Kicking Horse Coffee, Kick Ass, Dark Roast, Whole Bean, 10 Oz

I love coffee, look forward to drinking it every morning, but I’m not an “aficionado”. I just like what I like - dark but not too dark. I have a cheap drip coffee maker (Hamilton Beach Flex Brew) and just want a good cup without breaking the bank. I’ve pretty much tried all the grocery store brands, and this was the first time in years for me to break out my old coffee grinder, I think purchased in the 90s. Another reviewer recommended 55 grams coffee to one liter water. For my 14 oz mug, that means 23.6 grams. I followed that formula to weigh the beans, ground them up, and popped them in. Great cup of coffee! Strong and dark but also smooth - not bitter at all. I drink black coffee, but at a coffee shop the dark roast is usually too bitter or ashy for me - this was not. The next day I tried cutting back to 21 grams of beans, just to see if I could save a pinch. Nope! It was acceptable but I had to add a little raw cacao powder to enjoy it. The 55 grams per liter formula is PERFECT. My fave “less expensive” grocery store brand is Wide Awake. By my calculations, this is about the same price per cup, and I like it better. The extra time to weigh, grind and fill is worth it. Note - as others have said, there was no roast date the package but there was a “use by”. The date on mine is April 2021, I purchased in June 2020. The beans are not oily and smell great to me. When I grind them. very little of the grounds stick to the walls of the grinder. It will take me about 5 weeks to use all the beans, so hopefully they will still taste fresh in late July if I keep them sealed well.

Excellent. Smooth and rich. High price, for me just a treat.

Smooth flavor.

Smooth, while bold and full flavored. My husband and I both really like this coffee. That says a lot, considering we have been all over the world sampling coffees. Kinda serious relationship with this nectar of the Gods. For a day to day brew, this is a pleasant local-ish discovery. Plus, it’s organic. Big points here. Downside? THEIR BAGS SUCK. I have to mutiliate the heck out of the top, usually tearing it above the seal and have to take scissors to a corner to get into it. This has been the case with every bag from this brand (I’ve gotten maybe 8?). I’m menopausal and have zero patience to fight to get into every bag. I get annoyed. The dogs get the “she has that look” on their faces. The husband give them an understanding consideration glance…. 🤣 This bag sitch will keep me from continuing on the suckfest of buying these beans. Fix your bag and I would likely be a lifetime customer. I’d even be willing to overlook the bagastrophe if you had mold-free beans.

Once upon a time, my husband and I used to buy a cup (at least) of coffee shop coffee every day. Eventually, we decided we should just make coffee ourselves at home: buy the packaged coffee shop coffee, make it on our home coffee maker, done and done, right? Well, not so much. The coffee we made at home just didn't taste the same as it did in the coffee shop, and we couldn't figure out why. So we researched. What we found was that there are about a billion variables to making a good cup of coffee. And after all our research regarding methods and equipment along with a bit of trial and error, we now have our home coffee making perfected to our liking. I'd like to caveat this by saying that I am by no means an expert on this stuff--just a regular person who did a lot of research and figured out what PERSONALLY works for me, and if anything I say here happens to help someone out who was in the same shoes I was, then that's great. First off, the coffee maker. We brew our coffee in a Technivorm Moccamaster (apparently one of the few consumer coffee makers that actually heats the water up to be hot enough to reach the ideal temp for making coffee--probably the biggest reason why our initial attemps at home coffee making failed. It's pretty pricey, but you can replicate the same results for much cheaper using a $15 pourover contraption, though it'll involve a more manual effort on your behalf. Another alternative at $150--still somewhat pricey, but about half the cost of the Technivorm--is the Bonavita; if the Bonavita was around back when we were researching coffee makers 3 years ago, we probably would've opted to get that one instead, primarily for the cost savings. The Technivorm was our best option at the time, though, so that's what we got, and we're still extremely happy with it, even after 3 years of daily use.). Just as importantly, we make sure to use high-quality whole bean coffee [stored well if you're not using the whole bag within a week (we use the Friis coffee vault) since CO2 and light are not friends to coffee beans. We also freshly grind just enough whole beans for that particular brew cycle just prior to brewing, and we use a good quality BURR grinder--in our case, the Capresso Infinity burr grinder. Refer to Alton Brown's coffee episode if you're curious why it's so important to use a burr grinder as opposed to a blade grinder.]. We eventually realized we weren't huge fans of a lot of the whole bean coffees easily obtained in supermarkets or large chain coffee shops (I'm looking at you, Starbucks), yet didn't like paying shipping for the coffees from independent, small-batch roasters (as good as those coffees were, I really, REALLY hate paying for shipping). As such, I turned to my trusty Amazon Prime to save the day. I found Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Dark Whole Bean Coffee via the stellar reviews, placed an order, and hoped for the best (2.2 lbs. is a lot of coffee to have if it turns out I didn't like it). Thankfully, I'm happy to say that I've found THE ONE! This coffee is complex, deep, and smoky, yet without any burnt taste at all. And the fact that it's fair-trade and organic is icing on the cake. And (AND!) if that weren't enough, it's quickly and easily available on Amazon Prime AND part of their subscribe-and-save program. WIN! Extra tips: - Preheat your carafe and coffee mugs by filling with hot water and discarding before using so that the cold carafe and coffee mugs don't steal all the heat from your freshly brewed coffee. - Only use good quality, filtered water for brewing. - Make sure you grind your coffee according to how coarse/fine is recommended for the particular coffee you are using, and make sure you use the correct proportions of coffee to water (for those who have European coffee makers such as the Technivorm, keep in mind that a cup of coffee made in these coffee makers is typically less ounces than in American coffee makers). - Clean your burr grinder on a regular basis by using the white rice method. This is especially important if you grind oily coffee beans such as Kicking Horse Kick Ass Dark.

