Kicking Horse Coffee Review

Cliffhanger Espresso coffee Kicking Horse Coffee Review

Kicking Horse Cliff Hanger Espresso is as the name means it a blend created for the espresso lovers. That’s not to say you can’t work with it for other brewing methods, actually, we are making the fantastic Turkish coffee with these beans. I tried it a couple of times in my Aeropress and it is ideal. Forget the name, these beans are truly versatile, and you can utilize them for any brew that callsfor a medium roast.

The beans in this blend are selected from three continents, America, Asia, and Africa. The Central American beans impart the specific acidity, which is great for an espresso, if it’s limited. The African beans, (Ethiopian we hear), give your espresso coffee blend the fruity tones, and tone down the overall acidity. Finally, the body of this wonderful blend comes from the Indonesian sourced beans.

The blend does not focus on crema volume. You will get a lot of it, don’t get me wrong, however there are other espresso beans with more crema. This blend focuses on taste and body. You will get overwhelmed with the whole range of specific espresso coffee aromas, a bright start, continued by cocoa and fruity middle tones, and finished with a heavy caramel taste. The espresso crafted with Kicking Horse Cliff Hanger is very smooth but really distinctive at the same time. No bitterness, truly a little bit acidity, and no burnt aftertaste as with Starbucks beans.

It is a strong coffee, and as vague as this sounds, it is true. Some people define strong coffee as dark roasted, some think that full-bodied coffee is stronger, and some measure the strength by the amount of caffeine content. I don’t have a way to measure the caffeine content, but I can tell you that Cliffhanger Espresso does its job pretty well, of kicking in in the morning when I need it. As for the body, it has a full body, that’s why I like to use it for my occasional Turkish brew. The roast is not really dark, but espresso roasts can’t be too dark.

I experimented a lot with this blend, and I found that the best impacts when pulling a shot are with a mildly finer grind than my other favorites. The shot will be pulled slower than the normal, nevertheless you get the richest taste and the many crema. The beans in Cliff Hanger espresso coffee are slightly denser than the average beans, and they are smaller in size than many other espresso blends.

Kicking Horse Cliff Hanger Espresso

Cliff Hanger espresso coffee is among my favorite blends, however this might not be for everyone. The beans are on the oily side, this suggests that not all grinding machines will “like” these beans. They are definitely not for an automatic espresso machine. Do not buy them for a super automatic espresso coffee machine, because they will clog the coffee grinder.

You need to play with the grinding size since these beans are slightly denser than your typical. You might need to troubleshoot your tamping as well. (I find out it is against the rules of pulling wonderful shots, however this blend is finicky.)

Despite these shortcomings, this is one of my favorite espresso coffee blends. The taste and the aroma of a shot pulled from Cliff Hanger brews it up for everything else, and once you got your first decent shot, you’ll never want to buy any other beans. When you get the great shot, it will change your perspective about espresso coffee.

If you already tried Kicking Horse’s “Cliff Hanger”, and you want to explore more espresso coffee blends, check our article about Six Wonderful Espresso coffee Coffee Beans. I list there some of my favorite beans for espresso.

Kick Ass Dark Roast Kicking Horse Coffee

Kick Ass Dark roast are some of the darkest roasted beans that I have used. I normally am not a fan of dark roasts, due to the fact that the more you roast beans the more you lose any trace of the bean personality, and you get instead a predictable dark roast taste. I was, however, really curious to understand the hype around an exceptionally dark roast, (Spanish roast), and to see why people rated this blend so overwhelmingly well.

A dark roast has a few advantages, and the interest is legitimate. Firstly, darker roasted beans are easier on the stomach, and for people with an upset stomach from coffee, sipping an incredibly dark roasted blend is the difference between pain and satisfaction. Secondly, dark roasted beans are bolder, because of the content of soluble solids. In a dark roast there are more ashes, and these dissolve easier in water.

The problem with really darker roasts is that you almost always get the burnt matter aftertaste. I absolutely dislike the smoke taste in my coffee, and this is one of the reasons I never go to Starbucks, and I don’t like their beans. Hat off for their marketing skills, but their coffee sucks. This is where Kick Ass Dark Roast impressed me.

As dark as their coffee is roasted, does not have that overwhelming smoke taste that ruins it for me. I am uncertain what is their roasting secret, I would venture to guess that longer roasting at lower temperatures, nevertheless I could be entirely wrong. It’s just a guess.

If you are still not convinced, watch the video below. This is a video review from a guy that was like me before trying these beans. Burnt beans? Hmm… Not going to bother to try them.

Kicking Horse Kick Ass Dark

I have never been a fan of dark roasts. Basically, I always liked lighter roasted beans because they have a longer shelf life and because they didn’t entirely kill the bean’s personality. All the dark roasts I tried before had a unique dimension, caramel with a bold campfire component. Not my cup of joe.

All this changed when I tried Kicking Horse Kick Ass beans. This was the first time I enjoyed beans roasted so dark.

I brewed the Kick Ass in a French press and with an automatic drip coffee brewing equipment, at work. Both brewing methods stood out with these beans. I am not a fan of automatic American coffee, but I get a cup from time to time when I don’t have other options. The French press coffee prepared with the Kick Ass beans was fantastic, and I suggest it to any Cafetière enthusiast who loves dark roasted coffees.

If you want some more coffee beans ideas, here is an post I wrote, and where I recommend some great beans for Cafetière.

What Are the Best Kicking Horse Coffee Beans

As you probably guessed it, two of my favorites are Cliff Hanger Espresso and Kick Ass, and they are the featured products in this Kicking Horse coffee review. Two other ideal dark roast blends are the Grizzly Claw, and 454 Horse Power. I have tried them and they are evenly wonderful.

Grizzly Claw is a dark roast, somewhat similar to Kick Ass, although enough distinctive to deserve a special spot in my pantry. Grizzly Claw is a bold coffee, (read strong with adequate body), which amazingly still has a wonderful dark chocolate taste. Usually, such dark roasts lose any coffee aroma, but not Kicking Horse’s dark roast blends. The beans are of Central American and South American origin, specifically selected for dark roasting.

454 Horse Power from Kicking Horse is another dark blend, however the beans are from Indonesia. Lots of enjoy this blend more than the already renowned Kick Ass. At the end of the day, they are all ideal, you can’t really pick a definitive winner.

I finally tried the Three Sisters, after hearing many good things about it. I believe “Three Sisters” is among their lightest roasts – a medium. (Hola is the lightest.) The tasting notes remind of toasted coconut and cocoa. I recommend this coffee for Cafetière and cold brew. You can also check my personal preferences for cold brew coffee beans, for more ideas. You can also purchase these beans on Amazon by following this link: Three Sisters Coffee Beans from Kicking Horse.

For more info about the Kicking Horse Coffee beans visit their website.