Steeped Coffee Bags

Crossing over into the world of coffee beyond Folgers is a daunting task involving coffee grinders, pour-over filters and digital scales. But the only thing Steeped Coffee requires for a barista-worthy cup is that you know how to boil water—just as if you were making tea.

Off the heels of its Kickstarter campaign, the Santa Cruz-based company is starting to roll out its subscription service for single-serving coffee bags that are as easy to prepare as a cup of Earl Grey. The compostable bags are filled with third-wave, fair trade grounds, so even the most persnickety java aficionados won't complain.

Though, the admittedly straightforward idea has been a long time in the making. "There's a reason this hasn't been done before," CEO Josh Wilbur says. "We had to innovate to account for a number of factors such as sourcing ethical and quality beans . . . maintaining the freshness of ground coffee, controlling the water permeability of the filter and making sure everything we do is environmentally sustainable. . . . Turns out there was a lot of challenges to overcome to make something this simple work."

Luckily, the only hurdle you have to jump over is choosing which subscription you'd like delivered straight to your door.