Starbucks used to sell a coffee called Komodo Dragon. It was wonderful coffee. It is off the market now. They sell Komodo Dragon Blend, which varies enormously in quality. Last time I bought it, it was kinda crappy, tasted like it had almost no Indonesian in it, just washed central American floor sweepings. So I went looking for better coffee. This is it. No question, no regrets. It is just wonderful. It has no bad tastes, just like Komodo Dragon used to when it was 100% Indonesian. I am putting it on subscription, and soon as I run out of the other crap I used to drink this will be the only coffee I brew. It is rich, has cocoa undertones, and is earthy, but it does not have the sharp bitter notes that washed new world coffees have. This is the flavor that I prefer in coffee, and I believe that people who have tasted it generally prefer it. (I know that some people like the flavor, believing it to be part of the flavor of coffee, but it does not have to be.) I generally brew my coffee in a filter pot with a gold mesh filter. I use 5 two tablespoon coffee scoops for a 10 cup pot. While I will drink coffee hot, I prefer to let it cool, and I use a thermal pot so that the coffee won't burn in the carafe, but I will drink it cold. Definitely a winner. Additions. Put 75 grams of medium grind into a liter {quart} of cold tap water. Stir. Put in refrigerator. About three hours later, stir so that the coffee sinks. Put back in refrigerator. Leave overnight. Amazing! Pour liquid carefully off grounds, filter through fine metal filter, or use a special pot. Rich, smooth coffee. Heat in microwave if you want it hot. So good I put away my filter pot. Espresso: Set your grinder to fine. These are the beans you want. They produce excellent creama that lasts. The coffee produced is rich, and missing a lot of the awful bitterness that you get when you order an espresso at a coffee shop. Drink it iced, 4 shots at a time. Mix it into a latte or cappuccino, it stamds up to ice or milk. It is amazing how good this voffee is. The coffee I make at home is head and shoulders above anything I buy commercially. I am so glad I tried this coffee. If you want a rich coffee that is not bitter, try it.

Very mild. Had to mix it with a stronger grind.

I received my coffee yesterday. I ordered two kinds. I have never ordered this brand before, but after wonderful reviews, I chose to order two kinds, dark roast and medium roast. I received Kick Ass AND it has a Best By date 3 weeks away, Aug 5, 2026! The other, Smart Ass, one year and one month to the Best By date of Aug 19, 2027...To send one of the coffees with such a short expiration date, to me, is unloading the ones close to expiration on someone. Can one person use all the beans in 3 weeks? In this case, NO So the quality of the bean will be different than one that is over a year to the Best By date. What makes this worse, this was a gift. Disappointed in Kicking Horse {and with the price I paid, I expected a reasonable BEST BY date...3 weeks in NOT since it's been bagged for over a year I'm sure!} As far as being able to judge the coffee, I have not. Beware of the possibility you will also received a very quick Best By date. UPDATE: I CONTACTED AMAZON VIA CHAT AND WAS IMMEDIATELY REFUNDED FOR THE ONE WITH THE BEST BY DATE ISSUE. VERY QUICK AND VERY SATISFIED WITH THE QUICK CUSTOMER SERVICE. AMAZON REALLY DOES A GREAT JOB FOR THINGS LIKE THIS. {Product sold and shipped by Amazon} I will reorder again. Thanks to Amazon for standing behind this product. I gave a 5 star rating, not based on the coffee, but based on a quick resolution to this issue. Excited to hear back about this coffee and will report back.

When you order a box with 6 packets (60oz total) you only get 1 10oz packet. Beware

The coffee was mouldy because it had expired more than three months before I received it

My sister introduced me to KickAss and I have never looked back. It brews a full bodied, flavor full cup of coffee. I like mine black and it is smooth with no bitter bite. I ship this stuff all the way to Singapore!

Kicking Horse is a great line of coffees. Not only is this java organic, Kicking Horse is a Fair Trade producer (having toured coffee plantations in Mexico & Central America, I can attest to how important the Fair Trade initiative is to an individual coffee grower). Although what type of coffee you drink is very individual, having done the java jive for a long, long time, all I can say is: for me, this brew holds its own vs everything from Starbucks to Blue Mountain (from Jamaica) & Kona (from the Big Island in Hawaii). It's well priced & I've yet to get a bag that wasn't fresh, or didn't live up to expectations. Enjoy!

It's over 4yrs that I have had the kickass pleasure and still enjoy the.deep great taste.of the.best in the WEST !!!