The coffee subscription box industry is a fiercely competitive realm. With new companies springing up almost every week touting premium gourmet coffee from the rarest parts of the world, there's little room in this arena for sub-par or even “average” coffee. With that in mind, we were very excited to try a coffee subscription that we'd yet to hear of until recently: Nomad Coffee Club. In full disclosure, the company provided us with some samples of their coffee in exchange for our honest review. Being coffee lovers first and foremost, our Nomad Coffee review will focus more on the coffee itself rather than the presentation of the subscription box.

Before getting into it, it's worth briefly sharing my taste profile so readers can have some kind of benchmark when reading this Nomad Coffee review. After all, adjectives are all subjective and what's strong to one may be mild to another. I drink my coffee black and my favorite blend is hands-down the Sumatra Blend from Maud's Coffee. If you've never had Maud's Coffee, it's a very smooth, non acidic coffee that I absolutely love. So what better way to proceed with this review than to compare this new coffee with my favorite one. Needless to say the bar has been set high.

This Nomad Coffee review takes a look at two specific blends: The Guatemalan Medium Roast and the Old Towne Dark Roast. Note: While the medium roast review is based on just my opinion, the old town dark roast review is a product of a group review gathered during one of our taste testing sessions.

Nomad Coffee Review: Guatemalan Medium Roast

The Details:

The first blend we reviewed was Nomad Coffee's Guatemalan medium roast which uses single-origin beans harvested in the mountains of Guatemala at an elevation of 1800 meters. The coffee is certified organic and Fair Trade.

Taste Notes: (Milk chocolate, hazelnut, mild citrus)

The Smell

As soon as I opened the bag, I noticed how good the beans smelled. They whole beans came freshly packed and they certainly smelled that way. There's a subtle yet undeniable aroma that's associated with high quality beans and Nomad Coffee captures that aroma in full. While the smell was very enjoyable, my only wish is that it smelled stronger. I personally love it when the scent of coffee is so strong that it fills the air of my entire home.

The Taste

Nomad Coffee's medium roast is on the mild side with a hint of acidity. Even so, unlike many coffee blends out there that offer diluted coffee, this coffee has excellent body and a fullness texture that I tend to associate with premium blends. Compared to Maud's, this blend is slightly stronger almost as if there was an extra shot of coffee flavor infused into each bean (I know that's not technically possible but that's still how it tasted). I was thoroughly impressed by this extra punch of caffeinated goodness. The mild citrus notes were a nice accent and offered a pleasant brightness to the flavor.

As I mentioned before, I prefer less acidity in my coffee. Many of my friends have said I have a well-tuned coffee acidity monitor built into my taste buds. It's a gift. Fortunately, this Nomad Coffee blend lacks the big acidic bite that would often come with the mainstream coffee brands I used to drink. Again, this is just a reflection of my personal preference and in no way a knock on the blend itself. I know many coffee drinkers that absolutely love having a good amount of acidity in their coffee.

Nomad Coffee Review: Old Towne Dark Roast

The Details:

Nomad Coffee's Old Towne dark roast is specialty coffee blended together to achieve a bold classic taste. This particular Nomad Coffee review was conducted with a group of 8 coffee lovers who as a whole prefer a strong cup of coffee.

The Smell:

As I mentioned earlier, I value the aroma just as much as the taste and it's an important part of the full multi-sensory coffee experience. In the case of the Old Towne blend, this was exactly the aroma strength I was looking for. The entire group was floored by how aromatic the coffee was. The smell of dark roasted coffee beans filled the air and instantly sharpened everyone's coffee appetite. The group was unanimous agreement that the aroma was extraordinary.

The Taste:

To cut right to the case, the Old Towne Dark Roast was a major winner in the hearts of all the coffee reviewers present. The strength and boldness of coffee was hugely appreciated as many of the coffee reviewers already preferred a stronger cup of coffee to begin with. Everyone enjoyed the richness of the flavor and the savory aftertaste that came with it. This specialty blend seemed to be a near perfect fit for everyone despite their varying taste profiles. But for all its appealing qualities, the one that everyone raved about the most was its smoothness. When you can find a blend that's both bold and smooth, you've got yourself a rare coffee gem. The dark roast was also much less acidic than the medium roast which is why I think it was such a hit. Either way, finding consensus among 8 different types of coffee drinkers is a rare feat in my opinion. To say that the group enjoyed the Nomad Coffee's dark roast would be an understatement as they left the event talking about how blown away they were by their Nomadic coffee experience.

While Nomad Coffee hasn't replaced my all-time favorite coffee, it's earned a coveted spot in my coffee cabinet which speaks volumes to its quality and flavor. I would highly recommend this coffee to anyone looking for a smooth coffee that's teeming with classic flavor.

Nomad Coffee subscriptions start at $19.99/month. For the quality of coffee you get, we'd conclusively say it's well worth the investment.