Which subscription suits you?
| If you're... | We'd suggest | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| An adventurous drinker who loves light, fruity coffees | Premium Subscription | You'll get a mix of filter and espresso-style coffees, not only the lightest ones |
| A daily pour-over brewer | Premium Subscription, or a Colombia El Calapo single subscription | Our single subscription range doesn't include the Ethiopian or Kenyan filter coffees |
| An espresso or flat white drinker | A single subscription to The Original, The Remake or Colombia El Calapo | Weekly delivery gets you 10% off |
| Cutting back on caffeine | A single subscription to Decaf Mexico Sueño or Half-Caff | Half-Caff has around 40% less caffeine than our regular coffees |
| Buying a present | Gift Coffee Subscription | Prepaid, ends automatically, and the recipient picks their grind |
The trade-offs, honestly:
- Selection: with Premium, you don't choose each coffee. With a single subscription, you're limited to the six coffees in that range.
- Budget: 250g orders under £33 pay £3.95 delivery, which adds the most per cup. Bigger bags or combined orders work out cheaper.
- Freshness: we dispatch the same day if you order by 11am on a weekday, but Royal Mail 2nd Class can take up to 4 working days. If you want the freshest possible arrival, choose next working day delivery.
- Gifts: the gift subscription is 250g monthly only. For a bigger or more frequent gift, a voucher gives them more flexibility.
Coffee subscription FAQs
Can I choose my coffee, or do you choose it?
Both. A Single Coffee Subscription sends the coffee you pick. The Premium Subscription and Gift Subscription are chosen by our head roaster, Brian, and change each delivery.
Can I get whole beans for under £30 a month, delivered?
Yes. A 250g Premium Subscription is £14.95 a month including delivery, and 500g is £23.95. A gift subscription works out at £12 a month with free delivery.
Do I get information about each coffee?
Yes. Premium and Gift Subscription bags come with an origin card about where the coffee was grown and who grew it. Every product page also lists tasting notes, process, variety and altitude.
How fresh is the coffee?
We roast every weekday in East Oxford, and orders placed by 11am on weekdays are dispatched the same day. Your beans will usually have a roast date within two weeks of your order.
How often can I get deliveries?
Weekly, fortnightly, every three weeks or monthly. Gift subscriptions are monthly.
Can I pause, skip or cancel?
Yes, anytime, from your online account. There's no minimum term and no cancellation fee, and we email you before each order goes out.
Does a gift subscription renew automatically?
No. It's prepaid for 3, 6 or 12 months and ends automatically.
Is a subscription better value than buying from a local roaster?
It depends on what you value. Single subscriptions save up to 10% on our shop prices, and orders of £33 or more ship free. Buying locally saves on delivery, while a subscription saves you the trip and makes sure you never run out.
Do I earn rewards on subscriptions?
Yes. Every order earns 10 Missing Bean Rewards points per £1, which you can redeem for free shipping, vouchers and merch.
Who do I contact with questions?
Email us at online@themissingbean.co.uk.
