If you’ve read this site for any length of time, then I believe you’re well aware of my affinity for coffee. This fandom recently saw me “investing” in a new set-up featuring items from Fellow. Well, after purchasing my grinder from them, I also decided to opt into their Fellow Drops program — which has turned out to be pretty awesome.
Although it might sound like a subscription service or even call to mind the likes of the Columbia Record Club, Fellow Drops is a free membership that comes without any obligations whatsoever. Instead, being a member just means that you’ll have the opportunity to purchase new specialty coffee releases each week (if you want).
To get started with Fellow Drops, all you need to do is head to their site and provide your name and phone number. From there, they’ll text you with instructions, including how to set up your account (AKA your shipping address and payment method). Once that’s out of the way, you’ll be good to go.
Every Tuesday, you’ll get a text highlighting that week’s pick. This includes details on the roaster, tasting notes, origin, process, varietal, and more. Plus, there will be a link to a brew guide that not only includes all of the above information but also a video showing the preferred method of making a cup of that week’s selection.
To order from Fellow Drops, all you need to do is respond with a 1, 2, or 3 to denote how many bags you’d like to purchase. Immediately after you do, you’ll get a text confirmation and should receive an email confirmation soon after. Once your item ships, you’ll get another text with the tracking info. Also, while it kind of goes without saying, if you don’t want that week’s drop, just don’t respond to the text and nothing will be charged.
Since Fellow makes it so insanely easy to order, I do have some notes on what to watch out for before you reply. Namely, not only are various drops different prices but they may also be different sizes. I’ve seen as small as 3.5 ounces (you read that right) and as large as 12 ounces. So, you’ll absolutely want to read carefully and make sure you’re getting what you think you are for the price.
So what happens if you place an order and then, oh I dunno, realize that you have the wrong address on file? Well, luckily, Fellow has thought this through. As I discovered when his scenario happened to me, I was able to text “address” and was sent a link to edit my file. Then, I could easily update my address and everything was smooth sailing from there.
For as many delicious-sounding roasts that have arrived in my Messages in the past few months, I’m proud to say that I’ve only ended up ordering two Fellow Drops to date. Luckily, both were as awesome as I hoped they’d be, so I was happy with my purchases. There have been a few others that I’ve been quite close to trying, but ultimately decided I already had too many roasts on hand.
The moral of the story is if you’re a specialty coffee lover, Fellow Drops can be a great and fun way to be introduced to new roasts. At the same time, you will need to demonstrate some restraint as a subscriber as temptation will regularly befoul you. But, if you can discipline yourself and stop your coffee-craving fingers from responding without permission, I think it’s a program worth checking out.