When talking about coffee with friends I often hear two things regarding purchasing good, quality coffee.

(1) What’s good and where do I buy it?

or

(2) It seems too difficult to buy good coffee. I’d rather just buy a can or use kcups.

I acknowledge the positions of anyone who has given or contemplated either of these responses. The truth is, unless you live near a Stumptown or Dawson Taylor it is a chore to get great coffee. Don’t get me wrong – this is a chore that, in my opinion, is well worth the effort (unlike sweeping. Let’s be real here – the floor is just going to get dirty AGAIN). The problem is that for many people ease-of-purchase trumps great taste in the everyday situation. If you can purchase a can or bag of coffee while buying groceries, it makes far more sense to kill two birds with one stone. Right? “Fine – let all these hipster baristas go out of their way to buy marginally better coffee, I’ll stick to my “sub par” brew that tastes just fine, thank you very much.”

I completely understand this attitude. The problem is, you no longer have that excuse.

TONX Coffee solves this “ease-of-purchase” problem by delivering fresh roasted, amazing coffee straight to your door. And not only that, they time it so that as your bag is beginning to run low, a new one is already on the way.

What is Tonx?

Tonx wants you to drink good coffee. We are a small team of coffee fanatics dedicated to becoming your best option for getting the best beans for brewing at your home, your office, or your batcave (if you are Batman). We think coffee can and should be both great and approachable. We sweat the fussy details so that you don’t have to. We aim to always be delightful in your press, aero, cone, chemex, hario, or clever coffee making device.

from http://tonx.org

Tonx has a great system set up. You pay $38 a month, billed every four weeks. You get a 12oz bag of coffee every two weeks (roasts differ from week to week). You can pause at any time. You can cancel at any time. That’s it.

Say goodbye to stale coffee that sits on your shelf or in a can. Tonx mails your coffee right after it’s roasted so that you get the freshest possible cup. And if you’re a regular (or more than regular) coffee drinker like me, 12oz of whole bean coffee is the perfect amount for two weeks.

I recently got the opportunity to try Tonx out for myself, and I was super impressed. Not only was registering incredibly easy, but when it came time for me to pause my subscription, there was absolutely no hassle involved. I logged in to their site, and pressed the “pause” button and I was good to go. But what about the coffee?

I received a Tanzania Mpito roast which was described on the bag as “deep, delicious, cooperative, and delightful.” I found each of these adjectives to be apt descriptions. One of the biggest things that stood out to me as I opened Tonx’s signature rectangular art-influenced packaging was the smell. The coffee had one of the richest smells that I’ve had the pleasure to behold. If you love coffee you know that there’s nothing like the buttery rich smell of fresh roasted coffee, and this was absolutely no exception.

I brewed this coffee mostly using the inverted brew method in my Aeropress. After learning a thing or two at Coffee Common last month, I felt more than equipped to brew a tasty cup of Tonx Coffee. The Tanzania’s description was dead-on: I experienced the coffee as having a dense deep flavor that had elements of both complex brightness and simple clear notes. I enjoyed several cups with homemade biscotti, and this only added to the experience. I also tried the Tanzania Mpito in a mocha with “shots” pulled through my Aeropress. Chocolate proved to give the deep flavor of the Tanzania some great accents, and I enjoyed every last drop.

Tonx sold me from the very beginning: registering on their website was simple and straightforward. Their presentation with the packaging and reading pamphlet that was provided was exemplary. Finally, and most importantly, the coffee was amazing.

For a lot of people, driving to a cafe or roaster that sells great specialty coffee is too much of a hassle. Tonx coffee solves this dilemma by delivering the cafe experience to your front door.

After doing a little bit of math, check out what I discovered:

• 1lb of coffee (16oz) makes about 30 cups of coffee. This means a 12oz bag of Tonx coffee will make 22 and a half cups, but let’s call it 22 to make it easy.

• Since Tonx is sending you a 12oz bag every two weeks, and billing you every four weeks, you are paying $38 for about 44 cups of coffee. (That provides you with 1.57 cups of coffee per day, by the way).
• Divide it out and you’re paying $0.86 per cup of coffee.

• If you were to buy 44 cups of similar-grade coffee from a quality cafe at $2 per cup (which is a low estimate if you want any espresso drink), you would be paying $88. In this case, Tonx would save you $50 a month.

• If you were to instead buy a $2 cup of great-tasting specialty coffee every day for four weeks, you would spend $56 a month. In this case, Tonx would save you $18 a month.

No matter how you cut it, Tonx Coffee is doing a beautiful thing. Help them help you and sign up now.

Or, at the very least, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

The Coffee Guy

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